rt Robin went over to see
about the early cherries.

The early cherry tree grew in Widow Blunt's back yard. Widow Blunt's
father had planted it, and it was the very earliest cherry tree in all
the neighborhood.

When Robert Robin came in sight of it he saw the bright red fruit
shining among the green leaves. The early cherries were ripe, and Robert
Robin was the first to find them.

In a few moments Robert Robin stood beside his own nest with a bright
red cherry in his mouth.

"Be sure to pop the pits, children!" said Mrs. Robin, and after the
little robin had swallowed the cherry, the cherry pit came popping from
his mouth and rattled down to the ground.

Many times that day Robert Robin and Mrs. Robert Robin went back and
forth between their nest and Widow Blunt's early cherry tree, but in the
afternoon, Widow Blunt was out in her garden when she saw a red-breasted
robin picking her cherries.

"Oh! You cute robin red-breast!" she called. "You are after my cherries,
but you will have to wait until I have picked all that I want for my own
use, before you get any more!"

Widow Blunt went into her house, and brought out her stepladder. Then
she went into her parlor and got a big stuffed owl off the mantel. The
owl was one that Mister Blunt had shot, and a friend of his had stuffed
its skin and put in great glass eyes that would scare almost anything.
The owl looked just as if he were going to spring right at you.

[Illustration: Both of them were scared almost out of their wits.
(Page 37) (Exciting Adventures of Mr. Robert Robin)]

Widow Blunt took the owl up the stepladder with her, and tied it fast in
the cherry tree, then she went back into her house and looked out
through the kitchen window.

She had not waited long before Robert Robin came to get another cherry.
He perched on a limb and was picking out a nice red ripe one to take
home to Elizabeth when he saw something shine. It was the stuffed owl's
glass eye.

Robert Robin saw the big fierce owl so close to him that he was so
frightened he dropped the cherry and screamed, "Help! Help!" and almost
fell out of the tree, and just then Mrs. Robin came and almost sat right
beside the big owl, and she screamed, "Help! Help!" and almost fell out
of the tree, and both of them were scared almost out of their wits, and
they flew over to the harvest apple tree and Robert Robin said, "Tut!
Tut! Tut!--Tut! Tut! Tut!" and every time he said, "Tut!" he jerked his
t