Then Valentine Veery bowed politely--which was more than Jasper Jay had done--and announced that "Good-night, Ladies!" would be the first song.

So all the company began to sing, including Jasper Jay. Although he knew neither the words nor the music, he shrieked at the top of his voice.

But they hadn't sung more than a few lines before the leader made them stop.

"There's something wrong somewhere," said Valentine Veery. "Has anybody a cold in his head?"

But everyone, including Jasper Jay, declared that he never was in better health in his life.

"We'll try again, then," the leader told them.

So they started once more. And once more Valentine Veery stopped them.

"This is terrible!" he said with a shudder. "Who is it, please, that is off the key?"

n.o.body answered. But everybody looked at Jasper Jay again. And you would think that this time he certainly would have felt most uncomfortable.

But he only grinned as if he were enjoying himself hugely.

"We'll try the song just once more," little Mr. Veery told them. But it was no use. He stopped the singing quickly. "We can't go on like this,"

he declared. "The only thing to be done is to let each member sing the song alone. And in that way we shall find out who's out of tune. We'll let our oldest member sing first, and the newest one last," he directed.

So old Mr. Mockingbird, who was the first member of the Pleasant Valley Singing Society--and about the only one of his family in the neighborhood--sang the song in his best manner. And after him the others had their turn, until everybody had sung "Good-night, Ladies!" except the newest member of all.

"Now--" said Valentine Veery--"now everyone must keep very still while we have the pleasure of listening to Jasper Jay."

Of course, after hearing the song repeated so many times, Jasper couldn't help learning a little of it. He began to bellow "Good-night, Ladies!" in the harshest, most ear-splitting tones he knew. Some of his listeners hurriedly tucked their heads under their wings, to shut out the horrid sound. And as for Miss Kitty Catbird, she actually left the meeting and flew straight home, because she felt that she must scream if she stayed there any longer. Having a sensitive ear, she could not endure Jasper's rasping voice. In her opinion, it sounded more like a buzz saw than anything else.

XVII

JASPER IS ASHAMED

THE leader of the Singing Society stopped Jasper Jay's song as soon as he was able to. But Jolly Robin's cousin, Valentine Veery, found it no easy matter to silence Jasper Jay. Though he called to him several times, Jasper paid no attention to him, but continued to make all the noise he could. His notes had never sounded so loud and harsh before--but you must remember that Jasper had been saving his voice all day for this very occasion.

At last Valentine Veery launched his small, cinnamon-colored body straight at Jasper Jay and gave him a sharp nudge with his wing. And at that Jasper stopped singing.

"What's the matter?" he asked in an angry voice.

"Matter?" said Valentine Veery. "Why, you're all wrong. You're not only twisting the words of the song, but you don't know the air at all. It's plain to see that it was you that made our concert sound so queerly."

Jasper Jay jeered openly at the little leader.

"The trouble--" said Jasper--"the real trouble is that you and your friends don't know this song. I'm the only one that can sing it correctly."

Everybody exclaimed that Jasper was a ridiculous fellow.

"The committee that invited me to come here told me that I might sing as much as I wanted to. And here you've gone and stopped me!" Jasper Jay complained.

Then Buddy Brown-Thrasher cried out in a clear voice that Jasper wasn't trying his best, as he had promised the committee he would.

"In fact," said Buddy, "I'm quite sure he's trying his _worst_."

Jasper Jay looked quite fierce when he heard that remark.

"It's not so--and you can't prove it!" he screamed.

The little leader turned to Buddy Brown-Thrasher and said:

"What have you to say to that?"

This was what Buddy Brown-Thrasher had been waiting for.

"I'd like to state," he announced, "that Jasper Jay can sing very well--when he wants to. He has always pretended that singing was silly.

And you know what a nuisance he makes of himself spoiling a good song whenever he happens to hear one. Why, I've heard him sing beautifully!"

"You never!" howled Jasper Jay.

"Yes, I have--this very morning!" Buddy Brown-Thrasher retorted. "I was in the young pine woods where he lives and I heard Jasper sing to his wife--lovely, flute-like notes they were. But I can see that he's ashamed to admit it."

Jasper Jay was so surprised that he opened and closed his bill several times without saying anything at all. It was not often that he was at a loss for words. And some of those present couldn't help smiling.

Jasper noticed their amus.e.m.e.nt.

"This is just a trick!" he squawked. "You invited me to your Singing Society to tease me!"

As a matter of fact, his words were not far from the truth.

"Let us hear your best notes, Jasper!" somebody called. And others cried, "Yes!" and "Please!" and "We're waiting!"

But Jasper Jay would do nothing but stamp his feet and hop up and down and snap his bill together and scold. He made such a funny sight that the whole Singing Society began to laugh at him, until he flew away with one last frantic scream of rage.

Then the Pleasant Valley Singing Society had one of the most enjoyable meetings it had ever held. And though Jasper Jay showed a very sulky face to everybody for several days, it was a long time before he spoiled any songs that he happened to hear. And he never annoyed Buddy Brown-Thrasher again.

Morning and evening Buddy went to his favorite perch and sang to his heart's content.

For Jasper Jay had learned a lesson at last.

XVIII

ENEMIES

JASPER JAY was not the only bird that liked beechnuts. Reddy Woodp.e.c.k.e.r was fond of them, too. And when he saw that the beechnut crop was going to be a big one he decided that he would stay in Pleasant Valley all winter.