<div><h1 id='ch11'>CHAPTER XI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>SAMMY JAY CALLS FARMER BROWN’S BOY</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>In danger there is good excuse</p>
<p class='line0'>For putting any tongue to use.</p>
<p class='line0'>           <span class='it'>Little Joe Otter.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>The</span> foolish little Otter, who
hadn’t minded his father and
mother but had remained behind
on the bank of the little pool in
the Laughing Brook, didn’t have
time to even squeal before Old
Man Coyote had him. Old Man
Coyote didn’t kill him at once,
as he might have done with one
crunch of his great jaws. He
wanted to play with him a little first.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Now, though Old Man Coyote
thought that no one saw him,
some one did. It was Sammy Jay.
Sammy had been following the
Otter family, keeping very still
and taking the greatest pains to
keep out of sight himself. You
see, he was very much interested
in those Otter children and he
thought it great fun to watch them
having their first lessons in fishing.
So he was right where he could
see perfectly what happened. The
instant Old Man Coyote sprang
from his hiding-place Sammy knew
that the little Otter hadn’t a
chance in the world unless he
could do something. Right away
he remembered Farmer Brown’s boy
fishing just a little farther down
the Laughing Brook. “Perhaps,”
thought Sammy, “if I scream loud
enough and long enough, he will
come to see what all the fuss is
about.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>So Sammy opened his mouth
and began to scream at the top
of his lungs. “Thief! Thief!
Thief!” he screamed, flying down
just over Old Man Coyote’s head.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Old Man Coyote looked up
and snarled angrily. “Stop your
noise!” he snapped. “This is
none of your business.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Thief! Thief! Thief!” screamed
Sammy louder than ever.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Now the very instant that Sammy
began to scream Little Joe
Otter and Mrs. Joe, who were
just around a turn in the Laughing
Brook, knew that an enemy
was near. For the first time they
missed the little Otter who had
remained behind. Little Joe didn’t
wait a second. He started back
as fast as he could swim, which
is very fast indeed. Mrs. Joe
followed as soon as she had seen
that the other little Otter was in
a safe hiding-place.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Old Man Coyote was still snarling
at Sammy Jay when he saw
Little Joe coming, and behind him
Mrs. Joe. He knew then that
he was to have a fight, but he
had no intention of giving up that
little Otter. He backed away,
dragging the little Otter with him
and showing all his great teeth
in ugly snarls. Meanwhile Sammy
Jay kept up his screaming.
Of course Farmer Brown’s boy
heard it. He stopped fishing to
listen. He knows the ways of
Sammy Jay, does Farmer Brown’s
boy.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Something going on back there,”
he muttered. “Wonder what it is.
Sammy doesn’t scream like that
unless he is terribly excited. Guess
I’ll have to see what it all
means.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>He laid his rod down, leaving
the bait in the water. Very carefully
he tiptoed back to where
Sammy was making such a racket.
He was just in time to see Little
Joe and Mrs. Joe rushing at Old
Man Coyote, who was growling
and snarling, while with his two
fore feet he held down the whimpering
little Otter. Farmer Brown’s
boy didn’t stop to think. He
just opened his mouth and yelled.
Then picking up a stick he rushed
forward.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Old Man Coyote didn’t wait
for him to get there. At the
sound of that yell he jumped as
if he had been shot. Then he
turned and vanished like a shadow
in the brush. Little Joe Otter
and Mrs. Joe had been almost as
much frightened as Old Man Coyote,
and they ran too. But they
didn’t run far. Oh, my, no!
Their love was too strong for that.
They dived into the little pool,
but almost at once their brown
heads appeared again, as they
turned to see what new danger
threatened their darling.</p>
<p class='pindent'>As for the latter, he was too
badly frightened to move. He
growled feebly in a very frightened
way as Farmer Brown’s boy picked
him up.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“You poor little thing,” said
Farmer Brown’s boy gently. “I
wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>But the little Otter couldn’t
understand a word and just shivered
with fear. At first Farmer
Brown’s boy thought that he would
take the little fellow home for a
pet. Then he looked down into
the little pool straight into the
eyes of Mrs. Joe, and he saw there
such a look of anxious love and
longing that he marched straight
down to the edge of the water and
gently put his little captive in it.
Then he laughed and the laugh
was good to hear as the little
fellow dived and swam out to
join his parents as fast as ever
he could, and all three promptly
disappeared. When he got back
to where he had left his rod something
was tugging at the line. It
was the biggest trout he ever
had caught.</p>
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