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 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.