CHAPTER X - THE NUTTING PARTY
FOR a long time Jasper Jay had been
waiting for something. It was fall; and he impatiently
watched the tree-tops on the side of Blue Mountain
change from their quiet summer green to hues of flaming
gold and red. Though they were beautiful, to
tell the truth Jasper did not in the least care what
color a tree was. So long as it bore nuts, he
was satisfied. And to him the turning leaves
meant only that the autumn was lengthening and
the nuts were growing ripe.
That was what Jasper Jay was waiting
for. And as soon as the frosts came and burst
open the prickly pods that covered the beechnuts he
intended to lead the first nutting party of the season
to the place where the beeches grew.
Now, going a-nutting with a crowd
is much more fun than gathering nuts alone. And
Jasper usually preferred a nutting party of a dozen
blue jays. Then he always had twelve times as
much fun as he could have just by himself because
there was twelve times the noise.
So on the very first day that the
nuts were ready to be eaten Jasper Jay asked eleven
friends to join him. As it happened, Jasper found
a company of twelve waiting for him at the appointed
time on the edge of the woods. Somehow, Noisy
Jake (whom Jasper hadn’t invited) had heard of
the party. And he invited himself.
Jasper was not at all pleased when
he found that Noisy Jake intended to go a-nutting
too. He had not yet forgiven that boisterous rowdy
for not having warned him, when Mr. Red-shouldered
Hawk was sailing about over Farmer Green’s barnyard,
and Jasper had to seek safety in the chicken house.
Jasper gave Jake a cool nod and turned
his back on him. But it would have taken a great
deal more than that to hurt Noisy Jake’s feelings.
Indeed, he was so impudent that he immediately imitated
Mr. Hawk’s cry, “Kee-you! kee-you!”
It gave Jasper a great start to hear
that screech behind his back. He jumped into
the air and alighted with his face toward Noisy Jake,
having turned around while his feet were off the ground.
Jake was laughing loudly at his own
joke, while all the rest except Jasper squalled
with delight.
Jasper Jay thought for a moment that
he would have to fight Jake on the spot. But
he was in such a hurry to get to the place where the
beeches grew that he decided to pay no more attention
to the rude fellow.
“Come on!” Jasper cried.
“Follow me!” And he made for the beech
grove at top speed, with the nutting party following
close behind him.
There was a great squawking and screaming
and whistling as the nutting party flew into the tops
of the beech trees and the nuts began rattling down
upon the ground.
But their fun did not last long.
Another nutting party, led by Johnnie Green, arrived
at the grove soon after them; and, of course, that
put an end to their sport. They knew that boys
not only whistled but threw stones as well.
It was most disappointing. And
Jasper and his friends were feeling 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.