from under the very piece of bark on which Sammy Jay had sat when he
told his plan. Then old Mr. Toad winked slowly and solemnly at jolly,
round, red Mr. Sun and started off to find Peter Rabbit.




VIII

PETER RABBIT SENDS OUT WORD


It was a beautiful morning. Everybody said so, and what everybody says
is usually so. Peter Rabbit wore the broadest kind of a smile. He
hopped and skipped all the way down the Lone Little Path on to the
Green Meadows and was waiting there when Old Mother West Wind came
down from the Purple Hills and, turning her big bag upside down,
tumbled out all her children, the Merry Little Breezes, to play. Peter
stopped them before they had a chance to run away. He whispered to
each, and each in turn started to dance across the Green Meadows to
carry the news that this was the day of Peter Rabbit's surprise party
for Unc' Billy Possum, whose family would arrive that very morning
from way down in "Ol' Virginny."

Sammy Jay had risen very early that morning. Almost at once his sharp
eyes had seen Peter Rabbit sending out the Merry Little Breezes.
Sammy's wits are as sharp as his eyes, and you know it is very hard to
really fool sharp wits. Right away Sammy had guessed what the Merry
Little Breezes were hurrying so for, but he sat and waited and
listened. Pretty soon he heard Drummer the Woodpecker start a long