ed:

"That's his name, your Royal Foxiness--Button Bright."

King Dox

[Illustration]

It was amusing to note the expression on the face of King Dox as he
looked the boy over, from his sailor hat to his stubby shoes; and it was
equally diverting to watch Button-Bright stare at the King in return. No
fox ever beheld a fresher, fairer child's face, and no child had ever
before heard a fox talk, or met with one who dressed so handsomely and
ruled so big a city. I am sorry to say that no one had ever told the
little boy much about fairies of any kind; this being the case, it is
easy to understand how much this strange experience startled and
astonished him.

"How do you like us?" asked the King.

"Don't know," said Button-Bright.

"Of course you don't. It's too short an acquaintance," returned his
Majesty. "What do you suppose my name is?"

"Don't know," said Button-Bright.

"How should you? Well, I'll tell you. My private name is Dox, but a King
can't be called by his private name; he has to take one that is
official. Therefore my official name is King Renard the Fourth. Ren-ard
with the accent on the 'Ren'."

"What's 'ren'?" asked Button-Bright.

"How clever!" exclaimed the King, turning a pleased face toward his
counselors. "This boy is indeed remarkably bright. 'What's 'ren''? he
asks; and of course 'ren' is nothing at all, all by itself. Yes; he's
very bright indeed."

"That question is what your Majesty might call foxy," said one of the
counselors, an old grey fox.

"So it is," declared the King. Turning again to Button-Bright, he asked:

"Having told you my name, what would you call me?"

"King Dox," said the boy.

"Why?"

"'Cause 'ren''s nothing at all," was the reply.

"Good! Very good indeed! You certainly have a brilliant mind. Do you
know why two and two make four?"

"No," said Button-Bright.

"Clever! clever indeed. Of course you don't know. Nobody knows why; we
only know it's so, and can't tell why it's so. Button-Bright, those
curls and blue eyes do not go well with so much wisdom. They make you
look too youthful, and hide your real cleverness. Therefore, I will do
you a great favor. I will confer upon you the head of a fox, so that you
may hereafter look as bright as you really are."

[Illustration]

As he spoke the King waved his paw toward the boy, and at once the
pretty curls and fresh round face and big blue eyes were gone, while in
their place a fox's head appeared