A Robber in the Old Orchard 



"Do you mean that such a neat-looking, hand- 

 some fellow as Forktail uses mud in his nest?" 

 cried Johnny. 



Skimmer bobbed his head. " He does just that," 

 said he. "He's something like Welcome Robin 

 in this respect. I 



But Johnny Chuck never knew what Skimmer 

 was going to say next, for Skimmer happened at 

 that instant to glance up. For an instant he sat 

 motionless with horror, then with a shriek he 

 darted out into the air. At the sound of that 

 shriek Mrs. Skimmer, who all the time had been 

 sitting on her eggs inside the hollow of the tree, 

 darted out of the doorway, also shrieking. For 

 a moment Johnny Chuck couldn't imagine what 

 could be the trouble. Then a slight rustling drew 

 his eyes to a crotch in the tree a little above the 

 doorway of Skimmer's home. There, partly coiled 

 around a branch, with head swaying to and fro, 

 eyes glittering and forked tongue darting out and 

 in, as he tried to look down into Skimmer's nest, 

 was Mr. Blacksnake. 



It seemed to Johnny as if in a minute every bird 

 in the Old Orchard had arrived on the scene. 

 Such a shrieking and screaming as there was ! 

 First one and then another would dart at Mr. 

 Blacksnake, only to lose courage at the last second 

 and turn aside. Poor Skimmer and his little wife 

 [117] 



