The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1873-07-02
THE HARE AND THE HEDGE-HOG.

1t, used always TO say when lie told IT;
"rrue must it be, my son, otherwise
one could not tell it so at all !" And
this is the way the story ran;
Twas on pleasant Sunday morn
ing towards harvest time, just as the
buckwheat blossemed. The sun had
gone brightly up into heaven; the
mourning wind swept warm over the
stubble the Iarks sang in the air
the bees hummed in the buckwheat;
the good folk went in Sunday gear to
church, and all creatures were happy
and the hedge. hog also.
The hedgehog stood before the door
with his arms folded, peeped out into
the morning air, and chirruped . lit
tie song to himself, Just as good and
just as bad as a hedgehog is wont to
sing on pleasant Sunday morning.
And as he was singing to himself, in
CHEEKY little voice, all at once it came
unto his head he might Just as well,
while his wife was washing and dress
ing the children, take little walk in
TO the field to see how his turnips were
standing. Now the turnips were close
to his house, and he used to eat them
with his family, so that he looked up
on thsn as his own. No sooner said
than done. The hedgehog shut the
house door to after him, and took his
way to the field He had not gone
very far from the house, and was
about TO turn, just by the thorn bush
which stands there before the field,
near the turnip patch, when he met
the hare, who had gone out on a simi.
lar business, namely, to look after his
cabbages. When the hedge. hog caught
sight Of the hare, he bid him friendly
good morning!' But the hare, who
in his own way was a mighty fine gen.
tleman, and held his head very high,
answered nothing to the hedgehog,
putting on thereby a most scornfUl
mein, "how happens it, then, that thou
art strolling about here in the field so
early in the morning?"
I'm taking walk" said the
hedge hog.
Taking a walk" laughed the hare,
"methinks thou mightest use those
legs of thine for better things"
The answer yexed the hedgehog
hugely, for lie could stand almost
anything bgt his legs he did not like
to have spoken about, because ;hey
were crooked by nature.
"Thop thinkest, pei haps," said the
hedge hog to the hare, "thou could'st
do more with thine own legs? ?"
~ 4 Al
hare.
| "That depends upon the trial"
quote the hedgehog, 81 bet that if
we run a race together, I Eeat tn hol-
J low"
| That's quite laughable, thou with
thy crooked legs" said the hare, "but
I've nothing against it if thou art so
bent upon it. What's the bet ?"
! "a golden louis dor and bottle
of brandy J" said the hedgehog.
"Done," said the hare, "fall in and
then it may come off at once"
"Nay, there's no such hurry" said
the hedge-h hog, "l'm still quite hungry /;
I'll 60 home and get bit of break
fast first (; within half an hour I'll
be here again on the spot"
With this the hedgehog went his
way, for the hare was also conteut.
On the way the hedgehog thought
to himself:
"Fke hare trusts his long legs, but
I'll fetch him for all that; he's a fine
gentleman to be sure, but still he's on
ly stupid fellow, and pay he shall ~
| Now when the hedge hog came to
his house, be said to his wife, "Wife,
dress thyself in my gear, quickly
thou must go with re to the field"
whats all this about" said the
wife. .r.r
1--we bet the hare u golden louis
dor and a bottle of brandy that |
beat him in race, and thou must be
BY" .fI
80 my God, husband ? began The
hedge-hog's wife to eFy, cart thou focl-
ish How caust thou wish to rgp
race with the hare ?"
"HOld thy mouth, wife" said the
hedgehog, that's my business; dQR't
meddle With mems affairs. March
dress thyselfin my clothes, and then
come along"
What could the hedge.bog's wife
do? She had to follow whether she
would or no. When they were on the
way together, the hedgehog said to
his wife: "Now listen to what | have
to say. See'st thou, on the long acre
yonder will be run our race. The
hare runs in one furrow and l in
another, and We begin to run frQm up
there. Now thgp hast nothing else
to do than to take thy place ip the
furrow, and when the bare comes up
on the other side thou must call out
| 10 Lin, In, hnrn nlronl.. % NN;AL IL.