CHAPTER XIV - FINDING A WAY
“WHAT can you do?” the
other feathered folk asked Buddy Brown-Thrasher, when
he complained about Jasper Jay’s rudeness in
interrupting his singing. “You don’t
intend to fight Jasper, do you?”
“I think ”
replied Buddy “I think I can find
a better way than that.” And that was all
he would say.
As usual, Jasper came to Buddy Brown-Thrasher’s
thicket that evening and screamed his loudest, when
Buddy began to sing. Again Buddy’s evening-song
was spoiled. And even before the noisy Jasper
had left, Buddy Brown-Thrasher began to lay his plans
for putting a stop to Jasper’s unpleasant trick.
By the time he fell asleep Buddy knew exactly what
he was going to do the next day.
The following morning Buddy Brown-Thrasher
was up bright and early even earlier than
was his habit. And for once in his life he did
not pause to sing his morning-song from his favorite
perch in the tree-top. He did not even wait to
have his breakfast, but flew straight to the clump
of young pines where as he knew Jasper
Jay made his home.
It was so early in the morning that
a gray light half veiled the mountains; and a white
mist hung over the river. The Jay family was just
beginning to awaken. And soon Buddy heard Jasper’s
harsh voice calling to some friend who lived a little
distance away.
Jasper was still somewhat sleepy.
Though Buddy Brown-Thrasher could not see him, he
could hear Jasper talking to his wife in a low tone,
which was quite different from the noisy squawk that
people at once thought of at the mere mention of Jasper
Jay’s name. And soon a few sweet, flute-like
notes came floating out from Jasper’s tree and
fell upon the ears of Buddy Brown-Thrasher, where
he lay snugly hidden among the boughs of a young pine.
Buddy was delighted. You see,
he was a real music-lover; and seldom had he heard
any sound so beautiful as those rare notes of Jasper
Jay’s.
“Bravo!” Buddy cried,
without thinking what he was doing. And in the
next instant Jasper Jay thrust a towsled head through
the pine-needles that screened his sleeping-place.
“Who’s there?” he shouted in a hoarse
and angry voice.
Buddy Brown-Thrasher did not answer.
He kept still as a mouse. And waited for some
time hoping to hear Jasper’s sweet
notes again but he waited in vain.
But Buddy had heard them once.
And since it was for that very purpose that he had
gone without both his breakfast and his morning-song,
he was satisfied. He went home a little later,
feeling well pleased, so far, with his plan for putting
an end to Jasper Jay’s rudeness.
The first thing that Buddy Brown-Thrasher
did then was to seek his favorite perch in the very
top of his own special tree and sing a morning-song
that was more joyous than ever. That was because
he was happier than he had been for a long time ever
since Jasper Jay had been annoying him.
When he had sung his song fourteen
times, Buddy ate a hearty breakfast. Feeling
as sprightly as he did, he found his appetite unusually
keen. And when at last he had finished his meal
he went straight off to make calls upon his friends.
Now, it was no accident that all those
upon whom Buddy Brown-Thrasher called that morning
belonged to the Pleasant Valley Singing Society.
You see, Buddy needed help in order to teach Jasper
Jay a lesson. And as soon as his friends heard
his plan, they all told him that it was a good one
and that they would be glad to do what they could to
teach Jasper Jay better manners.