And since that was the
case, he was better off without an umbrella, anyhow.
XII
A RACE WITH THE TRAIN
Old Mr. Crow was fond of gay clothes. Perhaps it was because he was so
black that he always chose bright colors. Anyhow, so long as he could
wear a bright red coat and a yellow necktie--or a bright red necktie and
a yellow coat--he was generally quite happy.
All his neighbors knew who he was as far as they could see him. No matter
if they caught only a flash of yellow or of red, they were pretty safe in
saying, "There goes old Mr. Crow!"
Well, it happened that during the summers that he spent in Pleasant
Valley Mr. Crow sometimes went on excursions.
"It's so dull here!" he would often say. "I like to see things _happen_,
once in a while." And that was the reason why he was often to be seen
flying far down to the other end of the valley, over the village. There
were many interesting sights there.
What Mr. Crow liked most of all was to watch the trains puffing along the
railroad, which ran close to the river in that part of Pleasant Valley.
Sometimes he flew directly over the trains and raced with them. He often
claimed that they were always trying to beat him.
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