that they very seldom wandered to the deepest part of the Green
Forest. Of course they started at once, as fast as they could go,
to tell all the other little people who live on or around the
Green Meadows, all but Old Man Coyote. For some reason they
thought it best not to tell him. They were a little doubtful
about Old Man Coyote. He was so big and strong and so sly and
smart that all his neighbors were afraid of him. Perhaps the
Merry Little Breezes had this fact in mind, and knew that none
would dare go to call on the stranger if they knew that Old Man
Coyote was going too. Anyway, they simply passed the time of day
with Old Mr. Coyote and hurried on to tell everyone else, and the
very last one they met was Sammy Jay.



CHAPTER IV Sammy Jay Speaks His Mind

When Sammy Jay reached the place deep in the Green Forest Where
Paddy the Beaver was so hard at work, he didn't hide as had the
little four-footed people. You see, of course, he had no reason
to hide, because he felt perfectly safe. Paddy had just cut a big
tree, and it fell with a crash as Sammy came hurrying up. Sammy
was so surprised that for a minute he couldn't find his tongue.
He had not supposed that anybody but Farmer Brown or Farmer
Brown's boy could cut down so large a tree as that, and it quite
took his breath away. But he got it again in a minute. He was
boiling with anger, anyway, to think that he should have been the
last to learn that Paddy had come down from the North to make his
home in the Green Forest, and here was a chance to speak his
mind.