it was the dead of night. old mr. fox left his cozy den and went to call on his friend, the wise old mrs. owl. for many years it had been his custom to do this, for he found her the most engaging company. her home was in a hollow tree and she was always obliging enough to put her head out the window and inquire who was there, if any of her friends knocked hard and long at the basement door. it was useless to call in the daytime: she was always asleep while the sun shone, and in the early evening she would be abroad hunting her supper. but after the cocks crew at midnight, and people in their beds were turning over to get their best sleep, mrs. owl would come flying through the woods and across the river, and up the hill to her own great tree, having eaten heartily of whatever she may have found. then she was ready to sit on her window ledge for a visit with her friends.
so it was very late, and the woods was still as death, when patter, patter, through the underbrush came mr. fox to call on mrs. owl. arriving at the bridge across the river, he jumped nimbly to the hand-rail and trotted on that narrow board as easily as a cat walks over the fence. for he was sure some dog would pass that way, come morning, but no dog would ever scent the wise fox who walks the rail.
"always sniffing at the ground, these foolish dogs," thought mr. fox; and he laughed to himself as he jumped down into the bushes and ran on to the hill and the great cottonwood tree, whither mrs. owl herself had just returned.
with a big stick he hit the tree a hard blow. then he barked politely and sat down to wait.
way up in the top of the dead tree the window was open. two great eyes looked out.
"who's there? who's there?" came in the most dreadful tones.
"only your friend, a brother thief," laughed mr. fox; for in the company of mrs. owl he could afford this slanderous admission.
"ha, ha!" screamed mrs. owl, who didn't mind being called a thief at all. in fact, she laughed so hard and long that every living being asleep in those woods awoke and shivered with a sudden terror. for it was the laughter of mrs. owl, you know, that made the blacksnake's blood run cold, and never has he been able to warm it up again, even by lying all day in the sun.
she scratched her ear and leaned a little farther out. after controlling her mirth, she grew very solemn and whispered down to mr. fox that she had discovered but an hour ago a certain roost with the most enticing hole in the roof.
"easy and safe, you know," she giggled. "two broilers and a fowl i've had this very night." then she laughed again, "ha, ha! hoo, hoo!"
but mr. fox knew she was lying. she was only trying to get him into trouble.
"thanks for the hint," he barked; "but it is easier to get in by the roof than out by the roof, you know, unless one is gifted as you are with wings, mrs. owl."
"true, true," she said, in her wisest tones.
"and i really came, dear mrs. owl, to ask a question of you. can you tell me why the crows are black?"
there was a long silence, for mrs. owl must have time to think. all things were known to her, but she revealed her knowledge only with the greatest deliberation.
first she looked all around, then she laughed again, this time so loud and long that mr. fox thought she never would have done, and at last she exclaimed:
"why, mr. fox, the crows are black for just the same reason that you ought to be black and i ought to be black too."
at this mr. fox was puzzled, but as mrs. owl seemed to think it such a joke he joined in her laughter, and between them they made the most distressing noise.
"you see," she said at last, while she held her sides and caught her breath. "you see, the whole miserable lot of them, the crows, used to be as bright and giddy as overgrown humming-birds. red, white, and blue, they were. they would have been the national bird, i'm told, but the eagle always takes that honor by his overbearing ways. for my part, such honors are doubtful. i'd rather stand for wisdom than for politics. but, be that as it may, the crows were once the gayest of the birds. it was their mad career of theft and murder which brought the change."
at this they both screamed with laughter again, and it was a long time before mrs. owl could resume her story.
"complaints against the crows came from everywhere. the robins—bless their souls—the larks, the pigeons, and every family you ever heard of, were determined to do something to the crows for snatching their young ones and stealing their eggs.
"of course, you know, similar complaints have been lodged against me," she added; "but the point is, my family was never caught. besides, the crows get corn and such to eat, and the whole world felt that the crow was stepping out of his class, you know, when he took to eating birds and eggs and frogs. it was the greediness of an upstart family. that's what it was."
the very thought of this aspect of the case made mrs. owl so indignant that she screamed and hooted loud and long.
"it was all long, long ago," she said. "the birds met in a great meeting. something had to be done, and it was thought that war would be declared and the crows would all be killed or driven to live on a lonely island. but somebody, mrs. yellowhammer, i think it was, put in a word in their favor. she was a tender-hearted fool and recalled something decent the crows had done. she said that they had left her a lot of acorns one cold winter, and she felt so much obliged to them. the crows would have been done to death except for what she said. there were two doves on the jury, too; and they're a weak and sentimental lot, you know. at any rate, the sentence which the judge, a wonderful old owl, pronounced, was to the effect that the crows must forever go in black. they had to fly all the way to egypt, where the little people live, to get their clothes changed.
"oh, it was hard for them. poor mrs. crow could think of nothing to say but caught! caught! caught! and that grew to be caw! caw! caw! after a while. sometimes i feel a little sorry for her and her family; but, as you know, they are very much down on me. i can't imagine why."
she winked a long green wink at mr. fox. for she knew, and he knew, that mrs. owl had that very night eaten all the little crows she could steal from their nests. and he knew that mrs. owl would never dare to fly abroad in daylight for the crows. then both of them made the woods fairly shiver with their laughter.
but it was growing light, and mrs. owl and mr. fox both felt that a night well spent deserved a long day of sleep, so they parted and mr. fox went to his home, greatly pleased to know why the crows are black, and why they must forever say, "caught! caught! caught!"
