“Some folks think they’re mighty smart ­
          Oh, la me!  Oh, la me! 
    Like the knave who stole the tart ­
          Oh, la me!  Oh, la me! 
    Some folks will waken up some day ­
    And find they can’t fool Mr. Jay!”

Sammy Jay was mightily pleased with himself.  He had found out all about Peter Rabbit’s plan to give Unc’ Billy Possum a surprise party when his family came up from “Öl’ Virginny.”  He had found out that all the little forest and meadow people but himself and his cousin, Blacky the Crow, and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel had been invited, and that each was to bring something good to eat.  Sammy Jay smacked his lips as he thought of this.  Then he looked up at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun and winked.

Now on all the Green Meadows and in all the Green Forest, there live no greater scamps than Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel.  The worst of it is, they are not honest.  They steal whenever they get a chance, and always they try to get others into trouble.  That was why Peter Rabbit had left them out, when he planned his surprise party for Unc’ Billy Possum.

Sammy Jay called the three others together under the Lone Pine and told them all about Peter Rabbit’s plan and how they had been left out.  Of course Blacky the Crow and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel were angry, very angry indeed, for no one likes to be left out of a good time.  The more Sammy Jay told them, the angrier they grew; and the angrier they grew, the more Sammy Jay chuckled, way down inside.  Sammy had a plan, and the angrier the others grew, the more likely were they to help him.

“You wait till I catch Peter Rabbit!” said Reddy Fox and showed all his teeth.  He quite forgot that, despite all his smartness, he never yet had caught Peter Rabbit.

Blacky the Crow scratched his head thoughtfully.  “We can spoil his surprise by telling Unc’ Billy Possum all about it beforehand,” said he.

Sammy Jay winked at each of the others.  He cleared his throat and looked all around, to make sure that no one else was near.  Then he leaned forward and whispered:  “Let’s invite ourselves to the party.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed the others, all together.

“Just what I say,” replied Sammy.  “We’ll be the real surprise.  Before the party begins, you will hide close to where it is to be.  When everybody has got there and brought all the good things to eat, I’ll come flying along and scream:  ‘Here comes Bowser the Hound!’ Of course every one will run away, and we’ll have all the good things to eat.”

“Haw! haw! haw!  The very thing!  We’ll all be there,” cried Blacky the Crow.

The four little scamps shook hands and separated.  As they went across the Green Meadows, Sammy Jay’s voice floated back to the Lone Pine.  He was singing, although he has a very poor voice for singing, and this was his song: 

   “Some folks think they’re mighty smart ­
          Oh, la me!  Oh, la me! 
    Like the knave who stole the tart ­
          Oh, la me!  Oh, la me! 
    Some folks will waken up some day ­
    And find they can’t fool Mr. Jay!”

“Is that so?  Really now, I want to know,” said old Mr. Toad, crawling from under the very piece of bark on which Sammy Jay had sat when he told his plan.  Then old Mr. Toad winked slowly and solemnly at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun and started off to find Peter Rabbit.