Page:Folk Tales of Beasts and Men.djvu/141

There was a problem when proofreading this page.

Jaco Peter and his Friend

POOR PETER

THERE was once a man named Jaco Peter who was so poor that he had not two sous to rub together. His clothes were rags, his boots were shocking, and as for his house, it was nothing but a miserable hovel hardly fit for a dog. The only friend poor Peter had in the world was a big fox who was called Reynard the Red because of the colour of his hide.

One day as Poor Peter was walking along the road looking out for stray scraps of food which he could pick up for his dinner, whom should he meet but Reynard, who was going off to spy round a farmhouse where, he had been told, there were some fine fat chickens.

"How now, Peter," said Reynard, "you look very miser able to-day! What is the matter?"

"I have fallen on bad luck," answered Peter gloomily. "I have found nothing to-day but two cabbage-stalks and a

95