A Poor Business Year Fable

By William L. Brounell

Once upon a time the LION, the TIGER, the ELEPHANT, the JACKAL and in fact all of the Beasts of the Woods, the Birds of the Air, and the Fishes of the Sea, were having a RIGHT BUM time because food rvas scarce and their stomachs rvere emPtY.

One day, the CROW said to the JACKAL, "We can't go on like this very much longer, so let's call a Convention, go into a huddle and if we can't find out rvho is to blame, we rvill at least TIE THE CAN TO SOMEBODY and that will help as far as our feelings are concerned.

The JACKAL snarled his approval, but said he to the CROW, "You're all right to Crarv around with small stuff, but I'll handle this Convention business myself."

Out rvent the word and in came the Beasts, the Birds and the Fishes.

The JACKAL climbed up on a big boulder and said, "We're in a bad fix and s'ithout mentioning any names, I think I knorv r'vho is to blame. Up to a year ago WE COULD GET PLENTY OF FOOD WITHOUT VERY MUCH EFFORT, but norv everything seems to have gone to smash and something's got to be done about it. Has anybody any suggestions to offer."

The LION looked at the TIGER, the TIGER looked at the ELEPHANT, and the GIRAFFE craned his neck and looked the whole bunch over.

Finally the BEAR spoke up and said, "I think rve are all of us more or less to blame for existing conditions and I for one am perfectly willing to take my share of it. You all know that up to rvithin the last felv years it lvas my custom to lay aside a certain quantity of lood to tide me over the time'when PICKIN'S WERE NOT SO GOOD, but the flush times we had a while back led me to believe that thev were always goin' to last and so I norv find myself witir nothing stored up and food hard to get. Personally, therefore, I1m blaming nobody but myself."

Beefore anybody else had a chance to say a word the JACKAL barked out, "\Me didn't come here to listen to a lotof POLLYANNA TWADDLE such as we've just heard. If nobody has a plan to offer that will better conditions rve might just as rvell adjourn and call it another day rvasted." "Wait a minute," said the ELEPHANT, 'I presume I am partly to blame myself, but the way some of you are looking at me I can see you want to tie all the tin cans to my tail AND THAT ISN'T FAIR; but be that as it may, I see rve have no representative from the Bees in this group and I move we send for the HEAD BEE Worker and see rvhat he has to say about it."

The JACKAL said that rvas all nonsense, because all they thought about rvas Work, hence they lvere not broadminded enough to grasp the situation that the CONVENTION u'as confronted rvith. In spite of his protests, holvever, the Head Bee Worker lvas sent for and when he arrived and rvas told rvhat all of the Hullabaloo was about, he buzzed up on the JACKAL'S ear and said, "I am sorry 1'ou callecl me from my \\'ork to take part in the discussion you are now engaged in, because I am really too busy gathering Honev to attend CONVENTIONS and listen to Resolutions.

"'We bees have no fault to find with the present conditions. I rvill admit that rve have to go farther and WORK HARDER for our honey than rve did a ferv years ago, but rve get it just the same, and now you witl have to excuse me because on the \t'ay over here I discovered a WONDERFUL NEW PLACE FOR GATHERING HONEY. It rvill take a little more and harder rvork to get it, but we Bees don't mind a little thing like that," and off he flew.

After he had departed, the JACKAL said, "There, what did I tell you. All that Buzzer had to offer was a lot of SHOP WORN TALK ABOUT WORK and he and everybody like him makes me sick."

The LION growled, "I move we adjourn." The ELEPHANT seconded the motion and out they went into the dusk with their stomachs still empty while the BEES were contentedly hived after a hard day's work that well repaid them for their labor.

SUGAR PINE WHITE PINE WHITE CEDAR