The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
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.
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/gold/books/winter/aesop/winter_aesop_zpage044a.gif)
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.
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/gold/books/winter/aesop/winter_aesop_zpage044b.gif)
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