Far away in a small country, there lived two artists - a stoat and a
lion. They WERE both good painters, but each of them THOUGHT that he
COULD PAINT better. One day the lion SAID to the stoat , " I'LL HAVE
BEEN PAINTING pictures for 10 years nex month. MEET me in the market
square in a month at noon. Each of US WILL BRING a painting and the
public WILL BE the judge." The stoat AGREED.
On the day of the
contest the whole town CAME to the market place. The two paintings WERE
HUNG on a wall, each WAS COVERED by a curtain.
" I'LL SHOW my painting first
," CRIED the lion, and he DREW back the curtain. The crowd BEGAN TO
CLAP. Suddenly some birds FLEW down to the painting and TRIED to peck
at the grapes in the picture.
" I'VE WON, " ROARED the lion. "My
painting LOOKS so real that it FOOLED the birds! And what IS behind
that curtain of yours ? "
The stoat SMILED . "There IS no curtain. It's my painting of a velvet curtain. The grapes in your picture HAVE FOOLED the birds and my picture HAVE FOOLED you"
."