The Fox and The Crane
Once a fox invited a crane
to dinner. The crane came and was warmly received. The fox placed two shallow
dishes containing delicious soup side on the ground. “Come my friend,” said the
fox, “and have a hearty meal,” and he started lapping the soup greedily with
his tongue. The crane kept quite. He could only dip the tip of his long beak in
the soup and could hardly have a taste of it. As he was coming away, he
said, “Mr. Fox, you have been very kind to me today. Would you please come to
my house tomorrow and dine with me?” The fox agreed readily. The next day, the
fox came in time on the house of the crane. But two tall jars with narrow
necks! The jars were full of delicious soup. “Cheer up, my friend”, said the
crane “and have a hearty meal”. And forthwith he dipped his long beak down into
a jar and began to drink the soup with great relish. The poor fox, on his part,
could only lick the outside of the jar! The moral of the story is “Tit for
tat”.
