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THE LION TAMER...

The master walked to the edge of town where the Circus Olympia was erecting its big tent. The circus had been coming to the master's town for decades. Through the years the master had become friendly with many of the performers and their descendants who had replaced their parents in the various acts.

The lion tamer was snapping his whip as he smoked a cigarette. The master approached the cages that held the lions and tigers. He noticed that the animals were undernourished. Their ribs protruded from their flanks although when they yawned, their teeth were as sharp as ever.

A few months later he was perusing the newspaper when he read this headline: TIGER DECAPITATES LION TAMER'S HEAD. The story related the tragedy that the lion tamer for the Circus Olympia had stuck his head inside the tiger's mouth and the cat had bitten it off.

The master shook his head. He wished now that he had passed along his father's advice to the lion tamer when he had last seen him: "Never stick your head into the mouth of a wild beast unless it has a full stomach."

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