Show farmer browns boy catches mr blacksnake in orchard I 1 by THORNTON BURGESS R blacksnake was in no M MR hurry ho he had plenty of time anyway he thought he had he never likes to be hurried when he Is dining he long ago learned the wisdom of taking plenty of time for his meals though to see him eat you would think him the greediest gre ediest fellow alive for he swallows his food whole now as he looked in at the doorway of the home of drummer the woodpecker and counted the five babies there his eyes J it there Is either a snake or a hawk over there he muttered glistened what a feast they would makel make just before he looked in they had been calling greedily for food but now they were still though they knew nothing about him they seemed to feel that this was a terrible monster staring down at them with cruel hungry eyes he drew back his head to look about him before going inside and he laughed as drummer dashed at him coming so close that his wings actually brushed mr blacksnake who might have caught him if he had tried but he try he want a tough old bird when right within reach wera were five tender young birds so he just hissed at drummer and all the other birds of the old orchard and ran out his tongue at them the truth is he rather enjoyed seeing them so io frightened and angry and felpi helpless e ss and that is one reason acason why he did not hurry to swallow swa those five helpless babies now you know the ald orchard is near farmer browns house farmer browns boy heard the great racket made by the birds a as S they screamed scie amed of course he did he would have had to be deat deaf not to he listened for only a brief moment then started toward the old orchard there is either a snake or a hawk over there he mut muttered terea for he has learned much of the little people who live avo there and he guessed from the sound of their voices the excitement and the anger in in them that one or the other of their two greatest enemies was causing all this trouble As he walked he picked up a stick and a stone they may come in handy he thought now the birds were so excited and chatterer the red squirrel who had been the first to discover mr blacksnake was so excited and M mr blacksnake himself was so inte intent nt on that good dinner that he was so sure of that not one of them noticed farmer browns boy until he had almost reached them then chatterers bright eyes saw him chatterer gave a shrill cry ol oi gladness you know he and farmer browns boy are now very good friends chat is 13 afraid of mr blacksnake and hates him and when he saw farmer browns boy he knew right away that it meant trouble tor for mr blacksnake and he was glad not that he had a great deal of sympathy tor for mr and mrs drummer it if the truth is to be told I 1 suspect that chatterer himself would have dined on those helpless babies it if he had dared to but he dare because he has a wholesome respect for the sharp bills of mr and mrs drummer he was glad not tor for the sake of mr and mrs drummer but because he felt sure that mr blacksnake was in for a great deal of trouble kill himi him kill himl him shrieked s chatterer dancing about in great excitement and this is just what farmer browns boy made up his mind that he would do wh en at last he caught sight of mr blacksnake just getting ready to take the first of drummers babies of course mr blacksnake heard chatterer and looked around to see what it meant the minute he saw farmer browns boy he wished with all his might that he had been a little quicker in getting his dinner D T W burgess service |