21 lines
1.2 KiB
Text
21 lines
1.2 KiB
Text
The Fox and the Geese
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The fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese,
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on which he smiled and said, “I come in the nick of time, you are
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sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after
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the other.” The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail
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and beg piteously for their lives. But the fox would listen to nothing,
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and said, “There is no mercy to be had! You must die.” At length one of
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them took heart and said, “If we poor geese are to yield up our
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vigorous young lives, show us the only possible favour and allow us one
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more prayer, that we may not die in our sins, and then we will place
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ourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself out the
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fattest.” “Yes,” said the fox, “that is reasonable, and a pious
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request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done.” Then the first
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began a good long prayer, for ever saying, “Ga! Ga!” and as she would
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make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began
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also, “Ga! Ga!” The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were
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all cackling together.
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When they have done praying, the story shall be continued further, but
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at present they are still praying without stopping.”
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