Father Thrift and His Animal Friends

by Joseph C. Sindelar

The crows and the blackbirds followed Father Thrift, too. They ate the grub worms and the beetles and other insects which they found.

Then, when the ground was ready, Father Thrift and Shaggy Bear planted the seeds.

The robins did not follow them now.

But the crows and the blackbirds did. And do you know what they were doing?

They were eating the seeds almost as fast as Father Thrift and Shaggy dropped them into the ground.

Father Thrift stopped in his work.

“Crows and blackbirds,” he said, “you must not do that.”

“Why?” asked one old crow. “We always have done it.”