flock was feeding. One day they were startled by the cry, "A wolf!
a wolf!" They looked up and saw John motioning wildly to them and
pointing toward the sheep.

They threw down their sickles and ran to the flock. But they found
the sheep quietly grazing, and there was no wolf to be seen.

"Where is the wolf?" they asked.

"I didn't say the wolf was here,' replied John, and he laughed
loud and long as he saw the look of surprise in the men's faces.

"What do you mean, you young rascal, by fooling us so?" they
cried.

If they could have caught John, they would have given him a sound
whipping, but he had run out of their reach.

Not many days after, these same men heard the cry, "Wolf! wolf!"

"John is trying to fool us again," they said, and went on with
their work.

John called again and again, and seemed in so much trouble that
the kind-hearted men left their work and hurried toward the sheep
pasture.

When they came to the pasture, they knew that John had been
playing another trick on them. They looked for him, but could not
find him. He had hidden in some bushes where he could look on and