BLACKY THE CROW HAS SHARP EYES
Mischief always waits to greet
Idle hands and idle feet.
Peter Rabbit.
That is what a lot of people say about Blacky the Crow. Of course it is
true that Blacky does get into a lot of mischief, but if people really
knew him they would find that he isn't as black as he looks. In fact,
Blacky the Crow does a whole lot of good in his own peculiar way, but
people are always looking for him to do bad things, and you know you
most always see what you expect to see. Thus the good Blacky does isn't
seen, while the bad is, and so he has grown to have a reputation blacker
than the coat he wears.
But this doesn't worry Blacky the Crow. No, Sir, it doesn't worry him a
bit. You see he has grown used to it. And then he is so smart that he
is never afraid of being caught when he does do wrong things. No one has
sharper eyes than Blacky, and no one knows better how to use them. There
is very little going on in the Green Forest or on the Green Meadows that
he misses when he is about.
The day after Reddy Fox visited the Old Briar-patch and with his
wonderful nose found out Peter Rabbit's secret, Blacky just happened
to fly over the Old Briar-patch on his way to Farmer Brown's cornfield.
Now, being over the Old Briar-patch, he could look right down into it
and see all through it. Just as he reached it, he remembered having
heard Sammy Jay say something about gossipy little Jenny Wren's having
said that there was great news there. He hadn't thought much about it at
the time, but now that he was right there, he might as well have a look
for himself and see if there was any truth in it.
So Blacky the Crow flew a little lower, and his sharp eyes looked this
way and that way through all the bramble-bushes of the Old Briar-patch.
He saw Peter Rabbit right away and winked at him. He thought Peter
looked worried and anxious.
“Peter must have something on his mind,” thought Blacky. “I wonder where
Mrs. Peter is.”
Just then he caught sight of her under the thickest growing sweet-briar
bush. He had opened his mouth to shout, “Hello, Mrs. Peter,” when he saw
something that surprised him so that he didn't speak at all. He almost
forgot to flap his wings to keep himself in the air. He hovered right
where he was for a few minutes, looking down through the brambles. Then
with a hoarse chuckle, he started for the Smiling Pool, forgetting all
about Farmer Brown's cornfield. “Caw, caw, caw!” he shrieked, “Peter
Rabbit's got a family! Peter Rabbit's got a family!”
Reddy Fox heard him and ground his teeth. “Now Old Man Coyote will know
and will try to catch those young Rabbits, when they ought to be mine
because I found out about them first,” he grumbled.
Jimmy Skunk heard Blacky and grinned broadly. “So that's the great news
Jenny Wren found out!” said he. “I hope Peter will take better care of
his babies than he ever has of himself. I must call at once.”
Redtail the Hawk heard, and he smiled too, but it wasn't a kindly smile
like Jimmy Skunk's. “I think young Rabbit will taste very good for a
change,” said he.