The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-09
BURGESS BED
TIME STORIES
3LACkY DOES A LITTLE LOOKING
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS

BLACkY DOES A LITTLE LOOKING
ABOUT
Do not take the word OF others
That things are or are not so
When there lis a chance that you may
Find out for yourself and know.
-Blncky the Crow.
Blacky the Crow is a shrewd fell
low. He is one of the smartest.
shrewdest of all the little people in
the Green Forest and on the Green
Meadows. Everybody knows this.
And because of this all his neigh
bors have a great deal of respect for
him, despite his mischievous ways.
OF course, Blacly had noticed that
Johnny Chuck had dug his house
deeper than usual and had stuffed
himself until he was fatter than ever
before. He had noticed that Jerry
Muskrat was making the walls of his
house thicker than usual and that
Paddy the Beaver was doing the same
thing to his house. You know there
is very little that escapes the sharp
eyes of Blacky the Crow.
He had guessed what these things
meant. They think we are going to
have a long, hard, cold winter" NUT
tered Blacky to himself. Perhaps
they know. but l want to see soma
signs of 1T for myself, They may be
only guessing. Anybody can do that.
and one guess is as good as another"
Then he found Mr.. and Mrs. Quack
the Mallard Ducks and their children
in the pond and Paddy the Beaver
and remembered tina. they never had
come down from their home in the
Far North as early In the fall as
this. Mrs. Quack explained that Jack
Frost had already started south ear
Ia fI, ax,A hld
started earlier to keep well ahead Of
him.
Looks as il there may be some
thing in this idea of long, hard.
cold winter" though NBlacky. but
perhaps the Quaeks are only guess
ing, too. / wouldn't take their word
for Il any more than l would the
word of Johnny Chuck or Jerry
Muskrat or Paddy the Beaver. I'll
look about a little"
So. after warning the Quacks to
remain in the pond of Paddy the
Beaver if they would be safe, Blacky
babe them goodby and flew away.
He headed straight for the Green
Meadows and Farmer Browns corn
field. A little of that yellow corn
would make a good breakfast.
When he reached the cornfield
Blacky percned on TOP OIL Snock OF
corn for it already had been cut and
put in shocks in readiness to be
carted up to Farmer Browns barn.
For a few minutes he sat there silent
and motionless, but all the time his
sharp eyes were making sure that no
enemy was hiding behind one of
those brown shocks. When he was
quite certain that things were as
safe as they seemed he picked out a
plump ear of corn and began to tear
OPEN the husks. so as to get at the
yellow grains.
Seems to me these husks are un-
usually thick" muttered Blacky, as
he tore at them with his stout bill.
'sDon't remember ever having seen
them as thick as these. Wonder if 1t
just happens to be so on this ear"
Then a sudden thought popped into
his black head. He left that ear and
went to another. The husks Of this
were as thick as those on the other.
He flew to another shock and found
the 7husks there just the same. He
tried a third shock with the same
result.
Huh. they are all alike" said he.
Then he looked Thoughtful and for
few minutes sat perfectly still like
black statue. "They are right
said he at last Eyes, sir, they are
right OF course, he meant Johnny
Chuck and Jerry MusKrat and Pc