“Well, if you want Hoot the Owl in your family it’s none of my affair,” was the reply.
“Hoot the Owl! Is he around here?” exclaimed Downy, in genuine surprise and alarm.
“Around here!” laughed Belt. “Didn’t you see him digging out that hole to build his nest? Surely you must see marks of his claws in the wood.”
Downy was so frightened that he thought he saw the marks of Hoot’s claws all around him. Yes, he was certain that the hole had been dug out by Hoot, and he could smell the odors of the owl at the bottom now that his attention was called to it.
“Thank you for telling me, Belt,” he said. “Of course, I don’t want to build anywhere near Hoot. No, no, not within a mile of him. I’ll go as far away as I can.”
And he flew away, leaving Belt in possession. It was a wicked trick, but Belt felt that the circumstances warranted a little deception. He wanted the hole in the worst way, and now that Downy had abandoned it, why, of course, he had a right to take it. He began almost immediately to fix it up. He dug a little deeper into the heart of the tree with his strong bill until he had a hole that just satisfied him.
Then he flew away to gather leaves and grass for the nest. He made many trips until the nest was nearly all built. He wanted it finished before Mrs. Belt arrived, but night came with it only three-quarters finished.
“I think I’ll sleep in it tonight,” he said, “and then finish it early in the morning.”
He went to bed early, as all self-respecting birds do, and was fast asleep shortly after dusk. He was dreaming of pleasant things when he was suddenly awakened by a noise outside. He sat up and listened. It was Mr. Hoot the Owl and his mate sitting on the doorstep of his home talking.
“I think this hole will do very well for us,” Hoot was saying. “It’s the best I can find.”