The Old Man, His Son And The Ass

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Title:     The Old Man, His Son And The Ass
Author: Henry Wallace Phillips [More Titles by Phillips]

An old man and his little boy were once driving an ass to the market-place. "What's the matter with one of you riding?" said a passer-by. So the man put his boy on the ass and they went on. The next person they met said it was a shame to see a boy ride while an old man walked. The man lifted the boy off and got on himself. This also excited adverse comment, and the man took the boy up behind him. The next critic was a member of the S.P.C.A., and he upbraided them both roundly, saying that they would better carry the ass than he them. Thereupon they tied the ass's legs to a long pole and carried him between them. While crossing the bridge, into the town, the man stumbled and the ass fell into the water and was drowned. They promptly sued the city for damages, and compromised on $263, more than eight times the value of the ass.

IMMORAL:

Hard luck cannot touch smooth people.

[The end]
Henry Wallace Phillips's short story: Old Man, His Son And The Ass

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