he Twins with them. Besides, Nannie is not so young as she was
and cannot stand the hardships of a hurried trip. I don't believe
there is a carrier pigeon within a hundred miles of here to take my
message, so I think I shall have to entrust it to the crows. There are
crows in every State, and they are very reliable messengers and travel
fast. One crow need not go all the way. One can carry it to the border
of New York State, say, and there give it to another crow in
Pennsylvania, and so on until it reaches my people in Fon du Lac,
Wisconsin. If they get to Lincoln Park before we do, it is a fine
place to wait as they can visit with the wild animals and get all the
grass they want to eat in the Park, and all the water they want to
drink and bathing too in Lake Michigan, which is on the east side of
the Park. Now you fellows keep your eyes open for crows."

"I don't think we will see any around here," said Stubby, "as there is
nothing they like to eat on the shores of this lake. We better find
some cornfield, as we shall be sure to find plenty of crows there."

[Illustration]

So the three got up and trotted along until they came to a cornfield.
And sure enough, the first thing they saw was a big, black crow
sitting on a scarecrow as unafraid as if it had been a tree. On seeing
this, Billy exclaimed,

"That is the crow for me! He has no fear and will let nothing turn
him from his way. I am going to ask him to carry the message."

[Illustration: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself to take the baby's
bottle away from it!" reproved Nannie
(Page 128)]

Saying this, Billy jumped the fence that encircled the cornfield, and
approached the crow.

Crows not being afraid of animals, the old fellow on the scarecrow did
not stir as Billy approached, but when he was within twenty feet of
him, the crow cawed out:

"Well, I never! If this isn't my old friend Billy Whiskers! And how do
you come to be away down East, when I met you away out West years
ago?"

"You don't mean to tell me that you are Black Wings, that saucy dandy
who carried a message for me once from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Fon du
Lac, Wisconsin?" gasped Billy.

"I surely do! I am that very crow, only no longer young or dandified."

"From your looks I should say the world had treated you fine," said
Billy.

"Look who is here--Stubby and Button, the same traveling companions
you had with you in the West!" exclaimed the crow in astonishment.

"Fellows, hu