SAM BLACK 213 



ought to have known, for Sam came on the stage of action 

 after the death of Joe the blue jay, and those of you who 

 have read his history in Elo the Eagle and Other Stories 

 will remember his treasure trove and his proneness to steal 

 everything bright and pretty. But there was this difference 

 between them: Joe either carried his treasures to his 

 cache on the roof or dropped them in the rain-barrel, while 

 Sam dropped his anj^where, even burying them at times. 

 He did not seem to place value on the things he stole, but 

 took them merely for fun. 



As he became more expert in flying, he extended his 

 explorations away from home. But some wise spirit taught 

 him that no matter how friendly the home folks might be 

 to a pet crow, strangers were not to be trusted, especially 

 on their own premises. Consequently he never took great 

 liberties there. Nevertheless it was common for him to 

 come flying home with something that belonged to one of 

 the neighbors, but fortunately he never brought anything 

 of value. 



Toward fall, when there was an abundance of large, fat 

 grasshoppers in the meadow, Sam spent considerable time 

 hunting there. It is sulrprizing how many grasshoppers a 

 crow will eat in a day, and grasshoppers were not the only 

 things he caught in the meadow. One day he came home 

 very proud of himself and exhibiting a field mouse that 

 was still kicking. Give it up ? Not he ! But he did like 

 to show what a hunter he was. After that he managed to 

 catch field mice almost every day. This gave him a new 

 lease of life, when the patience of the family was about 

 worn out with his roguish ways, for anything that catches 

 mice is valuable to a farmer. 



When corn husking time came, Sam delighted to follow 



