Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-04-20

close as they could get, and were fast
asleep long before the older members
! of the crow colony had settled down
for the night. He was one of the
largest one of all his brothers and sis
| ters. and the reason he outgrew the
others was because when a youngster,
he got more than his share of what
his mother brought for them to eat:
and. tho way he got more to eat. was
simply this-when one of his small
! brothers or sisters shut its eyes and
opened its mouth. 1nkspot would push
the little ones head aside and open
his mouth in its place.
SO he waved strong and 1usty--all
| the while the mother crow was won
dering why in the world the other
children had such a pinched, starved
look. Inkspot was always getting into
! trouble. One day. when he was about
two weeks old just as he was begin
ming to cut his tail feathers, he leaned
| a little too fer over the side of the
nest. to see what that old Blucjay was
talking so loud about lost his balance,
and over he went.
| He lodged astride a limb about
! three feet below the nest. 1t seemed
10 him he fell at least a mile before
he brought up suddenly on The rough
pinebark. His claws were not strong
enough TO grasp the limb, so lie sat.
Just as he had fallen, looking for all
the world like ten cents worth OF dark
red steak. stuck fun of short, blue
black matches.
He was afraid to move. for fear lie
would slide of into space, and the
world below looked to him as if II
were hundreds and hundreds of miles
away. so. painting and gasping. he
rode his branch until his mother came
home with a small wrigsling field
mouse, in her beak.
Five little black crow babies looked
just like six little black crow babies TO
her, SO she didn't sense that one was
missing at all. \ weak little suuak
from the hapless youngster caused his
mother to fall backwards. from her
perch. in her frantic haste to reach
! her darling. She lowered right below
him and told him in her hoarse, dis
cordant way, to slide. He slipped
right off on her strong, broad back.
Soaring and sailing, She paused Just
above the nest, and. u brisk shake,
landed him--kerplunk. right on top
! OF MS SIldIleSl sister. tie UlOnC pre-
. tend to move, but sat there, and
! opened his mouth and waited for the
next field mouse his mother might
bring.
Black quill feathers began TO take
the place OF scattering, yellow down.
and it was not many weeks before he
was strong enough to follow the flock.
! as they went changing away. in a long,
black. struggling line 10 some nearby
cOrnheld. IIc soon learned how to
pUll UP the young corn and was vastly
pleased TO find the fat. white, seed
grain at the end of the roots. One
day. when they all were having tho
best sort Of a time down in the corn
field, the old sentinel crow. who was
posted on the tiptop OF a tall pine.
gave a warning cry as he fell off back
wards.
Fighting himself he tapped away
towards the great woods by the river.
The other crows instantly lost all in
terest in corn. and other things edi-
BILE, and followed heller, SHELTER in the
wake of their leader. Inkspot, saw
nothing alarming in the long, quiet
rows Of sprouting corn, and he cast
. glance OF pity, mingled with contempt,