The Bear and the Gardener in this case keeping the flies off a friend, and the ultimate good of safeguarding his welfare. The story gained currency in England from the 18th century on through translations or imitations of La Fontaine. One of its earliest appearances was in Robert Dodsley's "Select fables of Esop and other fabulists" (1764), where it is given the title "The Hermit and the Bear" and a milder ending. In this version a hermit has done the bear a good turn; later still this was identified with taking a thorn from its paw, drawing on the story of Androcles and the Lion.
The Monkey's Paw The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a supernatural short story by author W. W. Jacobs first published in England in the collection "The Lady of the Barge" in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of the monkey's paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate. It has been adapted scores of times in other media, including plays, movies, TV shows, operas, stories and comics, as early as 1903 and as recently as 2017. The short story involves Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son, Herbert. Sergeant-Major Morris, a