said:
"Where is my pig, Good Mother?"

"I opened the bag the least little bit, and the pig jumped out and the
ox gored him to death," said the woman.

"Then I must have the ox," said the Fox. So he went out into the yard
and gathered up the ox and put him into the bag and tied the string and
threw the bag on his back and went on down the road.

When he came to the next cottage he knocked at the door and said: "Good
morning, Good Mother. The way is long and I am weary. May I leave my bag
here while I go to the grocery store?"

"That will be all right," said the old woman, "put it behind the door."

So the Fox put the bag behind the door, saying as he did so: "Be sure
that you do not untie the string, Good Mother," and went on down the
road.

[Illustration: "MAY I LEAVE MY BAG HERE?" SAID THE FOX]

The woman looked at the bag and said to herself: "Now I wonder what it
is that that sly old fellow carries so carefully? It will do no harm to
see."

So she untied the string and opened the bag and the ox jumped out and
ran out into the yard, and the little boy who was playing there chased
him off over the hill and into the wood.

When the Fox came back he saw that the string had been untied, and he
said to the old woman: "Where is my ox?"

"I opened the bag the least little bit, and the ox jumped out and the
little boy chased him over the hill and into the wood," said the old
woman.

"Then I must take the little boy," said the Fox.

So he gathered up the little boy and put him into the bag and tied the
string and threw the bag over his shoulder and started off down the
road.

When he came to the next house he knocked at the door and said: "Good
morning, Good Mother. The way is long and I am weary. May I leave my bag
while I go to the store?"

"That will be all right," said the woman, "put it behind the door."

So the Fox put the bag behind the door, saying as he did so: "Be sure
that you do not untie the string, Good Mother," and went off.

This woman was very busy that morning, making cake, and she had no time
to think of the bag, and it lay there for a long time. By-and-by when
the cake was done her little boys gathered around the table, crying:
"Let me taste the cake, Mother. Give me a piece of cake!" And she gave
each one of them a piece of cake.

The cake smelled so good that the little boy in the bag cried out: "Oh,
I want a piece of cake, too."

When the woman heard the little boy cry out she