CHAPTER XX Sammy Jay Offers To Help Paddy.

Paddy sat looking thoughtfully at the aspen trees he would have
to cut to complete his store of food for the winter. All those
near the edge of his pond had been cut. The others were scattered
about some little distance away. "I don't know," said Paddy out
loud. "I don't know."

"What don't you know?" asked Sammy Jay, who, now that he and
Paddy had become friends, was very much interested in what Paddy
was doing.

"Why," replied Paddy, "I don't know just how I am going to get
those trees. Now that Old Man Coyote is watching for me, it isn't
safe for me to go very far from my pond. I suppose I could dig a
canal up to some of the nearest trees and then float them down to
the pond, but it is hard to work and keep watch for enemies at
the same time. I guess I'll have to be content with some of these
alders growing close to the water, but he bark of aspens is so
much better that I--I wish I could get them."

"What's a canal?" asked Sammy abruptly.

"A canal? Why a canal is a kind of ditch in which water can run,"
replied Paddy.

Sammy nodded. "I've seen Farmer Brown dig one over on the Green
Meadows, but it looked like a great deal of work. I didn't
suppose that anyone else could do it. Do you really mean that you
can dig a canal, Paddy?"