In the second place, they had inherited from their eccentric
parents an altogether surprising amount of originality. Their feathers
were beautifully firm and black and glossy, their beaks sharp and
polished; and in their full, dark, intelligent eyes there was an
impishness that even a crow might regard as especially impish."
"What's _impish_?" demanded the Babe.
"Goodness me! Don't you know what _impish_ is?" exclaimed Uncle Andy.
He thought a moment, and then, finding it a little difficult to
explain, he added with convenient severity:
"If you will listen, you'll find out, perhaps."
"Well, the two grew so fast that, before their parents realized at all
what precocious youngsters they were, they had climbed out upon the
edge of the nest and begun to stretch their fine wings. With hoarse
expostulations their father tried to persuade them back. But their
mother, who was not so conservative, chuckled her approval and flew off
to hunt young mice for them. Thus encouraged, they ignored their
father's prudent counsels, and hopped out, with elated squawks, upon
the branch. Whereupon the father, somewhat huffed, flew up to the very
topmost branch of the tree and perched there, swaying in the breeze,
and trying to forget his family cares.
Pages:
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56