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Show Fairy Talffej HAPPY MR. FOX "I'm glad to see the keeper knows a thing or two," said Mr. Fox, who had only been In the zoo for a few months. "What do you mean?" asked the other foxes. " "What have you seen which shows you lhat tlie keeper knows a thing or two? How do you know that he doesn't know more than a thing or two? Maybe he knows three or four things. Maybe not that much." "Well, I'll explain. "Of course, I could see from the first day that I e;lme to the zoo that he knew a great deal about feeding animalsespecially ani-malsespecially foxes, for It makes not the slightest tit of difference to me how he feeds other animals. "Then I could see that he knew all about the ways of foxes. He knew we were smart and clever and that he had to be smart and clever too, if he really wanted to understand us. . "Those were two of the things I saw at the very start of my zoo life here. "But lately I have seen that he knew a thing or two more." "Then, at any rate," said the other foxes, "tlie keeper does know three or four things. "- "That's so," said Mr. Fox, "he does." "Tell us what you have seen lately to make you say all this?" the others asked. "Because he knows enough about the seasons to give us the kinds of "Pray Continue," Said the Little Fox. food which are In season," Mr. Fox continued. "Now, when I was free, at this time of the year I greatly enjoyed some apples ap-ples -and some blackberries. "I also was not against a grape or two, or more, though they were not always so easy to get." "Did a grape or two ever satisfy you?" the others asked. "No, I always wanted more, really," Mr. Fox answered. "I added that I also was not against having more." "You're not very particular about your figures about how you add or do arithmetic," one of the little foxes said, and his sharp, " bright eyes twinkled. "Oh no," agreed Mr. Fox, "I don't bother about them." "Pray continue," said the little foi:. "I did not mean to interrupt," he politely po-litely added. "Well, I was greatly afraid that the keeper would not know that I liked these goodies at this time of the year and that I would miss them because I was in the zoo. "But not a bit of it he gave thein all to me to all of us. ' "He has really been generous and given them to us for lots of meals lately. "I very much hope he is not through yet. "For I could stand a good many more blackberries I could. "He gives us peaRuw, too, which were new to me but how nice It is to get blackberries in the zoo Just as I would If I were free," grinned Mr. Fox. "Yes, we agree with you," the other foxes said. "It is a pleasure that the keeper knows these things. "If he knew a lot of dull things only such as reading newspapers and talk-; talk-; ing to people and giving pieces of his mind out It wouldn't be of any use to us." "When creatures give pieces of their mind out, as you foxes express It," Mr. Fox said, "it usually means they are cranky and want to scold someone some-one else. "They don't give mnny pieces of real mind, I can tell you. I've been among people long enough to know that. "In fact, I've never thought they should say that they were giving a 'piece of their mind' to anyone when they were merely being cross to that person. "That Is pretty much what It amounts to. "But I'm not going to worry ahout that. The keeper knows what I am pleased that he should know nnd without my teaching him, ellbor. "Yes, he's a smart man, our keeper, keep-er, and I'm a happy Mr. Fox, I am." "So are we," the others agreed. |