Thursday, May 15, 1997
[today we revisit the original E-Sop's Frable]
Country & City
Mice
From E-Sop's
Frables
A quiet, good, Foolish Country Investor Mouse once entertained an old playmate of his who had recently gone to the city to invest.
Though his portfolio was very modest and his Blue-Chip investments very ordinary, the Country Investor Mouse had saved up in advance so that his dinner for his City Investor Mouse friend would be a good one. He had put away some very nice peas and bacon, a fine dish of oatmeal, a bit of cheese, and for dessert a tasty morsel of ripe apple. When he and his friend sat down to nibble dinner, the Country Investor Mouse didn't eat any of this fine fare himself, but politely chewed away at an old wheat straw, so that the City friend would be sure to have enough.
When they had finished, the City Investor Mouse leaned back and said, in a very superior way, "Old Pal, how can you bear to keep investing in such dismal stocks as these? Nothing but Dow components, high-yielders, staid Blue Chips. Don't you get bored with just these in your portfolio---no options, no penny-stocks? It must be awfully dull. Why don't you come on up to the city with me tonight? I'll show you how you can really invest and have a grand time all the time."
The quiet little Country Investor Mouse hadn't really thought much about it, because he had always been perfectly contented investing how he was, but he was willing to try anything that sounded so good.
So they set out that evening for the city and about midnight they crept into the large mansion where the City Mouse Investor lived.
There had been a great party the day before and bits of food of all sorts were to be had for the picking.
They sat around on beautiful soft Persian rugs and nibbled a little of this and a little of that until the Country Investor Mouse was pleasantly full and he began to think maybe his life was pretty dull down there in the country.
Just then there was a bang and a rattle that made them jump a mouse mile. The master of the house had come home and with him came two enormous dogs (named Market Drop and Margin Call) that barked and ran round, nearly scaring the life out of both the mice, who scurried for a place of safety.
"Thank you very much," said the Country Investor Mouse to his City friend, "that was fine while it lasted, but as long as I am moving, I think I'll just keep right on going until I reach my quiet, dull little hole back there in the country. A few dry pea dividends will do me very well as long as I can enjoy them quietly and not have my appetite scared out of me. You are welcome to your exciting city life, I'll take the country." And he did.
The Point---It's a Foolish Investor Mouse who has enough and is happy with it.
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