Smiling Pumpkin Coloring

The Horse and his Rider.

A Horse-soldier took great pains with his charger. As long as the warlasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies, andfed him carefully with hay and corn. When the war was over, he onlyallowed him chaff to eat, and made him carry heavy loads of wood, andsubjected him to much slavish drudgery and ill-treatment. War, however,being again proclaimed, the Soldier put on his charger its militarytrappings, and mounted, being clad in his heavy coat of mail. The Horsefell down straightway under the weight, no longer equal to the burden,and said to his master: "You must now e'en go to the war on foot, foryou have transformed me from a Horse into an Ass."

He who slights his friends when they are not needed must not expect themto serve him when he needs them.

From Aesop's Fables