is always
ready for any mischief. Just as he started to look for Old Man Coyote,
Unc' Billy Possum made another suggestion.

"We-uns have had a lot of fun with Reddy and Granny Fox," said he,
"and now it seems to me that it is no more than fair to invite them
over to see Old Man Coyote and what he will do when he first sees the
terrible creature that has frightened them so. Granny knows now that
there is nothing to be afraid of, and perhaps she will forget her
anger if she has a chance to see Old Man Coyote run away. Yo' know she
isn't wasting any love on him. What do yo' alls say?"

Peter and Mrs. Peter said "No!" right away, but Jimmy Skunk and
Prickly Porky thought it a good idea, and of course Sammy Jay was
willing. After a little, when it was once more pointed out to them how
they would be perfectly safe in the old house behind the big stump,
Peter and Mrs. Peter agreed, and Sammy started off on his errand.

XXI

SAMMY JAY DELIVERS HIS MESSAGE

Sammy Jay has been the bearer of so many messages that no one knows
better than he how to deliver one. He knows when to be polite, and no
one can be more polite than he. First he went over to the home of
Reddy and Granny Fox and invited them to come over to the hill where
Prickly Porky lives and see the terrible creature which had frightened
them so give Old Man Coyote a scare. Both Reddy and Granny promptly
said they would do nothing of the kind, that probably Sammy was
engaged in some kind of mischief, and that anyway they knew that there
was no such creature without head, legs, or tail, and though they had
been fooled once, they didn't propose to be fooled again.

"All right," replied Sammy, quite as if it made no difference to him.
"You admit that smart as you are you were fooled, and we thought you
might like to see the same thing happen to Old Man Coyote."

With this he flew on his way to the Green Meadows to look for Old Man
Coyote, and as he flew he chuckled to himself. "They'll be there," he
muttered. "I know them well enough to know that nothing would keep
them away when there is a chance to see some one else frightened,
especially Old Man Coyote. They'll try to keep out of sight, but
they'll be there."

Sammy found Old Man Coyote taking a sun-bath. "Good morning, Mr.
Coyote. I hope you are feeling well," said Sammy in his politest
manner.

"Fairly, fairly, thank you," replied Old Man Coyote, all the time
watching Sammy sharply out of the corne