is very apt to rejoice
when Reddy gets into trouble. Of course, being right there, he saw all
that happened when Reddy ran against the old barrel at the top of the
hill and sent it rolling. He had been quite as much surprised as Reddy
to find that there was some one inside, and he had followed Reddy to see
who it was. So, of course, he had seen what happened to Reddy.

Now, instead of being sorry for Reddy, he had openly rejoiced. It seems
to be just that way with a great many people. They like to see others
who are considered very smart get into trouble. So Sammy had laughed and
made fun of poor Reddy. In the first place it was very exciting, and
Sammy dearly loves excitement. And then it would make such a splendid
story to tell, and no one likes to carry tales more than does Sammy Jay.
He watched Reddy sneak away to the Green Forest, and Jimmy Skunk slowly
walk away in a very dignified manner. Then Sammy flew back to the Old
Orchard to spread the news among the little people there. It wasn't
until he reached the Old Orchard that he remembered Peter Rabbit.
Instead of flying about telling every one what had happened to Jimmy
Skunk and Reddy Fox, he found a comfortable perch in an old apple-tree
and was strangely silent. The fact is, Sammy Jay was doing some hard
thinking. He had suddenly begun to wonder. It had popped into that
shrewd little head of his that it was very strange how suddenly Peter
Rabbit had disappeared.

"Of course," thought Sammy, "Jimmy Skunk is sure that Reddy rolled that
barrel down hill purposely, and I don't wonder that he does think so.
But I saw it all, and I know that it was all an accident so far as Reddy
was concerned. I didn't know that Jimmy was in that barrel, and Reddy
couldn't have known it, because he didn't come up here until after I
did. But Peter Rabbit may have known. Why did Peter run so that he would
have to jump over that barrel when he could have run right past it?

"Of course, he may have thought that if he could make Reddy run right
slam bang against that barrel it would stop Reddy long enough to give
him a chance to get away. That would have been pretty smart of Peter and
quite like him. But somehow I have a feeling that he knew all the time
that Jimmy Skunk was taking a nap inside and that something was bound to
happen if he was disturbed. The more I think of it, the more I believe
that Peter did know and that he planned the whole thing. If he did, it
was one of the smar