A TAIL TALE

Matamata Record, Volume XI, Issue 932, 28 June 1928, Page 3

A TAIL TALE

“Of course,” said the Azara dog in the zoo, “one should have one of the features of the animal it is supposed to be."

“What do you mean by features?” asked the Fox. “You mean that at least a pig should have a pig’s snout, and a cat a cat’s eyes, and so forth.” “Yes,” nodded the Azara dog, “that is what I mean.”

“Dear me,” laughed the Fox, “I was just thinking if we didn’t look like ourselves how very confusing it would be. “Suppose a parrot should look like me and suppose I should look like a parrot. “I’d be angry, I can tell you, if any creature came up to me and said: “ ‘There, Pretty Polly, Polly want a cracker?’ I’d be very, very angry indeed. “Neither would I like to have anyone come up to me and say: “ ‘Grunt, little pig, grunt.’ Nor would I like to have anyone say: “ ‘Sing, little canary, sing,’ “Wouldn’t that be annoying?” “You’re absurd, just as absurd as you can he,” said the Azara dog. “Ah, friends.” lie confnued, “it’s my tail that tells the tale.” All the animals Jr the zoo laughed. “Well.” they said, “it’s nonsense, hut jolly nil the same.” “Yes, it’s a jolly, jolly thought,” said

the Azara dog. “Put it’s not non sense.”

“And why not?” asked the others. “P.ecause,” said the Azara dog, “it is true. My tail does te’l the tale.”

All the animals laughed once more. “I will have to explain,” said the Azara dog.

“In the first place I came from South America. Perhaps none of you knew that?” . •

Some of them wagged their heads “Yes,” and some of them shook their heads “No.”

“Well, for those who don’t know,” said tlie Azara dog, “that is the first piece of information or news, or the first chapter of the hook, or the first part of the story, or whatever you want to call It. <

“In the second place, if it were not for my tail, which looks something like the tail of a dog, I wouldn’t be called a dog, but I would be called a gray fox. for I look a great deal like a gray fox.

“So you see, friends, that it Is my tail which tells the tale.

“Or, in other words, my doglike end piece tells the story.”

“Oh, we see,” said the other animals. “Glad to hear it,” said the Azara dog. “I thought I could tell you something, and I have.” “So you have,” the others admitted. “And we see that what you said was not nonsense but the truth.” “The truth, Indeed,” said the Azara dog, wagging his tail and saying as he did so, “and the end of my story, but not my tail!”