一天晚上，在村子边徘徊的狼遇到了一条狗。这是一条瘦骨嶙峋的狗。狼大人通常对这种货色不屑一顾。但这次饿得厉害，所以他开始慢慢向狗靠近，而狗则急忙退后。
“让我来提醒你，大人，”狗说着，因躲避狼牙的撕咬，他的话不时被打断，“现在吃我多么不舒心呀。你看我的肋骨。我只剩皮包骨头了。不过让我告诉你一个秘密。几天后，我的主人会为他唯一的女儿举办婚宴。你可以想想我吃了那些残羹剩饭后会变得多么肥嫩。那时才是吃我的时候。”
狼禁不住想，吃一只肥嫩的狗、而不是眼前这个瘦巴巴的东西该有多美。于是他走开了，一边紧一紧腰带，发着誓一定会回来。
几天后，狼回来吃那顿约好的大餐。他在主人的院子里找到了那条狗，请他出来被吃。
“先生，”狗咧嘴笑着说，“我很高兴让你吃掉我。门卫一开门我就出去。”
但是“门卫”是一条巨型犬，狼根据经验知道他对狼毫不客气。于是他决定溜之大吉，脚底抹油地跑掉了。
如果骗你对某些人有好处，就不要相信那些人的承诺。
在力所能及的时候，拿走力所能及的东西。
THE WOLF AND THE LEAN DOGA Wolf prowling near a village one evening met a Dog. It happened to be a very lean and bony Dog, and Master Wolf would have turned up his nose at such meager fare had he not been more hungry than usual. So he began to edge toward the Dog, while the Dog backed away.
"Let me remind your lordship," said the Dog, his words interrupted now and then as he dodged a snap of the Wolf's teeth, "how unpleasant it would be to eat me now. Look at my ribs. I am nothing but skin and bone. But let me tell you something in private. In a few days my master will give a wedding feast for his only daughter. You can guess how fine and fat I will grow on the scraps from the table. Then is the time to eat me."
The Wolf could not help thinking how nice it would be to have a fine fat Dog to eat instead of the scrawny object before him. So he went away pulling in his belt and promising to return.
Some days later the Wolf came back for the promised feast. He found the Dog in his master's yard, and asked him to come out and be eaten.
"Sir," said the Dog, with a grin, "I shall be delighted to have you eat me. I'll be out as soon as the porter opens the door."
But the "porter" was a huge Dog whom the Wolf knew by painful experience to be very unkind toward wolves. So he decided not to wait and made off as fast as his legs could carry him.
Do not depend on the promises of those whose interest it is to deceive you.
Take what you can get when you can get it.
