with interest, and climbed down
again. Just as he was nearing the ground he broke the egg. This, of
course, made him feel not only sticky but somewhat embarrassed. He saw
that he might have some difficulty in explaining that pocket to his
mother. Even a great deal of balsam would have been better than _that_
egg. But he comforted himself with the thought that he would never
have been able to blow it, anyhow, on account of its being so advanced.

"And that's why there were only two young crows in that particular nest.

"But they were an altogether unusual pair, these two. In the first
place, receiving all the food and all the attention that were usually
divided among four or five, they had grown and feathered
extraordinarily fast, till now they were ready for flight, while their
fellows in the neighboring nests were still ragged and 'quilly'
looking. In the second place, they had inherited from their eccentric
parents an altogether surprising amount of originality. Their feathers
were beautifully firm and black and glossy, their beaks sharp and
polished; and in their full, dark, intelligent eyes there was an
impishness that even a crow might regard as especially impish."

"What's _impish_?" demanded the Babe.

"Goodness me! Don't you know what _impish_ is?" exclaimed Uncle Andy.
He thought a moment, and then, finding it a little difficult to
explain, he added with convenient severity:

"If you will listen, you'll find out, perhaps."

"Well, the two grew so fast that, before their parents realized at all
what precocious youngsters they were, they had climbed out upon the
edge of the nest and begun to stretch their fine wings. With hoarse
expostulations their father tried to persuade them back. But their
mother, who was not so conservative, chuckled her approval and flew off
to hunt young mice for them. Thus encouraged, they ignored their
father's prudent counsels, and hopped out, with elated squawks, upon
the branch. Whereupon the father, somewhat huffed, flew up to the very
topmost branch of the tree and perched there, swaying in the breeze,
and trying to forget his family cares. From this high post of
observation he presently caught sight of an eagle, winging his way up
from the swamp at the lower end of the valley. With a sharp signal cry
for volunteers, he dashed off in pursuit. He was joined by two other
crows who happened to be at leisure; and the three, quickly overtaking
the majestic voyager,