sked. "I'd like to know how there can be any danger
in salt. How can anybody be caught with salt?"

"Well, you _are_ a silly!" cried Mr. Crow. "Can't you guess that Johnnie
Green is going to put salt on everybody's tail?"

VII

WARNING THE FLOCK

Snowball Lamb was puzzled. He didn't understand old Mr. Crow's answer at
all.

"What if Johnnie Green should put salt on my tail?" he asked Mr. Crow.
"What harm would that do?"

The old gentleman stared at Snowball as if he couldn't quite believe
that anybody could be so stupid.

"Haven't you ever heard that that's the way to catch people?" cried Mr.
Crow at last. "Why, there isn't a boy in Pleasant Valley who doesn't
know that; and many of 'em carry salt about in their pockets all the
time, hoping to get a chance some day to put the salt on my tail, and
capture me!" Mr. Crow's bright eyes snapped. And his bill snapped, too.
For the mere thought of such scheming always made him terribly angry.

And then Snowball said something that made Mr. Crow more impatient than
ever.

"I don't care if Johnnie Green does catch me," Snowball declared.
"Johnnie wouldn't hurt me. We've always been great friends."

"He wouldn't, eh?" Mr. Crow retorted. "How do you know he wouldn't hurt
you?"

"He never _has_ hurt me," Snowball replied.

"Perhaps not! Perhaps not!" Mr. Crow croaked. "But you never can tell.
You never can tell what a boy will do. And if you go to the salting
party and get into trouble, don't say I didn't warn you!" As the old
fellow flew off he looked as if all the cares in the world were weighing
him down. Snowball noticed that he flew heavily. It took a great amount
of flapping of his broad wings to lift him out of the pasture. And when
he was well up in the air he gave a glum _caw, caw_ as he wheeled and
sailed away down the wind.

Well, Snowball couldn't help being somewhat disturbed by Mr. Crow's
grave actions and his graver remarks. "I wonder," thought Snowball, "if
Mr. Crow knows what he's talking about. I'll ask the flock!"

So Snowball ran down the hillside pasture to the place where the flock
had gathered to graze. And to his astonishment some of the flock didn't
even lift their heads from the grass when he related all that Mr. Crow
had said. Those that did pause and listen to Snowball only giggled and
went to feeding again. No! there was one that spoke to him. Aunt Nancy
Ewe spoke up a bit tartly.

"If you're worried you'd better stay away wh