Atondido Stories
How the Tiger Got His Stripes
Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, so long ago that the tiger
had no stripes upon his back and the rabbit still had his tail,
there was a tiger who had a farm. The farm was very much over-
grown with underbrush and the owner sought a workman to
clear the ground for him to plant.
The tiger called all the beasts together and said to them when
they had assembled, "I need a good workman at once to clear my
farm of the underbrush. To the one of you who will do this work
I offer an ox in payment."
The monkey was the first one to step forward and apply for
the position. The tiger tried him for a little while but he was not
a good workman at all. He did not work steadily enough to ac-
complish anything. The tiger discharged him very soon and he
did not pay him.
Then the tiger hired the goat to do the work. The goat
worked faithfully enough but he did not have the brains to do
the work well. He would clear a little of the farm in one place
and then he would go away and work on another part of it. He
never finished anything neatly. The tiger discharged him very
soon without paying him.
Next the tiger tried the armadillo. The armadillo was very
strong and he did the work well. The trouble with him was that
he had such an appetite. There were a great many ants about the
place and the armadillo could never pass by a sweet tender juicy
ant without stopping to eat it. It was lunch time all day long
with him. The tiger discharged him and sent him away without
paying him anything.
At last the rabbit applied for the position. The tiger laughed
at him and said, "Why, little rabbit, you are too small to do the
work. The monkey, the goat, and the armadillo have all failed
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