Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-14
CHAPTER V
Secret Of the Old Mill

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Secret Of the Old Mill
e1HaE Mysterious white Stranger
~ stood in row under the watchfu
eyds Of Policeman Blue jay.
And while they were there the nest
Of The birds had been robbed secont
time. II was plain to Jack and Jane,
that the Mysterious White Strangers
n had not been guilty this time.
3 Perhaps they had not been guilty be-
f6SN Perhaps some one else had made
thdte smears of white on the edges OF
H. nests.
The birds. after the first furry OF
e1c1temcnt, went on with the party.
But Jack and Janet and the Fairy King
hurried away to have look at the
rAidrd nests.
They found Mrs. Cat prd weeping
and wailing. Five beautiful blue
green eggs had l." cried Mrs. Cat Bird.
'Then one was stolen and | had four.
. Now another has been stolen and l
have three
Sure enough. there were only three
eggy in the nest.
And I have only four where first
had six,v sobbed Mrs. Brown Thrush.
Jack and Janet looked closely at the
nests. To their surprise. they found
more white smears on the edges. This
was very puzzlng.
They flew back to make sure the
Mysterious White Strangers were all in
line. Jack counted: "Onc. two. three,
four, FIVE, six. seven. eight. nine. ten,
eleven, twelve. thirteen, fourteen. tif-
teen" Yes. there were fifteen where
there had been only ten before. Jack
counted again. And this time. to his
astonishment, the count went up to
twenty.
Then Janet counted. and her count
made the number twenty five. What
c~1ld be happening?
Suddenly the answer flashed into
Jacks head. More Mysterious White
Strangers were constantly coming into
Rirdland. The first ten had stolen the
first eggs, but these later comcrs had
been guilty Of the second robbery.
And the thefts were still going on.
From far and wide came the shrieks
Of mother birds who were missing eggs
from their nests. And every time Jack
and Janet counted the number of the
Mysterious White Strangers was
largcr tlian before. They seemed to be
filling all Brdland.
'They look like an ARM whispered
the Fairy King. Perhaps they are an
army of foes coming in this way to
capture Birdland while the friendly
birds are giving party in their honor"
How can we find who they are!'
wondered Jack.
sand where they come from?" added
Janet.
Jnst then Purple Swallow hoped in
frout Of them, futterins his wings and
feathers.
~'You got me into fine fix when you
had. Sne bump those White Strangers"
he Scolded. MY feathers were wet from
splashing in the pool and they got all
sticky where they rubbed that white
stun OF the Strangers.
You look as if you had paste on
you," said Jack. Then Janet gave
cry OF surprise.
mid, THAT white stuff is -four"
= "Yes, street. exclaimed Jack.
Those Strangers are all disguised with
-four. Where. could they have gotten
it?..
..There is an old -four mill just over
the hill" answered Purple Swallow.
Can you take us there on your
back q asked Jack eagerly. perhaps
We will find in the mill the answer to
this mystery
Purple Swallow wasn't so stuck up
but what he could fly fast. Jack and
Janet and the Fairy King climbed on
his back and away they went with the
speed Of the wind.
AZ they flashed through the air they
passed more Mysterious White Strang-
ers fastening toward Rirdland. When
they came to the mill they saw whence
the ystcrious White Strangers were
comtng--from broken window high up
at the top. They came out one by one
in q stream, heading for Birdland.
And going into another window on
the other side of the mill was a string
Of -birds-birds as black as Jumps OF
coal.
''Crows!'' Grief Jack. The Mys-
tsrious White Strangers are crows
coviHed with -four
ayes, nj ecd the Fairy King. Now
We know why they didn't open their
mouths. We would have known them
the instant they cawed. We must has
ten slback to Birdland and warn the
birds"
In the next chapter will be told how
Jack and Janet plan q trick on the
crows-a trick that saves Birdland from
them.