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“Caw, Caw, Caw,” one old crow cried as he faced
the other two crows. “Caw?” asked the second old crow as he plumed his
feathers and screwed his head around to get a better view of the little
boy lying under the tree.
“Caw-AAAAH! Ca–aaaaw!” replied the first crow.
“Those crows must be talking to each other!”
Dickie Dorn thought to himself, as he lay upon his back under the big oak
tree and watched the three crows.
The third crow now cried, “Awww! Ca-ca-caw!”
Dickie jumped up and ran down the hill to
where Granny lived. It was a tiny little house, not much larger than a
piano box, but it was plenty large enough for Granny, for Granny was only
two feet high. Some people even thought Granny was a witch.
Of course Dickie knew that Granny was not
a witch, for Granny was very good and kind. So Dickie knocked at Granny’s
tiny front door.
“Come in!” Granny cried. “Good morning, Dickie!”
she said, as Dickie crawled into the tiny living room.
When Dickie took a seat upon a tiny sofa he
did not know just how to ask Granny for what he wanted, so he twiddled
his thumbs.
“Why do you twiddle your thumbs, Dickie?”
Granny asked, as she smiled through her glasses at him.
“I was wondering what the three crows were
talking of!” Dickie replied. Granny went to her tiny cupboard and brought
out a little bottle of purple fluid. She dropped three drops of this into
a tiny spoon and held it to Dickie.
“Am I to take it, Granny?”
“Yes, my dear, and you will be able to understand
what the three crows are talking about.”
Dickie swallowed the purple fluid, for he
was very anxious to return to the big oak tree and listen to the crows.
Granny watched him for a few moments with her eyes full of twinkles, then
she told him to run along to the tree.
And Dickie thanked Granny and ran as fast
as he could to the tree where the three crows were still talking.
The first crow cried, “I know where there
is a box filled with golden pennies!”
“Ah, my brother, where?” asked the second
crow.
“In the middle of the great meadow, and it
will belong to the one who finds it first!”
“I know where there is a box full of candy!”
the third crow cried.
“Ahhhh! Where is it, my brother?” asked the
first crow.
“In the middle of the great meadow, and it
will belong to the one who finds it first.”
“I know where there is a box full of ice cream!”
cried the second crow. “Aha! My brother, where?” asked the third crow.
“In the middle of the great meadow, and it
will belong to the one who finds it first!”
Then the crows went on talking about other
things, but Dickie did not hear them, for he was running in the direction
of the great meadow as fast as he could.
And when he came to the middle of the great meadow there was a large box,
and in the large box were three other boxes. One contained the golden pennies,
another the candy and the third was full of ice cream.
“I found it first!” Dickie cried and he took
a pencil stub from his pocket and, with much twisting of mouth and thinking,
he printed his name upon the box.
Then Dickie ran home as fast as he could and
told Daddy Dorn. Daddy Dorn hitched up Dobbin Dorn and Dickie and Daddy
went to the middle of the great meadow and put the big box in the wagon
and took it home.
Then they called Mamma Dorn and they all ate some of the ice cream and
candy. Then Dickie took some of the ice cream and candy and some of the
golden pennies to Granny.
Then Dickie ran back home and had some more
ice cream and candy, and asked Daddy if he might take some of the golden
pennies downtown and buy something, and Daddy Dorn said: “Of course, Dickie
Dorn, for they are your golden pennies.” So Dickie took two handfuls of
the golden pennies downtown and bought a fine little pony with a little
round stomach, and he bought a pretty pony cart and harness. Then Dicky
drove the pony back home.
By the time Dickie reached home he was hungry
for more ice cream and candy, so he went to the box to get some. “Oh Mamma
and Daddy!” he cried, “Come see! The box is full of candy and ice cream!”
And sure enough that was the case, for although they had eaten almost all
of the ice cream and candy before now the two boxes were filled again.
Then Daddy Dorn took two large handfuls of golden pennies from the golden
penny box and they watched the box fill up with pennies again.
“Whee!” cried Dickie Dorn. “Whee!” cried Mamma
Dorn, and “Whee!” cried Daddy Dorn. “We will give a party!” So Dickie drove
around to everybody’s house in his pony cart and invited everybody to come
to the party.
And they all had such a nice time they ate the ice cream box empty sixteen
times and it filled right up again, and they ate the candy box empty seventeen
times and it filled right up again, and Dickie and Mamma and Daddy Dorn
gave everybody all the golden pennies they could carry home and emptied
the penny box eighteen times, and whenever they emptied the golden penny
box it filled right up again.
And every one felt very grateful to Dickie
Dorn and thanked him for such a nice time, and Dickie brought Granny out
of a corner where she was eating her eighth dish of ice cream and told
everybody that it was Granny who had really given the party, and he told
them how Granny had helped him to learn crow talk.
So the people never called Granny a witch
after that, for they knew she was very good and kindly.
And Dickie put the three boxes–the candy box,
the ice cream box and the box with the golden pennies–out in front of his
house so that whenever anyone wished candy or ice cream or golden pennies
they might walk up and help themselves.
Dickie Dorn calls it an “All-The-Time Party,” for there is always someone
out in front of Dickie Dorn’s house eating from the candy and the ice cream
box and filling their pockets with golden pennies.
Some day I hope to see you there. |