Fox Cooks a Stew

Rabbit walked by Fox's house. He smelled stew cooking. 
He peeked through the window: Fox was sleeping! 
Rabbit sneaked into the house, ate the stew, and smeared stew-grease on Fox's mouth, careful not to wake him.
Then he went back out and knocked.
Fox woke up and let Rabbit in. "You're in time for stew," said Fox, but when he looked in the pot, it was empty.
"I see stew-grease on your mouth," Rabbit said, pointing. "You must have eaten the stew while you slept."
Fox said sadly, "I guess I was so hungry I couldn't wait to wake up."

Inspired by: Animal Tales from North Carolina  by Emma Backus (in JAF).
Notes: The story is "How Brer Fox Dream He Eat Brer Possum," and it's online at Hathi Trust. The first part of the story describes how Rabbit and Fox trapped Possum and how as a result Possum lost all the hair on his tail. I just did the second half of the story, where Rabbit tricks Fox, and I changed the last line; in the original story he says, "I allow that the most unsatisfying Possum I ever set er tooth in."
 

2 comments:

  1. Haha what a loser Fox is to fall for that trick!

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    Replies
    1. Yes and it's a good thing he did fall for it so that Rabbit was able to get away with eating the stew!

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