Forty Modern Fables

by George Ade

[1901]

This is a set of 'fractured fables' written on the cusp of the 20th century. Written in breezy vernacular style, these tales are timeless, even if some of the slang and cultural references have passed into obscurity in the intervening century.

Title Page
A Table of Contents
The Fable of The Undecided Brunette and The Two Candidates
The Fable of The Boston Biologist and The Native with the Blue Hardware
The Fable of The Knowing Friend Who Tipped off Her Star Recipe
The Fable of The People's Choice Who Answered the Call of Duty and Took Seltzer
The Fable of The Girl with a Handicap Who Had to Lock Up Her Parents
The Fable of The Good Fellow Who Got the Short End of it
The Fable of The Husband Who Showed Up and Did the Best He Knew How
The Fable of The Bureau of Public Comfort and The Man in Charge
The Fable of Uncle Silas and The Matrimonial Game
The Fable of The Old Merchant, the Sleuth and The Tapioca
The Fable of Springfield's Fairest Flower and Lonesome Agnes Who Was Crafty
The Fable of The Wise Piker Who Had the Kind of Talk That Went
The Fable of The Two Wives Who Talked about Their Husbands
The Fable of The Open Champion, The Veranda Fixture and the Once-a-Weeker from Town
The Fable of The Cousin from Down East Who Had His Pick of the Village Lilacs
The Fable of The Horse Maniac and What Caused the Filing of the Suit
The Fable of The Household Comedian and The Lady Shopper's Unexpected Come Back
The Fable of The Hungry Man from Bird Center And the Trans-Atlantic Touch
The Fable of The Brotherhood of States and The Wife Who Was Responsible for the Jubilee
The Fable of The Good Fairy of the Eighth Ward and the Dollar Excursion of the Steam-Fitters
The Fable of The All-Night Seance and The Limit That Ceased to Be
The Fable of The Good People Who Rallied to the Support of the Church
The Fable of How Grandma Shattered an Idol and Made It Easy for the Children
The Fable of The Last Day at School and The Tough Trustee's Farewell to the Young Voyagers
The Fable of Woman's True Friend and The Hopeful Antique
The Fable of This Year's St. George and The 800 Microscopic Dragons
The Fable of Alexander from up the Road Whose Wife Took Him over the Jumps
The Fable of The General Manager of the Love Affair Who Demanded a Furlough
The Fable of The Day's Work and The Morning After
The Fable of The Sure-Thing Crook and The Town of Nubbinville
The Fable of The Foozie and The Successful Approach
The Fable of The Old-Time Pedagogue Who Came Down from the Shelf and Was Sufficiently Bumped
The Fable of The Man Who Was Going to Retire
The Fable of The Bookworm and The Butterfly Who Went into the Law
The Fable of The Third and Last Call
The Fable of The Crustacean Who Tried to Find Out by Reading a Book
The Fable of The Low-Down Expert on the Subject of Babies
The Fable of The Girl Who Could Compromise in a Pinch
The Fable of The Satiated Globe-Trotter Who Found a New Kind of Nerve Twister Waiting for Him at Home
The Fable of The Skittish Widower Who Tried to Set Himself Back Some Thirty Tears