Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 152, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1920 — The SANDMAN STORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The SANDMAN STORY

WHY MR. FOX MOVED MR. FOX had a great many neighbors and he was anxious to be friendly with them all. He was sly and clever, like all his family; but this time he overdid the matter, as you will see. Mrs. Squirrel had a new. family of little squirrels, and as soon as Mr. Fox heard this, over he went to call on her. "Oh, what handsome babies!” exclaimed Mr. Fox when he saw the new squirrels. "Your children are the

handsomest In the woods, Mrs. Squirrel. You may be sure of that,” he told her. Now, It happened that on his way home he was called in to Mrs. Rabbit’s house to see her new babies, and Mr. Fox told her that her children were by far the prettiest he ever had seen, “the very prettiest in the woods, Mrs. Rabbit 1” he told her. The next day Mr. Fox heard that some new little possums had been brought to Mrs, Possum by the stork, so over ran Mr. Fox to call, “for," said he, “the best way to keep on good terms with my neighbors is to praise the children to their mothers.” He told Mrs. Possum that her children were the prettiest in the woods, and when Mrs. Coon sent for him to see her new babies Mr. Fox told her the same thing. Mrs. Porcupine and Mrs. Badger also received a call from Mr. Fox, and were told that no children in the woods could compare with their new babies, so that each mother thought her children the prettiest babies, for not one told to the other the nice things Mr. Fox had said. All would have gone well with Mr. Fox if Mrs. Squirrel had jiot been anxious that every one should know that her babies were considered the prettiest and proposed that they should hold a baby show and have Mr- Fox for the judge. ; To this, of course, all the mothers agreed, for each one was sure her babies would get the prize. Mrs. Squirrel frisked over to Mr.

Fox’s house to tell him the news. “Of course,” she said, “it will be a great disappointment to the others when you tell them that my children are the prettiest, but it cannot be helped. Some one must have the prettiest babies, and any one with half an eye can see that mine are far ahead of all the other wood children.” Mr. Fox smiled a sickly smile when he heard this and said, of course, he would be proud and pleased to be the jndge».but as soon as it was dark that night he 'took his vaitse—he did not stop for a trunk or his household goods —and out of the woods he went, far away over the hills, and never did he show himself there again. Well he knew what would happen to him if he went to that baby show and picked out the prettiest babies, and he did not intend to take any such risk. r _ When Mr. Fox did not show up, Mr. Owl was called upon to judge, but being a very wise bird he told the mothers that he could not see well enough in the daytime to give an honest, opinion, and so the mothers went home each sure that her children were the prettiest babies in the world. (Copyright.)