OCR Text |
Show MR. FOX TELLS A 8TORY. "Mr. Fox will certainly bo Interested In tho story of tho boy's cap," said Jack Rabbit, when the tlmo camo for him to go to tho fox's homo on tho hill again, "and I shall havo to tell him how unexpectedly I found an 11 lustration for his lesson that happl-noss happl-noss Is largely tho result of being contented." Tho clay was a very pleasant ono and Mr. Fox In his homo on tho hill was thinking of Jack Rabbit und wondering won-dering how ho was and what luck ho had had In applying tho wisdom ho had given him. "It Is so flno a day," said tho fox to himself, "that I think I will walk out a way nnd moot Jack Rabbit and wo can chat as wo walk' along." And so It happonod that Jack Rabbit Rab-bit had not moro than half completed tho Journey when ho met Mr. Fox. "Good morning," thoy both said, and each asked after tho health of tho other. "It is such a flno day," said tho fox, "that It scorns to mo that it would bo pleasant to sit for a whllo oil tho bank of tho pond and sun ourselves." our-selves." "It would, Indeed," replied tho rab- "Good Morning," They Both Said. bit, "and I fool that It would do mo good. I am afraid that I am staying too much Indoors slnco my illness and that lack of oxorclso is making mo lazy." "Wo will Bit by tho pond," said tho fox, "and I will toll you a story which will vory aptly Illustrate a bit of wisdom wis-dom that overy animal in tho wood ought to know and which ovory boy and girl ought to havo taught them." So tho rabbit and tho fox sought a placo on tho odgo of tho pond which was sholtered by bushos and which hid them from tho sight of any passer-by. passer-by. It was Indeod, tho samo placo whoro thoy sat when thoy discovered tho duck who pretended to bo a doctor. doc-tor. Thoy had got thomsolves well seated and comfortablo, when tho rabbit rab-bit said to tho fox, "Well, now for tho story." Clearing his throat with n loud "A-hem," which rather startled tho rabbit, tho fox began. "This story was first told conturtcs ago, and has boon repeated thousands of times, but that affects netthor its truthfulness nor tho lesson which it tenches. Onco upon a tlmo thero was a frog who lived In n pool und near tho pool In a holo in tho ground, thero lived a field mouse. Tho frog could hop farthor than any of his mates and his croak was loudor than that of any other frog in tho pool, and ho was gonerally looked upon aB tho loading frog of tho community. Tho mouso, who was known to her companions as Gray Mouso, was vorv plain and vory quiet, nnd no oiy had ovor known hor to tako any particular interest In anything or anybody until ono day she flaw tho frog and fell madly in love with him. "Sho told hor family how handsomo ho was, how green his back and how Bhlny, nnd how whlto his vest was, and how far ho could Jump, and, abovo all, how musical his volco sounded when Just at nightfall ho led all tho frogs In their ovenlng song. "Hor family, realizing how ill-mated would bo tho frog nnd a mouso, frowned vory much upon her affection nnd used every Influence to keop her from loving tho frog, nnd oven threatened threat-ened to send her away to another field to llvo If sho persisted in spending so much tlmo In his company. . "Nor was tho frog very much flattered flat-tered by tho attentions of tho mouso, for ho felt that ho was much too Important Im-portant an Individual to seriously consider con-sider marrying bo unpretentious an animal as tho littlo gray mouso. " 'I vory llkoly shall marry a beaver or a mink,' ho said to hlmBclf, 'and, at any rato, I shall do no moro than amuso myself with Gray Mouso until un-til I havo found somcono moro to my liking.' "Gray Mouso was mado qulto unhappy un-happy by hor failuro to mako tho frog doclaro an affoctlon for her, but in tho absenco of that sho planned out a vory original schemo sho thought would mako hor and tho frog Inseparable. Insepara-ble. "Sho had noticed how largo and un-wloldy un-wloldy woro tho webbed feet of tho frog, and how flat his mouth, nnd sho said to herself: "Ho could not untlo a knot with his fingers nor bito a cord with his mouth, and If I could tlo myself to him ho would never be ablo to get away.' "So next day when tho frog was asleep in tho sun sho crept softly up to his sldo, and with a hair which she had stolen from the tall of a horse pastured In the field whero sho lived sho tied a knot which bound tho end of her tall securely to tho frog's hind log. "'Thero,' sho said to herself, 'wo shall nover bo separated again and ho Is mlno forover.' "Shortly after tlio frog awakened and found Gray Mouso by his side. Ho gossiped with her for somo tlmo, but overy tlmo that sho attempted to say anything of lovo tho frog turned tho conversation to somo other topic. At last, growing tired of tho attompts of Gray Mouso to talk on matters which in no way interested him, tho frog Jumped Into tho pond. And as ho did bo, tho mouso, being securely tied to him by her tall, was snatched suddenly sud-denly into tho water with him, and as tho frog dived dooper into tho water sho gradually lost her breath and was drowned." "Well, what a fool of a mouso sho was," said Jack Rabbit, as tho fox concluded his story. |