Folk Tales
Author's Tales
There was once a Fox who stole a chicken. She made off with it at a run, she ran and she ran, and before she knew it night was upon her. There was a hut just a head, so she came inside, found some people there and said with a bow:
"Good evening, good people!"
"Good evening to you, Sister Fox!"
"Do let me in for the night!”
"But, Sister Fox, the hut is small and there isn't room enough in it for you."
"Never mind! I'll curl up under the bench and cover myself with my tail, and that's how I'll spend the night."
"Oh, all right, then.”
"Where'll I put my chicken?"
"Under the stove.”
Sister Fox did as she was told. But she got up quietly in the middle of the night, ate up the chicken and hid the feathers.
The next day she was up early, scrubbed her face clean and wished her hosts a good morning.
"Where is my chicken?" she asked.
"Under the stove.”
"I looked, but it wasn't there."
And she sat down and began to cry.
“All I had to my name was that chicken," she sobbed, "and now it is gone! You must give me a duck in return for it."
There was nothing to be done, so they gave her a duck, and Sister Fox put it in her sack and ran out away. She ran and she ran, and before she knew it night was upon her.
She saw a hut just ahead, came inside and said:
"Good evening, good people!"
"Good evening to you, Sister Fox!"
"Do let me in for the night!”
"We can't do that. Our hut is small and there isn't room enough in it for you."
"Never mind! I'll curl up under a bench, cover myself with my tail, and that's how I'll spend the night!"
"Oh, all right, then.”
"But where'll I put my duck?"
"In the barn, with the geese."
Sister Fox did as she was told, but she got up quietly in the middle of the night, ate up the duck and hid the feathers.
The next day she was up early, scrubbed her face clean and wished her hosts a good morning.
"Where is my duck?" she asked.
They looked in the barn, but the duck was not there.
Said the master of the house:
"Who knows, perhaps we let it out with the geese!”
Sister Fox began to cry.
"All I had to my name was that duck, and now it is gone!” .she sobbed. "You must give me a goose in return.”
There was nothing to be done, so they gave her a goose, and Sister Fox put it in her sack and set out on her way.
She walked and she walked, and before she knew it night was upon her. She saw a hut just ahead, so she came inside and said:
"Good evening, good people! Do let me in for the night!"
"We can't do that, Sister Fox. Our hut is small and there isn”t room enough in it for you.”
"Never mind! I'll curl up under the bench, cover myself with my tail, and that's how I'll spend the night.”
"Oh, all right, then."
"Where'll I put my goose?”
"In the barn, with the lambs."
Sister Fox did as she was told, but she got up quietly in the middle of the night, ate up the goose and hid the feathers.
The next day she was up early, scrubbed her face clean and wished her hosts a good morning.
"Where is my goose?” she asked.
They looked in the barn, but the goose was not there.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to me before,” said Sister Fox.
"I had nothing to my name but the goose, and now it's gone!”
Said the master of the house:
"Who knows, perhaps the lambs have trampled your goose to death!”
"Be that as it may, but you must give me a lamb in return," said Sister Fox.
They gave her a lamb, and she put it in her sack and set out on her way at a run.
She ran and she ran, and before she knew it night was upon her. She saw a hut just ahead, so she came inside and said:
"Do let me in for the night, good people!"
"We can't do that, Sister Fox! The hut is small and there isn't room enough in it for you."
"Never mind! I'll curl up under the bench and cover myself with my tail, and that's how I'll spend the night."
"Oh, all right, then!"
"Where'll I put my lamb?”
"Leave it in the yard.”
Sister Fox did as she was told, but she got up quietly in the middle of the night and ate up the lamb. And the next day she was up early, scrubbed her face clean and wished her hosts a good morning.
"Where is my lamb?” she asked.
And she sat down and began to cry.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!” she sobbed. "All that I had to my name was that lamb, and now it's gone!"
Said the master of the house:
"Who knows, perhaps my daughter-in-law let it out when she drove the bullocks to pasture!”
"Be that as it may, but you must give me your daughter-in-law in return for my lamb, said Sister Fox.
At this they all began to cry: the man cried and his wife cried and their son cried and their son's children cried, but Sister Fox seized the son”s wife and whisked her into the sack. She went out for a few moments, and the son let his wife out of the sack and put in a dog instead.
Sister Fox came back, she took the sack and carried it off with her. And as she walked along she said:
"A duck for the chicken, a goose for the duck, a lamb for the goose, and a young wife for the lamb!"
She shook the sack, and the dog inside it went "G-r-r!"
Said Sister Fox:
"The daughter-in-law is a nasty one. She growls like a dog! I think I'll peep inside and take a look at her."
She undid the sack, and lo! – out jumped the dog. Sister Fox bolted away, and the dog ran after her. She ran deeper and deeper into the forest, and there was the dog at her heels! But she got to her fox hole at last and hid there. She sat in the hole, and the dog stood over it and could not get in.
Said Sister Fox:
"Little ears mine, come, tell me, pray,
Why did you up and run away?"
And the little ears replied:
"We feared, Foxy dear, for on you we dote,
That the dog would tear your golden coat!"
"Thank you, little ears, you shall have a pair of gold earrings for this," said Sister Fox, and she called out again:
"Little eyes mine, come, tell me, pray,
What was it made you run away?"
And the little eyes replied:
"We feared, Foxy dear, for on you we dote,
That the dog would tear your golden coat!
So we ran very fast, and it's fair to say That we helped you, Fox, make your getaway!"
"Thank you, little eyes, you shall have a pair of gold-framed glasses for this," said Sister Fox, and she called out:
"Little feet mine, come, tell me, pray,
What was it made you run away?”
And the little feet replied:
"We feared, Foxy dear, for on you we dote,
That the dog would tear your, golden coat!
So we ran very fast, and it”s fair to say That we helped you, Fox, make your getaway."
"Thank you, little feet, thank you kindly, you shall have a pair of red boots with silver heels for this," Sister Fox said, and she called out:
"Little big tail, broom-brush-stick,
What made you rush away so quick?"
And the little big tail replied:
“I made off, Sister Fox, in a great big rush,
But before very long found myself in the brush,
And from then on, Foxy, I did not go fast,
For I wanted to see you caught at last!"
Sister Fox was very angry, and she stuck her tail out of the hole and said:
"Here, dog, you may have my tail, and you can bite off a piece of it!”
And the dog sank his teeth into the tail so -hard that he bit off the whole of it!
After that Sister Fox went to pay the rabbits a visit. And the rabbits, seeing that she was without a tail, nearly split their sides laughing.
Said Sister Fox:
"I may not have a tail, rabbits, but I can lead a ring dance better than any of you.”
"How do you go about it?"
"That's simple! I have only to tie your tails together, and you”ll learn at once."
"Go ahead!”
So Sister Fox tied all the rabbits together by their tails and herself sprang up onto a mound and shouted at the top of her voice:
"Run for your lives, rabbits! Grey Wolf is coming!"
The rabbits tried to run, they pulled and they struggled, and their tails came straight off!
By and by they came together again and looked at one another, and there was not one among them who had a tail.
"Do you know where the fox's hole is?" asked one of the rabbits.
"Yes, I've been there," another replied.
"So have I."
They put their heads together and began to think of a way of repaying Sister Fox for what she did. But Sister Fox heard them and knew she would fare badly. So away she ran from the forest and was never heard of since.