"Of course, there's my cousin, Jasper Jay. He's not a bad sort--except
that he's rude, noisy, and a good deal of a rascal. But the
others--well, most of them are too greedy. If I didn't watch this
cornfield closely some of them wouldn't care if they didn't leave a
single kernel for anybody else."

"Do you like corn?" the Major inquired.

Mr. Crow swallowed once or twice before answering.

"I can eat it," he said finally. "It keeps one alive, you know. But if
you've never had any, I advise you not to touch it."

Major Monkey thanked him.

"Don't mention it!" said Mr. Crow. "I'm delighted to be of help to a
stranger. And if there is anything else I can do, don't hesitate to
call on me."

Major Monkey thanked him again. And then he said:

"I'd like to get acquainted with all the neighbors--such as they are.
And I would suggest that you give a party and invite me and a lot of
people to come to it, so I can meet them."

Old Mr. Crow bit his tongue. It struck him that Major Monkey was just
the least bit too forward.

"What about refreshments?" Mr. Crow asked him. "It's easy to see that
you don't know the neighbors. I can tell you that they have enormous