Evening star., 1916-07-15

an egg himself? And hadn't he, ever
since he was big enough, hunted eggs
ana stolen eggs and eaten eggs? n
ne didn't know about eggs who did?
That Is the way he would have talked
before his visit to Farmer Browns
henhouse. 1t is since then that it has
6een unwise to mention eggs when
Blacky is about
You remember that Blacky finally got
mis- courage up to the point Of dying
inside the door of Farmer Browns hem
house,
There. Just as he had seen them
when he got that hasty glance in there
eggs. How Blacky did wish that he
could take both. But he couldn't One
would be all that he could manage. He
must take his choice and go away
sbouid Ts,1s the In t.koi fkoiips was good. Which
It often happens in this life that
things which seem to be unimportant.
mere tribes in themselves. prove to be
Blacky gould see. 1t didn't make thA
least difference which egg he took ex-
cepting that one was a little bigger
than the other. As a matter of fact.
One was brown and very good to look
at. The other, the larger OF the two.
was white and also very. good to look
at In fact, Blacky thought it the
octIeT Oi the Two TO look at, TOT IL was
very smooth and shiny. So. partly on
this account, and partly because 1t was
the largest. Blacky chose the white
egg. He seized it in his claws and
started to ny with It, but somehow he
could not seem to get a good grip ON
1t. He duttered to the ground ~Just
outside the door and there he got a
better grip. Just as old Daddycock the
feathers on his neck standing out with
anger, came charging at him, Blacky
rose into the air and started over the
Old Orchard toward the Green Forest.
Never had Blacky felt more like caw-
ing at the top of his lungs. You see.
he felt that he had been very smart,
and suspect that he also felt that he
had been very brave. He would have
liked to boast little. but he didn't.
He wisely held his tongue. It would
er he had reached place of safety and
had eaten that egg. He was half way
across the Old orchard when he felt
that egg beginning to slip. Now. at
out breaking 1t. You know how very
careful you have to be- Just imagine
how Blacky felt when that egg began
to slip. Do what he would he couldn't
wee bit more Biacky started down to-
ward the ground. But ne wasn't quick
enough. Striped Chlpmunk, watching
Blacky from the old stone wall. saw
something white drop from blacKye
claws. He saw Blacky dash after it
and clutch at 1t only to miss 1t. Then
tho white thing struck branch of an
old apple tree. bounced off and fell to
the ground B,acky followed it.
Striped Chipmunk stole very softly
through the grass to see what Blacky
the Crow was doing. Blacky was stand
ing close beside a white thing that
looked very much like an egg. He was
locking at y with The queerest expires,
sion ever was. Now and then he would
reach out and rap 1t shsarply with his
bill and then look as II he didn't know
what to make of 1t. He didn't. That
egg wasn't behaving right. 1t should
have broken when 1t hit the branch OF
the apple tree. Certainly 1t should have
broken when he struck II that way
with his bill. How ever was he to eat
that egg II he couldn't break the shell?
Blacky didn't know. Finally he gave
up trying, once more clutched the egg
and dew of with II.