SAMMY JAY IS QUITE UPSET
I know of nothing sweeter than
Success to Squirrel or to man.
_Happy Jack._
Very few people can be all puffed up with pride without showing it.
Happy Jack Squirrel couldn't. Just to have looked at him you would have
known that he was feeling very, very good about something. When he
thought no one was looking, he would actually strut. And it was all
because he considered himself a very bold fellow. That was a new feeling
for Happy Jack. He knew that all his neighbors considered him rather
timid, and many a time he had envied, actually envied Jimmy Skunk and
Reddy Fox and Unc' Billy Possum and even Sammy Jay because they did such
bold things and had dared to visit Farmer Brown's dooryard and henhouse
in spite of Bowser the Hound.
But now he felt that he dared do a thing that not one of them dared do.
He dared go right into Farmer Brown's house and make himself quite at
home in the room of Farmer Brown's boy. He felt that he was a
tremendously brave fellow. You see, he quite forgot one thing. He forgot
that he had found out that love destroys fear, and that though it might
look to others like a very bold thing to walk right into Farmer Brown's
house, it really wasn't bold at all, because all the time he _knew_ that
no harm would come to him. It is never brave to do a thing that you are
not afraid to do. It had been brave of him to go in at that open window
the first time, because then he had been afraid, but now he wasn't
afraid, and so it was no longer either brave or bold of him.
Tommy Tit the Chickadee knew all this, and he used to chuckle to himself
as he saw how proud of himself Happy Jack was, but he said nothing to
any one about it. Of course, it wasn't long before others began to
notice Happy Jack's pride. One of the first was Sammy Jay. There is
very little that escapes Sammy Jay's sharp eyes. Silently stealing
through the Green Forest early one morning, he surprised Happy Jack
strutting.
"Huh," said he, "what are you feeling so big about?"
Like a flash the thought came to Happy Jack that here was a chance to
show what a bold fellow he had become. "Hello, Sammy!" he exclaimed.
"Are you feeling very brave this morning?"
"Me feeling brave? What are you talking about? If I was as timid as you
are, I wouldn't ever talk about bravery to other people. If there is
anything you dare to do that I don't, I've never heard of it," retorted
Sammy Jay.
"Come on!" cried Happy Jack. "I'm going to get my breakfast, and I dare
you to follow me!"
Sammy Jay actually laughed right out. "Go ahead. Wherever you go, I'll
go," he declared.
Happy Jack started right away for Farmer Brown's house, and Sammy
followed. Through the Old Orchard, across the dooryard and into the big
maple tree Happy Jack led the way, and Sammy followed, all the time
wondering what was up. He had been there many times. In fact, he had had
many a good meal of suet there during the cold weather, for Farmer
Brown's boy had kept a big piece tied to a branch of the maple tree for
those who were hungry.
Sammy was a little surprised when he saw Happy Jack jump over on to the
window-sill. Still, he had been on that window-sill more than once
himself, when he had made sure that no one was near, and had helped
himself to the cracked nuts he had found there.
"Come on!" called Happy Jack, his eyes twinkling.
Sammy Jay chuckled. "He thinks I don't dare go over there," he thought.
"Well, I'll fool him."
With a hasty look to see that no danger was near, he spread his wings to
follow Happy Jack on to the window-sill. Happy Jack waited to make sure
that he really was coming and then slipped in at the open window and
scampered over to a table on the farther side of the room and helped
himself from a dish of nuts there.
When Sammy saw Happy Jack disappear inside he gave a little gasp. When
he looked inside and saw Happy Jack making himself quite at home, he
gasped again. And when he saw a door open and Farmer Brown's boy enter,
and still Happy Jack did not run, he was too upset for words. He didn't
dare stay to see more, and for once in his life was quite speechless as
he flew back to the Green Forest.