70 Make-Beheve

thing worth living for was food, and they
were always in the unwalled vineyards,
where they did much damage. It happened
that the owners began to be more careful
just about this time, and so a good many
foxes got killed by dogs or in traps. I
have heard say that some of them were
even shot. Well... .. They do strange
things in foreign countries. But the fox
who loved the green grapes thought that
eating was the least important thing in life,
and so he was hardly ever in the vineyards,
and escaped being killed. There were
other things: I daresay you will know
when you are older, how much he escaped
because of those green grapes that hung
over the wall of the vineyard. This was
the happiest time in his life.

“The summer passed away, and the
black grapes were almost all gone. His
were still green, and he still visited them,
and tried to think of a plan for getting
them. Now, it was late in the year, and
the vineyard-owners were pruning their