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The Smallest Fox leaped high in the air. "Oh, Dad!"
he cried out. "Look what we've found! It's cider!"
"Ex-actly," said Mr. Fox.
"Tremendous!" shouted Badger.
"Bean's Secret Cider Cellar," said Mt Fox. But go
carefully, my dears. Don't make a noise. This cellar is
right underneath the farmhouse itself."
"Cider," said Badger, "is especially good for Bad- "Ah-h-h-h-h-h!" gasped the Smallest Fox. "This is
gers. We take it as medicine—one large glass three some cider!"
times a day with meals and another at bedtime." "That's quite enough of that," said Mr. Fox, grab-
"It will make the feast into a banquet," said Mr. Fox. bing the jar and putting it to his own lips. He took a
While they were talking, the Smallest Fox had
tremendous gulp. "It's miraculous!" he whispered,
sneaked a jar off the shelf and had taken a gulp. fighting for breath. "It's fabulous! It's beautiful!"
"Wow!" he gasped. "Wow-ee!" "It's my turn," said Badger, taking the jar and tilting
You must understand this was not the ordinary his head well back. The cider gurgled and bubbled
weak fizzy cider one buys in a store. It was the real down his throat. "It's ... it's like melted gold!" he
stuff, a home-brewed fiery liquor that burned in your gasped. "Oh, Foxy, it's ... like drinking sunbeams and
throat and boiled in rainbows!"
your stomach. "You're poaching!" shrieked Rat. "Put that down at
once! There'll he none left for me!" Rat was perched
upon the highest shelf in the cellar, peering out from
behind a huge jar. There was a small rubber tube in-
serted in the neck of the jar, and Rat was using this
tube to suck out the cider.
"You're drunk!" said Mr. Fox.
.165/. /.
