The morning call., 1893-03-22
TANNING A FOX.
A Lackawanna County Woman Sue
Ceeds in the Trick.

scranton Tribune.
One morning this winter Mrs Byron j.
Naples of Ash Hill, Lack awanna County,
spied fox creeping stealthily through the
snow short distance back of her hem
house. She was peeping through crack,
and the fox looked so lank and hungry that
she felt sorry for it. She did not want to
scare 1t away, so she puckered up her lips
and squeaked through the crack at 1t as to
dog The fox instantly pricked up its
ears. raised one paw and stared at the crack.
Mrs. Naples made the noise with her lips
again. and the inquisitive fox gave slight
whine and crept nea rer to the henhouse.
She continued to squeak through the crack,
and the fox sat up and worked its lips and
nostrils as II it scented something good to
eat.
The animal looked so thin and famished
that the desire 10 feed it took possession of
the kind-bearted woman. She had some
scraps OF meat on plate that she had
brought out for the hens, and, while the
fox was watching the crack, Mrs. Mapes
tptoed TO the henynrd and tossed the meat
over the pickets The fox gave a start
when the meat fell on the snow, but its
hunger quickly Overcame its fear and 1t
turned about ana began to devOuT the meat
like hungry dog. Mrs. Mapes ran back
to the crack and chirped at the fox and
the fox wagged its tail and glanced that
way several times. There was enough
meat for good meal and the fox scam
pered of as soon as it had gobbled il down.
Mrs. Mapes was pleased TO think she had
succeeded in inducing the fox not TO make
raid on her poultry, and the way the Door
fellow ate did her good. She didn't think
she would ever see her wild friend again,
but when she entered the henhouSe the next
morning she saw the fox gazing at the crack
as before. 1t was sitting on its launches in
The snow, and when Mrs. MaDes made the
noise with her lips it cooked its head, shook
its tail and looked wistfui. Mrs. Mapes
threw some meat over the picketS and the
fox pitched into it as though it had come
long way and was in hurry While it was
feeding. she said: Here, foxeyl Here,
foXey y TO it through the crack. and at the
sound Of her voice it stopped its jaws aud
listened. Mrs. Mapes continued to call to it
in a low tone, and 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 hem
house the next morning, and Mrs. Mapes
threw some raw fresh beef over the fence to
it. She called: Here, foxey! Here, foxey!"
to 1t number OF lines and the fox had got
so used TO her voice by that time that it
didn't take any time to listen and ran across
the field the moment it had quit eating.
Within a week the fox became so tame and
COnfding that it took meat from Mrs. Mapes'
hand between the pickets, coming toward
her when she sang out: Here, f0Xey
Here, fOxeyW Mrs. Mapes' wild pet has
got fat, but it still comes around every
morning to he fed, and the kind-hearted
woman won't allow any one TO harm it.
One morning Mrs. Mapes wasn't feeling
very well. so Mr.. Mapes went out to feed
the fox. 1t took To its legs when he threw
the meat over the fence, and it didn't re-
turn until the following morning, when
Mrs. Mapes talked TO it 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 90 near it,