's
boy would see the nest and climb up to it, and then of course he would
take the eggs. If he couldn't have those eggs himself, the next best
thing would be to see some one else get them.

Dear me, dear me, such dreadful thoughts! I am afraid that Blacky's
heart was as black as his coat. And the worst of it was, he seemed to
get a lot of pleasure in his wicked plans. Now right down in his heart
he knew that they were wicked plans, but he tried to make excuses to
himself.

"Hooty the Owl is a robber," said he. "Everybody is afraid of him.
He lives on other people, and so far as I know he does no good in the
world. He is big and fierce, and no one loves him. The Green Forest
would be better off without him. If those eggs hatch, there will be
little Owls to be fed, and they will grow up into big fierce Owls, like
their father and mother. So if I show Farmer Brown's boy that nest and
he takes those eggs, I will be doing a kindness to my neighbors."

So Blacky talked to himself and tried to hush the still, small voice
down inside that tried to tell him that what he was planning to do was
really a dreadful thing. And all the time he watched for Farmer Brown's
boy.

CHAPTER X: Farmer Brown's Boy And Hooty

Farmer Brown's boy had taken it into his head to visit the Green Forest.
It was partly because he hadn't anything else to do, and it was partly
because now that it was very near the end of winter he wanted to see how
things were there and if there were any signs of the coming of spring.
Blacky the Crow saw him coming, and Blacky chuckled to himself. He had
watched every day for a week for just this thing. Now he would tell
Farmer Brown's boy about that nest of Hooty the Owl.

He flew over to the lonesome corner of the Green Forest where Hooty and
Mrs. Hooty had made their home and at once began to caw at the top of
his voice and pretend that he was terribly excited over something.

"Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!" shouted Blacky. At once all his relatives
within hearing hurried over to join him. They knew that he was
tormenting Hooty, and they wanted to join in the fun. It wasn't long
before there was a great racket going on over in that lonesome corner of
the Green Forest.

Of course Farmer Brown's boy heard it. He stopped and listened. "Now
I wonder what Blacky and his friends have found this time," said he.
"Whenever they make a fuss like that, there is usually something to see
there. I believe I'll so over and h