I WAS LOOKING THOROUGH A TOY STORE WHEN I SAW A HAND PUPPET OF A BLACK FOOTED FERRET. IT'S LABEL HAD A FOLK TALE OF HOW THE BLACK FOOTED BECAME BLACK FOOTED. I THOUGHT FMLERS MIGHT LIKE IT. IN THE BEGINNING, THE FERRET WAS ROTUND AND IT WAS WELL TEASED BY THE COYOTE. ONE NIGHT, WHILE THEY WERE SITTING AROUND A FIRE, THE COYOTE KEPT TEASING THE FERRET ABOUT HIS PLUMPNESS. THE FERRET WAS SO ENRAGED, IT RUSHED STRAIGHT AT THE COYOTE - ACROSS THE FIRE! THE COYOTE STARTED TO LAUGH AT THE FERRET SINCE THE FERRET HAD BLACKENED ITS PAWS. WHEN THE FERRET REALIZED WHAT HE HAD DONE, HE COVERED HIS EYES WITH HIS PAWS. WHICH WAS HOW HE RECEIVED HIS MASK. THE COYOTE FELT GUILTY FOR TEASING THE FERRET SO HE DECIDED TO SHOW THE FERRET WHERE HE (THE COYOTE) HUNTED PRAIRIE DOGS. WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE PRAIRIE DOG TUNNELS, THE FERRET WAS SO HUNGRY HE DASHED RIGHT INTO A TUNNEL AND GOT STUCK. SO THE COYOTE TRIED TO PULL HIM OUT. BUT THE FERRET WAS WELL STUCK, ALL THE COYOTE SUCCEEDED IN DOING WAS STRETCHING OUT THE FERRET. FINALLY, THE FERRET WAS SO STRETCHED THAT HE SHOT INTO THE TUNNELS AND WAS ABLE TO HUNT PRAIRIE DOGS FROM WITHIN THEIR TUNNELS. THE POOR COYOTE HAD TO SEARCH FOR ANOTHER MEAL. THE STORY IS REPEATED TO THE BEST OF MY MEMORY. HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT. HOPE IT'S OKAY TO REPEAT IT. I THINK SO IF IT IS A FOLK TALE. DON'T THINK THEY ARE COPYRIGHTED YET. ANYWAY, I WAS SENT INFO ON A FREE E-MAIL SERVICE AND I REMEMBERED A WHILE BACK , SOME PEOPLE (SHELTER PEOPLE) WERE SAYING E-MAIL BILLS WERE HIGH, SO TRY THIS COMPANY FOR MONETARY RELIEF (1-800-654-JUNO). ALL THE PROGRAM DOES IS E-MAIL, BUT THERE IS NO CHARGE. MAYBE IT WILL HELP. SINCERELY, CHERYL. SNEEUW (I WOULD HAVE GONE ROUND THE FIRE, I LIKE BEING AN ALBINO) SUSHI (SINCE I'M A GREAT JUMPER, I WOULD HAVE JUMPED RIGHT OVER IT) [Moderator's note: Depends on the age of the story - but new things are indeed copyrighted by default. I assume this is a summary and a rough recollection. The trouble with Juno.com is that there is a size limit to incoming mail and the most of the FMLs are above the limit, thus they never get there. I've asked Cheryl to try to used mixed case in her next posts. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 1611]