THE KING OF THE HAWKS

      A MOUSE one day met a frog. He knew the frog very well and he bowed and gave him a friendly greeting, but the frog turned up his nose and was going on without responding.

So the mouse said, "Wait a moment, Neighbor Frog, and tell me why you are so proud today."           

The frog stopped. "It is because I am King of the Hawks," he replied.

Then he lifted his nose still higher and turned away to continue his journey.

Whether he really thought he was the King of the Hawks, I do not know, but at any rate his words displeased the mouse, who did not like to have him put on airs and act so much superior to an old acquaintance. So, not to be outdone, the mouse broke out laughing and called after the frog. "Stuff and nonsense! I am King of the Hawks myself, not you!"

"No, no!" cried the frog, facing the mouse with a sudden jump, "you are nothing of the kind!"

"Yes, I am!" declared the mouse.

"No, you are not!" shouted the frog.

Thus the dispute continued, and each stuck stoutly to his claim and they got very angry. Mousie grew red in the face and Froggie was nearly bursting with rage. At last they agreed to refer the decision to a council. This council was made up of a bat, a squirrel and a parrot. The parrot was made the chief of the council because he was the biggest, and also because he talked the most and was therefore thought to be the wisest.

"Well," said the parrot, turning to the bat, "which one do you favor?"

"I vote for the mouse," replied the bat.

He really knew nothing about the rights of the matter, but a bat is very like a mouse, except for its wings, and he wanted to stand up for the family.

"And I vote for Froggie," said the squirrel.

He knew nothing about the matter either, but he wanted to show that even a squirrel has an opinion of its own. So it fell to the Parrot to cast the final vote that would decide the case. He took a long time to think, and while he was thinking and the

rest of the assembly were waiting intent to hear what he would say, a hawk swooped down from the sky. Down he came right into the midst of the council, grasped the mouse with one claw, and the frog with the other claw, and carried them both away to his nest, where he ate them.

So that was the end of the two Kings of the Hawks. The other three creatures in a great fright hastened to shelter lest the hawk should come back and serve them as he had the mouse and the frog.