The Fox that Lost his Tail, Or, Do not Follow every Fashion you see.
Reading edition
From ÆSOP'S FABLES.
A young fox who went to steal chickens in a farmyard, got his beautiful bushy tail caught in a trap.
Finding it impossible to get away, he bit off his tail and ran home, feeling very much ashamed of his appearance when the other foxes laughed.
“Tails are quite out of fashion,” he said, as they went on laughing.
“They are no use, and dangerous, too. You can run faster without them. Why not cut them off as I have done?”
Some of the smart young foxes were eager to be in the fashion; but a wise old one slyly said, “We will wait till we are caught in traps before we bite off our tails.”
The Early Bird that Catches the Worm