/> the Crow's nest was washed away, while the Sparrow's was not at all

injured.



In this extremity the Crow and her mate went to the Sparrow, and said:

"Sparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us and give us shelter, for the wind

blows and the rain beats, and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into

our eyes." But the Sparrow answered: "I'm cooking the dinner; I cannot

let you in now; come again presently."



In a little while the Crows returned and said: "Sparrow, Sparrow, have

pity on us and give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats,

and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes." The Sparrow

answered: "I'm eating my dinner; I cannot let you in now; come again

presently."



The Crows flew away, but in a little while returned, and cried once

more: "Sparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us and give us shelter, for the

wind blows and the rain beats, and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick

into our eyes." The Sparrow replied: "I'm washing my dishes; I cannot

let you in now; come again presently."



The Crows waited a while and then called out: "Sparrow, Sparrow, have

pity on us and give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats,

and the prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes." But the Sparrow

would not let them in; she only answered: "I'm sweeping the floor; I

cannot let you in now; come again presently."



Next time the Crows came and cried: "Sparrow, Sparrow, have pity on us

and give us shelter, for the wind blows and the rain beats, and the

prickly-pear hedge-thorns stick into our eyes." She answered: "I'm

making the beds; I cannot let you in now; come again presently."



So, on one pretense or another she refused to help the poor birds. At

last, when she and her children had had their dinner, and she had

prepared and put away the dinner for next day, and had put all the

children to bed and gone to bed herself, she cried to the Crows: "You

may come in now and take shelter for the night." The Crows came in, but

they were much vexed at having been kept out so long in the wind and the

rain, and when the Sparrow and all her family were asleep, the one said

to the other: "This selfish Sparrow had no pity on us; she gave us no

dinner, and would not let us in till she and all her children were

comfortably in bed; let us punish her." So the two Crows took all the

nice dinner the Sparrow had prepared for herself and her children to eat

the next day, and flew away with it.