he happened to glance over on the
Green Meadows and there he saw something red. He looked very hard, and
in a minute he saw that it was Reddy Fox. Right away, Peter's nimble
wits began to plan how he could use Reddy Fox to play a joke on Jimmy.
All in a flash an idea came to him, an idea that made him laugh right
out. You see, the Imp of Mischief was very, very busy whispering to
Peter.

"If Reddy were only up here, I believe I could do it, and it would be a
joke on Reddy as well as on Jimmy," thought Peter, and laughed right out
again.

"What are you laughing at?" asked a voice. It was the voice of Sammy
Jay.

Right away a plan for getting Reddy up there flashed into Peter's head.
He would get Sammy angry, and that would make Sammy scream. Reddy would
be sure to come up there to see what Sammy Jay was making such a fuss
about. Sammy, you know, is very quick-tempered. No one knows this better
than Peter. So instead of replying politely to Sammy, as he should have
done, Peter spoke crossly:

"Fly away, Sammy, fly away! It is no business of yours what I am
laughing at," said he.

Right away Sammy's quick temper flared up. He began to call Peter names,
and Peter answered back. This angered Sammy still more, and as he always
screams when he is angry, he was soon making such a racket that Reddy
Fox down on the Green Meadows couldn't help but hear it. Peter saw him
lift his head to listen. In a few minutes he began to trot that way. He
was coming to find out what that fuss was about. Peter knew that Reddy
wouldn't come straight up there. That isn't Reddy's way. He would steal
around back of the old stone wall on the edge of the Old Orchard, which
was back of Peter, and would try to see what was going on without being
seen himself.

"As soon as he sees me he will think that at last he has a chance to
catch me," thought Peter. "I shall have to run my very fastest, but if
everything goes right, he will soon forget all about me. I do hope that
the noise Sammy Jay is making will not waken Jimmy Skunk and bring him
out to see what is going on."

So with one eye on the barrel where Jimmy Skunk was taking a nap, and
the other eye on the old stone wall behind which he expected Reddy Fox
to come stealing up, Peter waited and didn't mind in the least the names
that Sammy Jay was calling him.

II

PETER MAKES A FLYING JUMP

To risk your life unless there's need
Is downright foolishness indeed.

Never forget t