Fable
The Fox and 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 into 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 narrow 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.
Moral
- Do not play tricks on others unless you can stand the
same treatment yourself.
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