Both Jasper and Mr. Crow seemed disappointed. Although Mr. Crow had won each fight, he was very weary, for he was older than Jasper Jay.
As they went off, Solomon Owl began to feel much pleased with himself.
The following evening, at sunset, old Mr. Crow and Jasper Jay visited Solomon Owl once more. And they looked more battered than ever.
"We"ve had three more fights," said Mr. Crow.
"Yes! And I won each time!" Jasper Jay piped up. "So I must be in the right. And you"d better decide in my favor without any further delay."
Solomon Owl thought deeply for some time.
"Maybe I ought to wait until to-morrow--" he began.
But his callers both shouted "No!"
"Well," said Solomon, "Mr. Crow has won three fights; and Jasper Jay has won three. So it is certain that each must be in the wrong."
But that announcement did not satisfy Jasper and Mr. Crow. And they left the hemlock grove, disputing more loudly than ever.
And the next day, at dusk, they came back again.
"We"ve had three more fights; and I won!" they both cried at the same time.
"That proves my claim," said Solomon Owl. "You"re both wrong."
They whispered together for a few minutes.
"We don"t like your way of settling disputes," Mr. Crow remarked shortly.
"But we"ve decided to stop quarreling."
"Good!" said Solomon Owl. "That shows that you are sensible."
"Yes!" replied Jasper. "We"ve decided to stop quarreling and fight _you_!"
"Wait a moment!" said Solomon Owl hastily, as they drew nearer. "I don"t want my new suit spoiled." And he ducked inside the hollow tree before they could reach him.
Jasper and Mr. Crow waited and waited. But Solomon Owl did not reappear.
And since his two visitors did not dare follow him into the dark cavern where he lived, they decided at last that they would go home-and get into bed.
"Let"s take away his sign, anyhow!" Jasper Jay suggested.
So they pulled down Solomon"s sign, which said "Disputes Settled Within,"
and they carried it off with them and hid it in some bushes.
That same night Solomon Owl hunted for it for a long time. But he never found it.
He decided not to hang out another, for he saw that settling disputes was a dangerous business.
XVII COUSIN SIMON SCREECHER
Solomon Owl had a small cousin named Simon Screecher. He was unlike Solomon in some respects, because he always wore ear-tufts, and his eyes were yellow instead of black. But in some other ways he was no different from Solomon Owl, for he was a noisy chap and dearly loved mice-to eat.
It happened that the two met in the woods one fine fall evening; and they agreed to go hunting mice together.
Now, being so much smaller than Solomon, Simon Screecher was all the spryer. In fact, he was so active that he could catch mice faster than Solomon Owl could capture them. And they had not hunted long before Solomon discovered that Simon had succeeded in disposing of six mice to his three.
That discovery did not please Solomon at all.
"Look here!" he said. "Since we are hunting together it"s only fair to divide what we catch, half and half."
Simon Screecher hesitated. But after reflecting that his cousin was very big and very strong, he agreed to Solomon"s suggestion.
So they resumed their hunting. And every time one of them caught two mice, he gave one mouse to his cousin.
Still Solomon Owl was not satisfied.
"Wait a moment!" Solomon called to Simon Screecher. "It has just occurred to me that I am more than twice as big as you are; so I ought to have twice as many mice as you."
This time Simon Screecher hesitated longer. He did not like the second suggestion even as well as the first. And in the end he said as much, too.
But Solomon Owl insisted that it was only fair.
"You surely ought to be glad to please your own cousin," he told Simon.
"It"s not that," said Simon Screecher. "It seems to me that since I"m not half your size, I ought to have twice as many mice to eat, so I"ll grow bigger."
Well, Solomon Owl hadn"t thought of that. He was puzzled to know what to say. And he wanted time in which to ponder.
"I"ll think over what you say," he told Simon Screecher. "And now, since it"s almost dawn, we"d better not hunt any longer to-night. But I"ll meet you again at dusk if you"ll come to my house."
"Very well, Cousin Solomon!" Simon answered. "I"m sure that after you"ve had a good sleep you"ll be ready to agree with me."
"If that"s the case, I may not take any nap at all," Solomon replied.
"Oh! You ought to have your rest!" his cousin exclaimed. Simon knew that if Solomon went all day without sleep he would be frightfully peevish by nightfall.
"Well-I"ll try to get forty winks," Solomon promised. "But I don"t believe I can get more than that, because I have so much on my mind that I"m sure to be wakeful."
Simon Screecher was somewhat worried as they parted. His wailing, tremulous whistle, which floated through the shadowy woods, showed that he was far from happy.