The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1870-11-19
The Foxes and the Bear.
a fable applicable to the Times.

Once upon time. some foxes and a bear
went into partnership, and occupied the
same cave. They lived togethe peaceabIy
for many years, the foxes finding the bear
of great advantage to them, for he contribu>
ted more than the foxes did to the common
support, and he did most of the fighting in
| a great battle that they once had with tn
Lion. But at last there arose a family
quarrel, and it came about in this way
When the winter came it was the habit OF
the bear to stop work and spend the whole
of the time in the cave sucking his paws,
and in this way he enjoyed himself hugely.
The foxes seeing how well the bear got on
without work, and how he enjoyed himself,
commenced sucking their paws, but some
how or other they found that they could not
make a living in that way as the bear could,
and that on the whole it didn't pay so they
had TO give it up and 90 into the cold and
forage for living as usual Then they
began to envy the bear because he appear
ed to enjoy himself and to live SO much
easier than they did, and took a violent
hatred to him just because he sucked his
paws. They passed law that the sucking
of paws sh Duld be abolished forever among
the foxes, and they then began to remon-
strate with the bear upon the impropriety
Of his conduct, and to petition him to give
up the hOr ribe practice. But the bear said
he would 10 no such thing; that it was
agreed upon when they first went into
partnership that he should be allowed to
suck his paws in peace, that he had con-
stitutional right to do so that it was neces
sary for his comfort and happiness and
that paw suck he would to the end of time.
and the foxes had no right to interfere with
him. Then the foxes got up anti paw-suck.
ing was the sum of all villanies, and they
preached at the bear, and petitioned him,
and even went so far as to pull his paws
out of his mouth at which the bear got into
such violent rage that he declared that he
would dissolve partnership with the foxes
and leave the cave and 90 and set up for
himself But the foxes told him that he
had no right to leave, and that he shouldn't
leave. The bear said he wouldn't ask them
any odds, that he could whip a thousand
miserable litse foxes, and one fine morning
he told the foxes good bye and proceeded to
walk out of the cave and leave it forever.
But he had hardly cotton out of the cave
before the foxes set upa tremendous howl
and lell on him and there was such a fight
as was hardly ever seen before. The bear
a., 81, - l.fr SlanpoH fI,ar11
over, crushed them. tore them to pieces,
and often thought that he had got rid of
them, but the more foxes he killed, the
more they seemed to increase in number,
for the foxes finding that the bear was get
ting the better of them and was about to get
off, seat out andh some foreign foxes to
help them, so that as fast as one set of foxes
was killed. other foxes were put in their
place, and the bear had no rest. But he
stood at bay and kept the foxes off as fast as
hey came up Finally the foxes, finding
that they could not whip him 10 fair
fight, determined to starve him out, 50 they
surrounded him completely, SO that he
could get nothing to eat or drink. The
bear then began to suffer severely and to
grow thin and weak, and in his distress he
called upon the eagle and the lion to come
over and help him, but they told him that
he must do his own fighting. At last the
bear bee ome so completely exhausted by
hunger and fatigue that he could scarcely
stand up and the foxes thinking that they
might now make venture, collected to-
gether in great numbers and fell upon the
bear and walloped him so that he stopped
fighting and cried Enough I" and said that
he would 90 back into the cave again and
carry on business as before.
But the foxes told him to wait a while,
he must have his disabilities removed. So
they tied him hand and foot with strong
cords. and muzzled him, and placed strong
guard around him, and then began to I ar
lev with him and persscute him. Tiey
/ told him that before they could let him 20
back into the cave again he must take
| solemn oath of aIlegia. ce to the fox govern
ment The bear took the prescribed oath,
and said, "Now let me in"
But the foxes said not yet; you must take
another oath that paw sucking is unconstitu
rional, and swear never again to suck your
paws The bear took that oath also, aud
even went so far as to declare that he be
lieved that paw-sucking had been disad-
| vantage to him, and that he was glad he
had been forced to give up the abomlnabe
practice, and after taking this oath and
making this confession, be said: Now let
me in."-But the foxes said, not yet; you
must eat little dirt first. At this the bear
was indignant he declared that he n.yer
eaten any dirt in his life, and that it did not
agree with him, but the foxes said, no mat