What happened in Part 3:
After much searching, Digger and Shag decide they have discovered someone's treasure. The headstone above the treasure is marked with the name M.Y. GEMS. However, they do not find a coffin under the headstone, only the treasure. Digger and Shag meet with Tom Tellitall and Digger's cousin, Spade McDirt. They decide the treasure may have been stolen and hidden in the cemetery, under the headstone that really means, "my gems". Since they have no use for treasure, they plan to look for a needy person who could use some help and share it with them. Meanwhile, an Owl first attacks Shag, and then Digger and tries to carry them off by their caps, but fortunately, they escape. Tom Tellitall sees a young girl, who visits the grave next to the M.Y. GEMS headstone. She is very thin and poorly dressed. Just before one of her visits, the moles leave a necklace with a gold locket and some gold coins for her on the headstone step. A she nears the grave, two Crows fly down and steal them. They take them to the tree where they live and hide them in a hollow hole in the trunk of the tree. The moles watch helplessly as their gifts are stolen.

PART FOUR

Detective Digger McDirt and Sergeant Shagpoat Shrewman, along with the whole mole colony, watched with sadness as the gifts they had laid on the tombstone for the young girl were stolen by two Crows.

The girl, carrying the bouquet of flowering weeds she had picked, neared the tombstone. As she drew closer, the sky filled with boiling black clouds and shut out the sun. A clap of thunder startled her and when a torrent of rain burst forth she quickly turned and ran looking for shelter.

Lightning speared across the sky and more thunder crashed. Rain streamed from Digger McDirt's cap. He turned to Shag and said, "What a miserable end to an even more miserable day. Let's get out of this storm."

They scurried through the soggy grass and puddles of water. Shag in his hurry, and usual nervous excitement, tripped and fell in the mud.

He gathered himself together, shook off the mud and said to Digger, "Well, that's par for the course on a day like today."
"We don't live on the golf course anymore, Shag. Get a new saying!" Digger replied, shaking his head.

The moles disappeared into their underground home. Digger asked his cousin Spade McDirt, Tom Tellitall, and Shag to gather in the meeting room after drying off. They needed to plan what to do next about the stolen necklace and coins.

Sheets of rain and gusts of wind beat upon the old Golden Glen Cemetery. High in a tree, tucked safely away from the bad weather, quietly sat the Owl. His feathers were puffed out around him and his eyes were half open.

"Sad, sad." he said to himself. "That poor girl, soaked to the skin,, and those greedy Crows stealing her gifts the moles wanted her to have. Something must be done about them. I'll have to think about this."

A shaft of lightning struck nearby, accompanied by a booming thunder clap shaking old Owl to his very bones.

"Hoo, Hoo," he cried. "That was too close." He huddled further back into the sheltering leaves of the tree.

Meanwhile, the Crows were also huddled together in the top of their oak tree. The stolen necklace and coins were safely hidden in a hollow hole in the tree trunk. Among their collection of shiny objects was a small kitchen spoon and knife, a bright tin can lid, four new nails, and the key to someone's house. They were very proud of their collection in their new home.

"Did ya' see that girl runnin' through the rain?" the biggest Crow asked. He was the one who stole the necklace.

"Yeah," said the other Crow, who had stolen the coins. "She looked pretty scared. Must be afraid of storms."

Another Crow, who was in charge of the collection and had seen them steal the necklace and coins said, "I really don't like gold objects as well as the shiny sliver ones. For instance, the tin can lid and the spoon are much shinier than the gold stuff."

"Well, La-Dee-Da!" the necklace thief said. "Aren't you the picky one!"

"Caw, caw," said the coin thief. "Next time YOU spot and pick up the shiny stuff."

Chloe was the name of the collection manager, and Moe and Joe were the names of the thieves. They were brothers and sister.

Chloe told Moe and Joe they only had enough room in the hollow hole to hide the very best shiny things and not just a bunch of dull stuff.

"Sounds like you want us to put the necklace and the coins back," Moe said.

"I thought that was great stuff," Joe said. "It was shiny in the sunlight."

Chloe ruffled her feathers and flapped her wings She was upset with her brothers. "I happen to know that Great-Grandfather Crow is coming by soon to inspect our new home. I'm sure he'll agree with me when I show him the coins and the necklace," she said.

"Great-Grandfather is coming?" Moe asked, his eyes growing bigger.

"Ya' mean old Great-Grandfather is coming to see us?" Joe asked, shaking his tail nervously.

"Of course," Chloe declared. "You know he is the King of Crows and the one who's approval we all seek. It is his duty to see that we have a good home."

A sheet of rain swept through their tree and wind shuddered the leaves and limbs. Chloe, Joe and Moe sat huddled together with their thoughts waiting out the storm. Nearby, Hoppin' Robin and his flock were enjoying the downpour. Robins love rain because that means more worms for feasting. They skipped and darted through the drenched grass pulling long, fat worms from the ground.

When they had their fill of worms, they flew into a tree to rest and digest their dinner.

Hoppin' Robin cleaned his beak on a branch, turned to a friend, and said, "That was a terrible thing those Crows did this afternoon, stealing the gifts the mole colony wanted the young girl to have."

The Robins chirped and tweeted in agreement.

"Why do Crows steal like that?" a Robin asked Hoppin'. "What can they do with a necklace and some coins?"

Hoppin' replied, "Crows have always been attracted to shiny things. I once saw a Crow trying to drag a hub cap from a car through a field. However, everyone has his weakness and we must remember they are very smart."

"Can't we think of some way to get that necklace and those coins back?" another Robin asked.

"We can give this some thought and maybe let Digger know we are willing to help them." Hoppin' said.

Back in the meeting room, Digger, Shag, Tom and Spade were also trying to find a way to deal with the Crows and get back their coins and necklace.

"This never would have happened on the golf course," Shag said, shaking nervously.

Digger sighed and said, "Maybe not." He glared at Shag.

"But, we could all be dead from starvation or chemical poisoning if we had stayed there."

"Well, the whole mess is abdominal," Shag said.

"No, no, Shag. You mean abominable. Abdominal is the place where you have a belly ache," said Digger.

"Okay, but this mess is a real belly ache." Shag said, always wanting to have the last word.

"Gentlemen," Spade McDirt shouted. "Enough silly arguing. We need action and we need it now!"

"Wait, We have some time," Tom Tellitall said. "The girl never comes when its raining. Right now we have a heavy soaker in progress. Let's get some ideas from some of the members of the colony. Our main problem is the Crows. It was so peaceful before they came."

"Everything was perfect before they moved in", Shag said.

"Everything was perfect until we found the treasure," Digger replied. "Its been trouble ever since I bashed into that old treasure chest."

A loud trickling sound interrupted their meeting.

"What's that noise?" Digger asked.

"Look at that!" Shag yelled, jumping up and down.

"There's water in the tunnel. The rain's coming in from some place. We could all drown. This would never have happened on the golf course."

The four moles quickly sprang into action.

"Get out the Rooter Roadster, Shag. We will have to check all the entrance holes to see if we can find the leak. Get going! Tom and Spade, alert the colony we're being flooded. We should have built our home on higher ground," Digger yelled.

Thoughts of the treasure, the young girl, and the Crows disappeared, as the moles fought to save their home from the flooding rain.

Shag had trouble starting the Rooter Roadster, which could be a problem in wet weather. He and Digger were finally able to get a spark, and the Roadster roared to life.

"What now, sir?" Shag asked.

"I have a feeling the leak is at the main entrance. Go out the back tunnel and we'll drive around to the main entrance and check it first," Digger shouted above the roar of the Roadster.

Skidding and sliding, they sped through the tunnels, splattering mud and water as they went. Arriving at the back entrance, they tore out into the pouring rain.

When they reached the main entrance, Digger's guess was correct. The hole had nearly washed away and water was rushing down into the tunnel.

"What can we do?" Shag asked. "This is very bad."

"We must find a way to block the entrance hole," Digger replied. "If we can find the right size rock, we could move it in front of the hole and pack dirt around it to stop the leak."

"I don't think the Roadster can handle moving a rock, sir," Shag said.

"We'll have to at least try. Shag. Let's go look for one. We might be lucky." Digger said.

Driving the Roadster around in the wet grass and heavy rain was not easy. It was hard to see where they were going.

Digger suddenly shouted from his steering position in the front seat. "Stop the Roadster! Look there. Shag. There's the perfect rock."

Shag stopped and they got out to inspect the rock.

"You're right, sir," Shag said. "This is definitely the right rock. Let's see if we can roll it toward the entrance. Its not that far."

Digger and Shag got behind the rock and began to push. It would not budge an inch. They tried again and again to move the rock. It would not move.

Suddenly, a voice from behind them sent them flying off their feet in fright.

"Looks like you boys need some help there."

Digger and Shag looked around. There was a large squirrel sitting behind them. His wet, gray fur clung to his body. His once fluffy tail drooped sadly.

"Hi, fellas. I'm known as Giddy Ghost by my buddies. Giddy because I laugh a lot, and Ghost because I have a gray coat and live in a cemetery. Let me give you a hand with that rock. I think with three of us pushing, we can move it wherever you want it."

"Giddy," Digger said. "I'm Detective Digger McDirt and this is my Sergeant, Shagpoat Shrewman. Nice to meet you. The rain is running into the main tunnel entrance to our underground home. We need to move this rock to block the entrance, otherwise, we could be flooded out."

Shag eyed the squirrel with suspicion and tried to control his shaking. "Hi, there," was about all he could manage to say.

"Okay, men, let's get behind this old rock and push," Giddy said.

Straining and groaning, Digger, Shag and Giddy Ghost pushed the rock. Gradually, it began to roll. They continued pushing until they rolled the rock directly into the entrance hole of the tunnel. They filled the cracks around the rock until the hole was completely sealed and water could not leak in. They stood back and admired their work.

"That looks phremonimal!" Shag said proudly.

"No, no, Shag," Digger corrected. "You mean phenomenal. I don't know where you learned some of these words."

Giddy was seized with laughter. "Hey, that was funny," he said.

"How can we ever thank you for all your help?" Digger asked. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"My pleasure, friends. Always like to lend a hand. I'll be seeing you around," Giddy replied, and scampered up a nearby tree.

"Let's get out of this rain and go home. Shag," Digger said, collapsing into the front seat of the Roadster. "I'm hungry, wet and tired."

Fortunately, the Roadster sprang to life and they headed for home.

The rain lasted for two days and the mole colony spent most of that time sealing leaks in the tunnels and digging better entrance holes that would not wash away. On the third day sunshine filled the old Golden Glen Cemetery. The drying out process began.

There was still much talk in the colony about the young girl and the gifts stolen from the tombstone. No one was able to think of a solution to the problem with the Crows. They continued to fly in and out of their tree. They were a noisy bunch and disturbed the peaceful quiet of the cemetery.

Digger and Shag talked to Hoppin' Robin about how to get the gifts back to the girl. They talked to Giddy Ghost, who offered to climb up into the Crow's tree, find the hollow hole with the necklace and coins, and return them to the colony.

Much to the surprise of everyone. Owl, who had been listening and watching from his tree, called down to them.

"Hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo, down there," he called.

Digger, Shag and all the moles ran for cover when they heard his call.

"He's after us again," Shag said, shivering and shaking.

"Wait, Shag," Digger said. "I think he wants to tell us something. Be still and listen."

Hoppin' Robin flew into the tree near Owl.

"Do you have something to say to us?" Hoppin' asked Owl.

"I do," Owl replied. "If you return the gifts to the tombstone, the Crows will simply steal them again. I predict we are due for a visitor. It would be wise to wait before you decide to do anything, That is all I have to say." Owl finished his message, blinked his large eyes and then closed them.

Hoppin' waited, but it was clear Owl had gone to sleep. He then delivered Owl's message to the mole colony and all those anxious to hear.

"W-w-what kind of visitor is c-c-coming?" Shag asked, still nervous from hearing Owl's hoot.

"He didn't say, but Owl isn't often wrong. We'll just have to wait," Hoppin' said.

There was a bountiful supply of food after the rain, and everyone returned to seeking juicy morsels.

Very suddenly, just as the sky turned a rosy red and the sun began to sink behind the trees, a great stillness fell over the old Golden Glen Cemetery. Even the Crows were silent, and the Robins stopped chirping. Giddy Ghost and his squirrel friends stopped gathering acorns. The whole mole colony sat still gazing up at the sky. Owl's big eyes were wide open, waiting.

A small black dot could be seen just above the horizon. It grew larger and larger as it came closer. It was a very-big, black bird. It's wings shown like satin, as it slowly flapped, nearing the Crow's tree home.

Hoppin' whispered to Digger and Shag, "Its Great-Grandfather Crow! Lord of all the Crows. He rules over all of their families, and he is even wiser than Owl."

Whispers echoed among all the Robins, moles and squirrels, "Its Great-Grandfather Crow! Great-Grandfather is is here...Great-Grandfather has come!"

They were in awe as this huge Crow landed on the very top branch of the Crow's home tree. With majesty, he viewed the old Golden Glen Cemetery. Then, he peered down upon the Crows, who waited excitedly. It was as if the whole world had come to a halt, now that mighty, Great-Grandfather had arrived.

The Crows, in unison, began cawing and bowing their heads up and down honoring Great-Grandfather's arival.

Detective Digger McDirt turned to his colony and quietly said, "Don't anyone move. Be very still. I sense something important is about to happen. We will have to watch closely."

Shag shivered, Tom Tellitall put his paws over his head.

Spade and Rake McDirt sat closely beside each other. In breathless anticipation all eyes were upon Great-Grandfather Crow.

END OF PART FOUR

What next will happen to the mole colony in the old Golden Glen Cemetery? What is Great-Granfather Crow going to do?
Find out when you....
Read the next exciting episode of DIGGER McDIRT..


If you liked the crows Moe, Joe and Chloe, and would like to read more about them, check out
"Woe is Moe".

Read another Peg Tale Click to Return to Peg Tales To Top of Page