diff options
Diffstat (limited to '43447.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 43447.txt | 2683 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 2683 deletions
diff --git a/43447.txt b/43447.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4f5066a..0000000 --- a/43447.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2683 +0,0 @@ - THE TALE OF REDDY WOODPECKER - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Tale of Reddy Woodpecker -Author: Arthur Scott Bailey -Release Date: August 11, 2013 [EBook #43447] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF REDDY WOODPECKER -*** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - -[Illustration: Reddy Woodpecker Meets Mr. Flicker. _The Tale of Reddy -Woodpecker_. _Frontispiece_--(_Page_ 22)] - - - - - _TUCK-ME-IN TALES_ - - (Trademark Registered) - - - THE TALE OF - REDDY WOODPECKER - - - BY - ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY - - - Author of - "SLEEPY-TIME TALES" - (Trademark Registered) - and - "SLUMBER-TOWN TALES" - (Trademark Registered) - - - ILLUSTRATED BY - HARRY L. SMITH - - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - Made in the United States of America - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY - GROSSET & DUNLAP - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - -CHAPTER - -I Mrs. Robin's News -II Getting Acquainted -III Morning Tattoos -IV The High-Hole -V Too Much Cousin -VI Mr. Flicker's Plans -VII The Two Neighbors -VIII An Early Call -IX Mrs. Robin Worries -X Obeying Orders -XI A Very Short Fight -XII Jolly Robin's Helper -XIII The Carpenter -XIV Mr. Crow's Questions -XV The Redcaps -XVI A Sly Trick -XVII A Hunting Party -XVIII A Big Appetite -XIX Who Was Greedy? -XX Catching Flies -XXI The Odd Mr. Frog -XXII Dodging Danger -XXIII Beechnuts -XXIV The Winter's Store - - - - - *THE TALE OF - REDDY WOODPECKER* - - - *I* - - *MRS. ROBIN'S NEWS* - - -If you had been in Farmer Green's door-yard on a certain day in May you -would have heard an unusual twittering and chirping and squawking. - -Now, there was a reason for all this chatter. Jolly Robin's wife had -seen a handsome stranger in the orchard. And she had hurried away to -spread the news among her friends. - -"He's a dashing person, very elegantly dressed," Mrs. Robin told -everybody. - -That remark did not seem to please the good lady's husband. For Jolly -Robin turned up his nose--or his bill--slightly, and he said to his -wife, "The question is: What are his manners like?" - -Mrs. Robin admitted that the stranger's manners were not all that one -might wish. - -"He was somewhat noisy," she explained. "And I fear he may be -quarrelsome. But his clothes certainly were beautiful." - -Jasper Jay, who was something of a dandy, wanted to know exactly what -the stranger wore. He said he doubted that the newcomer was as -fashionable as Mrs. Robin supposed. - -"I can't tell you much about his suit," Mrs. Robin went on, "except that -it was new and stylish. What I noticed specially was his cap. It was a -big one and it was a brilliant red." - -Jasper Jay sniffed when he heard that. - -"They're not wearing red caps this season," he declared. He flew off -then, to find his cousin Mr. Crow and tell him the news. For he hoped -that Mr. Crow would give the stranger a disagreeable greeting. Jasper -Jay did not like other birds to be more gayly dressed than he. - -While all the feathered folk in the neighborhood were wondering who the -stranger could be old Mr. Crow came winging over from the edge of the -woods. - -"Where is he?" he squalled. "Let me have one look at this new arrival! -I think I know who he is." - -A little later Mr. Crow had his look, over in the orchard. Then he came -back and alighted in the tall grass behind the farmhouse. - -"He's a Red-headed Woodpecker," Mr. Crow announced with a wise tilt of -his own head. "There hasn't been one of his kind in Pleasant Valley for -years and years.... It's a pity," he added, "that this one has stopped -here." - -The old gentleman's words threw little Mrs. Chippy into a flutter. - -"Is he a dangerous person?" she quavered. - -"I believe so," said Mr. Crow darkly. - -"Does he eat eggs?" Mrs. Chippy faltered. "And nestlings?" - -For a moment or two old Mr. Crow couldn't make up his mind whether he -ought to get angry or not. Eating eggs and young birds was a subject he -liked to avoid. He was aware that his neighbors knew he was a rascal. -But he was a quick-witted old fellow. Suddenly he saw how the presence -of this stranger might help him. - -"Yes!" he told Mrs. Chippy. "This Woodpecker family all eat eggs and -nestlings. And if you people miss any of your treasures, later, you'll -know who took them." - -At that little Mr. Chippy nodded his chestnut-crowned head. - -"If it isn't you," he remarked to Mr. Crow, "then it will be the -stranger." - -"Not at all! Not at all!" the old gentleman squawked. "You'll be safe -in thinking the newcomer guilty." Then he turned his back on Mr. -Chippy, as if that small, shrinking chap weren't worth noticing. And -favoring Mrs. Chippy with what he thought was a pleasant smile, Mr. Crow -said to her, "You mustn't let this Red-head know where your nest is. No -doubt you have eggs in it already." - -"Yes, I have!" she twittered proudly. - -"I certainly hope Red-head won't steal them," said Mr. Crow. "It would -be a shame if you lost your beautiful eggs.... Where is your nest, Mrs. -Chippy?" - -"Don't tell him!" peeped Mr. Chippy to his wife. "He wants to eat our -eggs himself." - -As for Mr. Crow, he gave a hoarse cry of rage, before he flapped himself -away. - - - - - *II* - - *GETTING ACQUAINTED* - - -"I don't believe--" said Mrs. Jolly Robin after old Mr. Crow had flown -off in a rage--"I don't believe this Mr. Woodpecker can be such a bad -person as Mr. Crow thinks. He certainly wears very stylish clothes and -a very handsome red cap." - -"Clothes--" said little Mr. Chippy severely--"clothes don't tell whether -their wearer has a taste for eggs. Now, I wear a red cap. To be sure, -it isn't as bright, perhaps, nor as big, as Mr. Woodpecker's. But it's a -red cap, all the same. And everybody knows that _I_ don't eat eggs. -Everybody knows I'm no nest robber." - -"You don't look like one!" cried a strange voice which made everybody -jump. It was the newcomer, Mr. Woodpecker, himself! Unnoticed he had -flown up. And now he perched on a limb nearby. "You don't look any more -like a nest robber than I do," he told Mr. Chippy. - -The whole company stared at him; and then stared at little Mr. Chippy. -There was a vast difference between them. Mr. Chippy was a tiny, meek -person, while Mr. Woodpecker was as bold as brass. Mr. Chippy was -modestly dressed; and his cap, though it was reddish, was of a dull hue. -But the newcomer wore a flashy suit of dark steel blue and white; and -his cap was both very big and very red. Mr. Chippy was a shy body who -said little; and when he did speak it was usually only to utter a faint -_chip, chip, chip, chip_. But Mr. Woodpecker was very talkative. When he -spoke you didn't have to strain your ears to hear what he said. - -Mr. Woodpecker gave a quick glance all about and cried, "How-dy do!" - -"Good morning, Mr. Woodpecker!" the birds greeted him. - -"Don't call me 'Mister!'" he said. "My name is Reddy--Reddy Woodpecker." -Then he turned to little, shrinking Mr. Chippy and his wife. "I can see -that you're worried about your eggs," he remarked. "I suppose your nest -is hidden not far away." - -Mr. and Mrs. Chippy looked most uncomfortable. They didn't quite dare -speak to such a grand person as Reddy. - -"Where's your nest?" Reddy asked them bluntly. - -"_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_" said Mr. Chippy. "_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_" -said his wife. - -"What sort of answer is that to a civil question?" Reddy Woodpecker -blustered. "Here I've just made your acquaintance. And I've asked you to -call me by my first name. And you won't even tell me where you live!" - -Mr. and Mrs. Chippy didn't know what to say. It was lucky for them that -Mr. Catbird came to their rescue. - -"Don't bully these good people!" Mr. Catbird cried, as he settled -himself right in front of Reddy Woodpecker. "If you had heard what old -Mr. Crow said about you, just before you arrived, you'd understand why -Mr. and Mrs. Chippy don't care to tell you where their nest is." - -Reddy glared at Mr. Catbird. - -"Old Mr. Crow? Who's he?" Reddy demanded. "I haven't made his -acquaintance. I'm sure he can't know anything about me." - -"Ah! Perhaps not!" Mr. Catbird answered. "But he knows what sort of -family yours is. He has met others like you." - -Reddy sniffed. "I never saw a Crow that wasn't a rascally blackguard," -he snapped. "There never was a Crow that wasn't a nest robber." - -"_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_" Mr. Chippy interrupted. - -"What's he saying?" Reddy Woodpecker asked Mr. Catbird. - -"He says he agrees with you." - -"Then he has more sense than I thought," Reddy observed. "And if Mr. -Crow spoke ill of me I hope Mr. Chippy has enough sense not to believe -him." - -"_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_" - -"What's he saying now?" Reddy Woodpecker demanded of Mr. Catbird. - -"He says he agrees with Mr. Crow," Mr. Catbird explained very -pleasantly. - -"Then he hasn't any sense at all!" cried Reddy. - -The whole company couldn't help giggling when he said that. And Reddy -Woodpecker promptly lost his temper. - -"I've planned to spend the summer here," he said. "It's too late now to -move on. But I can understand at last why none of my family has visited -this neighborhood for many years. It's a pleasant enough place. But -the neighbors aren't my sort at all." - -"_Chip, chip, chip, chip!_" piped Mr. Chippy. - -"He says he agrees with you," Mr. Catbird told Reddy Woodpecker. And -then he added, "Meaow!" And he gave himself a jerk and spread his tail, -all of which told Reddy Woodpecker plainly that Mr. Catbird had a very -poor opinion of him. - - - - - *III* - - *MORNING TATTOOS* - - -In the spring Reddy Woodpecker liked to drum. - -He never felt that a pleasant day was rightly begun unless he played a -tattoo early in the morning. So upon his arrival in Pleasant Valley he -began promptly to look about for a good drumming place. - -It wasn't long before he discovered a strip of tin nailed upon the roof -of Farmer Green's barn. - -"Ah!" cried Reddy the moment he spied this treasure. "Just what I -need!" And settling himself down upon it he hammered out a long, -rolling tattoo with his strong bill. - -It mattered not to him that Farmer Green's family was sound asleep. He -didn't care whether he disturbed anybody. He liked to hear his own -drumming; and he intended to drum. - -"This is the finest drumming place I've ever had!" Reddy Woodpecker -cried aloud. "I don't care if the neighbors are disagreeable to me. -I'm glad I came here to spend the summer." - -So he made good use of that bit of tin with which Farmer Green had -mended the roof of the barn. Each morning (if it wasn't raining) he -flew to the barn to beat his tattoo. And he began to speak of "My tin," -and "My roof"--and even of "My barn!" - -Then, one morning, Reddy was a bit lazy. He was late about his morning -drumming. And before he had left the orchard where he had decided to -live he heard a sound that gave him a great start. From the direction of -the barn came a rolling beat which filled him with dismay. - -"Who's that drumming?" he exclaimed. "It can't be myself, because I'm -here in the orchard." Then all at once he became terribly angry. "It's -somebody else!" he muttered. "Somebody has stolen my drumming place--my -piece of tin--my roof--my barn!" - -He flung himself off the old, dead apple tree where he had been looking -for grubs for his breakfast and flew straight towards the rolling sound -which still beat upon the air. - -It was just as he had feared. A stranger sat upon the strip of tin -pounding away with his bill as if it were his duty to waken everybody in -Pleasant Valley. He wasn't as handsomely dressed as Reddy Woodpecker. -He wore a brown and gray and black suit, with a patch of white low down -upon his back and a splash of red on the back of his head. From each -side of his bill reached a black mustache. This mustache gave the -strange drummer a brigandish air which made Reddy Woodpecker think twice -before he spoke to him. But Reddy was so angry that he just had to say -something. - -"Hop away from there!" he cried. - -The stranger stopped drumming and looked up with a smile. He said only -one word. It was "Why?" - -"Because," said Reddy Woodpecker, "that bit of tin belongs to me." - -"Does it?" asked the other. "I thought it belonged to Farmer Green." - -Reddy Woodpecker noticed that the stranger was bigger than he was. And -that fact, as well as the fierce mustache, made him hesitate again. He -wanted to call the stranger a name. But he didn't quite dare. - -Then the stranger spoke again. He spoke very agreeably, too. - -"What use do you make of this tin?" he inquired. - -"I drum on it," Reddy replied. - -"Oh!" said the gentleman with the mustache. "Why didn't you say so -before?" And he bowed and scraped in a most polite fashion. "I resign!" -he cried. In another moment he was gone. - -Reddy Woodpecker hastened to beat his morning tattoo upon the tin. And -while he was drumming he noticed a Barn Swallow watching him. - -"Who was that chap that just left?" he asked. - -"Don't you know him?" Mr. Barn Swallow exclaimed. "That's Mr. Flicker." - -"Huh!" Reddy Woodpecker grunted. "I don't think much of his drumming." - -"You ought to," remarked Mr. Barn Swallow. - -"Why?" Reddy inquired. - -"Because he's a distant cousin of yours," Mr. Barn Swallow explained. -"He belongs to the Woodpecker family." - - - - - *IV* - - *THE HIGH-HOLE* - - -Reddy Woodpecker lost no time in making friends with his cousin Mr. -Flicker. Reddy knew well enough that most of the birds in the -neighborhood wished he hadn't come there to live. So he thought it wise -to be pleasant and polite to Mr. Flicker. There was no knowing when he -might need one friend among so many enemies. He even let Mr. Flicker -drum upon the strip of tin upon the roof of the barn. But secretly -Reddy thought him a queer chap. - -"There's one thing that's very odd about you," Reddy said to Mr. Flicker -one day. "If you're a Woodpecker, why don't you peck wood? I've -noticed that you spend most of your time on the ground--when you're not -drumming upon my tin." - -Mr. Flicker laughed. - -"Oh!" he said lightly, "we Flickers have found an easier way to get a -living than by drilling wood with our bills to find grubs. We eat -ants," he explained. "And that's why you see me on the ground so much, -because that's where the ants live." At the moment Mr. Flicker was on -the ground, while Reddy clung to the trunk of a tree near him. And just -to prove the truth of his statement Mr. Flicker made a quick jab into -the turf with his bill. He pulled his bill out at once, giving Reddy -Woodpecker a glimpse of an ant before he swallowed it. - -Reddy Woodpecker stared at him in amazement. "Where's your home?" he -asked Mr. Flicker. "Is your home on the ground?" - -"Bless you, no!" cried Mr. Flicker. "I'm no ground bird. My wife and I -have a fine hole in an old apple tree in the orchard." - -Reddy Woodpecker had to approve of that, anyhow. So he nodded his -red-capped head. - -"You're sensible in one way, at least," he remarked. "That's the way to -live, if only you build high enough, out of harm's way." - -Mr. Flicker grinned at him. - -"It's plain that you don't know we Flickers are sometimes called -High-holes," he said, "because of the way we nest." - -"Ah! So you have two names, eh?" Reddy Woodpecker exclaimed, as he -speared a grub with his tongue and drew it out from under a bit of bark. -"I should think you'd find that confusing. I should think you'd forget -who you were, sometimes." - -"Oh! It's easy when you get used to it," Mr. Flicker replied. He -paused to capture another ant. And then he added, "I have more than -just two names. I have one hundred and twenty-four in all." - -"My goodness!" cried Reddy. He was so astonished that he missed a stab -at a fine grub that was right under his nose. "My goodness! Has your -wife as many names as that?" - -"Yes!" said Mr. Flicker. - -"And your children?" - -Mr. Flicker nodded. - -"Sakes alive!" Reddy exclaimed. "How do you ever feed them all?" - -Mr. Flicker gave a long, rolling, curious laugh. - -"We feed the children under only one name," he explained, "although I -must confess it sometimes seems to me that each of them eats enough for -one hundred and twenty-four youngsters." - -"I know how that is," said Reddy Woodpecker. "My home is in a tree in -the orchard, too. And I'm raising a family of four myself." - - - - - *V* - - *TOO MUCH COUSIN* - - -Reddy Woodpecker wished that he hadn't been so pleasant to his cousin -Mr. Flicker. It was all well enough for Mr. Flicker to drum upon -Reddy's bit of tin on the roof of the barn so long as he drummed late in -the morning. But when he drummed early, as he sometimes did, it usually -happened that Reddy had to wait before he could begin his own morning -tattoo. - -And Reddy Woodpecker didn't like that at all. In fact it seemed to him -that Mr. Flicker had quite forgotten his manners. For if he happened to -reach the barn first he never stopped drumming until he had all but -drummed his head off. At least, that was the way it seemed to Reddy -Woodpecker. - -At such times Reddy did everything he could think of--short of actually -fighting--to make Mr. Flicker stop. He made a sound like a tree toad, -_ktr-rr, kttr-r-r_. He tapped on the shingles with his bill. He flew -right over Mr. Flicker's head. But it seemed as if Mr. Flicker simply -couldn't take a hint. - -"I don't like to order him to hop away," thought Reddy. "He's my -cousin. Besides, he's bigger than I am; and he does look terribly -fierce with that black mustache."' - -Though he may have _looked_ fierce, Mr. Flicker always _acted_ in the -most pleasant manner possible. And when he finished his drumming he -never failed to ask Reddy Woodpecker how he liked it. - -It was a hard question for Reddy to answer, because he didn't care in -the least for Mr. Flicker's tattoos. He thought his own were far -better. Sometimes Reddy pretended not to hear his cousin's question, -but started drumming at once. Sometimes he said, "I believe that's an -improvement over yesterday's tattoo." And at last he exclaimed one -morning, "You ought to join the Woodchuck brothers!" - -Mr. Flicker was a great person to ask, "Why?" He asked it now. - -"Because," Reddy told him, "the Woodchuck brothers are famous whistlers. -And they need somebody to drum for them while they whistle. I've often -heard them chirping away by themselves over in the pasture. And as you -must know, there's no music that sounds better than drumming, with a -little shrill whistling to go with it--unless it's a little whistling, -with a plenty of loud drumming." - -Mr. Flicker's favorite word "Why" sprang to his bill again. "Why," he -inquired, "do you not drum for the Woodchuck brothers yourself?" - -Reddy Woodpecker shook his head. - -"I want to practice more, before I join a troupe," he said. - -"There!" Mr. Flicker exclaimed. "I like to hear people talk that way. -That shows that you don't think you're the best drummer in Pleasant -Valley." - -"I don't, eh?" said Reddy. - -"No, you don't!" said Mr. Flicker. And it was plain that _he_ didn't -think so, either. But before Reddy could make up his mind to quarrel -with his cousin Mr. Flicker asked him another question--not "Why?" but -"Where?" "Where--" said Mr. Flicker earnestly--"where can one find -these Woodchuck brothers?" - -"One can find them in the pasture, unless they're in the clover patch. -Just now they are probably in the pasture, for it's a bit early in the -season for clover." - -"The pasture!" repeated Mr. Flicker. "Ah! There must be ant hills in -the pasture." - -"Hundreds of them!" said Reddy. - -"Then I'll go to see the Woodchuck brothers at once," Mr. Flicker -decided. So he flew off. - - - - - *VI* - - *MR. FLICKER'S PLANS* - - -In a little while Mr. Flicker returned from his trip to the pasture to -see the Woodchuck brothers. Hurrying into the orchard he called to -Reddy Woodpecker, "They're thinking it over." - -"They'll want you to drum for them," Reddy assured him. "There's no -doubt that the Woodchuck brothers will accept your offer.... Why don't -you move up to the pasture at once? You'd find it handy, living in the -Woodchucks' door-yard." - -"I can't do that," said Mr. Flicker. "You forget my family." - -"Move them too!" Reddy urged him. - -But Mr. Flicker shook his head. "I don't believe my wife would be -willing," he replied. "Besides, there's that piece of tin on the roof -of the barn. Would you advise me to move that?" - -"No!" Reddy cried hastily. "Don't move the tin! In fact, Mr. Flicker, -I shouldn't move at all, if I were you." - -But Mr. Flicker had liked the plan of moving to the pasture to live. He -had found great quantities of ants there. And to Reddy's dismay he -insisted that he should move and take the strip of tin with him. That -is to say, he intended to move as soon as his wife gave him permission. - -It was no wonder Reddy wished he had never put such an idea into his -cousin Mr. Flicker's head. He had hoped to get rid only of Mr. Flicker -and his drumming. He had never dreamed that Mr. Flicker would want to -take the precious bit of tin with him when he went. - -Shortly afterward Mr. Flicker reported that it was just as he had -thought. Mrs. Flicker wouldn't listen to moving just then. But later, -after the children learned to fly, and could feed themselves, she would -have no objection to the change of residence. - -Reddy Woodpecker cocked an eye toward the roof of the barn. - -"That tin--" he said--"you can't take it with you when you move. It -belongs to Farmer Green." - -"Oh!" Mr. Flicker exclaimed. "I thought it belonged to you. And I knew -_you_ wouldn't object to your cousin's _borrowing_ it for the rest of -the season--now would you?" - -But Reddy Woodpecker wasn't going to answer any dangerous questions. -"The tin is Farmer Green's," he declared. - -It seemed as if Mr. Flicker were full of alarming thoughts. - -"I wish," he said, "we'd have a cyclone that would rip that tin off the -barn and carry it up to the pasture." - -"Oh, my goodness!" cried Reddy Woodpecker. And he worried dreadfully -all the rest of that day. There's no knowing when he would have stopped -fretting had Mr. Flicker not made a certain report to him the following -morning. - -"The Woodchuck brothers don't want me to drum for them," he announced. - -"Then you aren't going to move!" cried Reddy. - -"No!" Mr. Flicker replied. "And I don't intend there shall be any -cyclone, either." - -So at last Reddy Woodpecker felt better. - - - - - *VII* - - *THE TWO NEIGHBORS* - - -While Reddy Woodpecker and his cousin were getting acquainted their -wives became quite friendly. Living as they did, each in an old apple -tree at the lower end of the orchard, they often met. And since their -doorways were almost opposite each other Mrs. Woodpecker and Mrs. -Flicker didn't even have to leave their homes to enjoy a neighborly -chat. - -If one of them had something specially interesting to say, all she had -to do was to stick her head out of the hole in the trunk of her tree and -call. And if the other happened to be at home it was never more than a -second before her head popped forth from her doorway. It was all very -simple and most convenient. - -Everything was pleasant until one day something happened. Something -changed the friendly feelings between the two ladies. When Reddy -Woodpecker peered out of his doorway one morning Mrs. Flicker called to -him, "Good morning, my dear!" - -He was so surprised he didn't know what to say. - -But Mrs. Woodpecker knew what to say. It chanced that she was clinging -to a limb above their home, so screened by some leaves that Mrs. Flicker -couldn't see her. She quickly made known her presence. And she said so -much that Mrs. Flicker soon withdrew her head. She hadn't answered Mrs. -Woodpecker. Indeed she had had no opportunity; for Mrs. Woodpecker -talked fast and furiously. - -"It's no wonder she hides!" Mrs. Woodpecker spluttered. "I'd like to -know what she means by calling my husband her 'dear!'" - -Well, Reddy Woodpecker felt just as uncomfortable as Mrs. Flicker must -have felt. But he didn't hide. He didn't dare to hide. - -"What had you said to her?" Mrs. Woodpecker demanded. - -"Honestly," Reddy replied, "I hadn't said a word. I had just stuck my -head out. And the first thing I knew Mrs. Flicker called to me. You -heard what she said." - -"I certainly did!" was his wife's grim response. "It was a very queer -way for her to speak to you." - -"It was nothing--" Reddy assured her--"nothing at all. She made a -mistake." - -"She certainly did!" cried Mrs. Woodpecker. "She didn't know I was right -here where I could hear her. She should have been more careful. That's -where she made a serious blunder." - -"Oh, my goodness!" said Reddy. "I didn't mean that. It wasn't that -sort of mistake. It was this sort: Mrs. Flicker----" - -"Don't mention her name to me again!" shrilled Mrs. Woodpecker. - -"Well, how can I talk about her, then?" Reddy asked his wife. - -"If you feel that you _must_ talk about her," said Mrs. Woodpecker, -"call her 'she.'" - -"All right! She made this mistake: She thought she was talking to you." - -Mrs. Woodpecker laughed bitterly at that. - -"You'll have hard work making me believe it," she told her husband. - -"Well, you ask her if it isn't the truth," Reddy urged. - -"I will!" his wife promised. "Don't worry! I'll ask her.... And now," -she added, "you'd better go and find some breakfast for the children. -We can get along without any early tattoo this morning." - -He went. - - - - - *VIII* - - *AN EARLY CALL* - - -Mrs. Woodpecker flew to her neighbor Mrs. Flicker's tree and rapped, -_tap-tap-tap-tap_. She didn't rap gently, either. She was not in a -gentle mood. She intended to find out why Mrs. Flicker had called to -Reddy Woodpecker, "Good morning, my dear!" - -Mrs. Flicker promptly stuck her head out of her door. - -"My husband is not at home," she said. And then she vanished. - -"Well, the very idea! What a remark to make to me!" cried Mrs. -Woodpecker. "As if I'd call on a gentleman!" Being angrier than ever, -she rapped harder than before. - -Again Mrs. Flicker peered out. Again she spoke. - -"Did you wish to leave a message, Mr. Woodpecker?" she inquired. - -"I'm not Mr. Woodpecker! I'm Mrs. Woodpecker!" shrieked the caller. - -"Oh! Oh! Oh! My! My! My!" exclaimed Mrs. Flicker, who was greatly -astonished. "I beg your pardon! Excuse me! It's my mistake." - -"It certainly isn't mine," said Mrs. Reddy Woodpecker. "It seems to me -you're making a good many mistakes this morning, madam." - -Mrs. Flicker looked very unhappy. She wasn't used to being called -'madam.' She could see that Mrs. Woodpecker was furious. She wanted to -be friends with Mrs. Woodpecker. - -"You and Mr. Woodpecker look very much alike," Mrs. Flicker said to her -angry caller. "When one of you peeps out of your house it's hard to -tell who's who. Just now when I came to my doorway I could see only your -head. And I thought it was your husband. When I spoke to your husband -a few minutes ago I thought it was you." - -Mrs. Woodpecker stared at her neighbor for a few moments. Somehow she -thought Mrs. Flicker must be telling the truth. - -"It's your red caps, I think," Mrs. Flicker went on. "They make you -look like twins." - -"Dear me!" said Mrs. Woodpecker. "I hadn't thought of that. What can we -do?" Her anger had suddenly left her. - -"My husband and I have things nicely arranged," Mrs. Flicker told her -caller. - -"Now, you never have mistaken him for me, have you?" - -"No!" - -"Nor me for him?" - -"No!" - -"Do you know the reason?" Mrs. Flicker asked. - -"No! No! I can't say I do," replied Mrs. Woodpecker eagerly. - -"Well," said Mrs. Flicker, "my husband wears a black mustache.... And -of course I don't," she added. - -"That's it!" cried Mrs. Woodpecker. "I hadn't realized it. But it's so. -And I must tell my husband to wear a mustache. It's the only safe way to -avoid trouble. Then people can tell us apart." - -Then Mrs. Woodpecker hurried away to speak to her husband. She was -surprised that he didn't take kindly to her suggestion. - -"I don't want to wear a mustache," he objected. - -"But you _must_!" she insisted. - -"Why don't _you_ wear one?" he inquired. "It would do just as well." - -"Don't be silly!" she snapped. "Ladies never wear mustaches." - -"Yes, they do," he replied. - -"No, they don't!" she disputed. - -Well, he saw at once that it was useless to argue with her. - -"Come with me a moment, my dear!" Reddy begged her. - -She thought he was going somewhere to get a mustache. So of course she -hurried after him. - -Reddy Woodpecker stopped beside Farmer Green's barn. - -"There!" he said, as he waved a wing towards a great poster that was -pasted upon the side of the barn. "Do you see that lady? She has a -mustache--and a beard, too!" - -It was just as he said. Mrs. Woodpecker couldn't help admitting that, -to herself. And though she didn't speak to Reddy the rest of that day, -he was satisfied. For she didn't mention mustaches to him again. - -"It was lucky for me," he thought, "that the circus came to these parts -this summer." - - - - - *IX* - - *MRS. ROBIN WORRIES* - - -Though the Flickers welcomed Reddy Woodpecker when he came to live in -Pleasant Valley there was hardly another bird family that wasn't sorry -to see him settle there. Among all the feathered folk on Farmer Green's -place the Robin family was perhaps the sorriest. They had a nest of -eggs in the orchard, in a crotch of an old apple tree. And it was on -just such trees that Reddy Woodpecker spent a great deal of his time, -hunting for grubs. - -Jolly Robin himself might not have paid much heed to Reddy. But Mrs. -Robin was a great worrier. Often she worried over nothing at all. And -now that she had had a few talks with timid little Mrs. Chippy about the -newcomer, Reddy Woodpecker, Mrs. Robin firmly believed that he had come -to the farm expressly to rob her of her four greenish-blue eggs. After -each talk with Mrs. Chippy Mrs. Robin came home all a-flutter. - -"We'll have to watch sharp!" she said to Jolly Robin again and again. -"This Woodpecker person is a rascal. It's a pity we built here in the -orchard. We'd have been safer on top of one of the posts under Farmer -Green's porch." - -"I mentioned that very place," Jolly reminded her. "But you were afraid -of Miss Kitty Cat." - -Not a day passed without some such words between them. Jolly did what -he could to calm his wife's fears. He stayed near home all the time, -when often he would have liked to fly across the meadow to chat with -friends who lived on the edge of the woods. - -Reddy Woodpecker never started to rap on a tree but Mrs. Robin set up a -loud twitter, begging Jolly to hurry back to the nest. - -He was wonderfully patient with her. Yet he couldn't help hoping, -secretly, for the day when his family should be grown up and able to -look out for themselves. - -But if Mrs. Robin was anxious about her eggs her worry was nothing -compared with what it became when the nestlings broke through their -shells. - -"This is the finest family in the whole valley," she confided to her -husband. "I know that terrible Woodpecker person will steal these -children if he can." - -If the youngsters didn't peep for food their mother feared they were -ill. If they did peep she feared Reddy Woodpecker would hear them. -"He's such a dangerous person!" she would exclaim. "I wonder if he ever -eats anything except eggs and nestlings." - -"Yes, indeed!" Jolly assured her again and again. "He eats grubs, which -he finds on the trees. And he eats insects, which he catches in the -air." - -"Thank goodness!" Mrs. Robin murmured. But her relief was short-lived. -For she happened to meet little Mrs. Chippy one day and learned another -bit of distressing news about Reddy Woodpecker. "He's a fruit eater!" -Mrs. Robin told Jolly. "And you know we've been depending on the -raspberries for our children." - -A few days later she came home in a dreadful state of mind. - -"I went to take a look at the raspberry patch," she explained to her -good husband. "I knew the berries would soon be ripe. In fact I've had -my eye on one that was almost ready to be picked. And what do you -think? Eight before my own eyes that ruffianly Reddy Woodpecker picked -it and ate it himself!" - -"Don't worry about that!" said Jolly Robin. - -But Mrs. Robin insisted on worrying; nothing he said could stop her. - -"Reddy Woodpecker is taking the food out of our children's mouths!" she -wailed. "You'll have to drive him away from the raspberry patch! You'll -have to fight him!" - -Now, Jolly Robin hardly thought that he was a match for Reddy -Woodpecker. So when his wife gave him those orders he began to worry, -himself. - - - - - *X* - - *OBEYING ORDERS* - - -Jolly Robin's worrying wife wouldn't give him a moment's peace. - -"You'd better get along over to the raspberry patch," she kept telling -him. "If you don't hurry that terrible Reddy Woodpecker will eat every -berry. He'll snatch each one as it ripens and we shall not have any to -feed our children." - -Now, Jolly Robin didn't care to have any trouble with Reddy Woodpecker. -But he soon saw that if he avoided Reddy he would only have trouble with -Mrs. Robin. So at last he said, "Very well! I'll attend to him, my -love." And off he flew, looking much braver than he felt. You'd have -thought, to see him, that he longed to find Reddy Woodpecker. Really he -hoped that he wouldn't find Reddy anywhere. - -Much to Jolly Robin's dismay he met Reddy Woodpecker among the raspberry -bushes. Jolly jumped when he saw that dashing newcomer. But it was too -late to dodge out of sight. Reddy Woodpecker saw him. So Jolly Robin -made up his mind to put on a bold front. Sitting on a fence post that -overlooked the raspberry patch he stared hard at Reddy Woodpecker. He -thought perhaps he could frighten him away. - -He might as well have stared at the barn door. To his great distress -Reddy Woodpecker picked a berry and flew to a near-by post, where he sat -and ate the fruit with relish. When he had finished the dainty he -pretended to notice Jolly Robin for the first time and he bowed and -scraped in the politest fashion. - -Still Jolly Robin did not utter a word. Nor did he return any of Reddy's -bows. But he began to feel himself swelling; he began to feel his -feathers ruffle up. And he knew then that he must speak soon or burst. -For there was no doubt that he was growing angry. So presently he -cried: - -"Was that raspberry ripe?" - -"Yes," replied Reddy Woodpecker, "and very juicy." - -Now, Jolly Robin hadn't meant to ask any such question as that. He had -meant to make some cutting remark. But he was so in the habit of being -pleasant to everybody that it was very hard for him to be disagreeable. - -"A-ahem!" he said. "Pardon me, sir! Did--did you know that my wife and -I have been expecting to pick these raspberries for our children?" - -But he might as well have said nothing at all. For Reddy Woodpecker -only laughed and exclaimed, "You're a joker, aren't you?" - -"No, I'm not," Jolly replied. - -"Yes, you are," said Reddy Woodpecker. "You can't fool me. I know well -enough that you don't intend to bring your children up on berries. I've -seen you pulling angleworms for them too many times." Then Reddy -dropped off his post and clung to a bush while he picked another berry -that seemed redder than the rest. - -"Well," Jolly thought, "I've talked to him anyhow. At least I can tell -my wife that." So he left Reddy to enjoy the fruit and sailed away to -his home. - -"You're back very quickly," Mrs. Robin remarked when she saw him. -"Didn't you find that Woodpecker person?" - -"Oh, yes! I found him," Jolly explained. "I found him and I talked with -him, too." - -Mrs. Robin cast a sharp glance at her husband. - -"Where is he now?" she inquired. - -"He's eating raspberries in the berry patch," Jolly told her. "When I -talked with him I said----" - -"You _said_!" Mrs. Robin interrupted. "You _said_! The question is, -what did you _do_? If you didn't fight him you must go back and do your -duty." - -There was nothing he could do except obey her. So, feeling very -desperate, Jolly Robin hurried back to the place where the raspberry -bushes grew by the fence. He gave three loud chirps, to encourage -himself. And then he darted down and sailed very close to Reddy -Woodpecker's head. He didn't pause an instant to see what effect this -action had on Reddy Woodpecker, but flew away as quickly as he could. -"I guess I scared him that time," he muttered. - -Meanwhile Reddy Woodpecker stared after him and watched him as he -disappeared among the apple tree tops. - -"Well, what do you think of that?" he said to himself with a grin. - - - - - *XI* - - *A VERY SHORT FIGHT* - - -Jolly Robin told his wife how he swooped down over Reddy Woodpecker's -head. And he assured her that he had no doubt that Mr. Woodpecker would -not be seen among the raspberry bushes again. - -Jolly had felt quite pleased with himself. His threatened attack on -Reddy had seemed to him to be very daring. So he was disappointed when -his wife did not praise him. - -"You ought to have stuck that rascal with your bill," Mrs. Robin -complained. "If he's the sort of person I think he is he'll pay no heed -to your warning." - -As usual, Mrs. Robin proved to be right. That very day she herself -beheld Reddy Woodpecker eating more raspberries. He had stolen every -ripe berry. Though Mrs. Robin had hoped to find four (one for each of -her nestlings) she didn't pick even one. They were all too hard and -sour. - -"It's a pity," she said to Jolly. "Everybody knows now-a-days that -children need fruit. The day is past when you can bring them up on -nothing but angleworms. You'll have to go back there to the raspberry -patch and fight Reddy. You can't escape a fight any longer." - -Well, what could he do? What could Jolly Robin do but obey his wife? -He asked himself that question. And he could find only one answer. It -was "Nothing!" There was nothing he could think of that would satisfy -Mrs. Robin except a real battle. So he went forth. - -Yes! Jolly Robin went forth very bravely to find Reddy Woodpecker. He -meant to surprise him. But it was Jolly who received the surprise. - -Reddy Woodpecker attacked first! The moment he spied Jolly Robin Reddy -hurled himself at him. He skimmed so near to Jolly's head that that -astonished little fellow ducked and hurried away. Yes! Jolly Robin -retreated. It wasn't that Reddy Woodpecker was bigger than he was. To -tell the truth, Reddy wasn't quite so big. But he liked to fight. And -Jolly Robin loved peace. - -Jolly hid in the midst of a thick hedge that grew beyond the fence. -"Well," he muttered, "that fight was soon over. There's no use of -telling Mrs. Robin about it. She would only worry." He there a long -time. He didn't want to go home. He didn't know what to do. So he -thought and thought; until at last a happy idea popped into his head. -"I'll get help!" he exclaimed. "I'll get my friends from the other side -of the meadow to come and help me fight Reddy." - -Mrs. Robin was worrying terribly when Jolly reached home. - -"You've been gone a long time," she complained. "Did you chase that -Woodpecker person out of the valley?" - -"No!" said Jolly. "But I expect to to-morrow." - -"I thought I told you to fight him to-day," said his wife somewhat -tartly. - -"Yes! Yes!" he replied hastily. "We had a set-to--Mr. Woodpecker and -I. But the real fight will take place to-morrow." - -"I'm glad to hear you talk that way at last," she told him. "It's high -time something was done." - - - - - *XII* - - *JOLLY ROBIN'S HELPER* - - -The next morning Jolly Robin told his wife that she would have to do all -the work of gathering the children's breakfast. "You know, my love," he -explained, "I have important business to attend to to-day." And before -she had time to object he left her. - -Over near the garden fence he met three plump Robins who had flown -across the meadow to help him fight Reddy Woodpecker. And soon the four -had dropped down into the raspberry patch. - -Reddy Woodpecker had not arrived. So, while they were waiting Jolly -Robin's friends helped themselves to berries. Under the hot sun the -fruit had ripened fast. Finding it both sweet and juicy they ate of it -freely. And Jolly Robin could think of no reason why he should not do -likewise. - -By the time Reddy Woodpecker came, all the Robins from over the meadow -were feeling so well fed and good-natured that they were in anything but -a fighting mood. - -"Let that Woodpecker enjoy this fruit if he likes it," they said to -Jolly in an undertone. "There's more than enough for everybody. And -now," they told him, "we must go home, because we have to help our wives -feed our children." - -Off they flew. And Jolly Robin found himself alone with Reddy -Woodpecker. - -"Ahem!" exclaimed Jolly Robin. "It's a fine morning, isn't it?" - -"Delightful!" said Reddy Woodpecker. - -"It looks as if you and I were going to have this raspberry patch all to -ourselves, doesn't it?" Jolly continued. - -Reddy Woodpecker agreed with him. - -"We ought to keep others out of it," said Jolly. - -Again Reddy Woodpecker was of the same mind as he. - -"Then this is a bargain!" cried Jolly Robin. "I'll ask you to guard the -place alone for a few minutes while I go home and speak to my wife." - -Reddy Woodpecker grinned as he watched Jolly Robin winging his way -homeward. - -"Humph!" he grunted. "I may as well let that Robin have a taste of -these berries. I certainly can't eat them all, nor carry them all home -to my family." - -Jolly Robin found his wife anxiously awaiting his return. - -"Have you chased that Woodpecker person away?" she demanded. - -"No, my love," he replied. "I 've made other arrangements. Mr. -Woodpecker is working for me now. So of course I don't want to scare -him off the farm. He's helping me at the raspberry patch. He's helping -me to guard the fruit. In fact I couldn't have come back to speak to -you now if it wasn't for him. He's watching the berries for me now." - -"Nonsense!" cried Mrs. Robin. "If that Woodpecker person is in the -raspberry patch you may be sure he's eating berries as fast as he can." - -"Only a few!" Jolly assured her. "There's more than enough for our -family and his." - -"How do you know that?" she demanded. "Did you count the berries?" - -"No!" he replied. - -"Go back and count them at once!" she commanded. - -"Yes, my love!" Jolly answered. - -He really did try to count the berries. But he soon found it to be an -impossible task. Reddy Woodpecker ate so many raspberries and carried -so many home to his children that Jolly Robin despaired of ever settling -upon the correct number. - -He felt very unhappy over the matter. And he even asked Reddy Woodpecker -what he ought to do. - -"Oh, tell your wife there are a million," Reddy Woodpecker suggested. -"If she doesn't believe you, let her count them herself!" - -"Oh, I couldn't do that," said Jolly Robin. - -"Well, I say there are a million," Reddy declared. Then he picked and -ate another berry. "Now there are nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand -nine hundred and ninety-nine," he announced. "Go home and tell your wife -I said so." - -So Jolly Robin went. He went and told Mrs. Robin what Reddy Woodpecker -had said. - -She turned her back on him and exclaimed, "Fiddlesticks!" - - - - - *XIII* - - *THE CARPENTER* - - -One day Reddy Woodpecker was _tap, tap, tapping_ on a tall poplar that -grew beside the brook. He had discovered a tiny opening in the bark and -he wanted to see what was at the further end of it. - -Suddenly a voice called out, "Well, well, well! What is it?" And a -pale-faced person not unlike Buster Bumblebee peered out at Reddy -Woodpecker. He was careful to keep safely out of reach of Reddy's horny -tongue. "I hope," said the dweller in the poplar, "you're not wanting -me to build you a house. I can't work for you just now. I'm very busy -to-day, making an addition to my own house." - -Reddy stared at the speaker. - -"I've already built my house--with my wife's help," he replied. "Why -should you think I needed your assistance?" - -"Because," said the other, "I'm Whiteface, the Carpenter Bee. The -neighbors are always pestering me to help them." - -Then Reddy Woodpecker noticed that Whiteface was covered with sawdust. -But before he could examine him very closely the carpenter vanished. - -"I must have another look at that queer person," Reddy thought. So he -began to rap once more. - -Again the carpenter peeped forth. - -"If you're out of work," he said, "I'll tell you plainly that you can't -find it here. I never employ strangers to work for me, for I'm _very_ -particular." Then he was gone. - -_Tap, tap, tap_! This time, when the carpenter answered Reddy's -knocking, he was most impatient. - -"Go away!" he cried. "You're shaking my whole house. I don't like it." - -"Not so fast!" said Reddy Woodpecker. "I'm only making a friendly call. -You and I are neighbors. But how am I ever going to get acquainted with -you if you won't stop for a short chat?" - -"I can't stand here idling my time away," the carpenter replied. "I'm a -busy bee. Come inside if you want to see me!" And he disappeared -again. - -How could Reddy Woodpecker accept his invitation to enter? The -carpenter's doorway was too small for him. And the wood was not the -sort that Reddy liked to chisel away with his bill. It wasn't brittle -enough to suit him. So he knocked again. - -When the carpenter came rushing back to his doorway his pale face wore -an anxious look. - -"Oh!" he said. "I thought it was a fire. I thought somebody wanted to -tell me my house was on fire. But it's only you. What do you want -now?" - -"I know you'd like to learn my name," Reddy Woodpecker began. - -"Just leave your card!" the carpenter told him. "I'll look at it later -when I have more time." - -"When will that be?" Reddy demanded. - -"I don't know," the odd person confessed. "It seems as if I never would -get my house finished." - -"Then," said Reddy, "there can't be any use in my leaving my card. -Probably when you found time to look at it you wouldn't remember who -left it." - -"Probably not!" the carpenter admitted. "Good day, sir!" And he dodged -out of sight. - -Still Reddy Woodpecker was not discouraged. He knocked a fifth time. - -"What!" exclaimed the carpenter when he answered Reddy's tapping. -"Haven't you gone yet?" - -"No!" Reddy replied. "I want to say----" - -"If you have anything more to tell me, write me a letter!" said the -pale-faced carpenter. And he set up a sign where Reddy Woodpecker could -see it: "This Is My Busy Day!" Then he passed from view. - -Reddy Woodpecker stayed a long time at the poplar tree beside the brook. -He knocked and knocked and knocked until at last his head began to ache. -But the sawdust-covered carpenter never showed his pale face again. - - - - - *XIV* - - *MR. CROW'S QUESTIONS* - - -If people snubbed Reddy Woodpecker he never cared. When the members of -the Pleasant Valley Singing Society wouldn't let him join them he only -smiled and said he intended to form a club of his own. - -As soon as the bird neighbors heard of Reddy's plan they were all very -curious to know more about it. But whenever anybody asked him questions -he had little to say. - -"You'll learn all about it later," he told them. "Please don't bother -me now, for I'm a busy bird. I'm starting my club." - -It was easy for Reddy Woodpecker to keep his secrets from such small -feathered folk as little Mr. Chippy. But there was one that couldn't -rest until he found out what he wanted to know. This was old Mr. Crow. -He shot question after question at Reddy Woodpecker. At last Reddy just -had to tell him something in order to gain a little peace. Reddy knew -that Mr. Crow would leave him as soon as he had picked up a bit of news. -The old gentleman would hurry away to tell it to everybody in the -valley. - -"What's your club going to be named?" Whenever Mr. Crow talked with -Reddy Woodpecker that was his favorite question. He asked it so many -times and so loudly that just to get rid of him Reddy finally told him. - -"I'm going to call my club 'The Redcaps,'" he said. - -Old Mr. Crow didn't tarry an instant longer. With an eager look in his -snapping black eyes he went flapping off on his broad wings, far down -the valley. - -Now, Mr. Crow was a fast worker. In an hour's time he had zigzagged -back again, having spread his bit of news far and wide. - -And when he had repeated it to the last neighbor he could find he -hurried to the orchard to ask Reddy Woodpecker more questions. - -The moment he found Reddy Mr. Crow began to put one question after -another so fast that you couldn't have told where one ended and the next -one began. - -Reddy Woodpecker pretended to be busier than ever. - -"I can't stop now," he told Mr. Crow. "You'll have to see my secretary." - -"Where is he? Who is he?" Mr. Crow inquired hoarsely. - -"I can't answer those questions," Reddy replied. - -"Why not?" demanded Mr. Crow. - -"Because I haven't a secretary yet," Reddy explained. - -"Why should you have a secretary?" Mr. Crow asked him. - -"Why shouldn't I?" Reddy retorted. "I guess, Mr. Crow, you don't know -much about clubs. I guess you don't know that the president of a club -always has a secretary." - -"Are you president of the Redcaps?" Mr. Crow cried breathlessly. - -"Well--yes, I am!" Reddy admitted. "I didn't mean to tell you that -to-day. But I can't deny it." - -Mr. Crow was off like a shot. You'd have thought he had just spied -Farmer Green with a gun in his hands. His _caw, caw, caw_ told -everybody in Pleasant Valley that he was going somewhere on important -business. - -Reddy Woodpecker pulled a fat grub from its hiding place in the old -apple tree. He could still hear Mr. Crow squawking when the old -gentleman was half a mile away. And Reddy smiled as he swallowed the -grub. - -"That's better than putting the news in a newspaper," he said with a -chuckle. - - - - - *XV* - - *THE REDCAPS* - - -Reddy Woodpecker knew that Mr. Crow would come back to the orchard to -ask him another question. The old gentleman simply had to learn more -about Reddy's club. - -"I'd like to knew--" said Mr. Crow--"I'd like to know why you are the -president of The Redcaps." - -"That's easily answered," Reddy replied. "It's because I wear the -biggest and reddest cap of all the birds in the neighborhood." - -Mr. Crow puzzled over the matter for a time. - -"I don't understand what difference your cap makes," he said at last. -"I've been thinking about joining the club. And _I_ have no red cap." - -"That's true, Mr. Crow," Reddy agreed. "And that's the reason why you -can't join my club. Nobody that doesn't wear a red cap can be a member -of The Redcaps." - -Mr. Crow looked daggers at him. - -"Humph!" cried the old gentleman. "I've been thinking about joining the -club. But I've decided not to do it." - -Reddy Woodpecker smiled at him. And for some reason Mr. Crow became -angry. - -"How many members has your club?" he squawked. - -"One!" Reddy told him. - -"Ha!" the old fellow exclaimed. "You can't have a club with only one -member." - -"I expect that several of the neighbors will join The Redcaps -to-morrow," said Reddy Woodpecker. "They 're only waiting for an -invitation." - -"Let me see," Mr. Crow murmured. "There's your cousin Mr. Flicker. He -wears a red patch on the back of his head. But you can't call it a cap." - -"_I_ call it a cap," Reddy Woodpecker told him. "Mr. Flicker is going -to get an invitation." - -Mr. Crow then muttered something about _cousins_, and added something -more about _birds of a feather flocking together_. And then he said, -"There's the Downy Woodpecker and there's the Hairy Woodpecker--both -cousins of yours, too. They've only what you might call a _touch_ of red -on the backs of their necks; but I suppose----" - -"Yes! I'm going to invite them to join The Redcaps," Reddy interrupted. - -Mr. Crow looked terribly upset, though he claimed it was no more than he -had expected. "That will be about all the members you will get," he -added. - -"Oh, no!" Reddy exclaimed. "You forget Mr. Sapsucker. He has a scarlet -crown. I'll want him." - -Mr. Crow swallowed hard a few times but said nothing. - -"Then there's the Ruby-crowned Kinglet," Reddy went on. "He's going to -have an invitation. And so is Mr. Kingbird." - -"Not Mr. Kingbird!" spluttered old Mr. Crow. "His crown is -orange-colored." - -"It's red enough for me," Reddy retorted. "And of course I'll ask little -Mr. Chippy to join us." - -"Nonsense!" cried Mr. Crow. "His cap is only chestnut-colored." - -"It's red enough for me," Reddy Woodpecker repeated in a firm voice. - -"My goodness!" Mr. Crow squalled. "I suppose you'll ask the whole Wood -Thrush family too--and their cousin Mr. Veery. Their heads are -reddish." - -"No! They're too brown for me," Reddy Woodpecker decided, to Mr. Crow's -great relief. - -"What about Buddy Brown Thrasher?" Mr. Crow inquired. "What about his -head?" - -"Too brown!" - -"Well," said old Mr. Crow, "I'm glad to see you have a _little_ sense. -But on the whole these Redcaps are going to be a queer lot." - - - - - *XVI* - - *A SLY TRICK* - - -This was the truth of the matter: Old Mr. Crow was jealous because he -couldn't join Reddy Woodpecker's new club, The Redcaps. For days the -old gentleman could speak of nothing else. He went grumbling and -sneering up and down Pleasant Valley, stopping to talk with anybody he -happened to see. It must be confessed that the neighbors found his ill -humor very tiresome. - -Meanwhile Reddy Woodpecker's club grew in numbers daily. It made Mr. -Crow snort when anybody told him that The Redcaps had another new -member. - -Then all at once Mr. Crow's manner changed. He became quite sprightly -and even winked an eye and cracked a joke now and then. His neighbors -wondered what had happened to him. - -They soon found out. For Mr. Crow announced that he had discovered a -new member for Reddy Woodpecker's club. Strange to say, the old -gentleman seemed to take great pride in helping The Redcaps. - -"I'm going to take my find to the meeting of the club this afternoon," -Mr. Crow told everybody. - -"But you're not a member. You can't go to a meeting," his friends -objected. - -"Can't I?" said Mr. Crow wisely. "The air is free. I can go anywhere I -please." - -So that afternoon Mr. Crow flew down to the lower end of the meadow, -where The Redcaps were gathering. He took a friend with him, whom he -left hidden in some reeds at the edge of the swamp. - -To Reddy Woodpecker Mr. Crow said, "You'd like another member, I dare -say." - -"Certainly!" Reddy replied. "The more the merrier--provided they wear -red caps." - -"I think," said Mr. Crow, "when you see the gentleman I have in mind -you'll say he has a red cap." - -"Bring him up!" Reddy Woodpecker ordered. - -"I can't. He's shy," Mr. Crow explained. "But if you'll come with me -you can take a look at him." - -So Reddy Woodpecker followed Mr. Crow down to the place where the reeds -grew, near the swamp. And there Mr. Crow pointed out a gentleman who -did indeed appear to be wearing a red cap. - -"Good!" exclaimed Reddy Woodpecker. And to the stranger he called, "I -don't know you. But I invite you, sir, to join The Redcaps." - -The stranger answered in a muffled voice, "I accept." - -Then Reddy took another--and closer--look at him. Reddy couldn't help -feeling there was something queer about the fellow. Half hidden as he -was among the reeds the stranger was not easy to see. - -Suddenly Reddy Woodpecker turned upon Mr. Crow and called him a fraud. - -"This person hasn't a red cap," Reddy declared. "I won't have him in my -club. I know him now. He's hiding his head under his wing. That patch -of scarlet isn't on his head. It's on his shoulder. He's one of that -Red-winged Blackbird family that lives in the swamp. And his head is as -black as your own, Mr. Crow." - -By this time Mr. Crow was dancing up and down and _cawing_ at the top of -his lungs. - -"He's a member of The Redcaps!" he cried with great glee. "You invited -him. And he accepted the invitation." - -"Very well!" said Reddy Woodpecker. "But if he belongs to my club he'll -have to keep his head under his wing." - -"Then I resign!" cried the Red-winged Blackbird. - -"Oh, don't do that!" Mr. Crow begged him. - -"It's too late," Reddy told the old gentleman. "Your friend is a member -of The Redcaps no longer." - - - - - *XVII* - - *A HUNTING PARTY* - - -Cuffy Bear was one of those lucky people that eat almost everything. He -liked blueberries and he liked honey; he liked maple sugar and he liked -baked beans. When he was eating he never complained about his food if -only there was enough. Whatever he had, he wanted a plenty of it. - -He was wandering through the woods one day when he heard a _tap, tap, -tapping_ a little way off. He stopped and listened and sniffed. And -then he said, "Woof! It isn't a man. Unless I'm mistaken it's a -Woodpecker." - -Cuffy Bear turned aside and plunged through the hushes until he came -into a little clearing. There, working away upon a dead tree, was Reddy -Woodpecker. One couldn't help seeing his bright red cap. - -"I say," Cuffy Bear called to him, "let's go hunting!" - -Reddy looked around at Cuffy Bear. - -"Hunting!" he echoed. "What sort of hunting?" - -"Let's go hunting for grubs!" said Cuffy Bear. "I'm very fond of grubs. -And I know you are, too." - -Now, Reddy Woodpecker never had dreamed that Cuffy Bear would ever -invite so small a person as he was to go hunting with him. So it was -only to be expected that Reddy should be pleased and even somewhat -flattered. - -"All right!" he agreed. "When you're ready, say the word." - -"There's no time like the present," Cuffy declared. And he went on to -explain how they could help each other. "You can scout around for old -stumps and fallen trees. And when you find one with plenty of grubs, -come right back here at once and lead me to it. I'll tear it open so we -can get more grubs in a minute than you can reach in a day by drilling -for them one at a time with your bill. I'll show you how to gather -grubs in quantities. You'll always want to hunt with me, after you see -the way I find 'em." - -Reddy Woodpecker nodded his head to show that he understood. Then he -started to fly away. But Cuffy Bear called him back. - -"One thing more!" he said. "Promise me that when you find a likely tree -or stump you won't stop to eat any grubs. You mustn't eat any until I -come. It wouldn't be fair." - -Reddy Woodpecker promised. Cuffy Bear waved a paw at him to hurry him -on his way. And off Reddy flew. He was back again in a few minutes. -"I've found one," he said. "Follow me!" - -"All right!" Cuffy Bear squealed. He went lumbering through the woods, -trying to keep Reddy Woodpecker in sight. In a few moments he gave a -frantic roar. "Come back!" he thundered. - -Reddy Woodpecker returned. - -"Don't fly so fast," Cuffy ordered. "I can't keep up with you. Fly -slowly!" - -"I can't fly slowly," Reddy retorted. "I don't know how." - -"Then go a little way and sit down on a tree and wait for me," Cuffy -directed. "But don't go out of my sight!" - -Reddy Woodpecker did exactly as he was told. And in that manner they -soon came to an old stump which was half crumbled away. "Ah!" cried -Cuffy Bear. "This looks like a good one.... I'll show you how to get -the grubs." With a few sweeps of his great paws he quickly tore the old -stump to pieces. - -Reddy Woodpecker gasped at the huge number of lovely fat grubs that -Cuffy had uncovered. He gasped again when he saw how fast Cuffy Bear -ate them. They were gone in no time. - -Licking his chops, Cuffy Bear stepped back and said, "That's the way to -do it." - -Reddy alighted on what was left of the old stump. He looked at it -closely. And at last he actually found one grub that Cuffy Bear hadn't -noticed. This Reddy ate, making a wry face. - -"What's the matter?" Cuffy Bear inquired. "Isn't it good?" - -"It's good enough--what there is of it," Reddy Woodpecker replied. - - - - - *XVIII* - - *A BIG APPETITE* - - -"Come, now!" cried Cuffy Bear to Reddy Woodpecker. "We've only begun -our hunt. Hurry and find another old, grubby stump!" - -Having eaten only one grub, while Cuffy Bear had bolted dozens, Reddy -Woodpecker was not feeling very happy. However, he went flying off to -search the woods. And it wasn't long before he discovered another stump -that looked even more promising than the first one. - -Then--well! Reddy must have forgotten his promise that he wouldn't stop -to eat a single grub, but would fly straight back to the spot where he -had left Cuffy Bear. He clung to the side of the stump with his odd -feet, which were made expressly for work of that sort. And he began to -drill a hole with his bill. He was sure there was a grub lurking just -beneath the brittle bark. - -_Tap, tap, tap_! sounded his bill against the stump. _Tap, tap, tap_! - -Before Reddy reached the grub he heard a great crash in the bushes. He -knew at once that Cuffy Bear had heard the sound of his drilling and had -come hurrying after him. "I heard you signaling to me," Cuffy grunted. - -He tore that stump open in a twinkling. Reddy Woodpecker had to stand -aside and look on while Cuffy Bear devoured every grub in sight. When -at last Cuffy drew back and allowed him to search the ruin Reddy -couldn't find even one grub. "Come on!" Cuffy urged him. "Let's get on -with our hunting!" - -But this time Reddy hung back. - -"What! Haven't you had enough grubs?" he asked none too pleasantly. - -"Enough!" Cuffy repeated. "Why, I'm only beginning to feel hungry. -These few grubs that I've eaten have just stirred up my appetite."' - -Reddy Woodpecker was astonished. - -"Well, if you're hungry, what do you think of me?" he wanted to know. - -And now Cuffy Bear was amazed. - -"You!" he cried. "Haven't you had a good meal? Didn't you eat a grub -off that first stump we found?" - -"One grub!" Reddy Woodpecker exclaimed scornfully. "What's one grub?" - -"I should think," Cuffy Bear answered, "one grub was a good meal for -anybody of your size." - -"It's not," Reddy declared. He looked very sullen and glum. - -Cuffy Bear was sure that Reddy was mistaken. He even tried to show -Reddy that he was wrong. - -"_One_ ought to be a big meal for you," he insisted. "Why, last week I -went out for my supper one night and I ate only _one_. And it was all I -wanted." - -"Then you had already had a big dinner," said Reddy Woodpecker. - -"I hadn't had any dinner at all!" - -Reddy Woodpecker stared at him. He couldn't believe it. There must be -something queer about that story, somewhere. At last he asked Cuffy a -blunt question. - -"You say you ate one," he observed. "One what?" - -"Let me see," said Cuffy Bear. "Let me think a moment.... Oh, yes! -Now I remember. It was one pig!" - - - - - *XIX* - - *WHO WAS GREEDY?* - - -Reddy Woodpecker was very angry with Cuffy Bear. He thought that when -they hunted grubs together it was only fair that they should divide the -game. So far Cuffy had taken all but one. And that was one that he had -overlooked. - -"I don't believe I'll hunt with you any more," Reddy Woodpecker told -Cuffy. - -That news surprised Cuffy Bear. "Why, what's the matter?" he inquired. -"Haven't we had good luck?" - -Reddy Woodpecker sniffed. - -"_You_ have had fine luck," he replied. "But _I_ certainly haven't. -When you asked me to hunt grubs with you I expected we would divide the -grubs." - -Cuffy Bear shook his head doubtfully. - -"It's not easy to divide a grub," he said. "That's why I let you have -all of that one that you found a while ago." - -"You don't understand me," Reddy went on. "What I mean is this: If we -find two dozen grubs in a stump you should have one dozen and I should -have one dozen." - -"I've never hunted in that way before," Cuffy told him. "But since you -insist, I'm willing to try it. And maybe it would be only fair if I -found the next stump and let you open it." - -Now, this was a much better offer than Reddy Woodpecker had expected, so -he made haste to accept it. - -Then Cuffy Bear went wandering away into the woods. He was gone a long -time. But at last he came back and said gruffly, "Follow me!" - -They reached, after a while, a spot where Cuffy Bear stopped and pointed -a paw towards an old stump. - -"There it is," he said. "Now you tear it open." - -Reddy Woodpecker alighted upon the stump and clung to it while he -drilled into it with his bill, _tap, tap, tap_! - -Meanwhile Cuffy Bear watched him impatiently. - -"My goodness!" he muttered. "That fellow is slow. I'll never get -another grub if I wait for him." - -At last, however, Reddy pulled out a grub and ate it. - -"My turn next!" growled Cuffy Bear as Reddy Woodpecker promptly went -after another. - -Well, very soon Reddy thrust his tongue into another hole that he -drilled and drew out another grub. - -"That's mine!" cried Cuffy Bear. - -Reddy Woodpecker tried to let it fall upon the ground. He did not find -it easy to drop the grub. His horny tongue had pierced it. And in -trying to let go of it he had a mishap. He swallowed the grub. - -When Cuffy Bear saw what had happened he let out a frightful roar. - -"That was an accident," Reddy explained over his shoulder. - -To Cuffy Bear's dismay the same accident happened over and over again. -Finally Cuffy couldn't wait another moment. With a terrible growl he -rushed up to the stump, while Reddy Woodpecker slipped out of his way -just in time. In another instant Cuffy had split the old stump wide -open and had his head buried in it. - -"Here!" cried Reddy Woodpecker. "How many grubs do you want?" - -"Only about a hundred dozen!" Cuffy Bear mumbled. - -When he heard that, Reddy Woodpecker shrieked. - -"One hundred dozen would feed my whole family," he declared. "I shall -never hunt grubs with you again." - -"That's a pity," said Cuffy Bear. "But won't you join me to-night? I'm -going after different game." - -"What's that?" Reddy asked him. - -"Pigs!" Cuffy replied. - -He couldn't understand why Reddy Woodpecker went off without saying -another word. - -"He's a queer one," Cuffy muttered. "I don't care if he doesn't hunt -with me. He's too greedy." - - - - - *XX* - - *CATCHING FLIES* - - -After his children were grown up Reddy Woodpecker had plenty of time to -wander about and see all the sights in Pleasant Valley. He had often -heard that one of the most curious sights was an odd person known as -Ferdinand Frog. So one day Reddy flew down to Black Creek, where this -nimble gentleman lived. - -Unseen by Mr. Frog, Reddy Woodpecker clung to an old stump that leaned -over the water, as if it wanted to enjoy a swim but didn't quite dare -take the first plunge. Keeping most of himself hidden, Reddy peeped -around the stump and watched Ferdinand Frog as he sat on a flat rock -near the bank and caught flies. - -Mr. Frog was an expert at that sport. Whenever a fly ventured near -enough to him his long tongue darted out of his wide mouth so quickly -you could hardly see it. And it darted back again just as fast, bearing -the fly upon the end of it. - -"I don't see how he spears 'em like that," thought Reddy Woodpecker, -"with nothing but air behind them." Mr. Frog's knack was so unusual -that at last Reddy Woodpecker couldn't keep silent any longer. - -So he called to Mr. Frog, "How do you do----" - -"I'm very well, thank you!" cried Ferdinand Frog instantly. "How are -you?" - -Reddy Woodpecker had to explain that Mr. Frog hadn't understood him. - -"What I was going to ask you," he said, "was not 'How do you do?' It -was 'How do you do that?'" - -"That what?" Ferdinand Frog inquired. - -"How do you spear flies with your tongue when they're in the air?" Reddy -Woodpecker asked. "I can spear grubs and things with my tongue when -they're on a tree. And I can catch flies in my mouth when I'm flying. -But I've never learned your trick." - -"I don't spear flies," said Mr. Frog. - -Of course Reddy Woodpecker thought that Mr. Frog had told a _whopper_. -Hadn't he been watching him? - -"I don't spear flies with my tongue," Ferdinand Frog went on. "My -tongue is sticky. When it touches a fly, he's caught. It's very -simple." - -"That's an elegant way to catch 'em," Reddy remarked. - -"Yes," said Mr. Frog; "and that's an elegant suit you're wearing. Would -you mind if I copied it? You know, I'm the well known tailor of -Pleasant Valley. And I'm always on the lookout for something different. -Your clothes are different from any I've ever seen before. I dare say -they'll become quite fashionable in about ten years." - -Well, Reddy Woodpecker didn't know whether to be angry or pleased. He -had heard that Mr. Frog was queer. But he hadn't supposed Mr. Frog -could be as queer as he seemed. - -"You may copy my suit if you wish," Reddy blurted at last. - -"Good!" the tailor exclaimed. "Come with me to my shop and I'll make -some notes." - -This was more than Reddy Woodpecker cared to do. "I won't!" he said -flatly. - -"Tut! Tut!" cried Mr. Frog. "You promised I might copy your suit. You -mustn't break your promise." - -"I'm not going inside any shop," Reddy declared very firmly. - -"Of course not!" said Mr. Frog. "I'll go inside. _You_ can stay -outside. And I'll look you over through the doorway and jot down what I -need." - -"All right!" said Reddy Woodpecker. - -So Mr. Frog leaped ashore and gayly led the way to his shop near-by. - - - - - *XXI* - - *THE ODD MR. FROG* - - -Reddy Woodpecker stood on the doorstep of Mr. Frog's shop. And inside -the tiny building Mr. Frog the tailor squatted cross-legged and -scratched upon a flat stone. Now and then he glanced up to look closely -at Reddy Woodpecker. - -"Colors: red, white and--yes! blue!" Mr. Frog murmured, blinking his -bulging eyes at Reddy Woodpecker. "It's a little too blackish for my -taste, but it's certainly blue.... A good suit for the Fourth of July!" -he muttered. "Just the thing for a clown to wear in a parade of -Horribles!" - -Mr. Frog's remarks did not please Reddy Woodpecker. In fact they made -him very angry. But Mr. Frog didn't appear to notice that. He went -right on talking to himself. - -"Red head and black tail!" he said, scratching upon his stone all the -while. "Black head and red tail would be much better." - -"I didn't come here to be abused!" Reddy Woodpecker spluttered. - -The tailor paid no heed to Reddy's protest. - -"Too much stiffening in the tail!" Mr. Frog mumbled. "Colors too gay -for everyday wear! Too loud for the best taste!" - -By this time Reddy Woodpecker had become so furious that he couldn't -speak. - -Meanwhile Mr. Frog continued to look him over calmly, and as his gaze -fell at last upon Reddy's feet he began to titter. - -"This person's feet are all wrong," he chanted, scratching like mad upon -his flat stone. "Never saw a bird before with toes like his. The rule -for birds is: three toes in front, one toe in back. This person has two -in front and two in back. I _thought_ there was something queer about -him." - -"Look here!" Reddy Woodpecker burst forth. "I won't stay here any -longer. You're making fun of me. I don't care if I did promise. If my -clothes are so queer why do you want to copy them?" - -"I don't _want_ to copy them," Mr. Frog replied. "I'd _hate_ to copy -them." - -"Then why did you ask me to stand here in front of your shop while you -wrote down all this nonsense?" - -"You're mistaken," Mr. Frog told him. "I haven't written a word. I -asked you to come here because you look like a customer. It's good -business to have customers seen about my shop. I haven't had a _real_ -customer this season," he added somewhat sadly. "So you can't blame me -if I want people to think I have one at last--now can you?" - -Reddy Woodpecker had no patience with him. - -"I think you're nothing but a fraud," he declared. "I don't believe -you're a tailor at all." - -"Dear me!" said Mr. Frog. "Maybe I'm not. Sometimes I've wondered if I -wasn't fooling myself." - -"You'd better stick to catching flies," Reddy advised him. "That's all -you're good for." - -"Perhaps you're right," Mr. Frog replied. He seemed quite meek and -mournful. But all at once he smiled. "Anyhow," he remarked, "it's lucky -that the flies stick to me--now isn't it?" - - - - - *XXII* - - *DODGING DANGER* - - -Soon after Reddy Woodpecker settled in Farmer Green's orchard he noticed -that a certain person often followed him. The stranger wore gray fur -and always flourished a long, bushy tail behind him. He could climb -trees as well as Reddy Woodpecker himself. And though he couldn't fly, -he was very skillful at leaping from one tree top into another. - -Whenever Reddy Woodpecker happened to turn around and spy this lurking -stranger the fellow acted as if he hadn't seen Reddy Woodpecker. He -would pretend to whisk a bit of bark off the tip of his tail, or arrange -his mustache. But the moment Reddy turned his back upon him the -stranger would creep a little nearer. - -At last this sly person made a quick dash at Reddy Woodpecker one day. -He discovered, then, that Reddy was both wide-awake and spry. For Reddy -slipped off the tree trunk where he had been clinging and easily escaped -the greedy clutches of the stranger. - -It's no wonder that Reddy was angry. No one would care to have his -breakfast interrupted in such a fashion. - -"I knew that sneak meant to catch me if he could," Reddy muttered to -himself as he went on with his breakfast. - -A few moments later his cousin Mr. Flicker settled upon an ant hill -below him. - -"Who is that stranger?" Reddy Woodpecker asked Mr. Flicker. - -Mr. Flicker glanced at the sly person who was just dodging behind a -limb. - -"He's no stranger," said Mr. Flicker. "He has lived here a good deal -longer than you have. That's Frisky Squirrel." - -"Well, he's a little too frisky," Reddy Woodpecker scolded. "He just -jumped at me. He has been trying to catch me ever since I came to the -farm." - -Mr. Flicker laughed. - -"That's a regular trick of his," he remarked. "He's always jumping off -a fence post at me. But I have no trouble dodging him." - -"I don't see why he wants to catch me," Reddy grumbled. "He can't -know--yet--that I'm fond of nuts. But in the fall, when the nuts are -ripe, I expect I'll make him almost crazy." - -The next time Reddy met his tormentor he called to him as pleasantly as -if there'd never been any trouble between them. - -"How's this place for nuts?" - -"Fine!" cried Frisky Squirrel. "The woods beyond the meadow are famous -for their beechnuts." - -"That's good news," said Reddy. "I'm glad I settled here."' - -Frisky gave him a sharp look. "You don't like beechnuts, do you?" he -asked. - -"Don't I? Oh, don't I?" Reddy cried. - -Strange to say Frisky Squirrel knew the answer to that question. - -"Oh! You _do_ like them!" he chattered. "Well, maybe there aren't as -many beechnuts as I thought. Maybe the beechnutting is poor here. No -doubt I'm mistaken about it. Why don't you go over on the other side of -Blue Mountain to live? You're _sure_ to find plenty of beechnuts over -there next fall." - -Reddy Woodpecker laughed heartily. Frisky Squirrel could not deceive -him. - - - - - *XXIII* - - *BEECHNUTS* - - -"I'm going to stay right here on this farm," Reddy Woodpecker declared. -"I like this place." - -"Perhaps you expect to leave for the South before the beechnuts are -ripe," Frisky Squirrel suggested hopefully. - -"Not I!" replied Reddy Woodpecker. "If I leave, I shall wait until the -last beechnut is eaten. And no doubt I shall not leave at all. This -looks to me like a good place to spend the winter." - -Now that Frisky Squirrel knew Reddy Woodpecker ate beechnuts he was more -determined than ever to catch him. He had hunted Reddy before. Now he -haunted him. He dogged Reddy Woodpecker's footsteps. He crept up -behind him and jumped at him a dozen times a day. - -Though Frisky didn't know it, he couldn't have captured Reddy Woodpecker -in a thousand years. Reddy was too wary to be caught. He always -chuckled after dodging. And he always called mockingly, "Not this time, -young fellow!" - -All summer long the chase went on. Frisky Squirrel seemed to think that -if only he hunted Reddy long enough there would come a time when he -would catch him napping. - -Now, every year as fall drew near it was Frisky's custom to go each day -to the woods, to inspect the beechnuts. He went very slyly. It was a -business of great importance. Of course he didn't care to have -everybody know what he was doing. - -Imagine his annoyance, then, on his first trip to the beech grove, to -hear Reddy Woodpecker call out to him, "What do you think of 'em? Will -they be ready to eat soon?" - -Reddy was high up in a beech tree. And Frisky Squirrel was so angry -that he could only look up at him and chatter. - -"You haven't answered my questions," Reddy observed presently. "Perhaps -you aren't a good judge of beechnuts. Perhaps I'd better ask Jasper -Jay." - -That threat made Frisky Squirrel angrier than ever. He darted up the -tree as fast as he could scramble. If he hadn't been so angry he would -have known how utterly useless it was to try to catch Reddy Woodpecker -when Reddy was looking right at him. - -Reddy calmly moved to another tree. Frisky Squirrel leaped into the top -of it. Again Reddy moved. - -Then Frisky sat up on a limb and glared at him. - -"Don't mention these nuts to Jasper Jay!" he cried. "I've been hoping -he'd forget about them. Eat what you want--if you must. But for -goodness' sake don't go and tell the whole neighborhood about them. -Just between you and me, these nuts will be ready to eat as soon as -there's a frost to sweeten them." - -"You're very kind," Reddy Woodpecker told him. "Very kind indeed!" - -Well, in about two weeks there was a frost. When Reddy Woodpecker awoke -one morning the fields were white and a thin coating of ice covered the -watering-trough in the barnyard. - -Some of the birds in Pleasant Valley had long since left for the South. -And many of those that hadn't announced that they expected to start for -a milder climate that very evening. - -The weather soon grew warmer. And on the following day Reddy Woodpecker -and Frisky Squirrel met at the beech grove. - -"These are good nuts, eh?" called Reddy. - -"They'd taste sweeter if you weren't here," Frisky Squirrel mumbled out -of a full mouth. - - - - - *XXIV* - - *THE WINTER'S STORE* - - -After Frisky Squirrel had enjoyed a hearty meal of beechnuts he began to -make hurried trips to a hollow tree nearby. He lived in that tree. It -had a fine big storeroom. And there he carried beechnuts in his cheeks. -Frisky did not intend to go hungry when winter came. - -Meanwhile he watched Reddy Woodpecker out of the corner of his eye. He -still hoped to catch Reddy unawares. And at last Frisky saw something -that he hadn't expected to see. It made him stop short and stare. - -He saw Reddy Woodpecker loosen a bit of bark and hide a beechnut under -it. Soon he beheld Reddy stowing beechnuts away in a hole in an old -stump. - -Frisky Squirrel was wild with rage. - -"I told you you might eat as many nuts as you pleased, if only you -wouldn't mention beechnuts to Jasper Jay. I didn't say you might hide -beechnuts. But I've caught you hoarding them!" - -Reddy Woodpecker was not ruffled--not even a single feather. - -"I'm putting away a few nuts," he admitted. "I expect to spend the -winter here. And of course I shall need something to eat." - -"Don't you dare hide another nut!" Frisky Squirrel scolded. - -"You're hoarding nuts yourself!" - -"That's different," Frisky blustered. - -All at once a loud, harsh voice squalled right above their heads. It -belonged to Jasper Jay. "A quarrel!" he bawled. "A quarrel over -beechnuts! I must do what I can to stop it. I'll gather as many -beechnuts as I can; because when they're all gone there won't be -anything to quarrel about." - -"Another hoarder!" chattered Frisky. - -And Jasper Jay was not the last to appear. For Johnnie Green soon came -hurrying up with a basket. And Frisky regarded him with great disfavor. - -"Another hoarder!" Frisky groaned. And he began to scold Johnnie. "Go -away!" he cried. "We don't want you here." To his great disgust -Johnnie Green shied a stone at him and told him not to be saucy. - -Jasper Jay jeered loudly at Frisky. - -"That's what you get for being a pig," he told him. And turning to -Reddy Woodpecker, Jasper added, "You see the pigs aren't all in the -pigsty!" - -Frisky Squirrel pretended that he didn't hear any of Jasper Jay's -remarks. He set to work again to gather beechnuts enough to last him all -winter and never once stopped to dash at Reddy Woodpecker nor even look -at him. - -That was only the first of many busy days for Reddy. Having made up his -mind to spend the winter at Farmer Green's place he hid nuts everywhere. - -No doubt he never could remember all of his hiding places. But he found -enough of them when winter came. And though Frisky Squirrel had stowed -away all the nuts he could possibly need, he never could bear to watch -Reddy Woodpecker pull out a beechnut from beneath a strip of bark. - -He said he never did like to see a bird eat nuts. - - - - - THE END - - - - -[Illustration: Front end paper - left half] - - - - -[Illustration: Front end paper - right half] - - - - -[Illustration: Rear end paper - left half] - - - - -[Illustration: Rear end paper - right half] - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - _*TUCK-ME-IN TALES*_ - - (Trademark Registered) - - - BY - ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY - - AUTHOR OF - SLEEPY-TIME TALES - (Trademark Registered) - -The Tale of Jolly Robin -The Tale of Old Mr. Crow -The Tale of Solomon Owl -The Tale of Jasper Jay -The Tale of Rusty Wren -The Tale of Daddy Longlegs -The Tale of Kiddie Katydid -The Tale of Buster Bumblebee -The Tale of Freddie Firefly -The Tale of Betsy Butterfly -The Tale of Bobby Bobolink -The Tale of Chirpy Cricket -The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug -The Tale of Reddy Woodpecker -The Tale of Grandmother Goose - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF REDDY WOODPECKER *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43447 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a -registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, -unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything -for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may -use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative -works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and -printed and given away - you may do practically _anything_ with public -domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, -especially commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in your possession. If -you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works. Nearly all the individual works -in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you -from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting free access to electronic -works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg(tm) works in compliance with -the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg(tm) name -associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this -agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full -Project Gutenberg(tm) License when you share it without charge with -others. - - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg(tm) work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating -that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can -be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying -any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a -work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on -the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs -1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg(tm) License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg(tm). - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg(tm) web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg(tm) works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works -provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg(tm) works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg(tm) - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) - works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection. -Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, and the -medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but -not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription -errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a -defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer -codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. -YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, -BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN -PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND -ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR -ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES -EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg(tm) -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg(tm) work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg(tm) - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg(tm)'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg(tm) and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page -at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg(tm) eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg(tm) eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless -a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks -in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg(tm), -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |