Fantastic Fables

by Ambrose Bierce
Contents:

The Moral Principle and the Material Interest
The Crimson Candle

The Blotted Escutcheon and the Soiled Ermine
The Ingenious Patriot

Two Kings
An Officer and a Thug

The Conscientious Official
How Leisure Came

The Moral Sentiment
The Politicians

The Thoughtful Warden
The Treasury and the Arms

The Christian Serpent
The Broom of the Temple

The Critics
The Foolish Woman

Father and Son
The Discontented Malefactor

A Call to Quit
The Man and the Lightning

The Lassoed Bear
The Ineffective Rooter

A Protagonist of Silver
The Holy Deacon

A Hasty Settlement
The Wooden Guns

The Reform School Board
The Poet's Doom

The Noser and the Note
The Cat and the King

The Literary Astronomer
The Lion and the Rattlesnake

The Man with No Enemies
The Alderman and the Raccoon

The Flying-Machine
The Angel's Tear

The City of Political Distinction
The Party Over There

The Poetess of Reform
The Unchanged Diplomatist

An Invitation
The Ashes of Madame Blavatsky

The Opossum of the Future
The Life-Savers

The Australian Grasshopper
The Pavior

The Tried Assassin
The Bumbo of Jiam

The Two Poets
The Thistles upon the Grave

The Shadow of the Leader
The Sagacious Rat

The Member and the Soap
Alarm and Pride

A Causeway
Two in Trouble

The Witch's Steed
The All Dog

The Farmer's Friend
Physicians Two

The Overlooked Factor
A Racial Parallel

The Honest Cadi
The Kangaroo and the Zebra

A Matter of Method
The Man of Principle

The Returned Californian
The Compassionate Physician

Two of the Damned
The Austere Governor

Religions of Error
The Penitent Elector

The Tail of the Sphinx
A Prophet of Evil

The Crew of the Life-boat
A Treaty of Peace

The Nightside of Character
The Faithful Cashier

The Circular Clew
The Devoted Widow

The Hardy Patriots
The Humble Peasant

The Various Delegation
The No Case

A Harmless Visitor
The Judge and the Rash Act

The Prerogative of Might
An Inflated Ambition

Rejected Services
The Power of the Scalawag

At Large - One Temper
The Seeker and the Sought

His Fly-Speck Majesty
The Pugilist's Diet

The Old Man and the Pupil
The Deceased and his Heirs

The Politicians and the Plunder
The Man and the Wart

The Divided Delegation
A Forfeited Right

Revenge
An Optimist

A Valuable Suggestion
Two Footpads

Equipped for Service
The Basking Cyclone

At the Pole
The Optimist and the Cynic

The Poet and the Editor
The Taken Hand

An Unspeakable Imbecile
A Needful War

The Mine Owner and the Jackass
The Dog and the Physician

The Party Manager and the Gentleman.
The Legislator and the Citizen

The Rainmaker
The Citizen and the Snakes

Fortune and the Fabulist
A Smiling Idol

Philosophers Three
The Boneless King

Uncalculating Zeal
A Transposition

The Honest Citizen
A Creaking Tail

Wasted Sweets
Six and One

The Sportsman and the Squirrel
The Fogy and the Sheik

At Heaven's Gate
The Catted Anarchist

The Honourable Member
The Expatriated Boss

An Inadequate Fee
The Judge and the Plaintiff

The Return of the Representative
A Statesman

Two Dogs
Three Recruits

The Mirror
Saint and Sinner

An Antidote
A Weary Echo

The Ingenious Blackmailer
A Talisman

The Ancient Order
A Fatal Disorder

The Massacre
A Ship and a Man

Congress and the People
The Justice and His Accuser

The Highwayman and the Traveller
The Policeman and the Citizen

The Writer and the Tramps
Two Politicians

The Fugitive Office
The Tyrant Frog

The Eligible Son-in-Law
The Statesman and the Horse

An AErophobe
The Thrift of Strength

The Good Government
The Life-Saver

The Man and the Bird
From the Minutes

Three of a Kind
The Fabulist and the Animals

A Revivalist Revived
The Debaters

Two of the Pious
The Desperate Object

The Appropriate Memorial
A Needless Labour

A Flourishing Industry
The Self-Made Monkey

The Patriot and the Banker
The Mourning Brothers

The Disinterested Arbiter
The Thief and the Honest Man

The Dutiful Son
Aesopus Emendatus

The Cat and the Youth
The Farmer and His Sons

Jupiter and the Baby Show
The Man and the Dog

The Cat and the Birds
Mercury and the Woodchopper

The Fox and the Grapes
The Penitent Thief

The Archer and the Eagle
Truth and the Traveller

The Wolf and the Lamb
The Lion and the Boar

The Grasshopper and the Ant
The Fisher and the Fished

The Farmer and the Fox
Dame Fortune and the Traveller

• wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
• reform [ri´fɔ:m] v.&n.改革；改良；革除 (初中英语单词)
• literary [´litərəri] a.文学(上)的 (初中英语单词)
• racial [´reiʃəl] a.种族的；人种的 (初中英语单词)
• prophet [´prɔfit] n.预言家；先知；提倡者 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• circular [´sə:kjulə] a.圆形的 n.通知 (初中英语单词)
• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
• valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
• manager [´mænidʒə] n.经理；管理人；干事 (初中英语单词)
• sportsman [´spɔ:tsmən] n.运动员；好运动的人 (初中英语单词)
• honourable [´ɔnərəbəl] a.荣誉的；正直的 (初中英语单词)
• policeman [pə´li:smən] n.警察 (初中英语单词)
• writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)
• statesman [´steitsmən] n.政治家，国务活动家 (初中英语单词)
• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ] n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝 (初中英语单词)
• fantastic [fæn´tæstik] a.奇异的；荒谬的 (高中英语单词)
• crimson [´krimzən] a.&n.深(紫)红(的) (高中英语单词)
• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)
• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)
• thoughtful [´θɔ:tfəl] a.深思的；体贴的 (高中英语单词)
• harmless [´hɑ:mləs] a.无害的，无恶意的 (高中英语单词)
• fugitive [´fju:dʒitiv] n.逃亡者，亡命者 (高中英语单词)
• tyrant [´taiərənt] n.暴君；霸主；专制君主 (高中英语单词)
• appropriate [ə´prəupri-it, ə´prəuprieit] a.适宜的 vt.私占；拨给 (高中英语单词)
• needless [´ni:dləs] a.不必要的；无用的 (高中英语单词)
• patriot [´pætriət] n.爱国者 (高中英语单词)
• archer [´ɑ:tʃə] n.射手，弓箭手 (高中英语单词)
• grasshopper [´grɑ:s,hɔpə] n.蚱蜢，蝗虫 (高中英语单词)
• conscientious [,kɔnʃi´enʃəs] a.认真的；谨慎的 (英语四级单词)
• alderman [´ɔ:ldəmən] n.市参议员；总督 (英语四级单词)
• austere [ɔ´stiə] a.严峻(格)的；质朴的 (英语四级单词)
• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身...的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)
• thrift [θrift] n.节俭，节约 (英语四级单词)
• fisher [´fiʃə] n.捕鱼人(船)；鱼貂 (英语四级单词)
• discontented [,diskən´tentid] a.不平的；不满的 (英语六级单词)
• unchanged [ʌn´tʃeindʒd] a.不变的；依然如故的 (英语六级单词)
• compassionate [kəm´pæʃənit] a.有同情心的 vt.同情 (英语六级单词)
• penitent [´penitənt] a.悔罪的 n.悔罪者 (英语六级单词)
• prerogative [pri´rɔgətiv] n.特权 a.(有)特权的 (英语六级单词)
• unspeakable [ʌn´spi:kəbl] a.不能以言语表达的 (英语六级单词)
• legislator [´ledʒisleitə] n.立法者 (英语六级单词)