When Jasper Jay told Fatty Coon about Farmer Green's forty fat turkeys
Fatty felt hungrier than ever.

"Oh! I mustn't go near Farmer Green's house!" he said. "My mother told
me to keep away from there. . . . What time did you say the turkeys go
to roost?"

"Oh! they go to roost every night at sundown," Jasper Jay explained.
"And there they sit, up in the tree, all night long. They're fast
asleep. And you would have no trouble at all in catching as many as you
wanted. . . . But of course, if you're afraid--why there's no use of MY
talking about it. There's a plenty of other coons in these woods who'd
be glad to know about those turkeys. And maybe they'd have the manners
to say 'Thank you!' too." And with a hoarse, sneering laugh Jasper Jay
flew away.

That was enough for Fatty. He made up his mind that he would show Jasper
Jay that HE was not afraid. And he wanted a turkey to eat, too. He said
nothing to his mother about Jasper's news. But that very night, when the
moon came up, and the lights in Farmer Green's house were all out, Fatty
Coon went stealing across the fields.

He was not afraid, for he knew that Farmer Green and all his family were
in their beds. And it was so cold that Fatty felt sure that Farmer
Green's dogs would be inside their kennels.

Fatty did not intend to make any noise. The turkeys were asleep--so
Jasper Jay had told him--and he expected to grab one of them so swiftly
and silently that the other turkeys would never know it.