The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-17
BURGESS BED-
 TIME STORIES
By THORNTON W. BURGESS
BLACKY GOES HOME HAPPY. No preater hnnnlneaa L. .=az.

BLACKY GOES HOME HAPPY.
 No greater happiness Is won
 Than through deed for others done.
 -BIacky the Crow.
 Blacky the Crow sat in the top of tree near the bank of the Big River and Blacky couldn't make up his mind what to do. He wanted to get home to the big. thicG hemiock tree in the Green Forest before dusk, for Blacky is afraid of the dark. That Is, he is afraid to be out after dark
 "Go along home" said voice in- side him. There Is hardly time now for you to get there before the Black Shadows arrive. Don't waste any time here. What may happen to those silly Ducks is no business of yours and there is nothing you can do, anyway. Go along home"
 Walt few minutes," said another little voice down inside him. t"Don't be a coward. You ought to warn Dusky the Black Duck and his flock that hunter with terrible gun Is waiting for them. Is 1t true that it is no business of yours what hap pens to those Ducks? Think again, Blacky; think again. 1t is the duty of each one who sees a common dam ger to warn his rieighbors. If some thing dreadful should happen to Dusky because you were afraid of the dark you never would be comfortable in your own mind. Stay little while and keep watch"
 Not five minutes later Biaeky saw something that made him oh, so glad he had kept watch. It was a swiftly moving black line just above the water far down the Big River and 1t was coming up. He knew what that black line was. He looked over at the hunter hiding behind some bushes close to the edge of the wa ter. The hunter was crouching with his terrible gun in his hands and was that black line. He, too, knew what it was. It was a flock of Ducks fly ing.
 Blacky was all a-shake again, but this time it wasn't with fear of be- ing caught away from home in the dark; 1t was with excitement. He knew that those Ducks had become so eager for more of that corn, that delicious yellow corn, which every night for a week they had found scat tered in the rushes just in front of the place where that hunter was now hiding, that they couldn't wait for tn
 coming of the Black Shadows. They were so sure that there was no dan ger there that they were coming In to eat without waiting for the Black Shadows. as they usually did. And Blacky was glad. Perhaps now he could give them warning.
 Up the middle of the Big River. flying just above the water. swept the flock, with Dusky at it's head. How swiftly they flew, those nine big birdsl Biacky envied their swift
 wings. On past the hiddcn hunter. but far out over the Big River, they swept. For just minute Blacky thought they were going on up the river and not coming into eat after all Then they turned toward the other shore, swept around in a cir cle and headed straight in toward the hidden hunter Biacky glanced at him and saw that he was ready to shoot.
 Almost without thinking Blacky spread his wings and started out from that tree. "Caw, cav, cav, cav caw!" his danger cry, that everybody on the Green Meadows and In the Green 1 Forest knows
 | Instantly Dusky turned upward
 and began to climb up, up, up the | other Ducks following him, until, as | they passed over the hidden hunter they were so high 1t was useless for him to shoot. He did put up his gun and aim at them, but he didn't shoot. You see, he didn't want to frighten them so they would not return. Then the flock turned and started off in the direction from which they had come, and in a few minutes they wore merely a black line disappearing far down the Big River.
 Blacky headed straight for the Green Forest, chuckling as he flew. He knew that those Ducks would not return until after dark. He had saved them this time, and he was so happy he didn't even notice the Black Shadows And the hunter stood up and shook his fist at Blacky the Crow.
 (Copyright, 1921, by T. W. Burgess) The next story-"Blacky Calls n. -,sc