ever since it was light enough to see at all, blacky the crow had been sitting in the top of the tallest tree on the edge of the green forest nearest to farmer brown's house, and never for an instant had he taken his eyes from farmer brown's back door. what was he watching for? why, for farmer brown's boy to come out on his way to milk the cows. meanwhile, sammy jay was slipping silently through the green forest, looking for buster bear, so that when the time came he could let his cousin, blacky the crow, know just where buster was.

[pg 59]by and by the back door of farmer brown's house opened, and out stepped farmer brown's boy. in each hand he carried a milk pail. right away blacky began to scream at the top of his lungs. "caw, caw, caw!" shouted blacky. "caw, caw, caw!" and all the time he flew about among the trees near the edge of the green forest as if so excited that he couldn't keep still. farmer brown's boy looked over there as if he wondered what all that fuss was about, as indeed he did, but he didn't start to go over and see. no, sir, he started straight for the barn.

blacky didn't know what to make of it. you see, smart as he is and shrewd as he is, blacky doesn't know anything about the meaning of duty, for he never has to work excepting to get enough to eat. so, when farmer brown's boy started for the barn instead of for the[pg 60] green forest, blacky didn't know what to make of it. he screamed harder and louder than ever, until his voice grew so hoarse he couldn't scream any more, but farmer brown's boy kept right on to the barn.

"i'd like to know what you're making such a fuss about, mr. crow, but i've got to feed the cows and milk them first," said he.

now all this time the other little people of the green forest and the green meadows had been hiding where they could see all that went on. when farmer brown's boy disappeared in the barn, chatterer the red squirrel snickered right out loud. "ha, ha, ha! this is a great plan of yours, blacky! ha, ha, ha!" he shouted. blacky couldn't find a word to say. he just hung his head, which is something blacky seldom does.

[pg 61]"perhaps if we wait until he comes out again, he will come over here," said sammy jay, who had joined blacky. so it was decided to wait. it seemed as if farmer brown's boy never would come out, but at last he did. blacky and sammy jay at once began to scream and make all the fuss they could. farmer brown's boy took the two pails of milk into the house, then out he came and started straight for the green forest. he was so curious to know what it all meant that he couldn't wait another minute.

now there was some one else with a great deal of curiosity also. he had heard the screaming of blacky the crow and sammy jay, and he had listened until he couldn't stand it another minute. he just had to know what it was all about. so at the same time farmer brown's boy started for the[pg 62] green forest, this other listener started towards the place where blacky and sammy were making such a racket. he walked very softly so as not to make a sound. it was buster bear.