How Sammy Jay Was Found Out

Sammy Jay was busy. Very, very busy. But whenever anyone came near — he stopped. He pretended he wasn't doing anything at all.

Sammy Jay thought he was the finest bird in the whole wood. He had a beautiful blue coat with white trimmings. He had a tall, handsome cap on his head. He liked to sit on a fence post and laugh at Johnny Chuck, who was building a new door for his little home in the Green Meadows. He liked to laugh at Striped Chipmunk, who was storing up heaps of corn and nuts for winter.

Most days, Sammy Jay was lazy. And when Sammy Jay WAS busy — well. He was almost always doing something he should not be doing.

Today, Sammy Jay was in trouble. That's why he kept pretending to do nothing whenever he thought someone might be looking.

Old Mother West Wind came down from her home behind the Purple Hills very early that morning. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had hardly climbed out of bed. She crossed the Green Meadows on her way to help the big ships across the ocean.

Old Mother West Wind had sharp eyes. She saw Sammy Jay before Sammy Jay saw her.

"Now what is Sammy Jay so busy about?" she thought. "And why is he so very, very quiet?" She narrowed her eyes. "He must be up to some mischief."

So she opened her big bag and turned out all her Merry Little Breezes to play on the Green Meadows. She sent one of them — just one — to see what Sammy Jay was doing in the old chestnut tree.

The Merry Little Breeze danced along over the treetops, easy as anything. He looked like he hadn't a thought in the world but to wake up the little leaves and set them dancing too.

Sammy Jay was watching Old Mother West Wind and the other Merry Little Breezes way down below. He didn't see this one at all.

Pretty soon, the Merry Little Breeze danced back to Old Mother West Wind and whispered in her ear.

"Sammy Jay is stealing the nuts Happy Jack Squirrel hid in the hollow of the old chestnut tree. He's hiding them for himself — in the old broken-down nest that Blacky the Crow built in the Great Pine last year."

"Aha," said Old Mother West Wind, very quietly.

Then she went on across the Green Meadows.

"Good morning, Old Mother West Wind!" called Sammy Jay from the fence post where he was sitting.

"Good morning, Sammy Jay," said Old Mother West Wind. "What brings you out so early?"

"Oh, I'm out for my health," said Sammy Jay, politely. "The doctor told me to take a bath in the dew at sunrise every morning."

Old Mother West Wind said nothing. Not one word. She went on her way to blow the ships across the ocean.

The moment she was gone, Sammy Jay flew back to the chestnut tree. He grabbed the last of Happy Jack's nuts and carried them, quick-quick-quick, to the old nest in the Great Pine.

Poor Happy Jack.

Soon he came dancing along with a fresh nut to add to his store. He peeped into the hollow of the old chestnut tree.

Empty.

He blinked. He couldn't believe his own eyes. He reached in one paw and felt all around. Not a single nut. He climbed all the way inside.

Nothing. Not one.

Poor Happy Jack. There were tears in his eyes when he crept back out. He looked all around, but no one was anywhere to be seen.

No one — except handsome Sammy Jay, sitting on a branch, very busy brushing his beautiful blue coat.

"Good morning, Sammy Jay," said Happy Jack, his voice small. "Have you seen anyone pass this way? Someone has stolen all my nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree."

Sammy Jay made his face look very sad. Very, very sad. In his sweetest voice — and his voice was very sweet in those days — he said, "Oh, how terrible! Let me help you catch the thief."

Together they went down across the Green Meadows. They asked everyone they met. All the Merry Little Breezes joined the search. Soon everyone who lived in the Green Meadows or the wood knew that someone had stolen all of Happy Jack Squirrel's nuts.

And because everyone liked Happy Jack, everyone felt sorry for him.

The next morning, all the Merry Little Breezes were turned out of Old Mother West Wind's big bag before the sun was high. They had errands to do. They hurried all over the Green Meadows. They blew through the wood. They raced up and down the Laughing Brook. They swirled all around the Smiling Pool.

They invited everybody — everybody — to meet at the Great Pine on the hill at nine o'clock.

Because everyone liked Happy Jack, everyone came.

Reddy Fox came. Bobby Coon came. Jimmy Skunk came. Striped Chipmunk came — he's Happy Jack's cousin. Billy Mink came. Little Joe Otter came. Jerry Muskrat came. Hooty the Owl came, blinking and blinking, almost too sleepy to keep his eyes open. Blacky the Crow came. Johnny Chuck came. Peter Rabbit came. Even old Grandfather Frog came.

And of course — Sammy Jay was there too, looking his very best.

When they had all gathered around the Great Pine, Old Mother West Wind pointed up, way up, to the old nest at the very top.

"Blacky the Crow," she said. "Is that your nest?"

"It was," said Blacky. "But I gave it to my cousin, Sammy Jay."

Old Mother West Wind turned to Sammy Jay. "Is that your nest? And may I have a stick out of it?"

"It is," said Sammy Jay, with his politest bow. "And you are welcome to a stick."

To himself, he thought: "She'll only take one from the top. That won't matter."

Old Mother West Wind puffed out her cheeks.

She blew.

She blew HARD.

WHOOOOOSH!

A big stick ripped right out of the bottom of that old nest. Down it fell — BUMPITY-BUMP-BUMP — bouncing off the branches of the Great Pine.

And after it fell —

Hickory nuts. Chestnuts. Acorns. Hazel nuts.

Tumbling down. Bouncing and rattling and rolling through the branches. CLATTER-CLATTER-CLATTER!

So many of them!

Happy Jack's eyes went wide.

"Why!" he cried. "Why-e-e-e! Those are all my stolen nuts!"

Every single head turned to look at Sammy Jay.

But Sammy Jay was already flying. Already flapping through the wood as fast as his wings could carry him.

"STOP, THIEF!" cried Old Mother West Wind.

"STOP, THIEF!" cried all the Merry Little Breezes.

"STOP, THIEF!" cried Johnny Chuck and Billy Mink and Peter Rabbit and all the rest.

But Sammy Jay did not stop.

Then everyone began to pick up the nuts — every last one — that had fallen from that old nest where Sammy Jay had hidden them. By and by, with Happy Jack leading the way, they all marched back to the old chestnut tree. Happy Jack stored every nut away in his snug little hollow once more.

And ever since that day, whenever Sammy Jay opens his mouth to call, all that comes out is:

"Thief! Thief! THIEF!"