Part 2 (2/2)

thief! thief!' and screauess you're right, Jiht,” he said

”Of course I'ht There, now!” Jih, there was Sa Brook, and it was screa ”Thief! thief!

thief!”

They all heard it Sammy Jay heard it, too, and scratched hi there in the big pine-tree

”It's my voice, and it isn't my voice, for I haven't made a sound, and it's over in the alders while I' pine-tree,” lad I kept awake, but--

”Maybe I' hazy!

That's surely me, Yet here I be!

Oh, dear, I sure am crazy!”

IX

THE MYSTERY GROWS

”Can a body be a body, Yet not a body be?

Tell a body, anybody, Didst such a body see?”

Of course it was Sa rhyme as that But really, it wasn't so foolish in Saht just to try to find out why it was that all the little meadow and forest people had co ”Thief! thief! thief!” just as he does in the dayti pine-tree, he had heard his own voice, or what sounded like his own voice, screa Brook Sammy had scratched himself to be sure that he was really and truly awake and not drea, for there was his voice down in the alders, and there was hi pine tree with his ht as he could shut it Did ever a Jaybird have anything so queer as that to puzzle him?

Anyway, Sammy Jay knew that he didn't scream in his sleep, and there was a whole lot of comfort in that He could eat with a better appetite now You see, when he had been told that he was screa it in his sleep; and if he was doing that, why, soht hear him and find him, and that would be the end of hio to sleep in peace, just as he always had

Sammy Jay brushed and smoothed out his handso as possible He had been so worried lately that he hadn't taken much care of himself, which is very unusual for Saman to think about his looks When he had finished dressing, he started for the alders beside the Laughing Brook just to have a look around Of course he didn't expect to find his voice down there, for who ever saw a voice? Still he thought that hethat would explain the mystery

He hunted all around in the thicket of alders beside the Laughing Brook, but nothing unusual did he find Then for a long ti Finally he thought to himself: ”I'll just see howhis mouth he screamed:

”Thief! thief! thief!”

Then out popped Jenny Wren, and she was so mad that she couldn't sit still a second My, ht to be ashaht to be ashah to keep us awake half the night without co all day?”

”I haven't been down here in the night, and I haven't kept anybody awake!”

replied Saht up in front of Sammy Jay and hopped up and down She was so mad that with every word she jerked her funny little tail so that Sah