Legacy

Sparky was a perky and brave squirrel. He enjoyed playing and gathering nuts with all his squirrel friends.  However, this fun was frequently spoiled by Barfy the Pesky Beagle.  Barfy would bark at and chase the squirrels and occasionally grab one and shake him hard, scaring the poor squirrel almost to death. Then Barfy would let him go and knock over all the little buckets of nuts the squirrels had gathered.  This happened almost every day and was great fun for Barfy, but no fun at all for Sparky and his friends.

Sparky thought about this and figured if he was right he’d teach Barfy not to bother squirrels.  So the next day when Barfy came charging out, Sparky was waiting behind a tree.  He jumped right onto the end of Barfy’s tail and held on for dear life.  It was a wild ride but Sparky held fast. For hours Barfy went around and around but couldn’t catch Sparky.  Finally Barfy dropped from sheer exhaustion. Barfy said, “Sparky, let’s make a deal.  I’ll promise not to bother squirrels ever again if you promise to leave my tail alone.”  Sparky replied, “It’s a deal,” and each went his own way.

The squirrels thanked Sparky and asked, “Weren’t you afraid?”  Sparky said, “Not at all, because there isn’t a dog that can catch his own tail.”  Well, all’s well that ends well.  It would seem that negotiations for mutual benefit are always good.