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Show Tp r BEDTIMlH SAMMY JAY MAKES A CALL SAMMY JAY hadn't had so much fun for a long time as he was having at the expense of Chatterer the Red Squirrel. No, sir, Sammy hadn't had so much fun for as long as he could remember. You see, he and Chatterer never had been very good friends and always had played sharp tricks on each other whenever when-ever they had the chance. Sammy had not forgotten how Chatterer had stolen the eggs of Drummer the Woodpecker in the spring and then laid the blame on him, so that all the birds of the Old Orchard had driven him out until they discovered who the real thiel was. Sammy had not forgotten or forgiven that sharp, mean trick. And now he was getting even. Right down in his heart he didn't want any real harm to come to Chatterer, but he did love to see him frightened. But his greatest fun was in matching his wits against those of Chatterer, fpr, you know, both have very sharp wits, as scamps are very apt to have. Now all the time he had been mumbling and finding fault with the corn Chatterer had brought from his storehouse in the hollow rail on the edge of the cornfield, Sammy only had been pretending. Yes, sir, he simply had been pretending. You see, he had thought of that storehouse store-house before Chatterer had and had thought Chatterer very stupid not to have remembered it in the first place. Now that Chatterer had remembered re-membered it Sammy was glad, al-, though he pretended not to be. Why was he glad? Well, you see, he knew that Chatterer was tickled greatly inside because he thought that he had proven himself smarter than Sammy, and all the time Sammy Sam-my saw another chance to prove to Chatterer that he wasn't so smart as he thought himself. When he left Chatterer he flew straight to the Green Forest and from there to the edge of the Green Meadows. His sharp eyes searched Sammy flew straight over. the Green Meadows until they saw his cousin, Blacky the Crow. Sammy flew straight over to where Blacky was sitting. For a few minutes they talked together, and then both looked over to a tall lone tree out in the middle of the Green Meadows, Mead-ows, in the top of which sat a black form, very straight and very still. In fact, to eyes less sharp than those of Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow, it would have looked very much like a part of the tree. It was Rough-leg Rough-leg the Hawk watching for Danny Meadow Mouse. "Will you do it?" asked Sammy. "I don't dare to myself because he might have a notion that a fat Jay like me would make him a good dinner." "Of course I'll do it," replied Blacky. "Old Roughleg never bothers both-ers me, and it will be a great joke." "All right," replied Sammy. "Be on hand where you can see what happens tomorrow morning." And with that, Sammy Jay flew back to the Green Forest where he could watch. In a few minutes Blacky the Crow flew over near the tree In which sat Roughleg the Hawk. Presently Sammy heard Blacky's harsh voice. "Caw, caw, caw," said Blacky. Sammy smiled. It was a signal and he knew that Blacky had done as he had said he would. Then Sammy flew off to look for some new mischief with which to amuse himself for the rest of the day. |