Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-15
lI1IL5ESoRIEs
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Copyright. 1917. by T. W. Bursess)
Sammy Jay Speaks His Mind.

The more Peter Rabbit thought it
over the stranger it seemed TO him that
such big people as or Mistah Buzzard
and Mrs. Buzzard should be content TO
have no nest If he hadn't with his
own eyes seen those two buZzard babies
In the great hollow log. and if he hadn't
heard with his own ears or Mistah Buzz
card say that when there was no big
hollow log handy Mrs Buzzard would
lay her eggs on top of d stump, and
1when there was no stump handy she
would lay them on the bare ground, he
wouldn't, he was sure. have been able
to believe that anything of the kind
could be true.
There was no one with whom he
could talk the matter over save Sammy
Jay. You see. Peter had promised not
to give the Buzzard secret away, and
Sammy was the only one Peter knew
of who also knew that secret SO the
sdrst chance he got Peter asked Sammy
what he thought Of the matter. and If
ne supposed there was any good reason
Why the Buzzar1s didn't build a nest.
@s-Shiftlessness" replied Sammy, scor-n-
fully. Just plain shiftlessness. They
are too lazy and shiftless to go to the
trouble of building a nest, that's all.
or Mistah Buzzard is just naturally
lazy and Mrs. Buzzard is just like him.
Have you ever seen or Mistah Buzzard
do a stroke Of work since you've known
him."
p Peter couldn't remember that he had,
and said so.
- ~Of course. YOU haven't" asserted
Gammy in the same scornful voice
& before. "Of course YOU haven't Why?
Because he hasn't done any work. All
he does is just sail round and round in
the blue. blue sky or sit in the sun on
that old dead tree. When he's sailing
round and round he doesn't move his
wings any more than he has to. He
doesn't even catch his own food"
Il don't hold that against him" de-
z. elared Peter, promptly, thinking how
he had always TO be on the watch TO
escape Hooty the Owl and members of
the Hawk family. but now you men
tfon the matter / wonder what he does
eat 1 hadn't thought OF it before. DO
; you know what he does eat2'
Yes" replied Sammy, 4 know"
There was both scorn and disgust in
his voice this time. He cats things
that no one else would think Of eating.
He eats dead things, and he don't seem
! to care how long they have been dead
He is the most shiftless fellow 7 know
of. You are rather shiftless yourself
Peter, but compared with OF MIStah
Buzzard you are almost industrious. l
can't understand how any one can be
90 shiftless and lazy. 1t doesn't sur
prise me any to find out that he and
z Mrs BuZzard don't build nest | guess
j would have been more surprised TO
ind that they did. l know a good many
shiftless folks. but none equal to or
Mistah BuZZard and Mrs. Buzzard.
Sometimes I wonder If the rea son they
have bald heads is because they are too
+ lazy to grow feathers on them"
Sammy grinned at his own joke and
4 Peter laughed. "Yeu certainly have
& got a mighty small opinion of the Buzz
card family, Sammy said he.
II certainly have" retorted Sammy.
\ IT may have faults, but laZineSs isn't
one of them. The idea of great. big,
able-bodied birds like Mistah and Mrs.
Buzzard being content to have their
eggs on the ground without so much as
stick or a straw under them. ! call
II It a disgrace to the whole feathered
tribe"
Sammy Jay hirted his tail, tossed his
q head and then flew away. leaving Peter
to think things over and, ! suspect,
with lot less respect for or Mistah
4 Buzzard than he had had before.