The Repentance Of Little Jim Crow

: Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories

"Little Jim Crow had been very naughty," began daddy. "He had been

bullying Sammy Crow for some time past simply because Sammy was not so

large and not so strong as he was. Jim Crow was quite a leader, too, in

a very mean way, for he'd tried to influence a lot of other little crows

to think it was smart to tease Sammy.



"Well, one day Jim got hold of Sammy and ducked his head into a brook of

very cold wate , where the ice had only recently melted.



"Poor Sammy was so frightened he almost cried his eyes out, while Jim

stood by and laughed and laughed. But Sammy was far from being strong,

and the cold water made his head throb and ache, while his bones felt

numb and his feathers lost their nice shiny look. He complained so much

for several days of his head that his family sent for old Dr. Crow.



"Dr. Crow was a fine physician. He wore great big spectacles, and, oh,

he was so kind! When he saw Sammy he became very much alarmed.



"'Why didn't you tell me of this sooner?' said he.



"'Oh, what's the matter?' asked Sammy's mother. 'Is he really very ill?

We thought he had a little cold.'



"Dr. Crow took from his black medicine-bag a little thermometer and put

it in Sammy's mouth and at the same time felt his pulse. Then he pulled

the thermometer out. He looked very grave.



"'Mrs. Crow,' said he to Sammy's mother, 'his temperature is very high,

and he must be put right to bed. Put his feet in mustard and hot water

and bathe his head every three hours with witch hazel, and I'll call

around again this evening to see him.'



"'Oh, you don't think he is going to die, doctor?'



"'I think he'll live, but he is pretty sick and needs great care.'



"After Dr. Crow left Sammy he went to Jim Crow's mother and daddy. He

was very angry at what had been done to Sammy. When Jim's mother and

daddy saw Dr. Crow coming toward their nest they were afraid Jim had

been doing something awfully naughty, for he had stayed home very little

the past few days, and they suspected something had happened.



"At that moment Jim flew in boisterously, and the doctor told him how

ill Sammy was and of what he had done.



"For some days Sammy lay at the point of death, but with Dr. Crow's

skill he finally got well.



"And Jim Crow, who had felt like a murderer, became a good crow

and realized it was very, very cruel to tease any one smaller

and weaker than himself."