Page:Old Deccan Days.djvu/181



XV.

THE SELFISH SPARROW AND THE HOUSELESS CROWS.

SPARROW once built a nice little house for herself, and lined it well with wool, and protected it with sticks, so that it equally resisted the summer sun and the winter rains. A Crow, who lived close by, had also built a house, but it was not such a good one, being only made of a few sticks laid one above another on the top of a prickly pear hedge. The consequence was, that one day when there was an unusually heavy shower, 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,