see it clearly
Blacky The Crow Gets In Trouble
by Thornton W. Burgess
Blacky the Crow awoke early in the morning and he was very, very cross. He had had a dreadful night, for Hooty the Owl had given him a terrible fright. He looked very much as he felt, and everyone on the Green Meadows knew that Blacky the Crow was out of sorts. Breakfast was hard to find that morning and this made Blacky crosser still. His temper was so short that none of the little people on the Green Meadows dared speak to him. Finally he met Johnny Chuck coming up the Lone Little Path.
"Good morning," said Johnny Chuck.
Blacky just croaked grumpily.
"I've just come from Farmer Brown's cornfield, and his corn is coming up beautifully," said Johnny Chuck.
Blacky the Crow began to smile. "That's the best news I've heard for a long time," said he. Then he shook out his coat, spread his wings and sailed swiftly over towards the cornfield. Just before he reached it he met Jimmy Skunk. Jimmy was poking along slowly, looking for beetles for his breakfast.
"Hello, Blacky," said Jimmy Skunk, "Where are you going."
"It's none of your business," replied Blacky, for he was still out of sorts.
"That's all right," replied Jimmy Skunk, "I just wanted to say that there is danger over in the cornfield."
"Pooh!" exclaimed Blacky, "I guess I don't need any warning from you, Jimmy Skunk! I am smart enough to take care of myself. When I need your advice I will ask you for it."
Jimmy Skunk chuckled to himself, for Jimmy seldom loses his temper. Then he stopped looking for beetles and ambled over to a secret hiding place behind the fence where he could see all that happened in the cornfield.
Now Blacky the Crow pretended not to care for Jimmy Skunk's advice, but Blacky is very crafty -- very, very crafty indeed. First he flew very high, where he could look all over the cornfield. Everything looked safe, then he came down and sat for a long time on a fence-post watching to see if anything would happen. The longer he watched the emptier his stomach seemed. He could see the tender young corn just coming up through the brown earth.
"Jimmy Skunk doesn't know what he is talking about," said Blacky to himself, and then he spread his black wings and sailed over to the greenest spot in the field. My, how good that corn did taste! In five minutes Blacky had forgotten all about danger and was just pulling corn and stuffing himself as fast as every he could.
Suddenly he felt something clutching at his feet. He tried to take a step and couldn't. What could the matter be? He tugged and fluttered and pulled, but it was no use. Blacky the Crow had been caught in a snare! And over in the fence corner Jimmy Skunk was rolling over and over holding on to his sides as he watched Blacky the Crow, for Jimmy was tickled almost to pieces to think that the wise bird of the Green Meadows had been so easily fooled.