Blacky the Crow | Page 7

listened to the noise of his relatives growing
fainter and fainter, as Hooty led them farther and farther into the Green
Forest. Then he opened his mouth.
"Caw, caw, caw, caw!" he screamed. "Caw, caw, caw, caw! Come back,
everybody! Here is Mrs. Hooty on her nest! Caw, caw, caw, caw!"
Now as soon as they heard that, all Blacky's relatives stopped chasing
and tormenting Hooty and started back as fast as they could fly. They
didn't like the dark part of the Green Forest into which Hooty was
leading them. Besides, they wanted to see that nest. So back they came,
cawing at the top of their lungs, for they were very much excited. Some
of them never had seen a nest of Hooty's. And anyway, it would be just
as much fun to tease Mrs. Hooty as it was to tease Hooty.

"Where is the nest?" they screamed, as they came back to where Blacky
was cawing and pretending to be very much excited.
"Why, " exclaimed one, "that is the old nest of Redtail the Hawk. I
know all about that nest. " And he looked at Blacky as if he thought
Blacky was playing a joke on them.
"It was Redtail's, but it is Hooty's now. If you don't believe me, just
look in it, " retorted Blacky.
At once they all began to fly over the top of the tree where they could
look down into the nest and there, sure enough, was Mrs. Hooty, her
great, round, yellow eyes glaring up at them angrily. Such a racket!
Right away Hooty was forgotten, and the whole crowd at once began to
torment Mrs. Hooty. Only Blacky sat watchful and silent, waiting for
Mrs. Hooty to lose her temper and try to catch one of her tormentors.
He had hope, a great hope, that he would get one of those eggs.

CHAPTER VIII
: Hooty Comes To Mrs. Hooty's Aid
No one can live just for self alone. A lot of people think they can, but
they are very much mistaken. They are making one of the greatest
mistakes in the world. Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is,
affects somebody else. That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
And it is just as true among the little people of the Green Forest and the
Green Meadows as with boys and girls and grown people. It is Old
Mother Nature's way of making each of us responsible for the good of
all and of teaching us that always we should help each other.
As you know, when Blacky the Crow called all his relatives over to the
nest where Mrs. Hooty was sitting on her eggs, they at once stopped
tormenting Hooty and left him alone in a thick hemlock-tree in the
darkest part of the Green Forest. Of course Hooty was very, very glad
to be left in peace, and he might have spent the rest of the day there
sleeping in comfort. But he didn't. No, Sir, he didn't. At first he gave a
great sigh of relief and settled himself as if he meant to stay. He
listened to the voices of those noisy Crows growing fainter and fainter
and was glad. But it was only for a few minutes.
Presently those voices stopped growing fainter. They grew more
excited-sounding than ever, and they came right from one place. Hooty

knew then that his tormentors had found the nest where Mrs. Hooty
was, and that they were tormenting her just as they had tormented him.
He snapped his bill angrily and then more angrily.
"I guess Mrs. Hooty is quite able to take care of herself, " he grumbled,
"but she ought not to be disturbed while she is sitting on those eggs. I
hate to go back there in that bright sunshine. It hurts my eyes, and I
don't like it, but I guess I'll have to go back there. Mrs. Hooty needs my
help. I'd rather stay here, but --"
He didn't finish. Instead, he spread his broad wings and flew back
towards the nest and Mrs. Hooty. His great wings made no noise, for
they are made so that he can fly without making a sound. "If I once get
hold of one of those Crows!" he muttered to himself. "If I once get hold
of one of those Crows, I'll --" He didn't say what he would do, but if
you had been near enough to hear the snap of his bill, you could have
guessed the rest.
All this time the Crows were having what they called fun with Mrs.
Hooty. Nothing is true fun which makes others uncomfortable, but
somehow a great many people seem to forget this. So, while Blacky sat
watching, his