The Stolen Fox

A young couple with six young children ranging in age from new born to twelve, live in a tiny house in the country. On one particular day the husband/ father walked through the door into the livingroom where he found his wife in tears.

He rushed to her side fearing she had taken ill.  He took her face in his and asked if everything was alright with her and the children?  She looked up in bewilderment and professed that she didnt understand how, but she had lost or misplace the fox stole that she only wore for special occasions, or holiday attire.

 She knew where she had last seen it, inside her hope chest, packed away with everything she held dear to her. Someone must have stolen the fox neck adornment while they were out of the house, possibly while collecting the mail at the local post office.

The husband ran his fingers through his hair while he listen to his wife's story. He decided to do do a little detective work and begin his search for clues within his household.

He hollered upstairs for his children to come down into the livingroom. Within moments, all were assembled and standing about in the palor. He began with, " I'm going to ask each and everyone of you a question and by God, you better answer with the answer I'm looking for or so help me you will regret it."

" Did anyone take Mommys special neck wrap, out of her hope chest, in her bedroom that is suppose to be off limits to children unless otherwise said so?"

 All the children looked at each other like their father was speaking a foreign language, wide eyed and blinking alot, but all promised... NO...it wasn't me!

Disbelieving in his childrens honesty, he had the four oldest children, line up against the stairway wall. They stood with thier backs against the wallpaper, arms held out in front of them.  He informed them that he did not believe them and felt one was to blame. So he devised a plan to get them to crack and not work together against him and mommy.

He and his wife placed one volume of the Encyclopedia Britania upon each of the four childrens outstretched arms. Surely this would make one crack.  After a moment or so, they added another book to the one already there. Now each child has two books on outstretched arms and they begin to shift and whine with the effort of holding the weight of them up, and yet; still no one admits to being the guilty party.

 

Together they piled on a third book to the arms of four silently weeping children, knowing surely before long one would eventually cave in, professing their guilt.

They five year old child who could not take the stress on her arms any longer, and rather than let this keep going until they reached the end of the alphabet, she gave in, saving her siblings from their arms cramping and hurting with the strain of holding the volumes out in front of them. The parents dismissed the other children, removing them from their burden, and focused their attention on the thief before them.

They bent towards her shaking body and said, " we know you are not responsible for playing with Mommy's pretty choker, but if you know who did you can tell us and you will not be punished further.

She shook her head and gave a weak shrug of her shoulders suggesting that she didnt know who had taken the fox wrap without permission. However, if they gave her a few moments she would inform her siblings to secretly place the object in the upstairs bathroom within five minutes, and they will all be paroled from being held prisoner in their rooms, and she will collect it and return it to the frustrated and irate parents before the punishment goes any further.

Within minutes the missing stole reappeared, and was handed back to mommy, a little ruffled, but no worse for wear. Mystery solved

Pssssst......For you curious types.........the guily party was child #2, aka the Doodler.