Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-04-06
! WOMAN FED A WILD FOX.
And Now 1t Comes Around For Break
fast Regularly Every Morning.

| One morning this winter Mrs. Byron
J. Mapes of Ash Hill, in Ovington town
| Ship, spied Il fox creeping St9althily
/ through the snow a short distance back
/ of her henhouSe, says a Scranton Pa.
I correspondent of the New York Sun,
She was peeping through a crack, and
! the fox looked so lank and hungry that
she felt sorry for it. She didn't want
TO scare it away so she puckered up
| her lips and sQueaked through the
crack at as to a dog The fox instantly
pricked up his cares, raised one paw
and stared at the crack Mrs. Mapes
made the noise with her lips again, and
the inquiSitive fox gave slight wink
and crept nearer to the henhouse. She
continued to squeak through the crack,
and the fox sat up and worked his lips
and nostrils as if he had scented some
thing good to eat.
The animal looked so thin and fam
iShed that the desire to feed it took
possession of the kind-hearted woman.
She had some scraps of meat on a plate
that she had brought out for the hens,
and while the fox was watching the
crack Mrs. AIapes tip-toed to the hen
yard and tossed the meat over the
pickets. The fox gave a start when
the meat fell on the snow, but its hun
ger quickly overcame its fear, and it
turned about and began to devour the
meat like a hungry dog. Mrs. Mapes
ran back to the crack and chirped at
the fox, and the fox wagged its ia
il and glanced that way several times.
There was enough meat for Il good
meal and the fox scampered off as soon
as it had gUbbled it down.
Mrs. Mapes was pleased to think she
had succeeded in inducing the fox not
to make a raid in her poultry and the
way the poor fellow ate did her good.
She didn't think she would ever sec
her wild friend again. but when she
entered the honhouse the next morning
she saw the fox gazing at the crack
as before. 1t was sitting on it's haun-
ches in the snow, and when Mrs Mapes
made the noise with her lips it cooked
its head, shook its tail, and looked wist-
full Mrs. Mapes threw some meat over
the pickets and the fox pitched into it
as though it had come n long way and
was in a hurry While it was eating
she said. Here foxy. Here foXy!" to
it through the crack, and at the sound
of her voice it stopped it's jaws and
listened. Mrs. Mapes continued to call
to it in a low tone. she made the fox
listen so long that it took twice the
time to eat that it did the day before
The fox was on hand behind the hen
house next morning, and Mrs. MapeS
threw some raw fresh meat over the
fence to it, She called Here foxy!
Here fOXyr' to it a number of times
and the fox had got so used to her
voice by that time that it didn't take
any time to listen, and it ran across the
field the moment it had finished eating.
Within week the fox became so tame
from Mrs. Maps hand between the
pickets, coming toward her when she
sang ont Here foxy Here foxy Mrs.
Mapes' wild pet has got fat. but it
still comes around every morning to be
fed, and the kind-hearted woman won't
allow anyone to harm it.
One morning Mrs. Mapes wasn't feel
ing well, SO Mr.. Mapes went ont to feed
the fox. 1t took to it's legs when he
threw the meat over the fence. and it
didn't return until the following morn
ing, when Mrs. Mapes talked to it
a few minutes and got it to lick
her hand. Then she fed it, and since
that time she hasn't permitted any of
the family to go near IL.