say something about his stealing corn.

"It's getting late," he interrupted, though the sun hadn't been up an
hour. "I must be poking along." And then he flapped himself away.

That was just like Mr. Crow. When ever he found himself getting the
worst of an argument he wouldn't talk any longer.

"_Poking_ along, indeed!" the Muley Cow snorted as she watched him
sailing toward the woods. "He can't fool me. He said that just to be
disagreeable. He was poking fun at me!"

XII

THE COWBIRDS

Some of the Muley Cow's friends were very sorry for her, when Farmer
Green put the poke around her neck to keep her from jumping the pasture
fence. It was a heavy, clumsy thing to carry about all day. Sometimes,
if she was not careful, the Muley Cow knocked her knees against it.

Of course, there were others in the herd, like the little red cow and
the big white one, that made disagreeable remarks. When they said unkind
things to her the Muley Cow pretended that the poke didn't trouble her.

"Don't you know," she said to them one day, "that it's an honor to wear
a poke? It shows that I'm the most valuable animal in the herd. Farmer
Green doesn't intend to lose me, if he can help it."

"Nonsense!" the little red cow cried. "Farmer Green makes you wear the
poke because he doesn't want you to teach the young cattle bad habits.
If he hadn't stopped you from jumping you'd soon have had all the
youngsters at it."

It was now the Muley Cow's turn to cry, "Nonsense!" But somehow she
couldn't quite say the word. She had a queer, guilty feeling. And she
walked away looking quite glum. She didn't want to talk with anybody.

After her there followed a small flock of cowbirds.

"We aren't intruding, I hope," one plump cowbird remarked with a smirk
as he settled himself near the Muley Cow's forelegs, when she stopped
to graze.

"You can always count on us as being good friends of yours," a dull gray
dame told the Muley Cow.

"When you're feeling sad you can depend on us to cheer you up," a
glossy, greenish black gentleman chimed in with a chuckle.

The Muley Cow couldn't help thinking how pleasant it was to be among
such kind companions.

"If you'll take care not to step on us we'll catch these flies that are
biting you," another offered.

"Thank you!" said the Muley Cow. "You're very good to do that for an old
lady like me."

The cowbirds all laughed harshly at that. Though the Muley Cow didn't
see any joke, she smiled