THE MASTER FOOL
HERE once lived a woman who had a very foolish boy. One day, when she had been churning, the lad wished to go to town and sell the butter. His mother objected to this, saying it would not do at all, as he had never been in town before; but as he coaxed and pleaded for her permission, she at last consented, gave him a roll of butter, whereupon he went away.
The boy trudged along, and finally reached a large stone. Supposing this stone to be the town, he addressed it very politely, asking if it cared to buy some butter. Of course the stone made no reply. "I'll tell you," said the boy, "that my butter is of a good quality. If you wish, you may have a taste of it." Without waiting for permission, he smeared a bit of butter on the stone, and as it was a very warm day, it melted in the heat. Thinking that the stone—or the town—ate it with delight, the boy resumed: "I observe that you seem to like it. You may as well buy the whole, and I am willing to wait for the money until to-morrow." So
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