112 JANUARY 



" You must not kill my children," said the 

 crow. 



The farmer answered : 



" I shall only kill the birds that eat my 

 crops. 



" If your children have done so, I shall cer- 

 tainly kill them." 



" Oh, my children are the best in the world. 



"Not one of them would steal corn." 



" But how shall I know which they are ? " 

 asked the farmer. 



" Do they look like you ? " 



"Oh, no, they are pretty, and very white," 

 answered the crow. 



The farmer went off. 



All day long his gun was heard in the field. 



But the old crow did not worry. 



At night the farmer came back. 



A string of crows hung down his back. 



" Alas," said the crow, " what have you done ? 



" You promised to spare my pretty birds. 



" But you have killed every one of them." 



The farmer was astonished. 



" Why, I found them in the corn," he said. 



" Besides they are black and ugly. 



" How can they be your children ? " 



