Several times Jasper tried. But not one tail-feather came away. And
some of the onlookers began to smile. Old Mr. Crow even guffawed
aloud. But Jasper Jay pretended not to hear him.

"Don't you think we'd better go away?" Jolly Robin asked Jasper at
last.

"I think _you_ had better leave," Jasper screamed. He was very angry,
because he knew that his friends were laughing at him. And instead of
flying at the golden rooster again he made a swift attack on Jolly
Robin.

Being angry, Jasper had forgotten that Jolly Robin's wife was present.
And to the blue-coated rascal there seemed suddenly to be as many as
six Jolly Robins, each one with a furious wife, too.

Jasper fought his hardest. But he was no match for them. Very soon he
made for the woods; and as he flew away a blue tail-feather with a
white tip floated down into the barnyard, where Johnnie Green had
stood for some minutes, watching the strange sight on the roof of his
father's barn.

Johnnie picked up the feather and stuck it in his hat. And when he
told his father, later, how a big blue jay had tried to whip the new
weather-vane and a pair of robins as well, Farmer Green threw back his
head and laughed loudly.

"Don't you believe me?" Johnnie asked him. "Here's the blue jay's
tail-feather, anyhow. And that ought to prove that I am telling the
truth."

But Farmer Green only laughed all the more. You see, he could hardly
believe all the strange things that happened in the neighborhood.

XIX

CURIOUS MR. CROW

Living in the orchard as they did, near the farmhouse, Jolly Robin and
his wife knew more about Farmer Green's family than any of the other
birds in Pleasant Valley, except maybe Rusty Wren. Being a house wren,
Rusty was naturally on the best of terms with all the people in the
farmhouse.

But all summer long Rusty Wren never strayed far from home. So it was
Jolly Robin who told his friends in the woods many strange stories
about what happened near the orchard. His account of the golden bird
was only one of many curious tales that he related to the wondering
wood-creatures.

Being so cheerful and having so much interesting news to tell, Jolly
Robin was welcome wherever he went. And when his friends met him in
the woods or the fields they were sure to stop and ask him if he
hadn't some new story to tell. One day old Mr. Crow even took the
trouble to fly all the way across the cornfield to the edge of the
woods, where his sharp eyes h