Aesop Fable information part 6

6|The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass|FORE=0|BACK=3|MARG=5|SCFX=6


                 The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass^15


A miller and his  son were driving their  Ass to a neighboring  fair to
sell him.  They had  not gone far when they  met with a troop of  women
collected round a well, talking and laughing.  "Look there," cried  one
of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the  road
on foot when they might ride?"  The old man hearing this, quickly  made
his son  mount the  Ass, and  continued to  walk along  merrily by  his
side.  Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest  debate.
"There,"  said  one  of  them,  "it  proves  what I was a-saying.  What
respect is shown  to old age  in these days?  Do you see  that idle lad
riding  while  his  old  father  has  to  walk?  Get  down,  you  young
scapegrace, and let the old man  rest his weary limbs."  Upon  this the
old man  made his  son dismount,  and got  up himself.   In this manner
they  had  not  proceeded  far  when  they  met  a company of women and
children:  "Why, you lazy  old fellow," cried several tongues  at once,
"how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there  can
hardly  keep  pace  by  the  side  of  you?"   The  good-natured Miller
immediately took up his  son behind him.   They had now almost  reached
the town.    "Pray, honest  friend," said a citizen, "is that Ass  your
own?"   "Yes," replied  the old  man.   "O, one  would not have thought
so," said the other,  "by the way you  load him.  Why,  you two fellows
are better able  to carry the  poor beast than  he you."   "Anything to
please you," said the  old man; "we can  but try."  So,  alighting with
his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of  a
pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near  the
entrance to the  town.  This  entertaining sight brought  the people in
crowds to  laugh at  it, till  the Ass,  not liking  the noise  nor the
strange handling  that he  was subject  to, broke  the cords that bound
him and, tumbling off  the pole, fell into  the river.  Upon  this, the
old  man,  vexed  and  ashamed,  made  the  best of his way home again,
convinced  that  by  endeavoring  to  please  everybody  he had pleased
nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain.

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