The Tale of Solomon Owl - Arthur Scott Bailey (best way to read books TXT) 📗
- Author: Arthur Scott Bailey
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“Yes! And I've whipped him each time!” cried Mr. Crow. “So I must be in the right. And you'd better decide our dispute in my favor at once.”
[pg 085]But Solomon Owl was still in no hurry.
“It's a difficult question to settle,‘ said he. ’I don't want to make any mistake. So I shall have to ask you to come back here to-morrow at this time.”
Both Jasper and Mr. Crow seemed disappointed. Although Mr. Crow had won each fight, he was very weary, for he was older than Jasper Jay.
As they went off, Solomon Owl began to feel much pleased with himself.
The following evening, at sunset, old Mr. Crow and Jasper Jay visited Solomon Owl once more. And they looked more battered than ever.
“We've had three more fights,” said Mr. Crow.
“Yes! And I won each time!” Jasper Jay piped up. “So I must be in the right. And you'd better decide in my favor without any further delay.”
[pg 086]Solomon Owl thought deeply for some time.
“Maybe I ought to wait until to-morrow——” he began.
But his callers both shouted “No!”
“Well,” said Solomon, “Mr. Crow has won three fights; and Jasper Jay has won three. So it is certain that each must be in the wrong.”
But that announcement did not satisfy Jasper and Mr. Crow. And they left the hemlock grove, disputing more loudly than ever.
And the next day, at dusk, they came back again.
“We've had three more fights; and I won!” they both cried at the same time.
“That proves my claim,” said Solomon Owl. “You're both wrong.”
They whispered together for a few minutes.
[pg 087]“We don't like your way of settling disputes,” Mr. Crow remarked shortly. “But we've decided to stop quarreling.”
“Good!” said Solomon Owl. “That shows that you are sensible.”
“Yes!” replied Jasper. “We've decided to stop quarreling and fight you!”
“Wait a moment!” said Solomon Owl hastily, as they drew nearer. “I don't want my new suit spoiled.” And he ducked inside the hollow tree before they could reach him.
Jasper and Mr. Crow waited and waited. But Solomon Owl did not reappear. And since his two visitors did not dare follow him into the dark cavern where he lived, they decided at last that they would go home—and get into bed.
“Let's take away his sign, anyhow!” Jasper Jay suggested.
[pg 088]So they pulled down Solomon's sign, which said “Disputes Settled Within,” and they carried it off with them and hid it in some bushes.
That same night Solomon Owl hunted for it for a long time. But he never found it.
He decided not to hang out another, for he saw that settling disputes was a dangerous business.
[pg 089]Cousin Simon Screecher
Solomon Owl had a small cousin named Simon Screecher. He was unlike Solomon in some respects, because he always wore ear-tufts, and his eyes were yellow instead of black. But in some other ways he was no different from Solomon Owl, for he was a noisy chap and dearly loved mice—to eat.
It happened that the two met in the woods one fine fall evening; and they agreed to go hunting mice together.
[pg 090]Now, being so much smaller than Solomon, Simon Screecher was all the spryer. In fact, he was so active that he could catch mice faster than Solomon Owl could capture them. And they had not hunted long before Solomon discovered that Simon had succeeded in disposing of six mice to his three.
That discovery did not please Solomon at all.
“Look here!” he said. “Since we are hunting together it's only fair to divide what we catch, half and half.”
Simon Screecher hesitated. But after reflecting that his cousin was very big and very strong, he agreed to Solomon's suggestion.
So they resumed their hunting. And every time one of them caught two mice, he gave one mouse to his cousin.
Still Solomon Owl was not satisfied.
[pg 091]“Wait a moment!” Solomon called to Simon Screecher. “It has just occurred to me that I am more than twice as big as you are; so I ought to have twice as many mice as you.”
This time Simon Screecher hesitated longer. He did not like the second suggestion even as well as the first. And in the end he said as much, too.
But Solomon Owl insisted that it was only fair.
“You surely ought to be glad to please your own cousin,” he told Simon.
“It's not that,” said Simon Screecher. “It seems to me that since I'm not half your size, I ought to have twice as many mice to eat, so I'll grow bigger.”
Well, Solomon Owl hadn't thought of that. He was puzzled to know what to say. And he wanted time in which to ponder.
[pg 092]“I'll think over what you say,” he told Simon Screecher. “And now, since it's almost dawn, we'd better not hunt any longer to-night. But I'll meet you again at dusk if you'll come to my house.”
“Very well, Cousin Solomon!” Simon answered. “I'm sure that after you've had a good sleep you'll be ready to agree with me.”
“If that's the case, I may not take any nap at all,” Solomon replied.
“Oh! You ought to have your rest!” his cousin exclaimed. Simon knew that if Solomon went all day without sleep he would be frightfully peevish by nightfall.
“Well—I'll try to get forty winks,” Solomon promised. “But I don't believe I can get more than that, because I have so much on my mind that I'm sure to be wakeful.”
[pg 093]Simon Screecher was somewhat worried as they parted. His wailing, tremulous whistle, which floated through the shadowy woods, showed that he was far from happy.
[pg 094]XVIII - A Cousinly Quarrel
It proved to be just as Solomon Owl had told his cousin, Simon Screecher. Solomon had so much on his mind that he had no sooner fallen asleep than he awoke again, to study over the question that perplexed him. He certainly did not want Simon to have twice as many mice as he. But Simon's argument was a good one. He had said that since Solomon was more than twice his size, it was proper that he should have a chance to grow. And everybody knew—Solomon reflected—everybody knew that eating made one larger.
[pg 095]The longer Solomon pondered, the farther he seemed from any answer that he liked. And he had begun to fear that he would not succeed in getting more than thirty-nine winks all day—instead of forty—when all at once an idea came into his mind.
Solomon knew right away that he had nothing more to worry about. He dropped into a sound sleep with a pleasant smile upon his usually solemn face. And when he opened his eyes again it was time for Simon Screecher to arrive.
Yes! Solomon could hear his cousin's whistle even then. So he hurried to his door; and there was Simon, sitting on a limb of the big hemlock waiting for him!
“It's all right!” said Solomon to his cousin. “I agree to your suggestion. We'll hunt together again to-night; and if you will give me one-third of all the mice you catch, I promise to give you two-thirds of all the mice that I capture.”
[pg 096]“Good!” said Simon Screecher. And he looked vastly relieved. “Just hoot when you have any mice for me!”
“Whistle when you have any for me!” Solomon Owl replied.
And at that they started out for their night's sport. It was not long before Simon Screecher's well known whistle brought Solomon hurrying to him. Simon already had three mice, one of which he gave to Solomon, according to their agreement.
That same thing happened several times; until at last Simon Screecher began to grumble.
“What's the matter?” he asked his cousin. “You are not hooting, as you promised you would.”
“But I haven't caught any mice yet!” Solomon Owl replied.
Again and again and again Simon's call summoned Solomon. But not once did Solomon's summon Simon. And all the time Simon Screecher grew more discontented. Toward the end of the night he declared flatly that he wasn't going to hunt any more with his cousin.
“I've done exactly as I agreed!” Solomon Owl protested.
“You're altogether too slow and clumsy,” Simon Screecher told him bluntly. “If I'm going to hunt with anybody after this I'm going to choose someone that's as spry as I am. There's no sense in my working for you. Here I've toiled all night long and I'm still hungry, for I've given you a third of my food.”
They parted then—and none too pleasantly.
[pg 098]In Simon's whistle, as he flew away toward his home, there was unmistakable anger. But Solomon Owl's answering hoots—while they were not exactly sweet—seemed to carry more than a hint of laughter.
One would naturally think that Solomon might have been even hungrier than his small cousin. But it was not so. He had had more to eat than usual; for he had been very busy catching locusts and katydids—and frogs, too. Solomon Owl had not tried to catch a single mouse that night.
You know now the idea that had come to him while he was lying awake in his house during the daytime. He had made up his mind that he would not hunt for mice. And since he had not promised Simon to give him anything else, there was no reason why he should not eat all the frogs and katydids and locusts that he could find.
[pg 099]Perhaps it was not surprising that Simon Screecher never guessed the truth. But he
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