Jimmy Crow

retty soon lighted a whole , and threw it down, and all the ran away. Then saw his chance, and he seized the bunch of crackers and flew in at Grandma's open window!

e lighted on Pepper's . tried to bite him, but bang! went a !

Both jumped, and Jimmy dropped the bunch on the carpet. Bang! went another , and bang! bang! went . Then a dozen flew out, banging, over the floor.

aw! Caw!" screamed . "Fire! Fire!" screamed . "Jack! Jack!" screamed . She was trying to pick up the bunch with the , when ran in. He threw a over the , gathered them up in it, and threw all out of the . sat down in her arm- very pale. Jack kissed her. "I'm sorry we scared you so," he said. "Now you rest while I clear up."

e brought the and , and swept up the litter. Then he gave a and took under his . "Pepper didn't 'want a cracker,' that time, did she, Grandma?" said he. "Now we'll go further away." But just then the breakfast rang.

hey all went up to the -pasture where Jack found . First there was little Ibelle, carrying Jimmy Crow in her . Next came her big brother Alden, who had a with in it. Louise had in a , and Bob brought in a . Russell carried in a , and last came Jack with a tin . Nobody knew what was in it. That was Mama's "surprise."

ey sat down under a shady and divided the goodies. sat in the middle, and they each gave him a piece. After they had all eaten a and and and , Jack opened the . The children all put their close together to see, and as the came off they shouted, "Oh, oh! Ice-cream!"

hen they sat down again in a circle, in the middle, with a . He gave each one a in turn. Oh, how good it tasted!

ut wanted some, and when Jack would not let him eat from the spoon, he grabbed it in his and flew away. The chased him until he dropped it, and then gave him a taste of the ice-cream. He didn't like it, so the ate it all.

hen they picked , until Alden's and Bob's and Louise's were all full.

ust as they were starting home, a little tired after all the fun—"Hurrah!" shouted Russell. "Here comes Uncle Charlie, with his . He will give us a ride." So kind tossed them up into the hay, one by one—little Ibelle first—and they all rode home on the .

ll the were bending over their , writing, but Jimmy knew Jack's as well as his , and lighted on his . The children laughed at that, and the laughed too.

hen she said, "If Jimmy Crow does not disturb anyone, he may stay, as it is nearly noon." The children promised not to be disturbed, and the went to work again. behaved beautifully, though at first he tried to walk on Jack's and to bite his pencil. Jack pushed him away, and he flew to the teacher's where he walked about quietly, looking at the and of .

hen the lesson was finished, the teacher said, "Jack may collect the ." He got the and began, but Jimmy flew ahead of him, and picked up a pencil. Jack took it, and put it in the box. Then brought another. The were delighted. They held their pencils in their , and Jimmy Crow collected them all.

hen the rang and the children marched out for and . When they came back, Jimmy Crow was gone! looked under the and in the . Then the looked in her closet, and there he sat on a . He had found her lunch-, and eaten a whole . Jack was very sorry, but the teacher only laughed.

hat afternoon Jimmy did not go to school, but brought her a big red and said it was from .

hen he came down, was busily picking up the nuts and dropping them into a in the tree. "Stop that!" cried Jack. "These are my . The can pick for themselves." "Caw, caw!" said Jimmy Crow.

ack took home a -load. Then he brought a and spread the nuts out on the of the to dry the husks.

oward night Jack took out to look at his . Half of them were gone! "Oh dear!" said Jack, "It is again. Now where has he put them all?" Just then he saw Jimmy's disappear into the . He ran after, but could see no nuts—only an old . He climbed up on the , but found no nuts inside—only a , lying on its side. He reached into the barrel and felt nothing but a . He pulled it out and peeped into it—and at last he had found the ! And Jimmy Crow perched on his and laughed, "Caw, caw!" When the nuts had all been carried back to the , and had praised Jack's work, she said, "Now we must hurry in to supper. The has set and it is getting late and cold. Let us run, to keep warm." So she and took and ran all the way back to the . Then they went in to their supper—and went too.