THE FARMER'S SLY NEIGHBOR. 



217 



rights of life among the animals often blinds us to 

 the fact that wild creatures are really beneficent 



servants in one way or an- 

 man is generally the one 

 It is quite natui'al 

 the I 



" With a bedraggled hen.' 



other, and 

 benefited, 

 to picture 

 with a be- 

 draggled hen 

 in his mouth ; 

 but, as a matter 

 of fact, he de- 

 stroys a score of 

 such creatures as 

 rats, woodchucks, 

 rabbits, and moles, 

 to every single hen. I know this by experience, for 

 a casual examination of the vicinity of a fox's hole 

 last summer revealed the truth beyond a doubt ; but 

 to be quite candid, I must admit that another fox's 

 retreat revealed more chicken's feathers than would 

 guarantee my proportion of one to twenty. 



" But all sorts of things and weather 

 Must be taken in together 

 To make up a year 

 And a sphere," 

 and it happened that this particular fox took up his 

 residence within a convenient distance of two shift- 

 less-looking farms. 



