The old fox crept up behind the little red hen and grabbed her by the tail feathers, and before she could get loose he put her into his bag, threw the bag over his shoulders and started home. “We shall have little red hen for breakfast,” said he.
It was very close in the bag, which was a thick meal bag, and the bits of meal made the little red hen sneeze. Then she felt for her handkerchief to wipe her eyes and nose, and her scissors fell out of her pocket.
“That’s good luck!” said the little red hen, and at once she slit a hole in the bag with the scissors big enough for her to get out. She jumped out as they were passing a stony place and quickly put a rock in the bag to make the fox think that he still had the little red hen. The old fox reached home and threw the bag on the floor.
“Now for a nice breakfast,” said he, and opened the bag. When he saw the stone he was much astonished.
“I certainly thought it was the little red hen I had in the bag,” said he, and scratched his ear with his hind foot, which is a way the old fox did when he could not understand.
THE THRIFTY SQUIRRELS
It is a wise man that lays aside a portion of his earnings so as to provide for the time when he cannot work.
Once upon a time a squirrel made his home in the hollow of a big oak tree. He and his family were very bright looking squirrels. They were so careful about little things. Not even a nut end or the rind of an acorn was wasted in their homes. Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel and the three little ones made up the family.
The first thing Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel taught their children was to store away food to eat in the winter when they could not go out to get it. All summer long they were gathering acorns, and in the fall when the nuts were ripe they spent all their time storing the old oak full of provisions for the winter. They knew the cold was coming and that they should make some provisions against the snow and the sleet.