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Ever since there first started to be foxes, they have been very proud of being so smart. There are sly foxes and sharp foxes. There are quick foxes and tricky foxes, but never before had there ever been a stupid fox, until Dunno Fox came along.
No matter how carefully his mother looked him over she couldn't find anything clever about him. She kept testing him out in many ways, but smartness just wasn't there. And having a stupid fox in her family, where everyone else was so quick and clever, made her sad, and just a little bit ashamed.
One day she called her oldest son.
"Where are you Dunno?"
Dunno came slowly into the kitchen with a magazine in one paw and a pair of shears in the other.
"Do you know the way to Aunt Maude's house? I need to borrow some sugar," said Mrs. Fox slowly. Everyone spoke slowly to Dunno to make sure he understood.
"I dunno," said Dunno, even more slowly. "I dunno the way."
Mrs. Fox sighed. "Oh dear," she said. "You've been there so many times."
"Oh, Mother," said Dunno's little brother, Quickie, "I know the way. Let me go."
"All right," said Mrs. Fox. "Tell Aunt Maud I need a cup of sugar."
Quickie ran out of the kitchen as fast as he could.
"He's very smart, isn't he?" said Dunno. He slowly went back to the living room and his game of cutting out everything red.
Mr. Fox came hurrying into the living room.
"Dunno," he said, trying to speak slowly, which was very hard for such a quick-spoken fox, "have you seen my boots? I can't find them anywhere."
"I dunno where your boots are," said Dunno, looking up from his magazine.
"Oh, I know," said Dunno's little sister, Snappy. "I'll get them for you, Father. They're out back in the woodshed." She ran out of the room. Dunno looked after her.
"She's very smart, isn't she?" he said. He went back to his game of cutting out everything red from the magazine.
That very night at supper Mrs. Fox suddenly asked, "Dunno, where did you put my shears?"
"I dunno," said Dunno, even more slowly than usual. "I think I had them though. I was cutting out pictures from the magaize. I must have used them to cut out everything red."
"I know you had them," said Mrs. Fox. "Where are they now?"
"I dunno," sid Dunno. He went back to eating his stew.
"Oh, I know," said Quickie. "I found them on the living room floor. I put them back in your sewing basked, Mother."
Dunno looked up at his little brother.
"He's very smart, isn't he?" Dunno said.
Mr. And Mrs. Fox looked at each other across the table.
They were both thinking exactly the same thing.
They were thinking, "What a sad thing that such a stupid fox is in our very own family."
Then they both sighed big sighs at the same time.
When supper was over and the dishes all washed, Mrs. Fox said suddenly, "I feel warm."
"I feel very warm, myself," said Mr. Fox.
"I feel very, very warm," said Quickie Fox.
"I feel very, very, very warm," said Snappy Fox.
"Do you feel warm, Dunno?" said Mrs. Fox.
"I dunno," said Dunno. "I don't think so." He put his paw on his head. "No, he said. "I don't feel a bit warm."
"I think we'd better call Uncle Solomon Fox right away," said Mr. Fox. "Run get him, Dunno. You're the only one who isn't warm."
"Why do you want him," said Dunno. "I dunno why you want him."
"Because he's a wise old fox, he's our uncle, and he's a doctor, that's why," said Quickie.
"Oh," said Dunno. "You are a smart one, aren't you? I dunno where he lives, do I?"
"You certainly do," said Snappy impatiently. "He lives right next door to us."
"That's right," said Dunno. "So he does. You are very smart, aren't you?"
He slowly went out the door. Just before he opened it, he turned around and said, "What should I say to him?"
"Tell him we're all sick, sick, sick," shouted Mr. Fox.
"Oh," said Dunno. He turned around and went out.
In a few minutes he came back with Uncle Solomon Fox, who was carrying a little black bag full of medicine to make sick foxes feel well again.
He put down his little bag and looked at the members of the Fox family carefully. Then he spoke, shortly and sharply.
"Measles," he said. "A day in bed for everyone. You all have the measles except Dunno."
"Oh, he's too stupid to catch anything," said Quickie crossly.
"We can't all go to bed," said Mrs. Fox, "although my head does ache."
"It's just for one day," said Uncle Solomon. "Dunno will take care of you."
The Fox family all groaned together.
"Dunno," they groaned. "Not our Dunno. He doesn't know anything."
"He'll learn fast enough," said Uncle Solomon shortly. He took a big bottle of brown medicine out of his little bag and put it own the kitchen table.
"Everyone takes a spoonful of this three times a day," he said.
"Me too?" said Dunno. Uncle Solomon looked at Dunno coldly.
"You know better than that," he said. He stepped close to Dunno and looked straight into his eyes.
"I said you know better than that," he repeated. "you are not as stupid as you pretend to be."
"Do you mean Dunno is not really stupid?" said Mrs. Fox.
"Of course he isn't," said Uncle Solomon. "He's just been outfoxing you all. I knew what he was up to, but since it seemed such a funny game to him, I never told you."
Dunno smiled. A sharp, foxy smile.
"All right," he said quickly. "All right. It was a game. I was just teasing everybody all the time. It also made things easier for me. Everyone thought I was much too stupid to do anything myself and so did everything for me. Now then, dear family, it's time for some of your medicine.
He got out four spoons and gave them all a good dose of the measle medicine as his Uncle Solomon stared at him steadily.
"I may make a doctor out of you, some day," he said. "You have quick, steady paws. And you are smart."
Mrs. Fox looked at her son and shook her head.
"You were a naughty fellow, Dunno," she said, "making us believe you were the only stupid fox in the world. Lucky for you I don't feel well enough to punish you."
"Well," said Dunno, "instead of punishing me, you should be proud that your son is really a clever fox. Now you won't feel ashamed that you have a stupid fox in the family. I will get your beds ready. You all need to rest."
Quickie and Snappy just stared at him.
Mr. Fox said, "Welcome home, clever oldest son. Good-bye, stupid oldest son." They all laughed together, but Dunno didn't laugh quite as loudly as the rest. He knew his lazy days were over and finished and past.
So if you ever meet a fox who seems slow and stupid, don't be too sure he really is slow and stupid. He may really be Dunno Fox, playing his old game again.
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