Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-06-15
TANNING DOWN A FOX.
A Pennsylvania Woman Succeeds In the
Trick.

A Pennsylvania Woman Succeeds In the
Trick.
One morning last winter Mrs.
Byron ]. Mapes, Of Ash Hill, Lacka-
wanna county, Pennsylvania, spied a
fox creeping stealthily through the
snow, a short distance back of her
hen house. She was peeping through
crack, and the fox looked so lank
and hungry that she felt sorry for 1t.
She didn't want to scare it away, so
she puckered up her lips and
squeaked through the crack at it as
to dog. The fox instantly picked
up its ears, raised one paw and
stared at the crack. Mrs. Mapes
made the noise with her lips again,
and the inquisitive fox gave slight
whine and crept nearer to the hen
house. She continued to squeak
through the crack, and the fox sat
up and worked its lips and nostrils
as If it had scented something good
to eat.
The animal looked so thin and
famished that the desire to feed it
took possession of the kind hearted
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
tiptoed to the hen yard and tossed
the meat over the pickets The fox.
gave u start when the meat fell on
the snow, but its hunger quickly
overcame its fear. and it turned
about and began to devour the meat
like a hungry dog. Mrs. Mapes ran
eack to the crack and chirped at the
COX. and the fox wagged its tail and
glanced that way several times
There was enough meat for a good
meal, and the fox scampcred off as
soon as it had gobblel 1t 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 poor fellow ate did
her good. She didn't think she would
ever see her wild friend again, but
when she entered the hen house 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 Mapes made the noise with her
lips it cooked its head, shook it's tail
and looked wistful. Mrs. Mapes
threw some meat over the pickets and
the fox pitched into it as though it
had come long way and was in a
hurry. While it was feeding, she
said; Here, foxey! Here, foxeym to
1t 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 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
hen house the next morning, and
Mrs Mapes threw some raw fresh
beef over the fence to it. She called:
'.Here, foxey! Here, foxey!" 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 ran across the field the moment
it had finished eating. Within
week the fox became so tame and
confding that it took meat from Mrs
Mapes' hand between the pic6ets,
coming toward her when she sang
out: Here, foxey! Here, foxey"
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
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 return until
the following morning, 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
pnar If