affects somebody else. That is one of Old Mother Nature's great
laws. And it is just as true among the little people of the Green
Forest and the Green Meadows as with boys and girls and grown
people. It is Old Mother Nature's way of making each of us
responsible for the good of all and of teaching us that always we
should help each other.

As you know, when Blacky the Crow called all his relatives over to
the nest where Mrs. Hooty was sitting on her eggs, they at once
stopped tormenting Hooty and left him alone in a thick hemlock-tree
in the darkest part of the Green Forest. Of course Hooty was very,
very glad to be left in peace, and he might have spent the rest of
the day there sleeping in comfort. But he didn't. No, Sir, he
didn't. At first he gave a great sigh of relief and settled himself
as if he meant to stay. He listened to the voices of those noisy
Crows growing fainter and fainter and was glad. But it was only for
a few minutes.

Presently those voices stopped growing fainter. They grew more
excited-sounding than ever, and they came right from one
place. Hooty knew then that his tormentors had found the nest where
Mrs. Hooty was, and that they were tormenting her just as they had
tormented him. He snapped his bill angrily and then more angrily.

"I guess Mrs. Hooty is quite able to take care of herself, " he
grumbled, "but she ought not to be disturbed while she is sitting on
those eggs. I hate to go back there in that bright sunshine. It
hurts my eyes, and I don't like it, but I guess I'll have to go back
there. Mrs. Hooty needs my help. I'd rather stay here, but --"