The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 19
The Tortoise and the Hare
Revisited
Jonathan dreamt of the woman from the Carnival of Special Interests.
She kept handing him money and then grabbing it away
again. Again and again, she paid him and then proceeded to snatch
it back. Suddenly Jonathan woke with a jolt, remembering that he
had to report his earnings to the tax offi cials, lest he become an
occupant of the people zoo himself.
The delicious smell of freshly toasted bread fi lled his nose. The
old man stood at the table, dishing out thick slices of toast and jam
for breakfast. Jonathan noticed a sad-faced little boy sitting at the
table. The old man introduced the boy as their grandson, Davy, who
would be staying with them for a while.
“I remember you,” chirped Davy. “Grandpa, he helped me and
mama when we had to leave the farm.” This news made Jonathan
all the more welcome. As Jonathan bit into a thickly buttered slice
of toast, the little boy fi dgeted restlessly, trying to pull up his
mismatched socks. “Grandma, please read me the story again,” he
begged.
“Which one, sweetie?” She heaped hot scrambled eggs on
Jonathan’s plate.
“My favourite, the one about the tortoise and the hare. The
pictures are so funny,” beamed Davy.
“Well, all right,” said Rose, taking a book from the kitchen
cabinet. She sat down next to tiny Davy and began. ‘Once upon a
time...’”
“No, no, Grandma, ‘a long time ago’...” interrupted the boy.
Rose laughed. “As I was saying... a long time ago there lived
a tortoise named Frank and a hare named Lysander. Both of the
animals worked delivering letters to all who lived in their small
village. One day Frank, whose sharp ears were far more effi cient