After Father Thrift came to the forest to live, one night each week
(except in bad or very cold weather) had been "story night."
On "story night" all the animals would meet in front of his cave to
hear and tell stories.
This night Gray Fox was to tell a story.
Gray Fox was a good story-teller, and so he always had a large
audience. Most of the animals were present to hear him.
And this is the story Gray Fox told:
* * * * *
There was once a young fox who was very wasteful. He left half his
food on his plate. He spent all his pennies for candy. He broke his
playthings purposely, and tore his clothes needlessly. There was
really no end to his wastefulness.
This fox belonged to the family of Gray Foxes. And the Gray Foxes were
a prosperous nation.
They lived peaceably among themselves and with their neighbors, and
every one had plenty to eat, to wear, and to spend.
So no one paid much attention to Young Fox's wastefulness. Or if the
other foxes did pay attention to him, they rather imitated him, for he
_was_ a clever young fox.
Soon nearly all the young foxes grew wasteful. They all left half
their food on their plates. They all spent their pennies for candy.
They all broke their playthings purposely, and tore their clothes
needlessly. There was no end to their wastefulness.
And so things went from bad to worse.
But one day a messenger brought the Gray Foxes some bad news. The Red
Foxes were preparing to make war upon the Gray Foxes!
"Why make war upon us?" asked the Gray Foxes. "We are a peaceable
nation. We harm no one."
"True, true!" said Governor Gray Fox. "But remember, also, that we are
a prosperous nation. We are _too_ prosperous to please the Red Foxes.
We must prepare to defend ourselves."
And they did prepare. And then there was a long and bloody war between
the Gray Foxes and the Red Foxes.
The Gray Fox fathers and brothers, who should have been working in the
fields and mills and factories, were out killing the Red Fox fathers
and brothers.
And the Red Fox fathers and brothers, instead of working in their
fields and mills and factories, were out killing the Gray Fox fathers
and brothers.
But the foxes did not stop eating. And they did not stop wearing
clothes.
Just as many foxes as ever were eating food and wearing clothes. Yet
only about half as many were left at home to make the things to eat
and the clothes to wear. The rest of the foxes were away at war.
So, of course, there were only half as many things to eat and to wear
as there had been before. And because there were only half as many,
and every one wanted these, they cost twice as much.
Now it seemed as though the poor foxes wouldn't have money enough to
buy food and clothes. And they worried as to how they could get along.
But the rich foxes, like Young Fox and his friends, could still buy
all the things _they_ wanted, because they had plenty of money. They
bought more than they needed.
"This will never do!" declared Governor Gray Fox. "Everybody must eat,
and everybody must wear clothes.
"Hereafter every one will get an equal share of the food, and nothing
must be wasted. And clothes will cost just so much and no more."
The poor foxes said that that was fair enough, for they hadn't
anything to waste. But the rich foxes complained bitterly. They said
the Governor was trying to starve them.
Still, they had to do as the Governor said. And it was good for them
to do with less. It is true that the fat foxes lost their big
stomachs, but that made them look handsomer. It also made them feel
much better.
No one ever left anything on his plate now. No one spent his money
foolishly. No one broke his things purposely, or tore his clothes
needlessly. There was an end to all the wastefulness.
And when the war was over the Gray Foxes grew prosperous again. Only
this time there were no foxes as poor as there had been before the
war. Neither were there any quite so rich.
But every one had plenty. And because all shared fairly, they all
lived more happily.
* * * * *
"Which shows," added Father Thrift, "that everything which happens is
for the best, and the world is a good place to live in, after all."