TWIGMAN PLANTS SWEET CORN

TWIGMAN TOLD HIS CHILDREN HE WAS GOING TO PLANT SOME SWEET CORN IN HIS GARDEN. ALL OF THEM SAID, "YUMMY, YUMMY, IN THE TUMMY!"
THORNY ASKED HIS DAD HOW MUCH HE WAS GOING TO PLANT. TWIGMAN TOLD HIM HE DID NOT KNOW. KNOBBY ASKED HOW HE WAS GOING TO FIND OUT JUST HOW MUCH TO PLANT. FUZZY SAID, "HOW DADDY, HOW?" TWIGMAN SAID HE WAS GOING TO VISIT A WISE OLD MAN ON A MOUNTAIN TO FIND OUT. FUZZY SAID, "CAN WE GO WITH YOU, PULEEEZE, DADDY?" TWIGMAN SAID OK.

ALL OF THEM EXCEPT LEAFY WENT TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP. ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS A WISE OLD MAN. TWIGMAN SAID, "OH WISE MAN, I WANT TO PLANT SOME CORN IN MY GARDEN. PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH TO PLANT. THE WISE MAN SPOKE, "PLANT SOME FOR THE JAY, SOME FOR THE CROW, SOME FOR THE WORM AND SOME TO GROW. I HAVE SPOKEN!"

ON THE WAY HOME THORNY ASKED THE MEANING OF WHAT THE WISE MAN HAD SAID. TWIG MAN SAID THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR. THEY MUST PLANT FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED TO EAT BECAUSE THEY WOULD LOSE SOME TO THE BLUE JAY, SOME TO THE CROW, SOME TO THE WORMS, AND THEY WOULD STILL HAVE SOME FOR THEM TO EAT.

THEY PLANTED THE CORN. FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED TO EAT. ONE DAY FUZZY CAME RUNNING IN AND TOLD TWIGMAN, "THE BLUE JAYS ARE EATING OUR CORN SEEDS!" TWIGMAN SAID IT WAS OK, THEY HAD PLANNED FOR THAT. THERE WAS PLENTY.

SOON KNOBBY CAME RUNNING IN WITH THE NEWS THAT CROWS WERE EATING CORN SEEDS. AGAIN TWIGMAN SAID THEY HAD PLANNED FOR THAT. THERE WAS PLENTY.

THE CORN GREW TALL AND IT WAS TIME TO PICK IT. THORNY SAID, "WELL AT LEAST THE WORMS DID NOT EAT SOME OF THE SEEDS. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF CORN." WHEN TWIGMAN PICKED AN EAR OF THE CORN AND STARTED TO PULL OFF THE CORN SHUCKS TO GET IT READY TO COOK, THORNY SAID, OH, OH, THAT IS WHERE THE WORMS ARE. INSIDE THE SHUCKS EATING THE NICE YELLOW KERNELS OFF THE COB."

THEY DID NOT HAVE THE HUGE AMOUNT THORNY HAD BELIEVED BUT THEY DID HAVE A NICE AMOUNT FOR A FINE SWEET CORN DINNER. ALL THE KIDS SAID IT WAS YUMMY YUMMY IN THE TUMMY AND SO DID TWIGMAN AND LEAFY.