m, it was only natural that he never succeeded in finding every one
of his carefully hidden nuts. He left them in so many different places
that he couldn't remember them all. Those that he lost in that fashion
often took root and grew into trees. And so Jasper Jay helped Farmer
Green in more ways than one.

But no doubt Jasper would have shrieked with laughter had anybody
suggested such an idea to him.

II

A BLOW FOR THE BULLY

JASPER JAY had some queer notions in his head. One of them was that a
person couldn't be happy unless he was making a great deal of noise. And
if there was anything that roused Jasper's wrath, it was the sight of
some quiet, modest little neighbor who minded his own affairs and had
little to say.

There was one such chap who made his home in a wild grapevine that grew
upon the stone wall in front of the farmhouse. His name was Mr. Chippy;
and he was never known to do anybody the least bit of harm. On the
contrary, he was quite helpful to Farmer Green's wife, for he went to
the farmhouse almost every day and cleared the crumbs off the kitchen
doorstep.

But Jasper Jay complained that Mr. Chippy was altogether too humble.

"He never says anything except '_Chip, chip, chip, chip_,'" Jasper often
remarked. "And his voice is so high and thin that anybody would think he
was a little old lady, to hear him. He's too quiet to get on in the
world. And as for a good time, I don't believe he ever had one in all
his life."

Jasper said a good many other unpleasant things about mild Mr. Chippy.
And one day when the saucy rascal had nothing better to do he flew over
to the stone wall just to talk to Mr. Chippy and tell him what he
thought of him.

"Hi there, red-head!" Jasper Jay shouted. "Come out here on the wall! I
want to see you."

Mr. Chippy thrust his chestnut crowned head through the leaves of the
wild grapevine. And one could hardly say that he looked pleased. Like
most people, he was not overjoyed by Jasper Jay's visits. But he crept
on top of the stone wall and _chipped_ a how-dy-do to his caller.

"That's no way to greet anybody!" cried Jasper Jay, rudely. "If you want
to make a person feel that he is welcome you ought to speak up good and
loud--and slap him on the back. And you must look happy, too."

Little Mr. Chippy smiled faintly.

But Jasper Jay was not satisfied.

"You don't look happy!" he scoffed. "You appear as if you had a pain
somewhere.... Come, now! Let me h