else who had heard that bang had jumped and shivered
just as he had. It was the season of hunters with terrible guns. It was
man who had sent this terrible Spirit of Fear to chill the hearts of the
little meadow and forest people at this very time when Old Mother Nature
had made all things so beautiful and had intended that they should be
happiest and most free from care and worry. It was man who had made the
autumn a sad time instead of a glad time, the very saddest time of all
the year, when Old Mother Nature had done her best to make it the most
beautiful.

"I don't understand these men creatures," said Peter to little Mrs.
Peter, as they stared fearfully out from the dear Old Briar-patch. "They
seem to find pleasure, actually find pleasure, in trying to kill us. I
don't understand them at all. They haven't any hearts. That must be the
reason; they haven't any hearts."

[Illustration: "I don't understand these men creatures,"
said Peter to little Mrs. Peter.]

CHAPTER V

SAMMY JAY BRINGS LIGHTFOOT WORD

Sammy Jay is one of those who believe in the wisdom of the old saying,
"Early to bed and early to rise." Sammy needs no alarm clock to get up
early in the morning. He is awake as soon as it is light enough to see
and wastes no time wishing he could sleep a little longer. His stomach
wouldn't let him if he wanted to. Sammy always wakes up hungry. In this
he is no different from all his feathered neighbors.

So the minute Sammy gets his eyes open he makes his toilet, for Sammy
is very neat, and starts out to hunt for his breakfast. Long ago Sammy
discovered that there is no safer time of day to visit the dooryards of
those two-legged creatures called men than very early in the morning. On
this particular morning he had planned to fly over to Farmer Brown's
dooryard, but at the last minute he changed his mind. Instead, he flew
over to the dooryard of another farm. It was so very early in the
morning that Sammy didn't expect to find anybody stirring, so you can
guess how surprised he was when, just as he came in sight of that
dooryard, he saw the door of the house open and a man step out.

Sammy stopped on the top of the nearest tree. "Now what is that man
doing up as early as this?" muttered Sammy. Then he caught sight of
something under the man's arm. He didn't have to look twice to know what
it was. It was a gun! Yes, sir, it was a gun, a terrible gun.

"Ha!" exclaimed Sammy, and quite f