Ęsop's Fables
"The Spendthrift and the Swallow"
Once
there was a man who had nothing left of his, once great, fortune except for the
clothes he had on his back. Early one Spring morning while walking down
the street he spied a swallow.
"Surely Summer must be upon us," said
the man. With that he promptly headed down to the market place, to see how
much money his coat would fetch.
"The season is still quite early," ha
said to himself. "I should still be able to get a fair price."
Soon after reaching the marketplace the man
found a vendor to purchase his coat. The next morning however, a change in
the weather took place, and a severe frost came upon the entire
countryside. The frost killed the unfortunate swallow. When the
spendthrift saw its frozen body he cried out to it.
"Stupid bird. Thanks to you I no
longer have my coat to keep me warm."
"One swallow does not make the entire
Summer.
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