1 In the beginning of time, bears had different tails than they do today. Now they are short, but back then they were long, graceful tails with long, thick, black hair. If a bear wished to be noticed, he would wave it in the air.
2 One winter day, Old Man Bear came down to a frozen lake. There he saw the strangest sight.
3 Fox sat on the ice with his back to a hole. What was even stranger were the many fish lying on the ice around the hole.
4 Bear was hungry. He saw the fish and thought about how good they would taste.
5 As he watched, Fox twitched and flipped his bushy tail out of the water. Holding on to the end of his tail was a large fish.
6 Bear went over to talk to Fox. His eyes were wide with surprise.
7 "Good day, Fox," said Bear. "What wonderful fish! Would you teach me to catch them as you do?"
8 Fox looked up at Bear. There is nothing a fox likes doing more than playing tricks on someone. He smiled a foxy smile and spoke to Bear.
9 "Good day to you, Bear," said Fox. "I would be happy to teach you how to fish. First we much find a new place to make a hole in the ice. I have just taken the last fish from this one."
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