ALONG, long time ago the goat was feared by all the animals of the forest. When he passed along the road, walking slowly, his face grave and stern, with his long, white beard and his curved horns, the animals he met bowed to him politely and then ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Had he ever eaten any of his neighbors? The gossips of the country were not quite certain, but he looked so terrible that they felt it was better to believe he had than to try to find out.

By degrees, from hearing it said he was to be feared, he finally came to think so himself. Once, when he was stooping over a brook to drink, he saw his reflection in the stream and jumped back three feet, so frightened was he at the sight of his beard and horns.

    At length a tiger which lived not far from the home of the goat plucked up courage enough to determine to call on his neighbor. With him he took his little son. When the goat met them at the door they saluted him very humbly, and Mr. Tiger asked after the health of Mr. Goat's family. "I have come to pay my respects to you," he continued, "and Mrs. Tiger would have come, too, only she happened not to be feeling well to-day."

"Come in," said Mr. Goat, "where we can sit down and visit comfortably."

Mr. Goat conducted his caller to the parlor, and there they had a long, serious talk about the affairs of the country. This talk did not interest the little tiger, nor did it interest Mr. Goat's little son who was also present. So the children were sent out to the garden to play. "Be very polite to your companion," said Mr. Tiger, as his son was leaving, "or else he will eat you."

The two children began to play together. Pretty soon little Tiger jumped on little Goat and threw him down head over heels. Then little Goat laughed.

"Bless me! what small teeth you have!" said little Tiger.

"It is so with all our family," responded little Goat. "My papa's are not much longer and larger than mine."

This remark made little Tiger reflect, and when the visit was over and father and son had left their hosts, little Tiger. scarcely waited for Mr. Goat to shut the door before he said, "Papa, little Goat has very small teeth and he told me that his father's were not much longer and bigger than his own."

"Hold your tongue, hold your tongue!" said Mr. Tiger hurriedly. "If Mr. Goat should hear us he would eat us both up."

Mr. Tiger, however, resolved to know the truth of the matter. Certainly, Mr. Goat was very fat, and simply the thought of how good he would taste made Mr. Tiger lick his lips. But in what way could he contrive to see Mr. Goat's teeth? At last he thought of a plan, and when Mr. Goat and little Goat came to return the visit he had made, he soon turned the talk from the grave subjects it seemed natural they should discuss and told the funniest story he knew. The result was that Mr. Goat laughed heartily and showed his teeth. Yes, they were quite small, and Mr. Tiger feared him no more. Instantly he jumped on the goat and killed him.

Little Goat heard his father scream, and he ran off as fast as he could and reached home before the Tiger thought of following him. For the rest of the day there was nothing but tears and groanings in the home hut. Mrs. Goat and her son cried until it was a pity to hear them. Presently the Queen of the Birds noticed the noise they made and came flying to the hut. She lit on the sill of an open window and asked Mrs. Goat the cause of her grief.

"Alas kind lady," replied Mrs. Goat, "Mr. Tiger has eaten up my poor husband. My child and I do not dare to go out, for we are afraid Mr. Tiger will soon come prowling around here to eat us also."

Touched by her sorrow, the Queen of the Birds consoled her as well as she could and promised her a complete revenge. Then she spread her wings and flew away deep into the forest and summoned all the birds to gather. They came, large and small, every one, and the Queen told them of the death of Mr. Goat. "Let us swear to avenge our good neighbor!" cried she.

"We swear it!" squalled and squawked, whistled and screamed the birds, each in its own language.

At this deafening noise, the foxes and rabbits ran to hide themselves in their holes, and the snakes wriggled out of sight into the thick grass or the crevices of the rocks.

"Listen to my orders," said the Queen of the Birds. "To-morrow I will give a great feast. You must all assemble at three in the afternoon, and I myself will fly to Mr. Tiger's house and invite him to be present."

Mr. Tiger was much flattered to have the Queen of the Birds call, and he promised to attend the great feast in the forest. When the time came he put on his finest clothes, curled his mustache and then after kissing his wife and son good-by, he started.

As soon as the birds saw him approaching, their Queen said to her subjects, "Now take your places for the dancing. Music, play!"

So the orchestra played,

The Queen of the Birds flew to welcome Mr. Tiger, who was quite dazzled by the wonderful assembly and by the music and the dancing and the rich feast he saw prepared. "You shall be my partner," said the Queen, and they joined the dancers and whirled and whirled until Mr. Tiger was dizzy.

At one side of the level space chosen for the feast the ground dropped away in a rocky precipice. Nearer and nearer the verge of the cliff danced the Queen and her partner. Mr. Tiger paid no attention to whither he was going. The wild dance took all of his attention. Suddenly he found no footing beneath. At the. same moment his partner shook herself free and flew away, and he fell down the rocks to his death.

Messengers were at once dispatched to carry the news to Mrs. Goat and to bring her and her son to the forest feast. When the guests arrived the orchestra once more began to play,

How the birds did leap! How they fluttered! and when the dancing came to an end they had a splendid banquet. Last of all, a collection was taken up for Mrs. Goat and her son that enabled them to live in comfort for the rest of their days.