CORN AND BEANS, ETC. 329 



soon felt " queer," then dizzy. He tried to step 

 off in his wonted stately manner, but tumbled 

 into a furrow. He staggered up a corn-hill, and 

 stood there, in bewildered, helpless imbecility, 

 blinking at the trees and fences that seemed 

 dancing a hornpipe in the spring sunshine. 



Just at this inopportune moment a dozen or 

 more crows came sailing toward the field, bent 

 on a good square meal from their accustomed 

 "pickings and stealings," as a politician would 

 express himself, when something in the peculiar 

 appearance of their "discouraged" companion 

 arrested their attention, and they gathered round 

 him with no slight caws for wonder. The san- 

 guine man that had soaked the corn, that had 

 " corned " the crow, expected to see all the rest 

 follow suit, like so many of his neighbors. He 

 hardly expected to find a higher standard of vir- 

 tue in his corn-field than in that social centre, 

 the village tavern. But for once, at least, it was 



