“What are you so proud about, Johnny Chuck?” he demanded, in his harsh voice, “If I didn’t have a better looking coat than you’ve got, I wouldn’t put on airs!”

You know Sammy Jay is very proud of his own handsome blue and white coat and dearly loves to show it off.

“It isn’t that,” said Johnny Chuck.

“Well, if it is because you think yourself so smart to hide yourself up here in the old orchard, let me tell you that I found you out long ago, and so did Reddy Fox, and Bowser the Hound, and Farmer Brown’s boy,” sneered Sammy Jay in the most disagreeable way.

“It isn’t that,” said Johnny Chuck.

“Well, what is it, then?” snapped Sammy Jay.

“That’s for you to find out,” replied Johnny Chuck.

“There’s foolish pride and silly pride and pride of low degree;
 A better pride is honest pride, and that’s the pride for me.”

And with that, Johnny Chuck disappeared in his new house.

XX

SAMMY JAY UNDERSTANDS

It was a beautiful morning.  Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had thrown his bedclothes off very early and started to climb up the sky, smiling his broadest.  Old Mother West Wind had swept his path clear of clouds.  The Merry Little Breezes, who, you know, are Mother West Wind’s children, had danced across the Green Meadows up to the old orchard, where they pelted each other with white and pink petals of apple blossoms until the ground was covered.  Each apple-tree was like a huge bouquet of loveliness.  Yes, indeed, it was very beautiful that spring morning.

Sammy Jay had gotten up almost as early as Mr. Sun and Old Mother West Wind.  As soon as he had swallowed his breakfast, he flew up to the old orchard and hid among the white and pink apple blossoms to watch for Johnny Chuck.  You see, he knew that Johnny Chuck had some sort of a secret which filled Johnny with very great pride; but what it was Sammy Jay couldn’t even guess, and nothing troubles Sammy Jay quite so much as the feeling that he cannot find out the secrets of other people.  So he sat very, very still among the apple blossoms and waited and watched.

By and by Johnny Chuck appeared on his doorstep.  He seemed very much excited, did Johnny Chuck.  He sat up very straight and looked this way and looked that way.  He looked up in the apple-trees, and Sammy Jay held his breath, for fear that Johnny would see him.  But Sammy was so well hidden that, bright as Johnny Chuck’s eyes are, they failed to see him.  Then Johnny Chuck actually climbed up on the old stone wall so as to see better, and he sat there a long time, looking and looking.

Sammy Jay grew impatient.  “He seems to be terribly watchful this morning.  I never knew him to be so watchful before.  I don’t understand it,” muttered Sammy to himself.

After a while Johnny Chuck seemed quite satisfied that there was no one about.  He hopped down from the old stone wall and scampered over to the doorway of his new house, and there he began to chatter.  Sammy Jay stretched his neck until it ached, trying to hear what Johnny Chuck was saying, but he couldn’t because Johnny’s head was inside his doorway.