Evening star., 1943-07-17
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS

II you had an esq and 1t wouldn't
Just what would you DO with that
To make an esq do what 1T don't want
Strikes me lik. = ditneult sort of
All of which Is pure nonsense. OF
course. Who ever heard of an egg
either behaving or misbehaving?
Nobody. That is nobody that I know
unless it be Black the Grow. It is
best not to mention eggs in Blacky's
presence these days. They are a
forbidden topic when he is about.
Blacky Is apt to be q little re-
sentful at the mere mention of an
egg. don't know as I wholly
blame him. How would you feel
If you knew you knew all there
was to know about q thing and
then found out that you didn't
at all. Well, that Is the way 1t is
with Blacky the Grow.
If any one had told Blacky that
he didn't know all there is to know
about eggs he would have laughed
at the idea. Wasn't he. Blacky.
Matched from an egg himself? And
hadn't he, ever since he was big
enough. hunted eggs and stolen
eggs and eaten eggs? If he didn't
know about eggs who did? That
Is the way he would have talked
before his visit to Farmer Browns
henhouse. 1t is since then that 1t
has been unwise to mention eggs
when Blacky is about.
You remember that Blackv finally
got his courage up to the point OF
flying UP to the edge of the nest
ing-box just inside the door of
Farmer Browns henhouse.
There. just as he had seen them
when he got that hasty glance in
there about which I have told you.
were two eggs. How Blacky did
wish that he could take both. But
he couldn't. One would be all that
ne could manage. He must take his
choice and 90 away while the going
was good. Which should he take?
1t often happens In this life that
things which seem to be unimpor-
tant, mere trifles in themselves.
prove to be just the opposite. Now,
so far as Blacky could see. it didn't
make the least difference which egg
he took excepting that one was a
little bigger than the other. As a
matter Of fact. it made all the dif-
ference in the world. One was
brown and very good to look at.
The other, the larger Of the two,
was white and very good to look
at In fact, Blacky thought 1t the
better of the two to look at. for 1t
was very smooth and shiny. So,
partly on this account, and partly
because 1t was the larger, Blacky
chose the white egg. He seized it
IN his claws and started to fiy
with 1t, but somehow he could not
seem to get good grip on it. He
f1uttered to the ground just out
side the door and there he got 4
better grip. Just as old Dandy
cock the Rooster. with head down
and all the feathers on his neck
standing out with anger, came
charging at him, Blacky rose into
the air and started over the Old
Orchard toward the Green Forest.
Never had Blacky felt more like
cawing at the top of his lungs.
You see, he felt that he had been
very smart, and suspect that he
also felt that he had been very
brave. He would have liked to
boast little, but he didn't. He
was half way across the Old Orchard
when he felt that egg beginning to
slip Now, at best it isn't easy to
carry an egg without breaking it.
You know how very careful you
have to be. Just imagine how
Blacky felt when that egg began
to slip. Do what he would he
couldn't get better grip on it. It
slipped q wee bit more. Blacky
started down toward the ground.
But he wasn't quick enough.
Striped Chipmunk, watching Blacky
from the old stone wall, saw some-
thing white drop.
Striped Chipmunk stole very softly
through the grass to see what
Blacky the Grow was doing. Blacky
was standing close beside the white
thing that looked very much like
an egg. He was looking at it with
the queerest expression there ever
was. Now and then he would reach
out and rap it sharply with his bill
and then look as If he didn't know
what to make Of 1t. He didn't
That egg wasn't behaving right. It
should have broken when 1t hit the
branch Of the apple tree. Ger
tainly 1t should have broken when
he struck 1t that way with his bill.
However was he to eat that egg If
he couldn't break the shell? Blacky
didn't know. Finally he gave up
trying, once more clntched the egg
And AA~ ~ -a<Ss u