The Fox & the Stork
The Fox one day thought of a plan to amuse himself at the
expense of the Stork, at whose odd appearance he was always
laughing.
"You must come and dine with me today," he said to the
Stork, smiling to himself at the trick he was going to play. The
Stork gladly accepted the invitation and arrived in good time and
with a very good appetite.
For dinner the Fox served soup. But it was set out in a very
shallow dish, and all the Stork could do was to wet the very tip of
his bill. Not a drop of soup could he get. But the Fox lapped it up
easily, and, to increase the disappointment of the Stork, made a
great show of enjoyment.
The hungry Stork was much displeased at the trick, but he
was a calm, even-tempered fellow and saw no good in flying in to a
rage. Instead, not long afterward, he invited the Fox to dine with
him in turn. The Fox arrived promptly at the time that had been
set, and the Stork served a fish dinner that had a very appetizing
smell. But it was served in a tall jar with a very na rrow neck. The
Stork could easily get at the food with his long bill, but all the Fox
could do was to lick the outside of the jar, and sniff at the
delicious odor. And when the Fox lost his temper, the Stork said
calmly:
Do not play tricks on your neighbors unless you can stand the same treatment
yourself.
