The feathered folk in Pleasant Valley were all aflutter. They had
heard a strange tale--the oddest tale, almost, that had ever been told
in their neighborhood.
It was Jolly Robin who had started the story. And since he was not in
the habit of playing jokes on people, everybody believed what he
said--at least, everybody except Jasper Jay. He declared from the
first that Jolly Robin's tale was a hoax.
"I claim that there's not a word of truth in it!" Jasper Jay said.
Now, there was a reason why Jasper spoke in that disagreeable way. He
didn't want the story to be true. And, somehow, he felt that if he
said it was a hoax, it would really prove to be one.
"I know well enough," said Jasper, "that there's no golden bird in
Pleasant Valley--and nowhere else, either!"
You see, Jolly Robin had hurried to the woods one day and told
everyone he met that a wonderful golden bird had come to Pleasant
Valley.
"He's not just yellow, like a goldfinch. He's solid gold all over,
from the tip of his bill to the tip of his tail. Even his feet are
golden. And he glistens in the sunshine as if he were afire!" That was
the way Jolly Robin described the marvellous newcomer. "He's the
handsomest bird that ever was seen," he added.
Perhaps Jasper Jay was jealous. You know he was a great dandy, being
very proud of his blue suit, which was really quite beautiful.
Anyhow, Jasper Jay began to sulk as soon as he heard the news.
"Where is this magnificent person?" he asked Jolly Robin with a sneer.
"Do let me see him! And if he wants to fight, I'll soon spoil his
finery for him. He won't look so elegant after I've pulled out his
tail-feathers."
But Jolly Robin wouldn't tell anybody where he had seen the wonderful
bird. He said the golden bird was three times as big as Jasper Jay.
And he didn't want Jasper to get hurt, even if he was so
disagreeable.
Anyone can see, just from that, that Jolly Robin was very kind.
"You'd better be careful, or I'll fight you, too!" Jasper warned him.
But Jolly was not afraid. He knew that Jasper was something of a
braggart and a bully. He had chased Jasper once. And he thought he
could do it again, if he had to.
"My cousin will tell me where to find this yellow fellow," said Jasper
Jay at last. "There's not much that happens in Pleasant Valley that my
cousin doesn't know about." So he flew off to find old Mr. Crow--for
he was the cousin of whom Jasper was speaking.
Jasper found Mr. Crow in his favorite tree in the pine woods. And sure
enough! the old gentleman seemed to know all about the golden bird.
But like Jolly Robin, he refused to say where he had seen him. To tell
the truth, Mr. Crow had never set eyes on the strange bird. But he did
not like to admit it. "He's a great credit to the neighborhood," said
old Mr. Crow. "And you'd better let him alone, if you should happen to
find him, because he's solid gold, you know. And if you flew at him
and tried to peck him, just as likely as not you'd break your bill on
him, he's so hard."
Old Mr. Crow's warning, however, had no effect at all upon Jasper
Jay.
"I'm going to search every corner in the valley until I find this fop.
And I'll teach him that he'd better get out of our neighborhood with
his fine airs."
When he heard that, old Mr. Crow shook his head.
"You're going to have trouble!" he told Jasper. And then he hurried
away to tell Jolly Robin that he ought to advise the golden bird to
leave Pleasant Valley.
But Jolly Robin said he had not spoken with the stranger. And never
having talked with a golden bird, he felt a bit shy about saying
anything to him.
"Then there'll be a terrible fight, I'm afraid," said Mr. Crow.
"I'm afraid so," Jolly Robin agreed. And strange as it may seem, they
both said that if there was going to be a fight they didn't want to
miss seeing it.