THE FOX AS SHEPHERD

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 25, 6 January 1928, Page 15

THE FOX AS SHEPHERD

& NORWEGIAN FOLK:TALE, Once upon a time there was a woman who went out to hire a shepherd to guard her animals. She went on and on, and while going through a forest she met a bear. "Where are you going, old woman ?" asked the bear "Oh,-l am just going to get a shepherd to guard my beasts," answered the woman, "Will you hire me to guard the beasts? I am a fine shepherd!" asked the bear. "AN right," said the woman, "but how will vou call the animals together when it is time to get them home?" "Oh, I shail just ery: ‘Oo-00-00!" At that the old woman got so _tertified that she closed her ears with her hands and said, "No, no! That will never do! The beasts won’t come together; they will all ren away." } And she went farther to look for 2 shepherd and met a wolf. "How do you @o, okt woman? What are von doing here in the wood?" ask- | ed the wolf. ’ "J want to get 2 shepherd to gnard my beasts, but eannet find any," answered the woman, . "Oh, Fean be a nice shepherd! Wonld you not hire me??? said the wolf. "Certainly," answered the woman. ‘with pleasure? But how will you call the beasts when it is time to get them heme 2%

") shall ery : ‘Ow-ow-ow-ow !’ " "Oh, no! said the woman, "in this way you will never get the beasts together!" And off she went am] met a fox. . "Good day, aunty!" said the fox, "What are you looking for?" "Y am looking, for a shepherd for my beasts. ‘Ihe bear asked me to hire hin, and the wolf aske] me to hire him, but both of them seream so fearfully that my beasts will only get frightened!" "Take me as a shepherd, aunty! I shall call the beasts together as gently. as it can he done!" "And how will you do it?" asked the woman. "Oh, I shall do it like this: "Little goats, little sheep, It is time to sleep! Gili-bome! Gili-bome! Come home! Come home!" "Oh, how nice!’ said the woman. "You are a fine shepherd, indeed!’? So the fox came with the old woman to her farm and begen to guard her beasts. He guarded the first dav-and ate ail the goats and the sheep. The next day he ate all the pigs, young and old. The third day he ate all the cows and oxen and calves. When the fox came to the farm in the evening the old woman asked him: "Where are my beasts?’ "Their horns are in the brook anda | their hoofs in the gully !’? answered the Ox. "Now, what does that mean?" thought the old woman. ‘I must go and see where the beasts are." Just then she was making butter, and as she went away the fox ate all the butter and left only some milk in the charn. When the old woman came back she saw the fox had eaten up all the butter and was sitting there licking his chops! She seized hold of the milktub, the fox ran off, and she ran after it and splashed the mijJk at the fox, but only wetted its brush. And that is why ever since foxes’ brushes have had white tips!