Evening star., 1920-09-13
LI1II1ES10RIE!s
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
BIacky the Crows Sharp
Eyes.
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS.

Sharp eyes when rightly used are nne;
The truth of this I'll prove by mine.
-Blacky the Grow.
Blacky the Grow doesn't miss much.
Rlacky is one who believes that the
more one knows about ones neigh
bors and what is going on around one
the better able one is to get the most
out of life. and Blacky lives up to that
belief. Little goes on in the Green
Forest or on the Green Meadows or in
the Old Pasture or around the Smiling
Pool or up at the Old Orchard that
Blacky misses And it is largely be-
cause he has two of the sharpest eyes
and knows how to use them.
Now. Blacky is one of those who
knows that man is the one who is
most to be feared by the little people
of the Green Forest and the Green
Meadows, SO he makes it his business
to keep watch of all that goes on
among the human folk who live near
him. Every day he visits Farmer
Browns barnyard. That is to say. he
goes where he can see what is going
on there. Very early in the morning,
before anybody in Farmer Browns
house is up. Blacky will som metimes
but at other times he is satisfied to
sit in the top of a tall tree, far enough
away to be out of reach Of a terrible
gun yet not so far but that those
sharp eyes of his can see everything
to be seen. Or Blacky flies high over
Farmer Browns barnyard. those
bright eyes studying everything be-
low.
This was what he was doing on this
particular morning. He had come out
of his way a little for the sake of
doing it. AS he tapped along rather
slowly his sharp eyes glanced from
side to side all about searching for
something new. There is nothing
Blacky delights in more than in find
ing something unfamiliar. His mem
ory is as good as his eyes are sharp.
and he knows instantly when any
thing has been changed or moved
auout. 1, is sort of game to him
and he takes delight in it.
As he lazily tapped along on this
particular morning he saw nothing
unusual until he came in full view of
the henyard. Huh" exclaimed
Blacky, that box wasn't in that cor
ner yesterday morning. I wonder
is for Hello. there is doorway In
one end. Farmer Brown hasn't any
little chickens. He wouldn't keep
them in that kind of box If he had
AT least he never has"
Blacky made little half circle as
way Of that box better. AS he did so
funny little head was poked out and
as suddenly pulled back. Blacky was
so surprised that he almost forgot to
krrr his wigs MOVING.
"Gracious" exclaimed Blacky right
out ioud. .''Diu / See whit no.. .nt
saw, or did my eyes play a trick on
me? l certainly thought l saw a
young rabbit, and it looked very much
like one of Peter Rabbits children.
But how could one Of them be in that
henyard? 1t must be I was mistaken"
taken
By this time Blacky had passed be-
yond the henyard. He looked this
way and looked that way to make
sure no one was watching him. Then
he turned and few back over the hen
'-"-" This time he saw nothing but
the box. There was no sign that any
..,.s i...ns IN IL. Biacky few to
'he '"n % a certain tall tree There
he perched. From Farmer Browns he
looked IKE nothing more than black
speck. But far away as he was
Blacky could still see that box in the
henyard and he didn't once take his
eyes from it.
Presently he saw head poked out
cautiously. All was quiet in that hen
yard. Then out Of tnat box hoped a
half-srown rabbit wearing a brown
ish gray coat. Blacky's eyes twin
kled. 1T is" he exclaimed LAS true
as my grandfathers coat was black,
il is that lost youngster Of Peter
Rabbit's"'
Blacky took one more good look
and then started for the dear Old
Briarpatch as fast as his wings could
take him.
Copyright 1920. by T. W. Burgess.