The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-09-12
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"What makes you angry? Cav.
Cav, Cav, what makes you angryfr
asked Mrs. Charlie Crow.
"The farmers make me angry. Their
lack of appreciation of me makes me
feel terribly. oh, 1t is beyond words
at times, to tell how sad / feel" And
Charlie Crow wept a tear which fell
on his handsome black coat.
"Poor Charlie" said Mrs. Crow. my
poor child, Charlie"
For when he was feeling sad and
m%ournful Mrs. Grow always treated
him as though he were a child crow
instead of a grown-up Mr.. Grow.
"And they still put the scarecrows
in their fields. They still do"
"You mean those creatures made out
of sticks and things, which are dressed
up like men with guns, chi" asked
Mrs. Crow.
"Yes, they are called scarecrows,"
said Charlie. "They are put in the
fields to scare away the crows and
that is why they have such a pane
you see-scarecrows, or Let us
scare the crows" .
"Ah, that is a sad and sorry tale"
said Mrs. Grow. "To think of farm
ers still putting those scarecrows Ina
the fields. Why, they actually keep
many, many row away. We under
stand them. We know they are only
m~ake-believe men and that they carry
only make-believe guns. But It's not
kind of the farmers to try to frighten
us away. We are really such GOOD
friends Of the farmers"
"That's so" said Charlie; shat is
where the sad part of it m in. Oh
dear, oh, dear" and poor Mr.. Charlie
Crow wept another bitter tear, which
made his black coat quite wet.
Mrs. Charlie Crow took her maple
leaf handkerchief which Mr.. Grow had
given her on her last birthday (she
had birthdays very often, so as to get
lots Of presents), and wiped the wet
spot which had been made by the
tear.
Don't weep. Mr.. Crow. Don't weep
Charlie, old boy. Nothing is SC bad
that 1t mightn't be worse, I've heard
wise people say"
"Ah. that's so, I suppose" said
Charlie. "But / can't think Of any
thing that could be worse than the
lack of appreciation which the farmers
show me.
sit is true, we do steal the grair
and the corn. We love corn-all crows
do. And many of us are thieves-in
fact, most Of us are thieves, I believe
But we must eat and we must live
and If we can't go to the markets and
put down pennies and nickels and
dimes for our food, we just have to
take II ms we can.
"We can't shop like people. We
have no money, no pocketbooks. no
bank accounts. The squirrels have
savings banks where they save nuts:
like children save their pennies. Bur
we are without all these things"
'We are without all of them
agreed Mrs. Crow. "And 1t is most in
sulting for the farmers to put scare
crows in the fields, and it is still more
hard-hearted of them to let us think
for a moment that they would have
guns fired off at us-that's what they
try to make US think.
eyes. It's hard, very, very hard" she
said.
"And though I will admit that our
family does steal and that we do rob
the farmers of some goodies-still, the
harm we do doesn't half come up to
the good we do. We eat the grubs and
different kinds of worms which would
destroy the corn, nod we really save
the crops for the farmers, many and
many a time" said Charlie.
"Yes." said Mrs. Crow, "the harm
we do Is little The good we do
amounts to a great deal. But, CHARLIE
don't be sad or insulted. for things
might be SO much worse. You are
alive and well. You. have a loving
mate and a fine brood Of children.
you have good strong wings, and
your handsome black suit; you have
your eyesight and your voice.
Whenever you get discouraged.
think of the creatures who have real
troubles-who are sick and miserable
and who actually suffer"
That's So" said Charlie. ''my trou-
bles are very few compared to what
some creatures have to put up with
But I do wish I could tell the farmers
that I do try 20 do all / can to help
them-even If they think II Is impossi-
Bile for me to have anything good
about me-"
Sooner or later they'll know and