Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-08-13
THE TABLED FOX.
nv MRRY PAIN.

Honally pauSing 10 wipe his eyes with
The leaf Of the wild rhubarb de was
sineularly sensitive animal, and
stories had been going round; and his
| feelings were much wounded
Along the path towards him came
rustic maiden with 32-inch waist, an
elastic step and good heart. Her
smile was bright. and as she went sac
sang bHthely: she could not, in the
strict sense of the term. sing; but TINS
happened long ago. when those VINO
could not sing would sometimes try to
90 it.
Suddenly she eEpied the fox. IL was
quite evident that he was suffering,
And--as l said before-she had a good
| heart.
els it." she asked. "the sheer beauty
Of what can remember Of seaside
sonic song that causes you to weep
"No," he said. "It 10 unpleasant. l
should not care for much of n. But II
loes not make me weep. l weep be-
cause have been grievously maligned,
and my pride of race Is hurt"
"Who has done this thing?" she
asked. Indignantly.
al know not. but the rumors have
spread far and wide. / am almost
ashamed TO show myself. What should
De done TO the miscreant who has thus
tortured meY
HE should be punished" said the
girl with honest anger. II don't care
who he is or what he Is. He should be
forced to apologize publicly"
"That." said the fox. lis not enough"
and he passed on his way still weeping.
And the next person that he met
was a man of the law in search of job.
"Assault?" said the man of law.
"No." said the fox, sobbing bitterly,
that's not 1t. It's worse"
Robbery"
"Worse yet. My entire race has been
loully DETAINED. We are brought into
pity and contempt. What should doY"
"Instruct me at once, and l will pro-
eeed."
"And how will my maligner be pun
hhed?"
"You will get damages-you may
possibly get very heavy damages
enough, after my costs are paid, to
enable you TO live in atiluence without
doing any work"
"That," said the fox, sis not enough"
"Then you're precious hard to please.
Woodworking" said the man of law.
and passed on his way.
The fox went on through the forest,
A. l. ID "a
force of his poignant emotions that he
could hardly walk. And presently he
cav coming towards him an old man,
with a white beard and an inquiring
eye.
"Ahi" said the fox. "here, from ripe
old age, / shall obtain wise counsel,
and learn how best to be avenged.
For the punishmentS hitherto suggest
ed are indisputably not enough"
"Well?" said the old man.
'T am suffering from deep humilia-
ton. Stories of the basest kind have
oesn circulated concerning me-"
"Indeed," said the old man. This
sounds interesting. Pray recount the
stories. There are no ladies present
you can speak freely"
"The Stories" said the fox, ''are not
II the kind that you suppose. They
relate TO an imaginary deficiency in my
intellect"
LESS interesting" said the old man.
"But still. speak on"
"a story has, been told that ! was
once unable TO reach some grapes, and
that for that reason said they were
unripe. II Ia cruelty untrue. test
the ripeness of the grapes in the usual
way, and am well aware that their
propinquity to me personally hasnoth-
ing whatever to do with it,"
"Ah!" said the old man, and yawned.
'~That L. not all. 1t is also said that
once lost my brushin trap, and tried
| to persuade all other foxes to mutilate
themselves in similar way. 1t is an
abominable Islander. IL implies that l
am heartless, which am not, and
that am also brainless; for none Of
my fellows would have dreamed of lis
tening to so silly suggestion. Now, 1
say that the man who promulgated
these wicked stories should be pun
lshed severely"
"Ahi" said the old man. and yawned
still more deeply. "Well, l must be
getting on"
"The stories don't seem to interest
| you, after ALL"
"You surprise me. Ayoung girl that
| I met said the man who started them
should apologise-and it was not
| enough. Then came a man of law,
1 who said that the slanderer should pay
damages-but no damages, however
heavy, would be enough. And quite
thought that you would go one better.
and either say that my traducer should
be skinned alive and then burned or
from a morbid love of originality
would call on me TO forgive him."
II do neither" said the old man.
''It Is disappointing. And may ask
1 why?"
eft 10 rather delicate point"
"But insist upon knowing"
"Well," said the old man. as he labo.
! riously climbed tree TO get out OF
harms way. "the fact is that my
A nI.al~ r~l Uybf&.