Fables for the Frivolous/The Confiding Peasant and the Maladroit Bear

by Guy Wetmore Carryl

THE CONFIDING PEASANT

AND

THE MALADROIT BEAR

THE CONFIDING PEASANT

AND

THE MALADROIT BEAR

---

A peasant had a docile bear,
 A bear of manners pleasant,
And all the love she had to spare
 She lavished on the peasant:
  She proved her deep affection plainly:
  (The method was a bit ungainly).

The peasant had to dig and delve,
 And, as his class are apt to,
When all the whistles blew at twelve
 He ate his lunch, and napped, too,
  The bear a careful outlook keeping
  The while her master lay a-sleeping.

As thus the peasant slept one day,
 The weather being torrid,
A gnat beheld him where he lay
 And lit upon his forehead,
  And thence, like all such winged creatures,
  Proceeded over all his features.

The watchful bear, perceiving that
 The gnat lit on her master,
Resolved to light upon the gnat
 And plunge him in disaster;
  She saw no sense in being lenient
  When stones lay round her, most convenient.

And so a weighty rock she aimed
 With much enthusiasm:
"Oh, lor'!" the startled gnat exclaimed,
 And promptly had a spasm:
  A natural proceeding this was,
  Considering how close the miss was.

"AND SO A WEIGHTY ROCK SHE AIMED"

Now by his dumb companion's pluck,
 Which caused the gnat to squall so,
The sleeping man was greatly struck
 (And by the bowlder, also).
  In fact, his friends who idolized him
  Remarked they hardly recognized him.

Of course the bear was greatly grieved,
 But, being just a dumb thing,
She only thought: "I was deceived,
 But still, I did hit something!"
  Which showed this masculine achievement
  Had somewhat soothed her deep bereavement.

The moral: If you prize your bones
Beware of females throwing stones.