"Of course I will," replied Sammy, "and it won't be any trouble at all.
I'll just love to do it." You see, it made Sammy feel very proud to have
Paddy say that he had such sharp eyes. "When will you begin?"

"Right away, if you will just take a look around and see that it is
perfectly safe for me to come out on land."

Sammy didn't wait to hear more. He spread his beautiful blue wings and
started off over the Green Forest straight for the Green Meadows. Paddy
watched him go with a puzzled and disappointed air. "That's funny,"
thought he. "I thought he really meant it, and now off he goes without
even saying good-by."

In a little while back came Sammy, all out of breath. "It's all right,"
he panted. "You can go to work just as soon as you please."

Paddy looked more puzzled than ever. "How do you know?" he asked. "I
haven't seen you looking around."

"I did better than that," replied Sammy. "If Old Man Coyote had been
hiding somewhere in the Green Forest, it might have taken me some time
to find him. But he isn't. You see, I flew straight over to his home in
the Green Meadows to see if he is there, and he is. He's taking a
sun-bath and looking as cross as two sticks. I don't think he'll be back
here this morning, but I'll keep a sharp watch while you work."

Paddy made Sammy a low bow. "You certainly are smart, Mr. Jay," said
he. "I wouldn't have thought of going over to Old Man Coyote's home to
see if he was there. I'll feel perfectly safe with you on guard. Now
I'll get to work."

XXI

PADDY AND SAMMY JAY WORK TOGETHER

Jerry Muskrat had been home at the Smiling Pool for several days. But
he couldn't stay there long. Oh, my, no! He just had to get back to see
what his big cousin, Paddy the Beaver, was doing. So as soon as he was
sure that everything was all right at the Smiling Pool he hurried back
up the Laughing Brook to Paddy's pond, deep in the Green Forest. As soon
as he was in sight of it, he looked eagerly for Paddy. At first he
didn't see him. Then he stopped and gazed over at the place where Paddy
had been cutting aspen-trees for food. Something was going on there,
something queer. He couldn't make it out.

Just then Sammy Jay came flying over.

"What's Paddy doing?" Jerry asked.

Sammy Jay dropped down to the top of an alder-tree and fluffed out all
his feathers in a very important way. "Oh," said he, "Paddy and I are
building something!"

"You! Paddy and you! Ha, ha! Paddy and yo