hurry over to the woods at once, where my cousin, Mr. Crow, is
waiting for me." Then he flew away, screaming a loud good-by as he
went.

So Jolly Robin hastened back to the orchard, to find his wife and tell
her what he had decided to do.

He had no difficulty at all in finding her. But he had no end of
trouble trying to persuade her to travel with him the new way, instead
of going along with the crowd in the good, old-fashioned style. In
fact, she raised so many objections, saying how lonely it would be and
how dangerous it was to travel in a small party and that she didn't
want to be fashionable--she raised so many objections that at last
Jolly Robin said very well! she might do as she pleased. But as for
him, _he_ was going to meet Jasper Jay just as he had promised. And
since the new way was easier, he expected to reach their winter home
long before she arrived, even if he did start a day later.

But he was disappointed, all the same. And he kept up such a constant
laughing and joking all the rest of that day that his wife knew he
must be feeling quite out of sorts.

For that was a way Jolly Robin had. The worse he felt, the happier he
always acted. And it was not a bad way, either.

VIII

JOLLY IS LEFT BEHIND

All of Jolly Robin's friends and relations were greatly surprised when
they saw him bidding his wife and children good-by, on the day the
Robin family started from Pleasant Valley for their winter home in the
South.

"What's this?" they cried. "Aren't you coming with us?"

And Jolly Robin laughed and said to them gaily:

"Not to-day! But you'll find me waiting for you when you reach your
journey's end."

His wife, however, shook her head.

"It's one of his queer notions--his and Jasper Jay's," she explained.

"Tut, tut!" her husband said. And he chucked her under the chin--and
winked at his friends.

There was no time to say anything more, for everyone was eager to
start. So the travellers called good-by to Jolly, while he waved a
farewell to them.

It was not many minutes before he was the only member of the Robin
family left in Pleasant Valley. He felt very lonely, all at once. And
he wanted to hurry after the others. But he knew what Jasper Jay would
say, if he did. Jasper would be sure to tell people that Jolly Robin
was _afraid_ to travel a new way.... Of course, Jolly didn't want that
to be said about him. So he looked as cheerful as he could; and he
whistled the merriest tu