"Now, so the story runs, the mayor's barn caught fire. The good lady stork had but just left her nest. The storks, you know, go far out into the country to get their food. I think it very foolish of them to live in the cities. But Mrs. Stork took her chances, as all mothers do when they leave their young ones for any length of time.

"Dr. Stork, the father of this particular family, was away on medical matters, and so the baby was alone. You can imagine what Mrs. Stork felt when she came flying toward the city and saw smoke pouring from the roof of the mayor's barn."

Collie Dog scented the drift of the story, and grew suddenly impatient for the slow Professor to reach the point.

"And was the baby stork burned to death?" he interrupted.

Professor Screech Owl only looked down and cleared his throat.

"The mice," he said, "are credited with singular humanity. They scrambled all around and in and out of the nest, and at last they grabbed the baby stork and dragged him down to the edge of the roof."


"They Grabbed the Baby Stork and Dragged Him Down to the Edge of the Roof"