eling quite
peevish when Noisy Jake suddenly cried:

"Let's go over to the oak woods! There are plenty of acorns there; and
we can have lots of fun!"

All the crowd--except Jasper Jay--shouted something that sounded like
"Hurrah!" And before Jasper knew what was happening everybody had
started for the oak woods. This time it was Noisy Jake that led the
nutting party. And all Jasper could do was to follow with the others.

He was no longer the leader. And he was very, very angry. It had been
his party, in the first place. And there was Noisy Jake, whom he had not
even invited to it, acting as if he were the one who should say what
should--or shouldn't--be done.

Jasper could see Jake talking with some of the others. And he couldn't
help feeling that they were talking about _him_. Jake laughed loudly now
and then; and although he was flying fast, he looked around
occasionally, to make sure that the party was following him. Seeing that
Jasper was the last of the procession, Jake shouted to him that he had
better hurry, if he didn't want to be left behind.

And that made Jasper Jay more indignant than ever.

XI

A STROKE OF LUCK

JASPER'S fun would have been spoiled if he hadn't had a stroke of good
fortune. Since he was no longer leading the nutting party he wanted to
prevent his friends from following Noisy Jake to the place where the oak
trees grew, to have an acorn hunt.

It was no more than anybody could expect that Jasper should feel sulky.
It had been his party in the first place. So, of course, he didn't enjoy
seeing somebody else take the lead away from him. Most unhappy he was,
as he hurried along the mountain-side, when he happened, all at once,
to catch sight of a huge, grayish-brown figure, half hidden among some
hemlock boughs. Jasper Jay knew right away that it was Mr. Solomon Owl.

"Stop! stop!" Jasper cried to his friends. "Wait a bit! Here's some
fun!"

So the nutting party checked their flight and returned, while Jasper
pointed out Solomon Owl's motionless form to them.

They forgot all about the acorn hunt, for the time being, because there
was nothing they liked better than teasing Solomon Owl--when there were
enough of them. In case any of the blue-coated rascals met Mr. Owl
alone, he was most polite to him, for Solomon was not only big and
strong but he had sharp talons and a hooked beak.

Those thirteen blue jays, however, knew that they had little to fear
from the solemn old