Blacky the Crow | Page 6

was sure. You see, he quite forgot the fact that
the brightness of day is to Hooty what the blackness of night is to him.
So, because Hooty would simply sit still and hiss and snap his bill,
instead of trying to catch his tormentors or flying away, Blacky called
him stupid. He felt sure that Hooty would stay right where he was now,
and he hoped that Mrs. Hooty would lose her temper and leave the nest

where she was sitting on those two eggs and join Hooty to help him try
to drive away that noisy crew.
But Hooty isn't stupid. Not a bit of it. The minute he found out that
Blacky and his friends had discovered him, he thought of Mrs. Hooty
and the two precious eggs in the old nest of Redtail the Hawk close by.
"Mrs. Hooty mustn't be disturbed, " thought he. "That will never do at
all. I must lead these black rascals away where they won't discover Mrs.
Hooty. I certainly must."
So he spread his broad wings and blundered away among the trees a
little way. He didn't fly far because the instant he started to fly that
whole noisy crew with the exception of Blacky were after him. Because
he couldn't use his claws or bill while flying, they grew bold enough to
pull a few feathers out of his back. So he flew only a little way to a
thick hemlock-tree, where it wasn't easy for the Crows to get at him,
and where the light didn't hurt his eyes so much. There he rested a few
minutes and then did the same thing over again. He meant to lead those
bothersome Crows into the darkest part of the Green Forest and there --
well, he could see better there, and it might be that one of them would
be careless enough to come within reach. No, Hooty wasn't stupid.
Certainly not.
Blacky awoke to that fact as he sat in the top of a tall pine-tree silently
watching. He could see Mrs. Hooty on the nest, and as the noise of
Hooty's tormentors sounded from farther and farther away, she settled
herself more comfortably and closed her eyes. Blacky could imagine
that she was smiling to herself. It was clear that she had no intention of
going to help Hooty. His splendid plan had failed just because stupid
Hooty, who wasn't stupid at all, had flown away when he ought to have
sat still. It was very provoking.

CHAPTER VII
: Blacky Tries Another Plan
When one plan fails, just try another; Declare you'll win some way or
other.
People who succeed are those who do not give up because they fail the
first time they try. They are the ones who, as soon as one plan fails, get
busy right away and think of another plan and try that. If the thing they

are trying to do is a good thing, sooner or later they succeed. If they are
trying to do a wrong thing, very likely all their plans fail, as they
should.
Now Blacky the Crow knows all about the value of trying and trying.
He isn't easily discouraged. Sometimes it is a pity that he isn't, because
he plans so much mischief. But the fact remains that he isn't, and he
tries and tries until he cannot think of another plan and just has to give
up. When he invited all his relatives to join him in tormenting Hooty
the Owl, he thought he had a plan that just couldn't fail. He felt sure
that Mrs. Hooty would leave her nest and help Hooty try to drive away
his tormentors. But Mrs. Hooty didn't do anything of the kind, because
Hooty was smart enough and thoughtful enough to lead his tormentors
away from the nest into the darkest part of the Green Forest where their
noise wouldn't bother Mrs. Hooty. So she just settled herself more
comfortably than ever on those eggs which Blacky had hoped she
would give him a chance to steal, and his fine plan was quite upset.
Not one of his relatives had noticed that nest. They had been too busy
teasing Hooty. This was just as Blacky had hoped. He didn't want them
to know about that nest because he was selfish and wanted to get those
eggs just for himself alone. But now he knew that the only way he
could get Mrs. Hooty off of them would be by teasing her so that she
would lose her temper and try to catch some of her tormentors. If she
did that, there would be a chance that he might slip in and get at least
one of those eggs.
He would try it.
For a few minutes he