Two Honest Tradesmen Meeting In The Strand, One Took The Other Briskly By The Hand; "Hark-Ye," Said He, "'Tis An Odd Story, This, About The Crows!" "I Don't Know What It Is," Replied His Friend. "No! I'm Surprised At That; Where I Came From It Is The Common Chat; But You Shall Hear, An Odd Affair Indeed! And That It Happened, They Are All Agreed. Not To Detain You From A Thing So Strange, A Gentleman, That Lives Not Far From 'Change, This Week, In Short, As All The Alley Knows, Taking A Puke, Has Thrown Up Three Black Crows." "Impossible!" "Nay, But It's Really True; I Have It From Good Hands, And So May You." "From Whose, I Pray?" So, Having Named The Man, Straight To Inquire His Curious Comrade Ran. "Sir, Did You Tell" Relating The Affair. "Yes, Sir, I Did; And, If It's Worth Your Care, Ask Mr. Such-A-One, He Told It Me. But, By The Bye, 'Twas Two Black Crows, Not Three." Resolved To Trace So Wondrous An Event, Whip, To The Third, The Virtuoso Went; "Sir" And So Forth. "Why, Yes; The Thing Is Fact, Though, In Regard To Number, Not Exact; It Was Not Two Black Crows, 'Twas Only One; The Truth Of That You May Depend Upon; The Gentleman Himself Told Me The Case." "Where May I Find Him?" "Why, In Such A Place." Away Goes He, And, Having Found Him Out, "Sir, Be So Good As To Resolve A Doubt." Then To His Last Informant He Referred, And Begged To Know If True What He Had Heard. "Did You, Sir, Throw Up A Black Crow?" "Not I." "Bless Me! How People Propagate A Lie! Black Crows Have Been Thrown Up, Three, Two, And One; And Here, I Find, All Comes, At Last, To None. Did You Say Nothing Of A Crow At All?" "Crow, Crow, Perhaps I Might, Now I Recall The Matter Over." "And Pray, Sir, What Was'T?" "Why, I Was Horrid Sick, And, At The Last, I Did Throw Up, And Told My Neighbor So, Something That Was, As Black, Sir, As A Crow."