Jasper Jay spent several days looking for the great golden bird that Jolly had described. But Jasper couldn’t find the wonderful creature anywhere. And he was wondering if it wasn’t just a after all, as he had claimed. He had almost to give up his search, when he chanced to meet Bennie Barn-Swallow one day. Jasper happened to mention that he was on the for Jolly Robin’s strange bird; and Bennie Barn-Swallow said quickly:  
“Do you mean the bird of gold?”
 
“The bird of , I should say!” Jasper replied, with his nose in the air. “You haven’t seen him, have you?”
 
“Why, yes!” said Bennie. “He stays right near my house.”
 
Of course, Jasper Jay knew that Bennie lived in a mud house, under the eaves of Farmer Green’s barn. So he cried at once: “Then my search is ended! I’ll come over to the barn this afternoon and fight the upstart.”
 
The news spread quickly—the news of the fight that was going to take place at Farmer Green’s barn. And as soon as he heard it, Jolly Robin went straight to the barn and asked the golden bird if he wouldn’t leave Pleasant Valley at once.
 
But the great, gorgeous creature paid no attention to Jolly Robin’s request. Indeed, he seemed not to hear his words at all—though Jolly Robin thought the stranger was just pretending.
 
Jolly had to sing a good many songs that day to keep up his spirits. Somehow, he felt that it was all his fault that there was going to be a fight.
 
“I wish I hadn’t told anyone about the golden bird,” he said. “Maybe he would have flown away before Jasper Jay heard of his being here.”
 
Well, Jasper invited everybody to come to the barn late in the afterno............