The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06
THE CROW HEARD
/ 1T FROM THE STORk.
Another Tragedy IN the Becken-
darter Family Related by the
Man From Pochuek.

CHESTER, N. Y. Sept. 5.-"Ive come
over to tell you that Richard is dead,
said the man who lives over toward Po-
chuck. Richard was only tame crow,
and so maybe you will think it funny that
his dyin' has left load Of sorrow weightin'
down the Beckendarter family heavier
than a ton Of lead. But let me tell you
something about Richard, and then II you
don't say that load Of sorrow has a right
TO be weightin the Peckendarter family
down, III have to size you up as being
stony hearted and as scarce Of the milk Of
human kindness as a sdehill plough.
will so.
Il don't believe Richard would ever have
died, though, if he hadn't been killed, al
though Uncle David Beokendarter had
it in for him one time and would have wrung
his neck, sure, n something hadn't hap
pened that saved him. That was when
Richard was a thief. But he reformed
and was an upright and cheerin' member
Of the. family up to the day Of his death,
which was only day before yesterday.
.When Richard was a thief he had a
mate. Uncle David found the two of EN-
in a nest one spring. and he fetched EN-
home. They grew up in the family and
the one he named Richard learned to talk
so that he could holler out Good mOrnin'
How de dor What We doin'T and some
more words like that, includin' some that
it wouldn't do fur the preacher or the
SEWN circle to hear, and he always fetched
EN- in at the right time and place. He
always called Uncle David pop and every
r,ornin' az soon as Uncle David showed up,
Richard would holler out, Good mornin'
popp rs regular and proper az sun-up.
But steal? Capt. Kids ghost! How
Richard and his mate would steal! They
rot to be such unmerciful thieves that AS
much "A Uncle David and his folks thought
of EN- they see that they'd have to get
rid of 'em. Them crows would steal any
thing they could get hold of, and the day
they stole the gold watch that belonged
to the city girl who WAS suInmern' on the
farm settled Uncle David in his mind. and
that night, 1t ben' darker than any num-
her of stacks OF black cats, he took Richard
and his mate of their perch, showed 'em
into n feed bag and drove with EN- clear
down into the Sprout Hill country. more
than a dozen miles and turned 'em loose
in a piece of woods. Uncle David drove
right on and come home by circlin way
so AZ the crews couldn't hear him.
But he might just As well have saved
himself all that trouble, fur early the next
mornin' Richard came flying into the yard
perchsd himself on the railin' OF tho back
stoop. where Uncle David WAS mixin' the
chicken feed, and give Uncle David the
most outrage and complete layin' out,
| suppose, that any well-meanln' but mis-
judgin' man ever got That audacious
crow aot 80 personal af,er awhile that Uncle
David grabbed q club and would have
scattered Richard 10 the winds, but hs flew
TO a cherry tree, where he was jined pretty
soon by the other crow.
"Thsy jabbered together fur two or three
minutes, and eeIned 10 have come TO some
sort Of an agreement about something
Then they few away TO wood lot al the
back Of the farm Uncle David swore he
would wiring both their neGbs II they come
back 10 their roost that night and he went
to the barn 10 90 up his chores, so mad that
he couldn't hardly wait Til night come
When he got back ~ the house there tbs
crows was, struttin' about the yard, and