FABLE OF THE PIN AND NEEDLE
大头针和绣花针的故事
l.In a pleasant room lay a pin and needle，side by side，in a pretty little work-box.Having nothing to do they began to quarrel，as idle boys and girls very often do.
2.“I should like to know，”said the pin，“what you are good for，and how you expect to get through the world without a head？”
3.“What is the use of your head without an eye？”replied theneedle.
4.“What is the use of an eye if you always have somethingin it？”was the retort.
5.“I am more active and useful than you，”said the needle.
6.“Yes，but you will not live long.”“Why not？”
“Because you have always a stitch in your side，and that is very dangerous，”said the pin.
7.“You are a poor crooked creature，”said the needle.
“You are so proud that you can not bend without breaking your back，”said the pin.
8.“I will pull your head off，if you insult me again！”
“I will put your eye out if you touch me-remember，yourlife hangs by a single thread，”said the pin.
9.Thus they went on，and it is impossible to say when the quarrel would have ended，had not a little girl come in，who，attempting to sew with the needle，broke it off at the eye.Then she tied the thread around the pin，and，trying to sew with that，soon pulled its head off，and threw it on the floor by the side of the broken needle.
10.“Well，here we are，”said the needle.
“We have nothing to fight about now，”said the pin，-“misfortune has brought us to our senses.”
“A pity we had not come to them sooner，”said the needle.
11.Thus they lay，side by side，when Margery，the house-maid，swept them up with the dust，and threw them away.
12.So it is with many of us，who quarrel about our blessings until we lose them，and never appreciate the merits and good-will of our companions，until we are brought low together.
【中文阅读】
1.在一个漂亮的房间里，有一个非常漂亮的针线盒。在这个针线盒里，并排放着一根大头针和一根绣花针。和很多无所事事的孩子一样，他们两个没事做，于是就开始吵起架来。
2.“我很想知道，”大头针说，“你到底有什么用处，为什么你连头都没有，却在全世界各地都能看到你？”
3.“你有头，但是没有眼睛，那又有什么用呢？”绣花针回答。
4.“你眼睛里总是穿着线，那还能起到眼睛的作用吗？”大头针反驳道。
5.“我比你用处更多，人们用我的地方更多。”绣花针说。
6.“是的，但是你寿命不会长久。”“为什么？”“因为你的一端总是那么尖利，这非常危险。”大头针说。
7.“你这个可怜的狡猾的家伙。”绣花针回应道。“你总那么自以为是，不肯低头。”大头针也回敬道。8.“你再冒犯我我就把你的脑袋揪下来。”“你再冒犯我我就把你眼睛揪下来--别忘了，你没有眼睛是没有用的。”大头针回了一句。
9.就这样，他们一直在吵，如果不是一个小女孩进来，他们可能会永远争吵下去。这个小女孩想用针缝东西，结果把针眼弄坏了；于是她又想用大头针，把线绕在了大头针顶端，很快又把针的大头弄掉了，她只好把没了头的大头针也扔到地板上，刚好扔到了绣花针的旁边。
10.“好了，我们现在都完了。”绣花针说道。“现在我们没有什么可争吵的了。”大头针说，“我们都这么不幸。”
“他们根本不同情我们。”绣花针哀叹道。
11.就这样，他们并排躺在那里，后来马哲瑞，那个清洁工，把他们和尘土扫到一起扔了出去。
12.我们许多人都是如此，没事的时候相互攻击，对伙伴不欣赏、不友善，失去时才想到别人的好处。
