Iron County register., 1890-12-04
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE.

''Better keep good place while you've
got it, said the boss. you are entire
~ unskilled, and you have been so i'm
provident, eating up all your wages from
day to day, that you have nothing to fall
back on if you don't get work"
Well" replied Mr.. Fassett, 'if l
can't get work for somebody else, guess
l can hunt for worms and corn on my
own account, can l:'
Yes, if you can find a place to hunt
for them.
Must be plenty of places. Why, l
know all this country. It's full of corn
fields and I'm a poor sort of crow if l
can't scratch up enough to live on"
The boss crow was astonished at Mr..
Fassett's simplicity.
Why" said he, "there amt corn
field in days flight where you'll be al
lowed to scratch. / hire this field; that
one belongs to another crow; that one
yonder to another; that one to a crow
corporation, and so on. The trouble is
that this country is crowded with
crows"
Il used to thinl, SO myself" said Mr..
Fassett, "and | hired man to shoot
them; but since I've been crow it
doesn't seem to me that there are very
many. Why, l never see any flock but
ours in this field?"
'Of course you don't. I have to pay
old Roger Rook Il good round sum for
this field, and I would be a fool to let
anybody but my own crows come here.
And if you amt going to work for me"
''Who is Roger Rook?" Qui interrupt
ed.
Roger Rook! Roger Roolz! Don't
know Roger Rook." exclaimed Outs
boss in astonishment. "Well, l declare!
Why. Roger Rool1 belongs to one of the
best families. He can trace his ances-
try back ever so far. He owns all the
best nest building trees in that forest,
he and Jim Grow, and he owns corn
fields till you can'trest. Inherited them,
you know. But say, if you amt going
to work for me any longer l want you to
leave my property. l don't allow any
tramps around here"
"Well," said Mr.. Fassett, firmly, "Pve
had enough of this, and l shall leave"
Where II you roost tonight" asked
the boss. Cant let you stay in my
tree, you know
"I'll find a roost, replied Mr. Fassett;
and saying goodbye in friendly way
to his boss he rose upward and scared
away.
I'm my eye, you'll find a place to
roost," croahed the boss, as he returned
to his work of experimenting the opera
tions of the flock in his field.
Poor Fassett. Little did he realize
what he had done.
After flying till he was tired, he head
ed for large tree in the middle of the
forest. To his surprise he found its
branches filled with crows. They look
ed suspieiously at him, and he over
heard occasionally a word that sounded
like 'spy." For time no crow came
near him; but after q while one old fell
low walked toward him sideways along
the limb of the tree.
"Where'd you come from?" the stran-
ger asked
Just gave up job replied Qui.
''What at?' the other persisted.
''Watching worm preserve
Why'd you give it up?"
Got tired working for another fellow
for grub and roost," said Qui
The conversation continued cautious
ly for time on the part of the stranger
but after awhile with greater freedom.
Qui found that this was a meeting of
crows, who. like himself, had quit work
ing because they were not satisfied with
the pay. They had managed among
them to make up little pile of corn,
with part of which they hired the
tree where they were roosting, living
on the remainder.
but our funds won't hold out long"
said the old crow, ''and as there are so
many crows out of job am afraid we
shall have to give in and go to work.
''Why do you want funds?'' Qui asked.
"Why do we want funds?" exclaimed
the old crow. We'll, we want funds be-
cause we've got to have something to
cat and place to roost"
Surely you don't need funds on that
account. You can scratch for worms
and corn, can't you?"
Some of us can, but some,o of us only
know how to build nests. Some can't
even do that; they have gathered nest
materials all tleir lives, and others
have done nothing but make up the ma
terials for the builders"
That's right" said Fassett. 81
think l can get you out of your trouble.
Now, if you --"
Hold on!" interrupted the old crow
in excitement. Hold on. Halo, fell
lows, 1 say, here's a chap what says he
can get us out of our fix. Shall we let
him in and hear what he has to say?''
whats his line?" was croaked from
the crowd.
Used to watch a worm preserve" re-
sponded the old chap.
Nav, we don't want any o them de-
tective thugs among u.s."
Tell them," said Qui, that 1 am
lawyer"
''Oh thunder nor spluttered the
stranger. They're down on lawyers
worse'n the devil. Let me attend to
this"
leaving Qui alone. There was great
commotion and croaking, but the old
crow carried his point and Qui was invit
ed in.
You mustn't think said Qui that
I've got any new tangled Inventions /
have only single suggestion to make.
and don't understand why it hasn't oc-
cured to you long ago Perhaps it's |
because YOU are used to this sort of |
Thing and | am not Now this old crow
tells me yor are in great distress be- |
cause you haze lost your work and |
haven't any worms or corn. and when |
your lease on tnss tree expires you won't |
have any place to roost. At the same |