Horace Elisha Scudder

The Frog and the Ox

An Ox, grazing in a swampy meadow, set his foot among a number of young Frogs, and crushed nearly all to death. One that escaped ran off to his mother with the dreadful news.

"Oh, mother," said he, "it was a beast—such a big, four-footed beast, that did it!"

"Big?" said the old Frog. "How big? Was it as big as this?" and she puffed herself out.

"Oh, a great deal bigger than that."

"Well, was it so big?" and she swelled herself out more.

"Indeed mother, it was; and if you were to burst yourself, you would never reach half its size." The old Frog made one more trial, determined to be as big as the Ox, and burst herself indeed.