The Lordly Lion thought it fun
to be the judge of everyone,
so animals from far and near
were very glad to gather here.
The Careful Cat came limping along on a crutch. She had got well long ago but put on her bandages again and came limping along on a crutch to make a complaint of her treatment by the Funny Fox.
Next came Old Brother Bear storming through the forest, for the Funny Fox had put a piece of sticky-fly paper on his back to tease him. The Careful Cat’s grandmother brought a book in which she had written the doings of the Funny Fox as she had observed them through her nine lives. She presented it to the Lordly Lion to read.
The Happy Hare showed the picture of one of his cousins rescued too late from the Funny Fox and he told of his own trial and showed his own torn ear!
The Delightful Donkey showed a meal of thistles that had been served to him by the Funny Fox.
Just as Old Brother Bear was going to relate the many tricks played on him, the Reckless Ram told of the time the Funny Fox’s great-grandmother had tricked and roasted his twenty-first cousin, and this made a thrilling tale indeed.
The Willful Wolf became excited and kept shouting, “I threw down the gauntlet, I threw down the gauntlet.”
His face was the picture of rage. The Bonnie Beaver had collected books and books telling tales on the Funny Fox, and the Pretty Pony said she could hardly train her colts at all, for the Funny Fox set them such a bad example.
A crow flying overhead paused and talked an hour, and by this time it began to look pretty bad for the Funny Fox, which shows, “IT IS A LONG LANE THAT HAS NO TURNING.”
