The poor farmer and his fox wife

Once a poor farmer lived in a mud-brick hut with thatched roof. Having no wife, he was wont to cook one meal a day, and eat the cold leavings in the morning.

A fox took pity upon him, and, when he was out, entered the house, changed herself into a woman, cleaned up the place, cooked a meal for him, and then disappeared. This went on for some days, until the farmer determined to watch and find out who his kind and unknown visitor was. So he crouched behind a water jar and waited. Soon he observed a fox entering through a hole in the wall, then turn a somersault, landing on her feet a handsome woman, the fox's skin falling to the ground. The farmer got hold of the skin, and secreted it under the pig trough, when all her good deed were done, she came and searched, but not finding the skin, had to rain a woman, and become the farmer's wife.

In after years he said jokingly to one of his children, 'Your mother is a fox.' The mother asked for his proof of such a statement. He produced the fox skin, when, turning a somersault, his wife entered the skin and ran off, never to return again.

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