The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-11
BURGESS BED
TIME STORIES
BLACKY WATCHES A QUEER PER-
TORRANCE
ny THORNTON W. BURGESS
The much to me is very clear;
A thing not understood is queer.
-HiarISy the Crow.

TORRANCE
The much to me is very clear;
a thing not understood is queer.
-BiarI<y the Crow.
.Blacky the Grow may be right.
Again. he may not be. If he is right
IL will account for lot of the queer
people in the world. They are not
understood and so they are queer.
At least that is what other people
say and never once think that per-
haps they are the queer ones for not.
understanding.
But Blaclly isn't like those people
who are satisfied not to understand
and to think other people and things
queer. He does his best to under
stand. He waits and watches and
uses those sharp eyes of his and those
quick wits of his until at last usually
he does understand
The day of his discovery of Old
Mother Natures signs that the COM
ing winter would be long, hard and
cold Blacky paid visit TO the Big
River. Long ago he discovered that
many things are to be seen on or be-
side the Big River, things not to he
seen elsewhere. So there arc a few
days in which he does not get over
there.
AS he drew near the Big River he
was very watchful and careful, was
Blacky, for this was the season when
hunters with terrible guns were
abroad and he had discovered that
they were likely to be hiding along
the Big River hoping to shoot Mr. or
Mrs. Quack or some of their relatives.
So he was very watchful as he drew
near the Big River, for he had learned
that 1t was dangerous to pass too
near hunter with a terrible gun.
More than once he had been shot at.
But he had learned by these expert
ences. oh, yes, Blacky had learned.
For one thing, he had learned to know
when he saw 1t. For another thing,
he had learned just how far away
one of those dreadful guns could hurt
the one IT was pointed at and always
to keep just a little further away.
Also he had learned that a man or
boy without terrible gun was quite
harmless. And he had learned that
hunters with terrible guns are tricky
and sometimes hide from those they
seek to kill, so that in the dreadful
before approaching any place.
On this Afternoon as he drew near
the Big River he saw a man who
seemed to be very busy on the shore
of the Big River at place where wild
rice and rushes grew for some dis
lance out into the water, for just
there it was shallow far out from the
shore. Blacky looked sharply for a
terrible gun, but the man had none
with him and therefore was not to be
feared. Blacky boldly drew near
until he was able to see what the man
was doing.
Then Blacky's eyes stretched their
widest and he almost cawed right out
with surprise. The man was taking
yellow corn from a bag, a handful at
a time, and throwing it out into the
water. Yes. sir, that is what he was
doing, scattering nice yellow corn
among the rushes and wild rice in the
water.
That's queer performance NUT
tered Blacky as he watched. What
is he throwing perfectly good corn
out In the water for? He isn't plant
ing it, for this isn't the planting sea-
SON. Besides, it wouldn't grow in the
water anyway. 1t is a shame to
waste nice corn like that. What is
he doing 1t for?"
Blacky flew over to tree some
distance away and alighted in the
top of 1t to watch that queer per-
Torrance. You know, Blacky has
very keen eyes and he can see a long
distance. For while the man con-
tinued to scatter corn and Blacky
continued to wonder what he was do
ing it for. At last the man went
away in boat. Blacky watched him
until he was out of sight. Then he
spread his wings and slowly flew
back and forth just above the rushes
and wild rice at the place where the
man had been scattering the corn.
He could see some of the yellow
grain on the bottom. Presently he
saw something else! "Har exclaimed
Blacky.
Copyright. 1921, by, T. w. Burgess.l
The next story-"Blacky Becomes
Very Suspicious"