THE BOY WHO CRIED "WOLF!"

: Stories To Tell Children

There was once a shepherd-boy who kept his flock at a little distance

from the village. Once he thought he would play a trick on the villagers

and have some fun at their expense. So he ran toward the village crying

out, with all his might,--



"Wolf! Wolf! Come and help! The wolves are at my lambs!"



The kind villagers left their work and ran to the field to help him. But

when they got there th
boy laughed at them for their pains; there was

no wolf there.



Still another day the boy tried the same trick, and the villagers came

running to help and got laughed at again.



Then one day a wolf did break into the fold and began killing the lambs.

In great fright, the boy ran for help. "Wolf! Wolf!" he screamed. "There

is a wolf in the flock! Help!"



The villagers heard him, but they thought it was another mean trick; no

one paid the least attention, or went near him. And the shepherd-boy

lost all his sheep.



That is the kind of thing that happens to people who lie: even when they

tell the truth no one believes them.



More

;