d away he went,
lipperty-lipperty-lip.

VI

WHY SAMMY JAY HAS A FINE COAT

Sammy Jay has a very fine coat, a very beautiful coat. Everybody knows
that. In fact, Sammy's coat has long been the envy of a great many of
his neighbors in the Green Forest. Some of them, you know, have very
modest coats. They are not beautiful at all. And yet the owners of
some of these plain coats are among the most honest and hard-working
of all the little people who live in the Green Forest. They find it
hard, very hard indeed, to understand why such a scamp and
mischiefmaker as Sammy Jay should be given such a wonderful blue coat
with white trimmings.

Peter Rabbit often had thought about it. He has a number of feathered
friends whom he likes ever so much better than he does Sammy Jay. In
fact, he and Sammy are forever falling out, because Sammy delights to
tease Peter. He sometimes makes up for it by warning Peter when Granny
or Reddy Fox happens to be about, and Peter is honest enough to
recognize this and put it to Sammy's credit. But in spite of this, it
never seemed to him quite right that Sammy Jay should be so handsomely
dressed.

"Of course," said Peter to Grandfather Frog, "Old Mother Nature knows
a great deal more than I do--"

"Really! You don't mean to say so! Chug-a-rum! You don't mean to say
so, Peter!" interrupted Grandfather Frog, pretending to be very much
surprised at what Peter said.

[Illustration: "You don't mean to say so, Peter," interrupted
Grandfather Frog.]

Peter grinned and wrinkled his nose at Grandfather Frog.

"Yes," said he, "Old Mother Nature knows a great deal more than I do,
but it seems to me as if she had made a mistake in giving Sammy Jay
such a handsome coat. There must be a reason, I suppose, but for the
life of me I cannot understand it. I should think that she would give
such a thief as Sammy Jay the very homeliest suit she could find. You
may depend I would, if I were in her place."

Grandfather Frog chuckled until he shook all over.

"It's lucky for some of us that you are not in her place!" said he.
"Chug-a-rum! It certainly is lucky!"

"If I were, I would give you a handsome coat, too, Grandfather Frog,"
replied Peter.

Grandfather Frog suddenly swelled out with indignation. "Chug-a-rum!
Chug-a-rum! What's the matter with the coat I have got, Peter Rabbit?
Tell me that! Who's got a handsomer one?" Grandfather Frog glared with
his great, goggly eyes at Peter.

"I did