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[Illustration]

CROW TALK

“Caw, Caw, Caw,” one old crow cried as he faced the other two crows.  “Caw?” asked the second old crow as he plumed his feathers and screwed his head around to get a better view of the little boy lying under the tree.

“Caw-AAAAH!  Ca—­aaaaw!” replied the first crow.

“Those crows must be talking to each other!” Dickie Dorn thought to himself, as he lay upon his back under the big oak tree and watched the three crows.

The third crow now cried, “Awww!  Ca-ca-caw!”

Dickie jumped up and ran down the hill to where Granny lived.  It was a tiny little house, not much larger than a piano box, but it was plenty large enough for Granny, for Granny was only two feet high.  Some people even thought Granny was a witch.

Of course Dickie knew that Granny was not a witch, for Granny was very good and kind.  So Dickie knocked at Granny’s tiny front door.

“Come in!” Granny cried.  “Good morning, Dickie!” she said, as Dickie crawled into the tiny living room.

When Dickie took a seat upon a tiny sofa he did not know just how to ask Granny for what he wanted, so he twiddled his thumbs.

“Why do you twiddle your thumbs, Dickie?” Granny asked, as she smiled through her glasses at him.

“I was wondering what the three crows were talking of!” Dickie replied.  Granny went to her tiny cupboard and brought out a little bottle of purple fluid.  She dropped three drops of this into a tiny spoon and held it to Dickie.

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“Am I to take it, Granny?”

“Yes, my dear, and you will be able to understand what the three crows are talking about.”

Dickie swallowed the purple fluid, for he was very anxious to return to the big oak tree and listen to the crows.  Granny watched him for a few moments with her eyes full of twinkles, then she told him to run along to the tree.

And Dickie thanked Granny and ran as fast as he could to the tree where the three crows were still talking.

The first crow cried, “I know where there is a box filled with golden pennies!”

“Ah, my brother, where?” asked the second crow.

“In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!”

“I know where there is a box full of candy!” the third crow cried.

“Ahhhh!  Where is it, my brother?” asked the first crow.

“In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first.”

“I know where there is a box full of ice cream!” cried the second crow.  “Aha!  My brother, where?” asked the third crow.

“In the middle of the great meadow, and it will belong to the one who finds it first!”

Then the crows went on talking about other things, but Dickie did not hear them, for he was running in the direction of the great meadow as fast as he could.