FABLE OF THE ANIMALS
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hat he might get the longest bow. This he plannedwithin his cunning mind. Then he laughed to himself,stretched out his nose on his forepaws, and pretendedto sleep like the others. But about midnight he began to get sleepy, and hehad to walk around camp and scratch his eyes to keepthem open. But still he grew more sleepy and he hadto skip and jump about to keep awake. He madeso much noise in this way that he woke up someof the other animals and he had to think of anotherplan. About the time that the morning star came up, hewas so sleepy that he couldn’t keep his eyes open anylonger. Then he took two little sticks and sharpenedthem at the ends and propped open his eyelids, where-upon he thought he was safe and concluded he wouldjust take a little nap with his eyes open watching themorning star. But in a few minutes he was fast asleep,and the sharp sticks pierced through his eyelids andpinned them fast together. So the morning star mounted up very swiftly, andthen there came a peep of daybreak, and the birdsbegan to sing, and the animals began to wake-and rise 48
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