Fable
The Lark & Her Young Ones
A Lark made her nest in a field of young
wheat. As the days passed, the wheat stalks grew tall and the young birds, too,
grew in strength. Then one day, when the ripe golden grain waved in the breeze,
the Farmer and his son came into the field.
"This
wheat is now ready for reaping," said the Farmer. "We must call in
our neighbors and friends to help us harvest it."
The
young Larks in their nest close by were much frightened, for they knew they would
be in great danger if they did not leave the nest before the reapers came. When
the Mother Lark returned with food for them, they told her what they had heard.
"Do
not be frightened, children," said the Mother Lark. "If the Farmer
said he would call in his neighbors and friends to help him do his work, this
-wheat will not be reaped for a while yet."
A
few days later, the wheat was so ripe, that when the wind shook the stalks, a
hail of wheat grains came rustling down on the young Larks' heads.
"If
this wheat is not harvested at once," said the Farmer, "we shall lose
half the crop. We cannot wait any longer for help from our friends. Tomorrow we
must set to work, ourselves."
When
the young Larks told their mother what they had heard that day, she said:
"Then
we must be off at once. When a man decides to do his own work and not depend on
anyone else, then you may be sure there will be no more delay."
There
was much fluttering and trying out of wings that afternoon, and at sunrise next
day, when the Farmer and his son cut down the grain, they found an empty nest.
Moral
- Self-help is the best help.
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