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Title: The Tale of Jasper Jay
Tuck-Me-In Tales
Author: Arthur Scott Bailey
Release Date: June 15, 2007 [EBook #21836]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF JASPER JAY ***
Produced by Joe Longo and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Illustration: Jasper, Like Frisky Squirrel, Was Fond of Nuts
_Frontispiece_--(_Page 4_)]
_TUCK-ME-IN TALES_
THE TALE OF
JASPER JAY
BY
ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
[Illustration]
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
Made in the United States of America
Copyright, 1917, by
GROSSET & DUNLAP
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A NOISY ROGUE 1
II A BLOW FOR THE BULLY 6
III THE STRANGE CRY 12
IV JASPER'S BOAST 17
V THE SEARCH 24
VI A JOKE ON JASPER JAY 29
VII SCARING THE HENS 34
VIII A BIT OF MISCHIEF 39
IX JASPER HAS TO HIDE 45
X THE NUTTING PARTY 51
XI A STROKE OF LUCK 57
XII SOLOMON OWL'S EYES 62
XIII TEASING A SINGER 68
XIV FINDING A WAY 73
XV THE INVITATION 78
XVI THE SINGING SOCIETY 83
XVII JASPER IS ASHAMED 88
XVIII ENEMIES 94
XIX COLD FEET 99
XX GETTING RID OF JASPER 104
XXI TWO RASCALS CAUGHT 109
THE TALE OF JASPER JAY
I
A NOISY ROGUE
Some of the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley said that old Mr. Crow was
the noisiest person in the neighborhood. But they must have forgotten
all about Mr. Crow's knavish cousin, Jasper Jay. And it was not only in
summer, either, that Jasper's shrieks and laughter woke the echoes.
Since it was his habit to spend his winters right there in Farmer
Green's young pines, near the foot of Blue Mountain, on many a cold
morning Jasper's ear-splitting "_Jay! jay!_" rang out on the frosty
air.
At that season Jasper often visited the farm buildings, in the hope of
finding a few kernels of corn scattered about the door of the corn-crib.
But it seemed to make little difference to him whether he found food
there or not. If he caught the cat out of doors he had good sport
teasing her. And he always enjoyed that.
Jasper was a bold rowdy--but handsome. And Farmer Green liked to look
out of the window early on a bleak morning and see him in his bright
blue suit frisking in and out of the bare trees. Still, Farmer Green
knew well enough that Jasper Jay was a rogue.
"He reminds me of a bad boy," Johnnie Green's father said one day. "He's
mischievous and destructive; and he's forever screeching and whistling.
But there's something about him that I can't help liking.... Maybe it's
because he always has such a good time."
"He steals birds' eggs in summer," Johnnie Green remarked.
"I've known boys to do that," his father answered. And Johnnie said
nothing more just then. Perhaps he was too busy watching Jasper Jay, who
had flown into the orchard and was already breakfasting on frozen
apples, which hung here and there upon the trees.
When warm weather came, the rogue Jasper fared better. Then there were
insects and fruit for him. And though Jasper took his full share of
Farmer Green's strawberries, currants and blackberries, he did him no
small service by devouring moths that would have harmed the grapes.
But in the fall Jasper scorned almost any food except nuts, which he
liked more than anything else--that is, if their shells were not too
thick. Beechnuts and chestnuts and acorns suited him well. And he was
very skilful in opening them. He would grasp a nut firmly with his feet
and split it with his strong bill. Johnnie Green could not crack a
butternut with his father's hammer more quickly than Jasper could reach
the inside of a sweet beechnut.
Though Jasper hated to spend any of his time during the nutting season
by doing much else except _eat_, he was so fond of nuts that he always
hid away as many as he could in cracks and crevices, and buried them
under the fallen leaves.
You see, he was like Frisky Squirrel in that. He believed in storing
nuts for the winter. But since he had no hollow tree in which to put
them, it was only natural that he never succeeded in finding every one
of his carefully hidden nuts. He left them in so many different places
that he couldn't remember them all. Those that he lost in that fashion
often took root and grew into trees. And so Jasper Jay helped Farmer
Green in more ways than one.
But no doubt Jasper would have shrieked with laughter had anybody
suggested such an idea to him.
II
A BLOW FOR THE BULLY
JASPER JAY had some queer notions in his head. One of them was that a
person couldn't be happy unless he was making a great deal of noise. And
if there was anything that roused Jasper's wrath, it was the sight of
some quiet, modest little neighbor who minded his own affairs and had
little to say.
There was one such chap who made his home in a wild grapevine that grew
upon the stone wall in front of the farmhouse. His name was Mr. Chippy;
and he was never known to do anybody the least bit of harm. On the
contrary, he was quite helpful to Farmer Green's wife, for he went to
the farmhouse almost every day and cleared the crumbs off the kitchen
doorstep.
But Jasper Jay complained that Mr. Chippy was altogether too humble.
"He never says anything except '_Chip, chip, chip, chip_,'" Jasper often
remarked. "And his voice is so high and thin that anybody would think he
was a little old lady, to hear him. He's too quiet to get on in the
world. And as for a good time, I don't believe he ever had one in all
his life."
Jasper said a good many other unpleasant things about mild Mr. Chippy.
And one day when the saucy rascal had nothing better to do he flew over
to the stone wall just to talk to Mr. Chippy and tell him what he
thought of him.
"Hi there, red-head!" Jasper Jay shouted. "Come out here on the wall! I
want to see you."
Mr. Chippy thrust his chestnut crowned head through the leaves of the
wild grapevine. And one could hardly say that he looked pleased. Like
most people, he was not overjoyed by Jasper Jay's visits. But he crept
on top of the stone wall and _chipped_ a how-dy-do to his caller.
"That's no way to greet anybody!" cried Jasper Jay, rudely. "If you want
to make a person feel that he is welcome you ought to speak up good and
loud--and slap him on the back. And you must look happy, too."
Little Mr. Chippy smiled faintly.
But Jasper Jay was not satisfied.
"You don't look happy!" he scoffed. "You appear as if you had a pain
somewhere.... Come, now! Let me hear you give a hearty laugh!"
If Mr. Chippy had known that his caller was going to be so rude he would
have stayed hidden in the wild grapevine. And now he wished that Jasper
would go away and leave him in peace. As for laughing, he saw nothing at
all to laugh at.
"You'd better do as I tell you!" Jasper Jay warned him. And he raised
his crest and stamped angrily upon the stone wall. "You're altogether
too _quiet_. I want you to laugh _loud_.
"You're going to be happy, if I have to break every bone in your body,"
Jasper added.
Naturally, that threat did not help little Mr. Chippy to laugh. Instead,
he looked quite worried. He knew that Jasper Jay was a bully. And there
was no telling what he might do to anyone so small as Mr. Chippy was. So
he tried his best to please Jasper. But he was so upset that he could
manage only a feeble "_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_"
"That'll never do," Jasper told him.
"Maybe this will, then," said Mr. Chippy, quietly. And darting at Jasper
Jay, he knocked him off the stone wall before Jasper knew what was
happening.
Jasper Jay was furious. He scrambled quickly back upon the wall. But Mr.
Chippy had vanished. He had dived under the cover of the grapevine and
hid in a chink between the stones, where Jasper could not find him.
"I declare--" said Jasper Jay at last--"I declare, he's got away from
me!" And so Jasper went off, shaking his head. He had never supposed
that mild Mr. Chippy would dare do anything so bold as to knock anybody
off a stone wall.
It is plain that Jasper Jay had never learned that one can be brave
without boasting. And as he flew off across the road toward the river,
Jasper thought he heard a peculiar noise from the depths of the wild
grapevine.
It was only Mr. Chippy, chuckling to himself. For Jasper had made him
quite happy, after all--though not exactly in the way that the
blue-coated bully had intended.
III
THE STRANGE CRY
AS you may already know, Jasper Jay was a vain fellow. And it was not
only of his brilliant blue suit that he was proud. He was greatly
pleased with his own voice, though many of the feathered folk thought it
harsh and disagreeable. But, that, perhaps, was because they seldom or
never heard Jasper's sweeter, flute-like notes, or the soft, low chatter
which he kept for his most intimate friends.
What most of his acquaintances knew and disliked was Jasper's noisy
"_Jay! jay!_" But even that discordant cry suited Jasper very well. And
he often boasted that there wasn't another bird in Pleasant Valley that
could make a greater racket than he.
To be sure, there was Jasper's cousin, old Mr. Crow. His "_Caw, caw_"
could be heard half a mile away, if the wind was right. But Jasper Jay
always insisted that his own voice was much stronger than Mr. Crow's.
And nobody troubled himself to dispute Jasper's claim.
So Jasper Jay had little to worry about until at last something happened
that made him feel quite uneasy. It was almost noon on a hot summer's
day; and Jasper was resting amid the shade of a big beech tree on the
edge of the woods, where he could look across the meadow and watch
Farmer Green and his boy Johnnie and the hired-man at work in the
hayfield. Jasper was just thinking how much pleasanter was his own
carefree life than theirs when a long, loud call blared across the
meadow. He had never heard that cry before; and he raised himself on
tiptoe, listening intently as the sound echoed back and forth across the
valley.
Though Jasper stayed quite still for some time, waiting to hear the cry
again, it was not repeated.
"I'd like to know what sort of bird that was!" he said to himself at
last. "If he stays in this neighborhood I'll have to drive him away, for
his voice is certainly louder than mine. And I wouldn't let him come
here and insult me like that."
All the afternoon Jasper Jay flew up and down the length of Pleasant
Valley and back and forth across it, hunting for the strange bird with
the loud voice. But he met no newcomer at all.
Jasper had almost decided that the stranger had merely been passing
through the valley. He certainly hoped that such was the case, because
he had no way of telling how big the unknown might be. If he were as
large as his voice, driving him away might prove no joke for Jasper.
By nightfall Jasper began to feel less anxious. To be sure, he dreamed
that he met an enormous bird on the top of Blue Mountain, who chased him
all the way around the world. And when he awoke just before daybreak he
was still frightened, until he remembered that it was only a dream.
"It must have been that fuzzy caterpillar that I ate just before I went
to bed," he thought.
Jasper was himself again all the morning. He had a good deal of fun
teasing a kitten which had lost itself behind Farmer Green's barn. And
he drove Jolly Robin's wife almost frantic by hiding in the orchard and
whistling like a hawk. And then, at midday, his fun was spoiled. That
strange scream smote his ears once more. And Jasper trembled both with
rage and fear.
He knew then that the stranger was still in the valley.
IV
JASPER'S BOAST
JASPER JAY had said nothing to anyone concerning the horrid call, which
had sounded twice--each time at midday. But now that he felt sure the
strange bird whose cry he had heard must have come to live in Pleasant
Valley, he could no longer keep from mentioning the matter.
Chancing to meet his cousin, Mr. Crow, the next morning, Jasper stopped
to talk with the old gentleman. You see, Mr. Crow was widely known as a
gossip. He usually knew what was going on in the neighborhood. So Jasper
thought it likely that Mr. Crow could tell him all about the unwelcome
stranger. "Perhaps," he thought, "the old scamp has already seen him."
Of course, Jasper never termed his cousin a scamp to his face. He always
spoke to him very politely, greeting him as "Mr. Crow," in spite of
their close relationship. And there was a reason why Jasper did that.
Mr. Crow had once given him a severe beating because Jasper had called
him something else. And Jasper Jay never forgot it.
Now Jasper first inquired after his cousin's health. He did that to put
old Mr. Crow in a good humor. But Jasper was sorry at once that he had
started Mr. Crow to talking about his ills. It happened that the old
gentleman was then suffering from gout, hay-fever and housemaid's knee.
And he liked to talk about his ailments. Living all alone as he did, he
had nobody to do his housework. And that, he complained, was the reason
why his knee troubled him.
Jasper Jay fidgeted about while Mr. Crow was telling him all that--and
much more--concerning his troubles. Jasper really did not care to hear
about them.
"Yes! yes!" he exclaimed impatiently, for it seemed to him that old Mr.
Crow never would stop talking about himself. "Now that we're having a
good spell of weather you ought to begin to feel better. And what's the
news, Mr. Crow? Have you heard of anything happening around here
lately?"
The old gentleman shook his head.
"Things are quiet," he said.
"Nobody left Pleasant Valley recently?" Jasper inquired.
"Not that I've heard of," replied Mr. Crow.
"_No strangers come here to live?_" Jasper asked him.
"No one at all!" said Mr. Crow.
"That's queer!" Jasper exclaimed. "I was sure I heard a new voice
yesterday. And I heard it again to-day, too--at exactly the same time."
"What did it sound like?" Mr. Crow wanted to know.
So Jasper gave an imitation of the odd cry that had swept the valley.
"It was quite loud and very unpleasant to hear," he remarked. "And
whoever the stranger may be, if he's going to disturb me every noon like
that when I'm having my midday rest I shall have to drive him out of the
neighborhood."
"It's almost noon now," said old Mr. Crow, cocking his eye at the sun.
"Perhaps we'll hear the cry soon."
The words were scarcely out of his bill when a far-reaching call caught
the attention of the two cousins. It brought Jasper Jay to his tiptoes
at once. And he craned his neck in an effort to catch a glimpse of the
stranger who possessed such a powerful voice.
"There it is!" Jasper cried. "There's the call again! Do you know what
kind of bird makes that cry?"
Something seemed to have stuck in Mr. Crow's throat. At least, he
spluttered and choked and coughed. And he was quite unable to answer
just then. But after the mountains had quit tossing the sound back and
forth and all was quiet again he said:
"No small bird could make a sound like that. And if you can drive him
out of Pleasant Valley you're a better fighter than I ever supposed."
Mr. Crow might have known that his remark would not please Jasper Jay.
Jasper gave his cousin an angry glance; and he looked as if he would
have liked to fight _him_. But he had suffered one beating by his
elderly cousin. And he didn't care for another. So he only sneered
openly. And then he screamed in a loud voice:
"I'll find that noisy fellow and drive him out of Pleasant Valley, if it
takes me all summer to do it!" And he raised his crest, and snapped his
beak together, and stamped his feet, so that he looked very fierce
indeed.
But old Mr. Crow was not frightened in the least. He only smiled.
"Let me know when you've driven the stranger away," he said.
"Oh! you'll hear about it," Jasper Jay assured him. "It will be the most
famous fight that will ever take place in this valley," he boasted. And
then the two cousins parted. It did not put Jasper Jay in any better
humor to hear Mr. Crow's hoarse _haw-haw_ echoing across the valley. Of
course, Jasper did not know what he was laughing at. But that only
served to make the blue-coated scamp all the more peevish.
V
THE SEARCH
AFTER telling Mr. Crow what he was going to do to the strange bird,
which he had never seen, but only heard, Jasper Jay renewed his search
for the unknown.
There was not the slightest doubt in his mind that the stranger could
out-scream him. And he knew he could never be happy so long as such a
loud-voiced rival remained in the neighborhood.
Jasper hoped, at least, that the newcomer was not too large.
"He can't be very big, or I'd have found him before this," he reassured
himself.
Though he hunted far and wide, looking in hollow trees and in the tops
of the tallest timber, as well as inside the densest thickets, Jasper
could still find no trace of his enemy--for so he regarded the unknown
bird.
For several days he continued his unsuccessful search. And though that
same strange cry enraged him each noon, he was quite at a loss to know
where to look for its author. He asked a good many of the feathered folk
if they had seen a stranger anywhere. But not one of them admitted that
he had.... Jasper Jay thought it very odd.
Meanwhile, he took special pains to dodge his cousin, old Mr. Crow,
whenever he caught sight of him; for he remembered Mr. Crow's
disagreeable remark. But the day finally came when Jasper met him face
to face in the woods. And Mr. Crow called to him loudly to wait a
moment.
"I want to ask you," said the old gentleman, "whether you've found and
driven away that stranger yet?" The old rogue's voice cracked as he
spoke and he rocked back and forth as if he were much amused by
something.
"I haven't set eyes on him yet," Jasper replied somewhat coldly. "But
I've heard him every noon. And I expect to find him pretty soon."
"Have you looked for him around the farmhouse?" Mr. Crow inquired.
"Why, no!" said Jasper. "I hadn't thought of his being there."
"Then," said old Mr. Crow, "I'd go over there at once, if I were you.
And I'd stay right there until noon. You won't have to wait more than
three or four hours. And unless I'm much mistaken you'll find your
search at an end...."
"I hope--" he added--"I hope you won't get hurt when you fight the
stranger."
Now, it struck Jasper Jay that old Mr. Crow knew more about the strange
bird with the loud voice than he was willing to tell. Anyhow, Mr. Crow
looked very wise. And he croaked and smiled in a way that was most
annoying. What he said about Jasper's not getting hurt made Jasper feel
quite uneasy, too.
"Won't you come with me?" he asked Mr. Crow very politely. To tell the
truth, Jasper was worried. Now that he was about to meet the strange
bird he began to be frightened. He did not like the thought of facing
him alone.
"I can't come now," said Mr. Crow, "because I'm going to be busy. But
I'll join you on the barnyard fence a little before midday. Maybe I'll
bring a friend or two along with me."
"Good!" cried Jasper Jay. "That will be fine."
So they said good-by. And Mr. Crow hurried off into the woods, for--as
he said--he was going to be busy.
VI
A JOKE ON JASPER JAY
WITH a loud squall of glee, Jasper Jay made off in the direction of the
farm buildings. Now that he was going to have company, later, he felt
much better. And he resolved to keep well hidden in the top of the great
oak near Farmer Green's house, until the time came for Mr. Crow to
arrive--and his friends, too, if he brought them.
Jasper waited in the big oak for a long time. He saw no strange bird.
And he was glad--because he did not want to meet him until Mr. Crow
came.
For once in his life Jasper kept quite still. He could see a kitten
playing in the dooryard; and he would have liked to tease it. And there
were the hens, too. Jasper smiled as he thought of the way they would
scurry for shelter if he should cry out like a hawk. But he made no
noise, for he was afraid the strange bird might be lurking about
somewhere, ready to pounce upon him before Jasper knew what was
happening.
At last Jasper left his hiding place and flew beyond the barn, where he
alighted on the fence, to meet Mr. Crow. And very promptly the old
gentleman arrived. He brought ten of his relations with him, too--all
noisy and unmannerly fellows. They were not the least bit timid, because
they knew that Farmer Green and his son Johnnie and the hired-man were
working in the hayfield, beyond the pasture.
"Here we are!" cried Mr. Crow. "We've come to see you whip the person
with the loud voice and drive him out of the valley." And all ten of his
relations joined Mr. Crow in a loud, cackling laugh.
"What's the joke?" asked Jasper Jay.
"Oh, there's no joke at all--yet," said Mr. Crow. And he and his
companions all laughed again. "Come around to the other side of the
barn," Mr. Crow continued. "It's time for the stranger to screech, for
it'll be noon before you know it."
So they all moved to another part of the fence, from which they could
see the farmhouse. And no sooner had they settled themselves comfortably
than Farmer Green's wife came to the doorway and held a horn to her
lips.
Then came the loud blast that Jasper knew so well. He was so startled
that he almost fell off the fence. But he was not frightened.
He was very angry, however. For Mr. Crow and his friends began to jeer
at him.
"Fly at her!" cried Mr. Crow. "She's the bird that you're going to drive
out of Pleasant Valley. And we all want to see you do it."
It was very uncomfortable for Jasper Jay. He had mistaken the sound of
the dinner-horn for the call of a strange bird. And he felt uncommonly
foolish.
Since he dared not attack Mr. Crow, especially when his ten relations
were with him, there was nothing Jasper could do except give a loud,
helpless scream of rage and hurry away toward the woods.
"See those crows chasing that blue jay!" Farmer Green said to Johnnie,
as they walked toward home. "Probably he's played some trick on them."
But for once it was not Jasper who was guilty. It was old Mr. Crow
himself who had played the trick. He had known from the first that Mrs.
Green had bought a new dinner-horn, because the men were always late for
dinner. Though how he discovered that fact is a mystery.
Somehow, old Mr. Crow knew about everything that happened in Pleasant
Valley. And now Jasper Jay had learned something more, too.
VII
SCARING THE HENS
THERE was one sport of which Jasper Jay was over-fond. He loved to
imitate the calls of other birds; and Jasper was such a good mimic that
he often deceived his neighbors by his tricks.
It was not pleasant for a sober, elderly bird-gentleman to come home at
night from a hard day's work and have his wife accuse him of idling away
his time.
"You can't deny it--for I could hear you laughing in the woods!" she
might say.
And it was not always an easy task to convince her that what she had
heard was nobody but that noisy rascal, Jasper Jay, playing a trick on
her.
Nor did Jasper limit his droll teasing to his own neighbors. Sometimes
he hid in a tree near the farm buildings and frightened the hens by
making a sound exactly like a certain red-shouldered hawk, who lived in
the low woods along Black Creek, where frogs were plentiful. A fierce
scream of "_Kee-you! kee-you!_" was quite enough to alarm an old hen
with a big family of young chickens. Though she might know well enough
that the red-shouldered hawk seldom made a meal of poultry, preferring
frogs and field-mice above all other food, it was only natural that she
shouldn't care to take any chances. The haste with which a nervous
mother-hen called her family into the chicken house when she heard that
cry of "_Kee-you! kee-you!_" always amused Jasper Jay, for he never
tired of the game.
Surprising as it may seem, now and then Jasper's hawk-call deceived even
Farmer Green himself. And sometimes he would step into the kitchen and
take his old gun off the hooks on the wall above the wide fireplace and
hurry outside again in the hope of getting a shot at Mr. Hawk. It
happened at last that in some way Mr. Red-shouldered Hawk heard of this
trick of Jasper's. And that old gossip, Mr. Crow, warned Jasper Jay that
he had better be careful.
"Mr. Hawk says that you are giving him a bad name with Farmer Green,"
Mr. Crow told Jasper one day. "Farmer Green calls him 'that old
hen-hawk,' and, of course, it's not very pleasant for Mr. Hawk to have
somebody looking for him with a gun. I know what the feeling is like,
myself," said old Mr. Crow. "Believe me, it's enough to make one most
uncomfortable!"
But Jasper Jay only shrieked with laughter.
"You'll sing a different song if Mr. Hawk catches you," Mr. Crow
snapped.
And that made Jasper Jay scream all the louder. Then he stopped laughing
and said "_Caw! caw!_" in a husky voice so like Mr. Crow's own that the
old gentleman spluttered and fumed and all but chased Jasper out of the
woods where they were sitting at the time.
They never did get along well together--old Mr. Crow and Jasper Jay.
They were cousins, you know. But that fact did not help matters at all.
Perhaps they knew too much about each other.
"Don't worry about me!" said Jasper Jay at last.
"Very well!" Mr. Crow replied stiffly. "But remember--I've warned you!"
he croaked. And then he flew away to his nest in a tall elm, overlooking
the cornfield.
VIII
A BIT OF MISCHIEF
JASPER JAY did not heed Mr. Crow's warning. When he learned that Mr.
Red-shouldered Hawk was angry with him because he had imitated Mr.
Hawk's fierce cry, "_Kee-you! kee-you!_" Jasper was more pleased with
himself than ever. Scaring Farmer Green's hens with that piercing scream
had been a good deal of fun. But making Mr. Hawk angry was still more.
So Jasper Jay began to visit the farmyard even oftener than before. If
the mother-hens, with their chicks, did not happen to be scratching in
the barnyard, there was always sport of some sort to be had.
One day when Jasper was on his way to Farmer Green's place, he happened
to meet a blue jay friend of his known as Noisy Jake, because he was not
very quiet. In fact, one could almost always hear his voice ringing
through the woods.
"You seem to be in a hurry," Noisy Jake bawled. "Where are you going?"
"S-sh!" said Jasper. "I'm going to the farmyard to have some fun scaring
the hens. But I don't want everybody to know it. Do you want to come
along?"
Noisy Jake promptly said he did. So the two rascals hurried across the
pasture and over the meadow toward the farm buildings.
"Now----" said Jasper Jay, when they had reached the farmyard--"now I'll
hide in this oak here and you can hide in that one there." He pointed
to a tree a little further from the chicken house than the one where he
intended to perch. Naturally, it was not like Jasper Jay to give the
best seat to anybody else.
"What'll we do then?" Noisy Jake asked.
"You see those hens," said Jasper. "I'm going to scream like Mr.
Red-shouldered Hawk. And you'll laugh when the hens hurry their chicks
out of the way.... If you want to, you may scream too--but not till
after I have."
Noisy Jake agreed to Jasper's plan. And he quickly disappeared among the
branches of the oak to which Jasper had sent him.
Then Jasper just had to stop and laugh to himself over the fright he was
going to give the old hens. He was about to open his mouth to imitate
the cry of Mr. Hawk when something happened that made him terrible
angry.
"_Kee-you! kee-you!_" The fierce scream rang out over the farmyard. And
immediately the mother-hens called to their children, with frantic
_clucks_, to run for their lives into the chicken house.
Jasper Jay did not laugh at all over the way the chicks scurried out of
sight.
"Noisy Jake has played a mean trick on me!" he said to himself. "He went
and screamed before it was his turn!"
Since he didn't want to miss _all_ the fun, Jasper let out a
blood-curdling "_Kee-you! kee-you!_" himself, just to hurry the last hen
under cover. But, somehow, he had to confess to himself--though he
wouldn't have admitted it to anybody else--he had to confess that Noisy
Jake's cry sounded far more like Mr. Hawk's than did his own.
Of course, that did not make Jasper feel any pleasanter. He wished he
had not told Noisy Jake where he was going.
"I'll punish him for his meddling!" Jasper exclaimed. And he flew
straight for the tree where Noisy Jake had hidden.
But Jasper did not reach the tree.
"_Kee-you! kee-you!_" The cry came from above his head. And looking up,
Jasper Jay saw Mr. Red-shouldered Hawk himself, dropping down like
lightning out of the sky.
Mr. Hawk paid not the slightest attention to the frightened hens and
their chicks. He seemed to have eyes only for Jasper Jay. And on his
proud, cruel face there was a look of anger that made Jasper wish he had
never, never imitated Mr. Hawk's cry.
He was sorry now, that he had not heeded Mr. Crow's warning. But his
cousin, old Mr. Crow, was always looking solemn and croaking loudly
about "trouble." It was no wonder that people paid little attention to
what he said.
IX
JASPER HAS TO HIDE
WHEN Jasper Jay looked up and saw Mr. Red-shouldered Hawk darting down
upon him from above, he dodged to one side and screamed loudly for help.
His friend Noisy Jake was known as a great fighter. And Jasper hoped
that together they might be able to drive Mr. Hawk away.
But he was disappointed. Noisy Jake did not appear. And there was a good
reason why he did not. At that very moment he was flying off across the
meadow as fast as his beautiful wings could carry him. He had seen Mr.
Hawk circling above the barnyard. And he had lost no time in making his
escape.
But Jasper Jay knew nothing of all that. And when he found that there
was no one to help him he was just as frightened as the hens had been.
He knew that he was no match for Mr. Hawk. And he had no wish to make a
meal for him. Jasper was quite willing to leave that pleasure to the
frogs that splashed their time away along the banks of Black Creek.
For a few moments Jasper ducked first one way and then another. He had
several narrow escapes. And there's no telling what might have happened
if he hadn't suddenly decided that he would follow the hens' example.
So without even stopping to knock on the door he dashed into the chicken
house and alighted on a roost in the darkest corner he could find.
For two excellent reasons Mr. Red-shouldered Hawk did not follow him.
First, he had always made it a rule never to go inside one of Farmer
Green's buildings. And second, he happened to catch a glimpse of Farmer
Green running into the house through the kitchen door.
Mr. Hawk knew what that meant. Farmer Green was going for his gun! And
so he winged his way swiftly toward Black Creek, hoping--as he
went--that he had taught Jasper Jay a lesson.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, there was a great uproar in the chicken house. But Farmer
Green paid no attention to that--supposing, of course, that it was
merely because of the fright the hawk had given the hens.
For once there was more noise than even Jasper Jay liked. It appeared
that there was a bold young rooster in the chicken house. And he
objected to Jasper Jay's presence.
"What do you mean by coming in here where you're not wanted?" he
screamed. "Where are your manners?"
Actually, Jasper Jay wondered what the rooster was talking about. Never
having had any manners, Jasper didn't know the meaning of the word. And
since he could not answer, he said nothing.
"Stick your spurs into him and maybe he'll speak!" screeched a pert
young hen.
Jasper looked at the rooster then; and he saw that the brazen fellow
wore long, sharp spurs upon his legs. They looked almost as wicked as
Mr. Hawk's cruel talons.
"Please," said Jasper, "I've come in to get out of the way of Mr. Hawk."
"Ha!" cried the rooster. "Unless I'm mistaken you're the rogue that's
always frightening the ladies by screaming like Mr. Hawk. So I don't
see why you should object to his society."
"I was only fooling," Jasper Jay whined. "I meant no harm, you know. Let
me stay here a while and I promise you I won't bother the hens again."
"I accept your apology, as well as your promise," the rooster replied
with great dignity. And then he began crowing in a manner that was most
annoying to Jasper Jay. It was the same as saying, "This rascal's afraid
of me!"
That was true, too. And that was what made the crowing sound so
unpleasant in Jasper's ears.
He left as soon as he dared show himself out of doors. And he sometimes
remarked afterward that a chicken house wouldn't be a bad place to live
in, after all, if it weren't for the roosters.
"They boast too much," said Jasper Jay. "Nothing could induce me to
listen to their silly crowing. And to tell the truth, I don't see how
the hens manage to stand it."
X
THE NUTTING PARTY
FOR a long time Jasper Jay had been waiting for something. It was fall;
and he impatiently watched the tree-tops on the side of Blue Mountain
change from their quiet summer green to hues of flaming gold and red.
Though they were beautiful, to tell the truth Jasper did not in the
least care what color a tree was. So long as it bore nuts, he was
satisfied. And to him the turning leaves meant only that the autumn was
lengthening--and the nuts were growing ripe.
That was what Jasper Jay was waiting for. And as soon as the frosts came
and burst open the prickly pods that covered the beechnuts he intended
to lead the first nutting party of the season to the place where the
beeches grew.
Now, going a-nutting with a crowd is much more fun than gathering nuts
alone. And Jasper usually preferred a nutting party of a dozen blue
jays. Then he always had twelve times as much fun as he could have just
by himself--because there was twelve times the noise.
So on the very first day that the nuts were ready to be eaten Jasper Jay
asked eleven friends to join him. As it happened, Jasper found a company
of twelve waiting for him at the appointed time on the edge of the
woods. Somehow, Noisy Jake (whom Jasper hadn't invited) had heard of the
party. And he invited himself.
Jasper was not at all pleased when he found that Noisy Jake intended to
go a-nutting too. He had not yet forgiven that boisterous rowdy for not
having warned him, when Mr. Red-shouldered Hawk was sailing about over
Farmer Green's barnyard, and Jasper had to seek safety in the chicken
house.
Jasper gave Jake a cool nod and turned his back on him. But it would
have taken a great deal more than that to hurt Noisy Jake's feelings.
Indeed, he was so impudent that he immediately imitated Mr. Hawk's cry,
"_Kee-you! kee-you!_"
It gave Jasper a great start to hear that screech behind his back. He
jumped into the air and alighted with his face toward Noisy Jake, having
turned around while his feet were off the ground.
Jake was laughing loudly at his own joke, while all the rest--except
Jasper--squalled with delight.
Jasper Jay thought for a moment that he would have to fight Jake on the
spot. But he was in such a hurry to get to the place where the beeches
grew that he decided to pay no more attention to the rude fellow.
"Come on!" Jasper cried. "Follow me!" And he made for the beech grove at
top speed, with the nutting party following close behind him.
There was a great squawking and screaming and whistling as the nutting
party flew into the tops of the beech trees and the nuts began rattling
down upon the ground.
But their fun did not last long. Another nutting party, led by Johnnie
Green, arrived at the grove soon after them; and, of course, that put an
end to their sport. They knew that boys not only whistled but threw
stones as well.
It was most disappointing. And Jasper and his friends were feeling quite
peevish when Noisy Jake suddenly cried:
"Let's go over to the oak woods! There are plenty of acorns there; and
we can have lots of fun!"
All the crowd--except Jasper Jay--shouted something that sounded like
"Hurrah!" And before Jasper knew what was happening everybody had
started for the oak woods. This time it was Noisy Jake that led the
nutting party. And all Jasper could do was to follow with the others.
He was no longer the leader. And he was very, very angry. It had been
his party, in the first place. And there was Noisy Jake, whom he had not
even invited to it, acting as if he were the one who should say what
should--or shouldn't--be done.
Jasper could see Jake talking with some of the others. And he couldn't
help feeling that they were talking about _him_. Jake laughed loudly now
and then; and although he was flying fast, he looked around
occasionally, to make sure that the party was following him. Seeing that
Jasper was the last of the procession, Jake shouted to him that he had
better hurry, if he didn't want to be left behind.
And that made Jasper Jay more indignant than ever.
XI
A STROKE OF LUCK
JASPER'S fun would have been spoiled if he hadn't had a stroke of good
fortune. Since he was no longer leading the nutting party he wanted to
prevent his friends from following Noisy Jake to the place where the oak
trees grew, to have an acorn hunt.
It was no more than anybody could expect that Jasper should feel sulky.
It had been his party in the first place. So, of course, he didn't enjoy
seeing somebody else take the lead away from him. Most unhappy he was,
as he hurried along the mountain-side, when he happened, all at once,
to catch sight of a huge, grayish-brown figure, half hidden among some
hemlock boughs. Jasper Jay knew right away that it was Mr. Solomon Owl.
"Stop! stop!" Jasper cried to his friends. "Wait a bit! Here's some
fun!"
So the nutting party checked their flight and returned, while Jasper
pointed out Solomon Owl's motionless form to them.
They forgot all about the acorn hunt, for the time being, because there
was nothing they liked better than teasing Solomon Owl--when there were
enough of them. In case any of the blue-coated rascals met Mr. Owl
alone, he was most polite to him, for Solomon was not only big and
strong but he had sharp talons and a hooked beak.
Those thirteen blue jays, however, knew that they had little to fear
from the solemn old chap, so long as they kept out of reach of his
claws.
They began jeering at Solomon Owl. And some of them even tried to mock
his queer cry, "_Whoo-whoo-too-whoo-too-o-o!_" The woods echoed with
their hoots. And Noisy Jake shouted:
"This is luck! Aren't you all glad I found him?"
Now, of course, Jake had not found Solomon Owl. If it hadn't been for
Jasper Jay no one would have known he was there. And Jasper was just
about to remind Jake of his mistake when he happened to think of
something that made him change his mind. It occurred to Jasper that if
Noisy Jake wanted to think he was still the leader of the party perhaps
it was just as well to let him. Jake always talked so much, in such a
loud tone, that Solomon Owl would be sure to know him.
And Jasper thought he could have plenty of fun himself, teasing Solomon
and not saying a word. Then--so Jasper believed--then Solomon Owl
wouldn't know that Jasper was in the party at all.
You see, Johnnie Green was not the only person who held that Solomon Owl
couldn't see in the daytime. Everybody knew that his big, round eyes
were keen enough in the dark. But in the daylight he usually sat quite
still in a tree and stared as if he saw nothing at all.
Well, that was just what Solomon Owl was doing then. He said never a
word. And he scarcely moved, except to turn his head helplessly now and
then, and blink, while his tormentors flew as close to him as they dared
and hooted loudly at him.
Jasper and his friends made enough noise to scare even a bigger bird
than Solomon Owl. And they said a good many rude things to him, too.
"How are Farmer Green's chickens this fall?" Noisy Jake asked him in a
loud voice, while Jasper Jay quietly amused himself by dropping hemlock
seeds upon Solomon's head.
Still Solomon Owl made no remarks at all. But he was thinking deeply.
And though some people claimed that he was not nearly so wise as he
looked, there were some things that he knew just as well as anyone else.
But Jasper Jay was not aware of that.
XII
SOLOMON OWL'S EYES
AFTER a while Jasper Jay saw that his friends were growing tired of
teasing Solomon Owl. So he said to them suddenly, in what was for him a
low voice, "Let's go hunt acorns now!" And he flew off with a pleased
grin upon his face, for he hoped that he had made trouble for Noisy
Jake. His friends all followed him, too, while Noisy Jake hurried on
behind them, trying to overtake and pass Jasper Jay.
But he never headed Jasper all the way to the oak woods. And Jasper had
a good time there, making all the noise he pleased and eating so many
acorns that he made himself almost ill.... If that isn't having a good
time, then somebody must be mistaken.
Now, it was quite natural for Jasper Jay to think that he had nothing to
fear from Solomon Owl. To be sure, he had flown back and forth in front
of Solomon's round, staring eyes; and he had dropped hemlock seeds upon
Solomon's head. But he felt quite safe, because he was _sure_ Solomon
Owl couldn't see him in the daylight. Furthermore, he had said hardly a
word, so Solomon shouldn't know, from his voice, that Jasper was teasing
him.
When he met Solomon, therefore, right after sunset that same day, as
Jasper was hurrying home from the oak woods to get his night's sleep and
Solomon Owl was just starting out on his nightly wanderings, Jasper
spoke boldly to the big, bulky fellow.
"Good-evening, Mr. Owl!" said he. "I hope you're well, and that you had
a good rest to-day."
Solomon Owl turned his head in Jasper's direction and stared at him for
a moment. And then he hooted long and loud.
"I'm glad to know it," said Jasper--though he had no idea what Solomon
Owl was saying.
In spite of himself, Jasper began to feel a bit uneasy. There was
something terrifying in Solomon's odd cry, especially when the dark was
falling fast and Jasper Jay was still some distance from home.
"Wait a moment, young fellow!" said Solomon Owl in a deep, hollow voice.
"I've something to say to you. Weren't you roaming through the woods
with a crowd of rowdies this afternoon?"
Jasper Jay couldn't deny it. But he didn't want to admit it, either. So
he said:
"I believe Noisy Jake led a nutting party this way."
"Ha!" exclaimed Solomon Owl. "They didn't pick any hemlock seeds, I
suppose?"
"I'll ask them," Jasper Jay murmured. "And I'll let you know to-morrow."
He turned away, because he didn't care to talk any longer. His voice was
too faint. And his legs felt strangely weak. For Jasper Jay was
thoroughly frightened.
"Don't be in a hurry!" Solomon Owl's queer voice boomed. "Some people
think I can't see in the daytime. But they're very much mistaken. And
nobody ever dropped hemlock seeds on my head yet without my knowing it."
Jasper Jay did not wait to hear anything more. He sprang into the air
and tore off through the forest, just before Solomon Owl jumped.
For a heavy gentleman who was big around the waist, Solomon Owl was
surprisingly quick. But Jasper Jay was even quicker. And it was lucky
for him that he left when he did, for Solomon felt very, very hungry. He
had had nothing to eat since dawn.
But he made his rush in vain. Missing Jasper Jay by a few inches, he
crashed head foremost into a tree before he could stop. And the pain in
the top of his head made him hoot at the top of his voice. Perhaps he
was angry, too.
Anyhow, to Jasper Jay the horrid cry sounded as if it were just behind
him. He never knew before that he could fly so fast. And some of his
friends, who saw a blue streak in the twilight, did not even recognize
him.
For several days afterward, Noisy Jake, whom Jasper passed in his
headlong flight, talked about the blue lightning he had seen when he was
going home from the nutting party. And since nobody could prove that he
was mistaken, no one was so foolish as to dispute him.
And that was the way that Jasper Jay learned something about Solomon
Owl's eyes--and something about manners, too.
XIII
TEASING A SINGER
THOUGH there were many feathered folk in Pleasant Valley, Jasper Jay did
not care to have much to do with any except his own family. Unless he
had other business that was more urgent he was always ready to join a
troop of noisy blue jays bent on some mischief. But if there were none
of his own kind about, Jasper usually preferred to be alone.
Strangely enough, Jasper did not even like to hear other birds singing.
He claimed that their voices were altogether too sweet.
"It's sickening to hear their songs," he used to say. "Somebody ought
to put a stop to these concerts that we have to listen to all summer
long." And he was always telling people that what he liked was a good,
loud, jarring call, that you could hear without any trouble. "These
soft, musical notes are all nonsense!" he declared.
Jasper held it to be his duty, whenever he chanced to come across one of
those forest concerts, to seat himself in a nearby tree and make as much
noise as he could, in order to interrupt the singing.
Of course, such actions on the part of Jasper Jay did not make the
songsters of Pleasant Valley like him any better. But Jasper never
minded that.
"I shall keep right on interrupting these singing societies," he said,
"until I've put an end to such nuisances."
Naturally, that was only his way of looking at such matters. As for the
other birds, they thought that the real nuisance was Jasper Jay.
Now, one of the finest singers in the whole neighborhood was Buddy
Brown-Thrasher. Though he belonged to the Pleasant Valley Singing
Society, he sang so well that he usually preferred to sing by himself,
instead of attending a singing party. Each morning and each evening he
would seat himself in the topmost branches of a tree near the thicket
where he lived; and there he would sing his favorite song over and over
again.
Often other birds some distance away would cease their own music just to
enjoy his, for it was very beautiful. If a wooden Indian had roamed
through the woods where Buddy Brown-Thrasher was singing, he would have
stopped to listen. Nobody could have helped doing that.
At least, nobody could have helped listening except Jasper Jay. In his
opinion, Buddy Brown-Thrasher was the most annoying of all the feathered
songsters. He often went out of his way to interrupt Buddy's
evening-song. (In the morning Jasper was in too great a hurry for his
breakfast to trouble himself in any such fashion.)
Well, it is not surprising that Buddy Brown-Thrasher should be upset by
Jasper Jay's provoking visits. It is scarcely pleasant, when you are
singing your best notes in a tree-top, to have them suddenly spoiled by
a harsh _jay, jay_, and to be mocked with boisterous laughter. The time
came at last when Buddy Brown-Thrasher said he couldn't stand it any
longer.
"Something will have to be done!" he declared. So he put on his
thinking-cap at once. Being a gentlemanly sort of person, he never once
thought of _fighting_ Jasper Jay. But he felt sure that there must be
some way to teach Jasper better manners. He knew, however, that there
was no use of trying to reason with the rude fellow. If he had merely
talked with Jasper, and asked him if he wouldn't please do differently,
Buddy Brown-Thrasher would have received no more than a jeering shout in
reply.
Naturally, he hoped for something more satisfactory than that.
XIV
FINDING A WAY
"WHAT can you do?" the other feathered folk asked Buddy Brown-Thrasher,
when he complained about Jasper Jay's rudeness in interrupting his
singing. "You don't intend to _fight_ Jasper, do you?"
"I think--" replied Buddy--"I think I can find a better way than that."
And that was all he would say.
As usual, Jasper came to Buddy Brown-Thrasher's thicket that evening and
screamed his loudest, when Buddy began to sing. Again Buddy's
evening-song was spoiled. And even before the noisy Jasper had left,
Buddy Brown-Thrasher began to lay his plans for putting a stop to
Jasper's unpleasant trick. By the time he fell asleep Buddy knew exactly
what he was going to do the next day.
* * * * *
The following morning Buddy Brown-Thrasher was up bright and early--even
earlier than was his habit. And for once in his life he did not pause to
sing his morning-song from his favorite perch in the tree-top. He did
not even wait to have his breakfast, but flew straight to the clump of
young pines where--as he knew--Jasper Jay made his home.
It was so early in the morning that a gray light half veiled the
mountains; and a white mist hung over the river. The Jay family was just
beginning to awaken. And soon Buddy heard Jasper's harsh voice calling
to some friend who lived a little distance away.
Jasper was still somewhat sleepy. Though Buddy Brown-Thrasher could not
see him, he could hear Jasper talking to his wife in a low tone, which
was quite different from the noisy squawk that people at once thought of
at the mere mention of Jasper Jay's name. And soon a few sweet,
flute-like notes came floating out from Jasper's tree and fell upon the
ears of Buddy Brown-Thrasher, where he lay snugly hidden among the
boughs of a young pine.
Buddy was delighted. You see, he was a real music-lover; and seldom had
he heard any sound so beautiful as those rare notes of Jasper Jay's.
"Bravo!" Buddy cried, without thinking what he was doing. And in the
next instant Jasper Jay thrust a towsled head through the pine-needles
that screened his sleeping-place.
"Who's there?" he shouted in a hoarse and angry voice.
Buddy Brown-Thrasher did not answer. He kept still as a mouse. And
waited for some time--hoping to hear Jasper's sweet notes again--but he
waited in vain.
But Buddy had heard them once. And since it was for that very purpose
that he had gone without both his breakfast and his morning-song, he was
satisfied. He went home a little later, feeling well pleased, so far,
with his plan for putting an end to Jasper Jay's rudeness.
The first thing that Buddy Brown-Thrasher did then was to seek his
favorite perch in the very top of his own special tree and sing a
morning-song that was more joyous than ever. That was because he was
happier than he had been for a long time--ever since Jasper Jay had been
annoying him.
When he had sung his song fourteen times, Buddy ate a hearty breakfast.
Feeling as sprightly as he did, he found his appetite unusually keen.
And when at last he had finished his meal he went straight off to make
calls upon his friends.
Now, it was no accident that all those upon whom Buddy Brown-Thrasher
called that morning belonged to the Pleasant Valley Singing Society. You
see, Buddy needed help in order to teach Jasper Jay a lesson. And as
soon as his friends heard his plan, they all told him that it was a good
one and that they would be glad to do what they could to teach Jasper
Jay better manners.
XV
THE INVITATION
THE morning was not gone before Jasper Jay had four callers. There was
Bobbie Bobolink, Jolly Robin, Miss Kitty Catbird and Buddy
Brown-Thrasher.
Jasper Jay was surprised to see them, because it was seldom that anybody
but his relations called on him. Of course, if one makes himself
disagreeable--as Jasper generally did--people do not go out of their way
to see him. But it was different with Jasper Jay's relations. Some of
them were just as unmannerly and ill-bred as he was. When they came to
see Jasper they were usually looking for a quarrel. And they always
found what they were looking for at the house of their cousin, Jasper
Jay.
Naturally, he did not like to disappoint his own cousins. He had even
been known to quarrel with his great-grandfather--which is something
most people refuse flatly to do.
"Are you hunting for trouble?" Jasper inquired, as he raised his crest
and snapped his bill together, looking as fierce as he could.
Such conduct was enough to frighten any lady. And it was no wonder that
Jasper's actions--as well as his words--sent Miss Kitty Catbird into a
flutter of alarm. Her companions, however, told her there was no danger.
And Jolly Robin, who was a bold fellow, hopped forward to do the talking
for the callers.
"We're a committee," said he, "chosen to call on you and invite you to
join the Pleasant Valley Singing Society."
When he heard Jolly Robin's explanation, Jasper Jay laughed in his
callers' faces.
"I'm not musical," he said. "And people who get up early in the morning
to sing before breakfast always amuse me. They're silly--that's what
they are!" he cried.
"Well, the Society wants you, all the same," Jolly insisted.
Jasper Jay said nothing for a few moments. He was thinking. And it
occurred to him, as he thought, that he could have a good deal of sport
by joining the Society and spoiling its concerts. So he said at last:
"I'll become a member of your Society on one condition."
"What's that?" Jolly Robin inquired.
"You must let me sing all I want to."
Jolly Robin looked at his companions. And seeing that they all nodded
their heads, he asked Jasper if he would promise to sing his best.
Jasper Jay said promptly that he would. So Jolly told him that it was a
bargain. "You shall come to our next meeting and make all the music you
want to," he promised.
So that was the way Jasper Jay became a member of the Pleasant Valley
Singing Society.
"When's your next meeting?" Jasper asked.
"To-night, just before sunset!" Jolly replied. "We'll gather in the
maple grove, near the sugar-house. And we'll look for you."
"I'll be there without fail," Jasper Jay assured him.
The committee left him then. And Jasper's unpleasant laughter rang in
their ears for a long time afterward.
But when he stopped laughing, Jasper decided to keep very still for the
rest of the day. He wanted to save his voice for the concert at sunset.
XVI
THE SINGING SOCIETY
WHEN the members of the Pleasant Valley Singing Society gathered just
before sunset in the maple grove, near the sugar-house (where Cuffy Bear
first saw a man), they were glad to find that Jasper Jay was already
there, waiting for them.
Now, a smallish, cinnamon-colored young gentleman named Valentine Veery,
who was a distant cousin of Jolly Robin's, was the singing leader. He
had been chosen on account of his being able to sing both alto and
soprano at the same time. And as soon as everybody had found a
comfortable seat for himself, Valentine Veery said:
"I'm glad to see we have a new member with us this evening; and I hope
he will enjoy himself and sing his very best."
Everybody looked at Jasper Jay. And you might think he would have felt
the least bit uncomfortable. But he only laughed loudly and replied that
if he didn't have a good time it wouldn't be _his_ fault.
Then Valentine Veery bowed politely--which was more than Jasper Jay had
done--and announced that "Good-night, Ladies!" would be the first song.
So all the company began to sing, including Jasper Jay. Although he knew
neither the words nor the music, he shrieked at the top of his voice.
But they hadn't sung more than a few lines before the leader made them
stop.
"There's something wrong somewhere," said Valentine Veery. "Has anybody
a cold in his head?"
But everyone, including Jasper Jay, declared that he never was in better
health in his life.
"We'll try again, then," the leader told them.
So they started once more. And once more Valentine Veery stopped them.
"This is terrible!" he said with a shudder. "Who is it, please, that is
off the key?"
Nobody answered. But everybody looked at Jasper Jay again. And you would
think that this time he certainly would have felt most uncomfortable.
But he only grinned as if he were enjoying himself hugely.
"We'll try the song just once more," little Mr. Veery told them. But it
was no use. He stopped the singing quickly. "We can't go on like this,"
he declared. "The only thing to be done is to let each member sing the
song alone. And in that way we shall find out who's out of tune. We'll
let our oldest member sing first, and the newest one last," he directed.
So old Mr. Mockingbird, who was the first member of the Pleasant Valley
Singing Society--and about the only one of his family in the
neighborhood--sang the song in his best manner. And after him the others
had their turn, until everybody had sung "Good-night, Ladies!" except
the newest member of all.
"Now--" said Valentine Veery--"now everyone must keep very still while
we have the pleasure of listening to Jasper Jay."
Of course, after hearing the song repeated so many times, Jasper
couldn't help learning a little of it. He began to bellow "Good-night,
Ladies!" in the harshest, most ear-splitting tones he knew. Some of his
listeners hurriedly tucked their heads under their wings, to shut out
the horrid sound. And as for Miss Kitty Catbird, she actually left the
meeting and flew straight home, because she felt that she must scream if
she stayed there any longer. Having a sensitive ear, she could not
endure Jasper's rasping voice. In her opinion, it sounded more like a
buzz saw than anything else.
XVII
JASPER IS ASHAMED
THE leader of the Singing Society stopped Jasper Jay's song as soon as
he was able to. But Jolly Robin's cousin, Valentine Veery, found it no
easy matter to silence Jasper Jay. Though he called to him several
times, Jasper paid no attention to him, but continued to make all the
noise he could. His notes had never sounded so loud and harsh
before--but you must remember that Jasper had been saving his voice all
day for this very occasion.
At last Valentine Veery launched his small, cinnamon-colored body
straight at Jasper Jay and gave him a sharp nudge with his wing. And at
that Jasper stopped singing.
"What's the matter?" he asked in an angry voice.
"Matter?" said Valentine Veery. "Why, you're all wrong. You're not only
twisting the words of the song, but you don't know the air at all. It's
plain to see that it was you that made our concert sound so queerly."
Jasper Jay jeered openly at the little leader.
"The trouble--" said Jasper--"the real trouble is that you and your
friends don't know this song. I'm the only one that can sing it
correctly."
Everybody exclaimed that Jasper was a ridiculous fellow.
"The committee that invited me to come here told me that I might sing as
much as I wanted to. And here you've gone and stopped me!" Jasper Jay
complained.
Then Buddy Brown-Thrasher cried out in a clear voice that Jasper wasn't
trying his best, as he had promised the committee he would.
"In fact," said Buddy, "I'm quite sure he's trying his _worst_."
Jasper Jay looked quite fierce when he heard that remark.
"It's not so--and you can't prove it!" he screamed.
The little leader turned to Buddy Brown-Thrasher and said:
"What have you to say to that?"
This was what Buddy Brown-Thrasher had been waiting for.
"I'd like to state," he announced, "that Jasper Jay can sing very
well--when he wants to. He has always pretended that singing was silly.
And you know what a nuisance he makes of himself spoiling a good song
whenever he happens to hear one. Why, I've heard him sing beautifully!"
"You never!" howled Jasper Jay.
"Yes, I have--this very morning!" Buddy Brown-Thrasher retorted. "I was
in the young pine woods where he lives and I heard Jasper sing to his
wife--lovely, flute-like notes they were. But I can see that he's
ashamed to admit it."
Jasper Jay was so surprised that he opened and closed his bill several
times without saying anything at all. It was not often that he was at a
loss for words. And some of those present couldn't help smiling.
Jasper noticed their amusement.
"This is just a trick!" he squawked. "You invited me to your Singing
Society to tease me!"
As a matter of fact, his words were not far from the truth.
"Let us hear your best notes, Jasper!" somebody called. And others
cried, "Yes!" and "Please!" and "We're waiting!"
But Jasper Jay would do nothing but stamp his feet and hop up and down
and snap his bill together and scold. He made such a funny sight that
the whole Singing Society began to laugh at him, until he flew away with
one last frantic scream of rage.
Then the Pleasant Valley Singing Society had one of the most enjoyable
meetings it had ever held. And though Jasper Jay showed a very sulky
face to everybody for several days, it was a long time before he spoiled
any songs that he happened to hear. And he never annoyed Buddy
Brown-Thrasher again.
Morning and evening Buddy went to his favorite perch and sang to his
heart's content.
For Jasper Jay had learned a lesson at last.
XVIII
ENEMIES
JASPER JAY was not the only bird that liked beechnuts. Reddy Woodpecker
was fond of them, too. And when he saw that the beechnut crop was going
to be a big one he decided that he would stay in Pleasant Valley all
winter.
Jasper and Reddy were not unlike in some other respects, too. Both were
noisy, quarrelsome ruffians, who did not hesitate to steal and devour
the eggs and young of other birds. Furthermore, both of them were
gay-colored--but in a very different way. Jasper Jay always wore a
brilliant blue suit, while Reddy Woodpecker made himself easily seen by
donning a bright red cap, which came down to his shoulders and gave him
an odd look. Being so much alike (as far as manners were concerned), the
two quarreled whenever they met. And when Jasper Jay heard that Reddy
had made up his mind to spend the winter in the North he was furious.
"It's an outrage!" he declared to Jimmy Rabbit, who had told him about
Reddy Woodpecker's plan. "He needn't think he can stay in this
neighborhood and eat most of the nuts--for I know him and I know what he
expects to do."
Jimmy Rabbit saw at once that there was going to be some fun--for him.
And he didn't want to miss any of it.
"I suppose----" he said to Jasper--"I suppose you'd like to drive Reddy
Woodpecker away from Pleasant Valley?"
Jasper laughed hoarsely.
"I'd not only _like_ to--I'm _going_ to!" he said.
"How do you intend to do it?" Jimmy asked him.
"I'll have to think a while before I decide," Jasper Jay replied.
"You'll find it pretty difficult," Jimmy Rabbit said. "Let me arrange
the matter for you! I'll promise you to put Reddy Woodpecker where he
can't eat any beechnuts. And so long as I do that for you, I suppose you
don't care what happens."
"Certainly not!" said Jasper Jay. "Though, of course, if you could
arrange things so I didn't have to _see_ Reddy I'd like that. His red
cap is hideous. It's enough to make anybody ill, just to see it."
"I think I can please you," said Jimmy Rabbit. "But you'll have to do
exactly as I say, or my plan won't work."
Now, Jasper Jay was really not at all eager to fight Reddy Woodpecker.
Reddy had a very sharp bill, which was even longer than Jasper's, and
just as strong. And Reddy could strike a powerful blow with his bill. So
Jasper Jay was glad enough to accept help from a person like Jimmy
Rabbit, who was always thinking of new schemes.
"I'll leave everything to you," said Jasper.
"Good!" cried Jimmy Rabbit. "And now you must wait right where I tell
you to, while I go to find Reddy Woodpecker. Follow me!" he ordered.
And Jasper Jay followed him, while Jimmy skipped briskly through the
woods. He appeared to be looking for something. And at last he seemed to
have found it, in a swampy hollow where water stood here and there in
pools. Anyhow, he stopped beside a cedar tree and said to Jasper Jay:
"You must stand beside this tree; and you mustn't stir out of your
tracks."
Jimmy Rabbit pointed out the exact spot where he wanted Jasper Jay to
station himself. And since it happened that there was a puddle of water
there, it was only to be expected that Jasper Jay should begin to
grumble.
XIX
COLD FEET
YES! Jasper Jay looked sulky when Jimmy Rabbit told him to stand in the
puddle of water, close beside the cedar tree.
"How long do you want me to stay here?" Jasper growled. "I can tell you
that it's not very pleasant to stand in a pool of water a great
while--on a cold day like this."
Now, all this happened quite late in the fall. And it was true that the
day was a cold one. In fact, the weather seemed to be growing colder
every minute.
"I won't ask you to wait any longer than is necessary," said Jimmy
Rabbit. "And if you want me to put Reddy Woodpecker where he can't eat
any nuts, and you don't have to _see_ him, you must follow my
directions.... When you're ill and go to Aunt Polly Woodchuck, the herb
doctor, you always take her advice, don't you?"
Jasper admitted that he did.
"Well, then, you must do just as I say. You know, it always makes you
ill to look at Reddy Woodpecker. And I'm going to cure you, if you'll
only give me a chance."
So Jasper Jay went and stood in the puddle. He screamed a good deal as
he stepped into the cold water.
"This is terrible!" he groaned. "Do hurry with your scheme, or I shall
have a chill."
"Remember! You're to keep absolutely still!" Jimmy Rabbit warned him.
"You mustn't move and you mustn't talk. If you should, my plan would be
spoiled; and then you would have to fight Reddy Woodpecker after all."
"I pr-pr-promise!" said Jasper Jay. His bill was chattering so fast that
he could hardly talk. And he was so cold that he looked uncommonly
blue--even for a blue jay.
So Jimmy Rabbit hopped away, feeling quite pleased with himself and his
plan. If Jasper Jay could have seen him stop, as soon as he was out of
sight, and roll over and over upon the ground and hold his shaking sides
he might have wondered what Jimmy was laughing at. Certainly Jasper Jay
could see no joke in standing still in a cold puddle on a frosty fall
day.
Well, after a time Jimmy Rabbit stopped rolling upon the ground and
hurried straight to the place where the beeches grew. And there--as he
had hoped to--he found Reddy Woodpecker, busily eating beechnuts.
"How are the nuts this fall?" Jimmy Rabbit asked.
"They couldn't be better!" said Reddy, stuffing his mouth as he spoke.
"They say there's a big crop this year," Jimmy Rabbit observed.
"Yes!" replied Reddy. "But it's none too big. In fact, there are too
many people in this neighborhood that come here for nuts. I hope," he
said, "that's not what you're looking for."
Jimmy Rabbit laughed.
"Certainly not!" he said. "I'm satisfied to leave the nuts for you and
Jasper Jay to eat. I want none of them."
"Jasper Jay!" screamed Reddy Woodpecker. "Don't mention that rowdy's
name to me, please! He's the greediest of all! And he's so vain--so
proud of that sky-blue suit of his--that I can't bear the sight of him.
I wish I could put him where he couldn't eat any more of these
beechnuts, and where I wouldn't have to look at him, either!"
Of course, that was not at all an agreeable remark for him to make.
But it seemed to please Jimmy Rabbit greatly.
XX
GETTING RID OF JASPER
"HAVE you finished your meal?" Jimmy Rabbit asked Reddy Woodpecker, as
they faced each other among the beech trees.
"Well, no--I can't say I have," replied Reddy. "When I begin to eat
beechnuts I never want to stop. It's something I can't help. And I've
been told that Johnnie Green is just like that when he gets a taste of
peanuts. You might say that I'll have only one meal all winter long. It
started as soon as the beechnuts began to ripen; and it won't be ended
until the last nut is gone."
Jimmy Rabbit couldn't help smiling.
"Anyhow, you can't be really hungry," he said. "And if you'll come with
me and do just as I tell you, you'll find that Jasper Jay won't trouble
you for a good, long time."
"Wait a little while!" Reddy Woodpecker begged him. "I want to eat just
a few more beechnuts; and then I'll come with you."
"Hurry, then!" said Jimmy Rabbit. And he watched anxiously while Reddy
Woodpecker broke open more beechnuts with his strong bill and greedily
ate the sweet meats.
"Come! come!" Jimmy Rabbit urged him.
"Just one more!" Reddy pleaded.
That happened several times, until at last Jimmy Rabbit said that he
couldn't wait any longer, and that he was sorry, because he knew he
could have helped Reddy in a way that would have pleased him.
He started off then. And at that Reddy Woodpecker hurried after him.
"I think I've eaten enough so I can manage to stay away from the
beechnuts a short time," he said with a sigh. "But I hope you won't keep
me long."
"Everything depends on the weather," Jimmy Rabbit answered.
But Reddy Woodpecker did not even hear him. His mind was too busy
thinking of beechnuts to pay much attention to anything else.
They travelled through the woods for some time, until they reached a
low, swampy place. And as soon as they came to it Jimmy Rabbit whispered
to Reddy Woodpecker that he must be very still.
"Do exactly as I tell you," he ordered. "And don't even whisper to me,
please! I'm going to show you where you must stand. Though the place
may not be as dry as you might prefer, you'll have to follow my
directions and say nothing--if you want to get rid of Jasper Jay."
"I promise--" said Reddy Woodpecker--"but I wish I had brought along a
few beechnuts in my pocket. Just wait a moment!" he added. "Let me see
if I haven't some nuts somewhere that I've forgotten."
So Jimmy Rabbit waited while Reddy hunted in all his pockets. He turned
every one of them inside out. And since he had fifteen pockets, and he
had to turn them all back again, and replace their contents, the
proceeding consumed a good deal of time.
Jimmy Rabbit grew very impatient. He kept urging Reddy Woodpecker to
make haste. But Reddy told him that if he hurried too much he might
overlook a beechnut. So he took his own time.
But the search was all in vain. Not a single nut did he find.
Then Jimmy Rabbit led him silently to a great cedar tree and bade him
stand behind it and keep perfectly still.
Reddy made a wry face when he saw that he must put his feet in a deep
puddle of water. But he obeyed, all the same.
XXI
TWO RASCALS CAUGHT
THE moment Reddy Woodpecker stepped into the cold water he wanted to say
"Ouch!" But Jimmy Rabbit put a finger on his mouth--meaning that Reddy
must be still as a mouse.
So the red-capped scamp managed to keep quiet, though it was such hard
work that he began to feel terribly hungry. Jimmy Rabbit watched him for
a short time, smiling and nodding his head, as if to say:
"That's right! Just do as I say and all will be well." And then he waved
a sort of farewell, before he disappeared.
Though Reddy did not know it, Jimmy Rabbit stopped as soon as he was out
of sight and crept behind a bush, from which hiding-place he could watch
the cedar tree, without being seen by the two beechnut lovers who stood
so still beside it--for there was Jasper Jay, standing in a puddle on
one side of the big tree, and there was Reddy Woodpecker, standing in
another puddle on the opposite side of the tree!
And neither of them knew that the other was anywhere around!
But there was one thing that they knew quite well: the water was almost
colder than they could bear, at first. If their feet hadn't grown numb,
after a time, so that there was no feeling in them at all, they wouldn't
have been able to stand there so still and so long.
They both wondered where Jimmy Rabbit was, and what he was doing, and
why he didn't come back.
But Jimmy Rabbit was waiting for something. As he had told Reddy
Woodpecker, everything depended on the weather. Though the air was
becoming sharper every minute, it was not yet cold enough to suit Jimmy
Rabbit. What he wanted was _freezing_ weather. And at last he was
satisfied. When the sun hid itself behind a bank of clouds the ground
began to stiffen with frost, which covered all the puddles and pools
with a coating of ice.
* * * * *
It was almost dark when Jimmy Rabbit left the shelter of his bush and
danced up and down to get warm. Soon he came with a hop, skip and a jump
to the big cedar tree.
"How are you?" he called.
And two very sulky voices answered:
"I'm cold--that's how I am!"
"Well, why don't you dance around and get warm?" Jimmy asked.
But both Reddy Woodpecker and Jasper Jay were caught fast by their feet
in the frozen puddles. And as soon as they tried to move they began to
squall loudly--because they were so frightened. They could no more have
danced than the old cedar tree could have pulled up its roots and
capered about in the forest. So far as they could see, they might as
well have stepped into any of the traps that Johnnie Green set for Peter
Mink.
It was no wonder that they were alarmed--no wonder that they struggled
to free themselves.
"You seem to like to stay by that tree," said Jimmy Rabbit.
Now, since Jasper and Reddy had wanted exactly the same things to
happen, and since they were now in the same fix, Jimmy Rabbit could
talk to them both at the same time. What he said to one fitted the other
just as well.
Of course, that made it very easy for Jimmy Rabbit.
But it was rather hard on Reddy Woodpecker and Jasper Jay.
"_Jay! jay!_" screamed Jasper in a rasping voice, like a saw biting into
a log. "_Ker-r-ruck! ker-r-ruck!_" sounded Reddy's rolling call. And
they began to scold Jimmy Rabbit, until he put his paws over his ears
and ran away.
If it hadn't been for Reddy Woodpecker's strong bill they might have
stayed in the cedar swamp all winter. But he set to work and soon
chopped himself free. Then he helped Jasper Jay. And before it was dark
they flew away together and went straight to the beechnut grove, where
they ate a huge meal of beechnuts, without having a single dispute about
anything.
On the contrary, they agreed perfectly in every way. Especially they
agreed that Jimmy Rabbit was a busybody and that somebody ought to teach
him better manners.
"I'd be glad to help you do that," said Jasper Jay.
It was actually funny that two such rowdies should talk of another's bad
manners. But no doubt such an idea never entered their heads.
THE END
* * * * *
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