ck. They found Johnny Chuck
sitting just outside his door eating his breakfast. One, for very
mischief, snatched right out of Johnny Chuck's mouth the green leaf of
corn he was eating, and ran away with it. Another playfully pulled his
whiskers, while a third rumpled up his hair.

Johnny Chuck pretended to be very cross indeed, but really he didn't
mind a bit, for Johnny Chuck loved the Merry Little Breezes and played
with them everyday.

And if they teased Johnny Chuck they were good to him, too. When they
saw Farmer Brown coming across the Green Meadows with a gun one of them
would dance over to Johnny Chuck and whisper to him that Farmer Brown
was coming, and then Johnny Chuck would hide away, deep down in his snug
little house under ground, and Farmer Brown would wonder and wonder why
it was that he never, never could get near enough to shoot Johnny Chuck.
But he never, never could.

When the Merry Little Breezes left Johnny Chuck they raced across the
Green Meadows to the Smiling Pool to say good morning to Grandfather
Frog who sat on a big lily pad watching for green flies for breakfast.

"Chug-arum," said Grandfather Frog, which was his way of saying good
morning.

Just then along came a fat green fly and up jumped Grandfather Frog.
When he sat down again on the lily pad the fat green fly was nowhere to
be seen, but Grandfather Frog looked very well satisfied indeed as he
contentedly rubbed his white waistcoat with one hand.

"What is the news, Grandfather Frog?" cried the Merry Little Breezes.

"Mrs. Redwing has a new speckled egg in her nest in the bulrushes," said
Grandfather Frog.

"We must see it," cried the Merry Little Breezes, and away they all ran
to the swamp where the bulrushes grow.

Now someone else had heard of Mrs. Redwing's dear little nest in the
bulrushes, and he had started out bright and early that morning to
try and find it, for he wanted to steal the little speckled eggs just
because they were pretty. It was Tommy Brown, the farmer's boy.

When the Merry Little Breezes reached the swamp where the bulrushes
grow they found poor Mrs. Redwing in great distress. She was afraid that
Tommy Brown would find her dear little nest, for he was very, very near
it, and his eyes were very, very sharp.

"Oh," cried the Merry Little Breezes, "we must help Mrs. Redwing save
her pretty speckled eggs from bad Tommy Brown!"

So one of the Merry Little Breezes whisked Tommy Brown's old straw hat
o