The Abbreviated Fox And His Sceptical Comrades

A certain fox had a Grecian nose     And a beautiful tail. His friends     Were wont to say in a jesting way     A divinity shaped his ends.     The fact is sad, but his foxship had     A fault we should all eschew:     He was so deceived that he quite believed     What he heard from friends was true.     One day he found in a sheltered spot     A trap with stalwart springs     That was cunningly planned to supply the demand     For some of those tippet things.     The fox drew nigh, and resolved to try     The way that the trap was set:     (When the trap was through with this interview     There was one less tippet to get!)     The fox returned to his doting friends     And said, with an awkward smile,     "My tail I know was comme il faut,     And served me well for a while."     When his comrades laughed at his shortage aft     He added, with scornful bow,     "Pray check your mirth, for I hear from Worth     They're wearing them shorter now."     But one of his friends, a bookish chap,     Replied, with a thoughtful frown,     "You know to-day the publishers say     That the short tale won't go down;     And, upon my soul, I think on the whole,     That the publishers' words are true.     I should hate, good sir, to part my fur     In the middle, as done by you."     And another added these truthful words     In the midst of the eager hush,     "We can part our hair 'most anywhere     So long as we keep the brush."     THE MORAL is this: It is never amiss     To treasure the things you've penned:     Preserve your tales, for, when all else fails,     They'll be useful things--in the end.