Long ago, a pack of wolves lived on a prairie. Some deer lived near by.

The wolves could run swiftly, but they knew that the deer were swift runners, too. The hungry wolves wondered how they might catch the deer and eat them.

At last they thought of a fine plan. They invited the deer to run a race with them.

The wolves and the deer started in the race side by side, but the deer ran much the faster.

The wolves were very angry. "We will eat the deer yet," they said.

One day they prepared a great feast. They invited the deer to dine with them. The deer sat down facing the wolves. Then the wolves said to the deer, "Laugh, you on the other side!"

"No," said the deer. "You laugh first."

"Very well," said the wolves. "We will laugh first."

And they laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Now you on the other side laugh, too," said the wolves.

Then the deer laughed, "Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm!"

"Laugh again," said the deer.

"Very well," said the wolves, and they laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The deer were frightened when they saw the great, sharp teeth of the hungry wolves.

They wanted to run away at once and hide from the wolves, but they were afraid.

Again the wolves said, "Laugh, you on the other side! But do not keep your mouths closed when you laugh. Nobody laughs like that."

Then the deer laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

This time they opened their mouths. The wolves could not see any teeth in the mouths of the deer.

At once the wolves attacked the deer. They killed and ate them.

Only a few of the deer escaped.

To this day, all deer are afraid of wolves.

The wolves laugh and show their teeth when they see the deer. And deer run as fast as they can when they see the wolves.