Sammy Jay was very busy, very busy indeed. When anyone happened that way
Sammy Jay pretended to be doing nothing at all, for Sammy Jay thought
himself a very fine gentleman. He was very proud of his handsome blue
coat with white trimmings and his high cap, and he would sit on a fence
post and make fun of Johnny Chuck working at a new door for his snug
little home in the Green Meadows, and of Striped Chipmunk storing up
heaps of corn and nuts for the winter, for most of the time Sammy Jay
was an idle fellow. And when Sammy Jay WAS busy, he was pretty sure
to be doing something that he ought not to do, for idle people almost
always get into mischief.
Sammy Jay was in mischief now, and that is why he pretended to be doing
nothing when he thought any one was looking.
Old Mother West Wind had come down from her home behind the Purple Hills
very early that morning. Indeed, jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had hardly
gotten out of bed when she crossed the Green Meadows on her way to help
the big ships across the ocean. Old Mother West Wind's eyes were sharp,
and she saw Sammy Jay before Sammy Jay saw her.
“Now what can Sammy Jay be so busy about, and why is he so very, very
quiet?” thought Old Mother West Wind. “He must be up to some mischief.”
So when she opened her big bag and turned out all her Merry Little
Breezes to play on the Green Meadows she sent one of them to see what
Sammy Jay was doing in the old chestnut tree. The Merry Little Breeze
danced along over the tree tops just as if he hadn't a thought in the
world but to wake up all the little leaves and set them to dancing too,
and Sammy Jay, watching Old Mother West Wind and the other Merry Little
Breezes, didn't see this Merry Little Breeze at all.
Pretty soon it danced back to Old Mother West Wind and whispered in her
ear: “Sammy Jay is stealing the nuts Happy Jack Squirrel had hidden in
the hollow of the old chestnut tree, and is hiding them for himself in
the tumble down nest that Blacky the Crow built in the Great Pine last
year.” “Aha!” said Old Mother West Wind. Then she went on across the
Green Meadows.
“Good morning, Old Mother West Wind,” said Sammy Jay as she passed the
fence post where he was sitting.
“Good morning, Sammy Jay,” said Old Mother West Wind. “What brings you
out so early in the morning?”
“I'm out for my health, Old Mother West Wind,” said Sammy Jay politely.
“The doctor has ordered me to take a bath in the dew at sunrise every
morning.”
Old Mother West Wind said nothing, but went on her way across the Green
Meadows to blow the ships across the ocean. When she had passed, Sammy
Jay hurried to take the last of Happy Jack's nuts to the old nest in the
Great Pine.
Poor Happy Jack! Soon he came dancing along with another nut to put in
the hollow of the old chestnut tree. When he peeped in and saw that all
his big store of nuts had disappeared, he couldn't believe his own eyes.
He put in one paw and felt all around but not a nut could he feel. Then
he climbed in and sure enough, the hollow was empty.
Poor Happy Jack! There were tears in his eyes when he crept out again.
He looked all around but no one was to be seen but handsome Sammy Jay,
very busy brushing his beautiful blue coat.
“Good morning, Sammy Jay, have you seen any one pass this way?” asked
Happy Jack. “Some one has stolen a store of nuts from the hollow in the
old chestnut tree.”
Sammy Jay pretended to feel very badly indeed, and in his sweetest
voice, for his voice was very sweet in those days, he offered to help
Happy Jack try to catch the thief who had stolen the store of nuts from
the hollow in the old chestnut tree.
Together they went down cross the Green Meadows asking every one whom
they met if they had seen the thief who had stolen Happy Jack's store
of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree. All the Merry Little
Breezes joined in the search, and soon every one who lived in the Green
Meadows or in the wood knew that some one had stolen all of Happy Jack
Squirrel's store of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree. And
because every one liked Happy Jack, every one felt very sorry indeed for
him.
The next morning all the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind
were turned out of the big bag into the Green Meadows very early indeed,
for they had a lot of errands to do. All over the Green Meadows they
hurried, all through the wood, up and down the Laughing Brook and all
around the Smiling Pool, inviting everybody to meet at the Great Pine
on the hill at nine o'clock to form a committee of the whole--to try to
find the thief who stole Happy Jack's nuts from the hollow in the old
chestnut tree.
And because every one liked Happy Jack every one went to the Great Pine
on the hill--Reddy Fox, Bobby Coon, Jimmy Skunk Striped Chipmunk, who
is Happy Jack's cousin you know, Billy Mink, Little Joe Otter, Jerry
Muskrat, Hooty the Owl, who was almost too sleepy to keep his eyes open,
Blacky the Crow, Johnny Chuck, Peter Rabbit, even old Grandfather Frog.
Of course Sammy Jay was there, looking his handsomest.
When they had all gathered around the Great Pine, Old Mother West Wind
pointed to the old nest way up in the top of it. “Is that your nest?”
she asked Blacky the Crow.
“It was, but I gave it to my cousin, Sammy Jay,” said Blacky the Crow.
“Is that your nest, and may I have a stick out of it?” asked Old Mother
West Wind of Sammy Jay.
“It is,” said Sammy Jay, with his politest bow, “And you are welcome to
a stick out of it.” To himself he thought, “She will only take one from
the top and that won't matter.”
Old Mother West Wind suddenly puffed out her cheeks and blew so hard
that she blew a big stick right out of the bottom of the old nest.
Down it fell bumpity-bump on the branches of the Great Pine. After it
fell--what do you think? Why, hickory nuts and chestnuts and acorns and
hazel nuts, such a lot of them!
“Why! Why--e--e!” cried Happy Jack. “There are all my stolen nuts!”
Everybody turned to look at Sammy Jay, but he was flying off through the
wood as fast as he could go. “Stop thief!” cried Old Mother West Wind.
“Stop thief!” cried all the Merry Little Breezes and Johnny Chuck and
Billy Mink and all the rest. But Sammy Jay didn't stop.
Then all began to pick up the nuts that had fallen from the 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 and there Happy Jack
stored all the nuts away in his snug little hollow once more.
And ever since that day, Sammy Jay, whenever he tries to call, just
screams: “Thief!” “Thief!” “Thief!”