“To make pin-wheels, just cut out a square of wall paper about seven inches square. Cut each corner upward toward the centre of the square till within a half inch of it. Then fold every other corner of the cut paper over toward the centre and run a pin through. Fasten the end of the pin point in a rubber at the end of some pencil or little stick and the pin-wheel is done. If you hold the pin-wheel out straight and run along fast as you can, the pin-wheel will turn like the arms of a wind-mill. It’s fun. Try it.After you make one pin-wheel and see how it goes, take two differently colored squares of fancy papers—red and blue orgreen and yellow or plain and flowered and put these together, coloroutside. Then fold the pin-wheel and see what lovely play-things you can make. It might be nice to make a pin-wheel store.”
“To make pin-wheels, just cut out a square of wall paper about seven inches square. Cut each corner upward toward the centre of the square till within a half inch of it. Then fold every other corner of the cut paper over toward the centre and run a pin through. Fasten the end of the pin point in a rubber at the end of some pencil or little stick and the pin-wheel is done. If you hold the pin-wheel out straight and run along fast as you can, the pin-wheel will turn like the arms of a wind-mill. It’s fun. Try it.
After you make one pin-wheel and see how it goes, take two differently colored squares of fancy papers—red and blue orgreen and yellow or plain and flowered and put these together, coloroutside. Then fold the pin-wheel and see what lovely play-things you can make. It might be nice to make a pin-wheel store.”
two diagramsThe Butterfly Cut from Folded Paper, the Basket Cut from Folded Papertwo diagramsThe Bird Cut from Folded Paper with Wings Cut from a Second Piece of Folded PaperDiagram 2
two diagramsThe Butterfly Cut from Folded Paper, the Basket Cut from Folded Paper
The Butterfly Cut from Folded Paper, the Basket Cut from Folded Paper
two diagramsThe Bird Cut from Folded Paper with Wings Cut from a Second Piece of Folded Paper
The Bird Cut from Folded Paper with Wings Cut from a Second Piece of Folded Paper
Diagram 2
Diagram 2
“Ou!” chuckled Katherine. “Store!”
“We’ll cut round disks for money—yellow paper for gold, silver striped paper for nickles, dimes, quarters and fifty-cent pieces. We’ll make green paper bills—”
“And write on each how much each is—”
“We can do it with crayon—”
“Hush!” sighed Mother. “I want to read Katherine’s crow letter. Listen!”
“There are other things beside pin-wheels that you can make—how about bright-colored butterflies? The papers that are yellow, blue, green, red, purple make lovely butterflies. You cut them like this. Fold your paper double and cut. And then unfold it and you will have a butterfly! Tie a dark thread to the upper part of the butterfly’s body and run with the end of the thread in your hand. The butterfly will fly behind you, if you trot as fast as feet can go. It is nice to play this outdoors in the garden for you can make your butterfly alight on shrubs and bushes.”
“There are other things beside pin-wheels that you can make—how about bright-colored butterflies? The papers that are yellow, blue, green, red, purple make lovely butterflies. You cut them like this. Fold your paper double and cut. And then unfold it and you will have a butterfly! Tie a dark thread to the upper part of the butterfly’s body and run with the end of the thread in your hand. The butterfly will fly behind you, if you trot as fast as feet can go. It is nice to play this outdoors in the garden for you can make your butterfly alight on shrubs and bushes.”
“Oh,” interrupted Jimsi, “we can makesomebutterflies for Katherine out of the wall papers that have plain patterns on them. Justkeep the patterns even and cut.Thatwill make lovely wings! I want to try it—”
“Shoo!” cried Mother. “I want to finish the letter. My coffee is growing cold. Shoo!” Again she read:
“I’ll tell you another toy little girls and big girls and even boys can make. It’s a bird with wings—”
“I’ll tell you another toy little girls and big girls and even boys can make. It’s a bird with wings—”
“A crow!” chuckled Henry. “Only one would need black paper—”
“Take dark paper and crayon it black,” cried Jimsi.
“Hush!” Mother began again. “If anybody interrupts again, we’ll wait and finish the letter after breakfast,” said she. So everybody hushed right up and waited, of course.
“The birds are cut from pieces of paper that are cut oblong and folded corner to corner. Draw the bird’s side outline with crayon on the white part of the paper and cut the bird out with scissors. This gives the body without wings.To make wings for the bird, fold a paper somewhat smaller than the first and cut wings, leaving the folding of the paper forward instead of at top.Cut a slit in this forward part of the wings and slip them over the bird’s body. Tie a thread to the top of the bird’s body and see how well you can make it fly.I think you’ll have enough play now tolast a long long time, Katherine dear. I must stop. Goody-bye.With a hug fromCrow.P. S.Why don’t you all go over to the little lame girl’s home this morning and have Katherine’s store there. I think she’d like it.C. C.”
“The birds are cut from pieces of paper that are cut oblong and folded corner to corner. Draw the bird’s side outline with crayon on the white part of the paper and cut the bird out with scissors. This gives the body without wings.
To make wings for the bird, fold a paper somewhat smaller than the first and cut wings, leaving the folding of the paper forward instead of at top.
Cut a slit in this forward part of the wings and slip them over the bird’s body. Tie a thread to the top of the bird’s body and see how well you can make it fly.
I think you’ll have enough play now tolast a long long time, Katherine dear. I must stop. Goody-bye.
With a hug fromCrow.
P. S.
Why don’t you all go over to the little lame girl’s home this morning and have Katherine’s store there. I think she’d like it.
C. C.”
Mother put the crow’s long letter on the table beside Katherine’s plate. She took up her coffee-cup and breakfast started. All the splendid pancakes had been getting cold! Aunt Phoebe had to send them out and gethotones. And all because of Crow’s letter!
“I’ll make that money. I can do it,” Henry declared. “While I’m making the money, you and Joyce and Katherine can make the birds and pin-wheels and butterflies. I’m going to make splendid paper money—whole bags full! Oh! I can keep some to carry home to play store, too!”
“I don’t want any more breakfast,” sighed Jimsi. “I want to begin right away.” But, nevertheless, she did eat more hot pancakes and more than just two.
“Where’s crow?” asked baby Katherine, pointing to the shelf where Aunt Phoebe’s crow stood last night. “Where’s crow?”
“Oh, he flies away during the day,” volunteered Jimsi. “He pretends fly away. Ask Aunt Phoebe where he is!”
Photograph of things mentioned and scissors and crayonsThe Bird, the Butterflies and the Pin-wheels That Were Made Out of Wall Paper
The Bird, the Butterflies and the Pin-wheels That Were Made Out of Wall Paper
But Aunt Phoebe was making-believe about crow and she wouldn’t tell at all—no, not at all.
They tried to tease her—(It isn’t at all nice to tease, but boys will do it.) “Aunt Phoebe,how could the crow hug Katherine?” giggled Henry. “I’d like to see crow do it!”
“He could pretend to in a crow letter,” answered Aunt Phoebe demurely. “Henry, if you don’t look out,youwon’t get any new crow letters. If you don’t want to believe in my nice, old, stuffed black crow, Caw Caw, give me back all your splendid scrapbooks that he told you how to make.”
“Oh, I believe in make-believe,” Henry laughed. “But, Aunt Phoebe, it’s so funny! The idea of crow’s hugging Katherine with his two claws! Oh, oh! How could he stand?”
“He might sit on his tail and do it,” answered Aunt Phoebe. “Crows don’tusuallysit on their tail, but Caw Caw might. He’s pretend.”
“Caw Caw’s all right,” declared Jimsi. “I think he can do most anything. He’s the cleverest crow that ever, ever was. There never could be another like him,I know!”
“Think of The Happy Shop and all the fun of the Magic Book!” smiled Mother.
“Dear Aunt Phoebe,” beamed Henry. “Please, I do want another crow letter. Tell crow to writesoon!”
But Aunt Phoebe shook her finger atHenry. “Naughty,” said she. “The next crow letter shall go to somebody else, not you!” She smiled.
By that time breakfast was over and the children rushed off to The Happy Shop to find the Magic Book and try the new crow play for little Katherine.
JUST as soon as little Katherine had tried her pin-wheels indoors, Henry and Jimsi decided that outdoors where there is wind, pin-wheels would turn much better and faster, so the children jumped into cloaks and caps and made for the garden. It was still too early to go over to see the little lame girl. They all decided to wait and make the crow’s butterfly and bird toys when Joyce could try them, too. But the pin-wheels were really out-door toys and one had to run about to make them go.
Katherine had two pin-wheels, one in each hand. One was blue and pink and the other was made of flowered paper with green paper inside. Henry had a red and brown pin-wheel that he had madeverylarge indeed. Jimsi’s pin-wheel was an attempt to be “different,” she said. She had tried to cut the edges in scallop. There was also a rosebud cut from wall paper, and it came at the centerof her pin-wheel under the pin. They all had great fun running about the garden in the crisp winter morning air, each trying to see which pin-wheel would turn best. Katherine’s flowered pin-wheel, it was agreed, was a huge success. Then, Jimsi’s broke. She had to go indoors to mend it and when she came out, she had her Magic Book rolled up tight under her arm. “We can go over to see Joyce, Mother says,” called Jimsi from the door-step. “Hurry up!”
So off they trotted.
As Jimsi had forgotten all about the crow’s surprise when she and Joyce were busy making stencils and embroidery patterns, it was perfectly unexpected for Henry and Katherine to appear behind Jimsi that morning when the door opened and let the children into the room where the little lame girl’s chair was rolled into the bow-window beside the big table. Why, at first Joyce just stared and then, laughing, she held out a hand to each. “Oh,Iknow now who you are! You’re Katherine and Henry,” she beamed. “But I didn’t know you were coming. Jimsi never told me there was going to be such a lovely party!”
“Oh,” Jimsi laughed. “Your patterns andthings were so interesting, I forgot to tell you crow promised me a big surprise. I forgot all about it till I went back to Aunt Phoebe’s. In the afternoon, I went down to The Happy Shop and I found that crow had brought Mother and Henry and sister Katherine for the surprise.”
“Well, well!” laughed the little lame girl, “and you didn’t suspectat all?”
“Not a weeny bit!”
“And it was a surprise for me, too,” declared Joyce. “Now, what are we going to do to have fun this morning?”
Little Katherine held out her two pin-wheels. “You can make these,” she suggested.
“Let’s try birds and butterflies! Oh, Joyce, the crow sent Katherine a letter this morning and it told how to make those pin-wheels and birds and butterflies, too,” explained Jimsi. “And Henry said he’d make toy money for a store and we could play that, too!”
“I wish it was real money,” Henry joked, as he snipped big pieces from Jimsi’s wall-paper book—big pieces of silver satin stripe for silver money. “I’m going to make five and ten dollar bills next. Oh, you wait!” Hesat down on the floor and began to cut regardless of the floor.
“Look out,” sang Jimsi. “Put a paper down, Henry! Joyce and I are careful. It makes ever so much muss to clear up when you cut like that. Here’s a newspaper.” So Henry meekly apologized. “I wasn’t thinking,” he explained.
Joyce and Jimsi began on butterflies. When they had made ever so many, they made birds—whole flocks of birds: bluebirds, crows, robins, catbirds, and most every kind of bird one could think of, as well as a good many pink and yellow birds that nobody could identify as ever having lived anywhere at all.
They pretended that the big table was a store and Henry brought all manner of things from around the room to put on it and sell, he said. Joyce was store-keeper. As for baby Katherine,shepreferred to play on the floor with the paper toys, and she played in her own way.
Henry showed the little lame girl about how to make scrapbooks and they were busy choosing a paper for her first scrapbook when suddenly the door-bell rang. Joyce’s motherwent to the door. There was nobody there! Then her eyes suddenly fell to the door-step and there, sure enough, was a crow letter! Beside it was—why, it was the cutest of paper baskets! It was filled with cut flowers. The letter was for Joyce. The basket that came with it was, of course, for her, too.
Why, the basket was made out of wall paper! Would you believe it? Yes, it was! But the flowers in it were really, really true—they weren’t wall-paper flowers. Joyce took them from the basket and Jimsi went for a vase. “Why, we can make baskets like that,” she declared. “I think crow’s letter must be about it.” She tore open the envelope. She glanced over the letter. No. All crow said was:
“Dear Joyce:Maybe you’d like this basket of flowers. I made the basket part with my book of magic paper just to send these flowers to you.Your lovingCrow Caw Caw.”
“Dear Joyce:
Maybe you’d like this basket of flowers. I made the basket part with my book of magic paper just to send these flowers to you.
Your lovingCrow Caw Caw.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Joyce suggested. “Let’s each take some paper—the very heavy wallpaper—and we’ll see which one of us can make the best basket. We’ll try to make them like this. This one is cut from a piece of folded paper that is double. Its sides are sewed—see! I’ll give you each a needle. This basket is sewed with a strand of raffia, and the sides are buttonholed with it, but we can baste our baskets with big strands of colored darning-cotton or shoe-button thread. Let’s try it!”
All but baby Katherine tried it. She was playing with the butterflies on the rug by the fire. The pussy-cat was purring there. She, too, liked to play with the butterflies. Maybe it was because Katherine dragged them over the rug on a string as no butterflieseverflew! But she had a good time just the same.
“We could make May baskets like this,” Jimsi suggested. “I’m going to make some next spring. I’m going to show my teacher at school how to make these baskets. I think she’d like to know how. And the kindergarten teacher—Sister’s teacher—she’d like to know how, too.Shecould show the children how to make others like them.”
“We could make them for the Christmas tree this Christmas,” declared Henry. “Ofcourse those for the Christmas tree would need to be much smaller.”
“They would be cute for doll baskets, when we made them small,” beamed Joyce.
photograph of four May baskets, some with flowersThe May Baskets and the Flower-pot Cover That Were Made of Wall Paper
The May Baskets and the Flower-pot Cover That Were Made of Wall Paper
At the mention of dolls, Henry sniffed, “Idon’t play dolls,” said he. “I like baskets that are useful. I tell you what you can do to earn money, girls! You can make these baskets to hold candy and sell home-made candy in them.” Really, Henry thought he had offereda valuable suggestion! Both little girls laughed.
“They wouldn’t want to eat the kindImake!” chuckled Jimsi. “Beside that I’d probably eat it up first. And Mother doesn’t like to have us make candy. But I’ll tell youwhat:we could make them for fairs and bazaars if we were asked to give things to sell. The candy booth could use them. We could make ever so many in a short time. Why, it only took a minute to cut this one out and sew it!” She held up a dainty pink basket made of striped paper almost as stiff as bristle-board. “I suppose this paper’s ever so expensive, if it’s used on walls,” she said. “The heavy paper always is, you know. But there is a whole half of my Magic Book full of heavy paper samples.”
Baby Katherine liked the baskets. She put her butterflies inside. Henry carried his paper money inhis. Jimsi cut paper flowers and put them in hers.
“I’ll send back the prettiest I can to Aunt Phoebe by you,” said Joyce. “It’ll show her that we used the crow play right away. And I’ll put a crow letter inside.”
After that was done, the clock began tostrike the Cinderella hour and the children, after hastily picking up careless scraps of paper for the little lame girl, started back for Aunt Phoebe’s, promising to come back to play again that afternoon, if nothing prevented.
THE Good Crow, Caw Caw, must have been very busy writing letters and making things that Saturday, for hardly had the children sat down to luncheon, and hardly had Henry undone his napkin than—out dropped a crow letter. Oh, oh, my! How funny!
And hardly had Jimsi lifted her napkin to take it out of the ring than lo—there, under it, was another crow letter. Oh, oh,my!
And then, as Mother took Katherine’s napkin to fasten it on there appeared a crow letter addressed to Katherine lying on the luncheon cloth.
“Did you ever!” whistled Henry. “I thought your crow was never going to write to me again, Aunt Phoebe.”
“I didn’t say that,” twinkled Aunt Phoebe’s voice. “I said you’d better look out. Beside that, Henry dear, the crow knows that youand Mother and Katherine have to go back to the city tonight. You’ve got to go back to school on Monday.”
“Oh, dear,” moaned Henry. “I want to stay here.”
“Me, too,” lisped Katherine.
“Isn’t Jimsi coming home with us?” urged Henry. “She looks all right. I don’t think she looks sick any more. She doesn’t act so.”
“I feel all right,” admitted Jimsi. “I don’t need to take naps any more while I stay, Aunt Phoebe. Mother said so. I don’t want Mother and Henry and Katherine to go back because I shall miss them, but I’d just as lieve not go back to school yet. I like to be with you, Aunt Phoebe, and I do love the Good Crow’s Happy Shop and the Magic Book! My book’s really growing quite thin. I’ll soon need another—how’ll I ever do without a Magic Book when this is gone?”
“Soon Christmas will be coming,” said Mother. “You’ll come home just before Christmas, Jimsi dear. And I think Aunt Phoebe’ll come with you. After Christmas, you’ll be going back to school again, and there’ll be an end to bad medicine and the peppermints that come after it.”
“Hooray!” whooped Henry.
photograph of some school books covered and a bookmarkHere Are School Books With Pretty Covers Made to Keep Them Clean. These Are the Books the Children Covered, and the Book-marker, Picture Frame and Notebook Are Here too
Here Are School Books With Pretty Covers Made to Keep Them Clean. These Are the Books the Children Covered, and the Book-marker, Picture Frame and Notebook Are Here too
Jimsi, however, was doubtful. She didn’t care to lose freedom that she had been having. Yet she liked school. “I’ll be glad the medicine’s gone, but I’ll want Aunt Phoebe and her crow play ever so much,” she declared. “I’m having such a good time here—and there is Joyce.”
“Well,” smiled Mother, “don’t borrow trouble. Today there is a whole long afternoon to play with Henry and Joyce and Katherine. And you have none of you read your crow letters yet.”
“I was keeping mine for the desert,” joked Jimsi. “Henry, you found your letter first, so you read yours first.”
Henry was deep in a slice of bread and butter, but he put it down and took up the sheet he had laid down when they had begun discussing Jimsi’s going-home. He read:
“Dear Bad Boy:You deserved to be punished for having laughed at me to-day but I know it was just fun so I’ll forgive you and, just because you were so naughty, I will give you something useful to do. I won’t tell you about any new play this time. You don’t deserve it!I’m going to tell you something you can do for Aunt Phoebe: she has some books that she wants to have covered very neatly in paper. I should advise you to cover some of your school-books the same way when you go back to school. It saves the books and keeps the covers fresh. (I know you like to keep yours and sell them when you go into the next class.)This is what you do: you take the book you wish to cover and lay it flat with cover open upon a sheet of thin wall paper taken from the Magic Book.Next, you fold the paper to one side cover, making it all flat and very neatly turning the edges of the paper over one cover. Cut the paper at each corner of the book to help fold more easily. Fold in under the back of your book the extra strip that is not needed at the back of the cover.If you have fancy labels that may be glued on, paste them on the front cover and write the name of the book as well as your own name on them.Your funny Crow.P. S.You’ll find five books of Aunt Phoebe’s that need new fresh covers. They are in The Happy Shop on the shelf beside the crow mail-box.C. C.”
“Dear Bad Boy:
You deserved to be punished for having laughed at me to-day but I know it was just fun so I’ll forgive you and, just because you were so naughty, I will give you something useful to do. I won’t tell you about any new play this time. You don’t deserve it!
I’m going to tell you something you can do for Aunt Phoebe: she has some books that she wants to have covered very neatly in paper. I should advise you to cover some of your school-books the same way when you go back to school. It saves the books and keeps the covers fresh. (I know you like to keep yours and sell them when you go into the next class.)
This is what you do: you take the book you wish to cover and lay it flat with cover open upon a sheet of thin wall paper taken from the Magic Book.
Next, you fold the paper to one side cover, making it all flat and very neatly turning the edges of the paper over one cover. Cut the paper at each corner of the book to help fold more easily. Fold in under the back of your book the extra strip that is not needed at the back of the cover.
If you have fancy labels that may be glued on, paste them on the front cover and write the name of the book as well as your own name on them.
Your funny Crow.
P. S.
You’ll find five books of Aunt Phoebe’s that need new fresh covers. They are in The Happy Shop on the shelf beside the crow mail-box.
C. C.”
“What a good idea,” declared Mother. “I think I’ll have some books to cover when I get home, too, Henry.”
“But what are we going to do, Aunt Phoebe, my Magic Book is getting so thin? There aren’t many more pages in it—only about twenty. I counted. How’m I going to get another—and Henry wants one, too.”
“Oh, everybody who wants a Magic Book can very easily have one,” declared Aunt Phoebe. “Just go to some store where they do paper-hanging and ask if you can have an old sample book of last year’s styles in wall paper.The styles change almost every year. Every year the men have new books of styles. Their shop is full of them. These old ones are useless when the new ones come in and the paperhangers are glad to get rid of the old paper books. Most always, these are thrown away. Even if you lived away off in the country, there would be some town near-by where you could get a sample-book of wall paper, if you were to ask. And if any child wants one, there are more than enough pretty Magic Books in the world to go around—more than one apiece.”
“Well, I’m going to try to get one on my way home from school Monday,” said Henry. “I pass by a paperhanger’s shop. I’ve seen the books in his window, but I never knew they could be used for play before crow told Jimsi of The Happy Shop.”
“I’ll get one there when I come home, too,” Jimsi laughed.
“Me, too!” cooed Katherine, though she only understood dimly what it was they were talking about. She had been begging Mother to read her letter aloud.
“Well, you read Katherine’s letter first, Mother dear,” urged Jimsi. “I’ll wait becauseKatherine is so little she gets impatient. What does Katherine’s letter say?”
Then, Mother read:
“Dear Baby:You can do something quite as well as the big boys and girls. You can make book-markers! You can cut strips of pretty paper and fold them together to look like ribbons. Paste pretty pictures on them and snip the ends in two points. I’m sure Mother would like a book-marker and Henry and Jimsi could use some for school-books.You try to make them. I think Jimsi’ll help you.Your loving friend,Crow.P. S.There is a book-marker I made. It is with the books to be covered on the shelf of The Happy Shop and it is foryou.”
“Dear Baby:
You can do something quite as well as the big boys and girls. You can make book-markers! You can cut strips of pretty paper and fold them together to look like ribbons. Paste pretty pictures on them and snip the ends in two points. I’m sure Mother would like a book-marker and Henry and Jimsi could use some for school-books.
You try to make them. I think Jimsi’ll help you.
Your loving friend,Crow.
P. S.
There is a book-marker I made. It is with the books to be covered on the shelf of The Happy Shop and it is foryou.”
Well, of course, Katherine wanted the book-marker and, of course, Henry, being the man of the family, ran to get it for Mother. It was indeed a pretty book-marker and quite easy enough for a baby like Katherine to cut. It looked like a ribbon. All one needed to do to make a book-marker like it was to cut a strip of paper and fold it and paste it together tight. Then a picture was pasted in the centeron one side to ornament it and the ends of the paper were snipped evenly in points. Aunt Phoebe admired crow’s handiwork, and after it had been passed all around the table, and after it had come back to Katherine again, they asked Jimsi to readhercrow letter.
“Dear Little Girl:Hello:I thought of something nice that you can do with your paper from the Magic Book. You can frame pictures. It is easy to frame pictures, if you use glue and have a sheet of glass to fit your picture. This is the way to do it.Put the glass with your picture under it right on top of your Magic Book. Have the glass on the white side of the wall paper. Draw all around the edge of the flat glass with a pencil. This will show you the size to cut from your sheet of wall paper. You must add a half-inch or full inch to each side of this measurement before cutting out.When this is done, fold the sides of the paper over your glass. Begin with the long sides. Glue these to the glass and then fold over the short ends of the paper the same way. Put some weight on top of the picture and let all dry carefully. See that all glue is used so sparingly that it does not muss the pretty paper.After the paper is dried to the glass, paste on each corner some small flower or rosebud to finish and cover the corner folds. Paste a hanger at the back of the picture and you are through with your work. You canframe pictures for your own room this way and you can make dainty little gifts this way too. Save all the pretty pictures you find to use like this.I won’t tell you any more today. I’m telling you a great deal because, you see, I want you and Henry and Katherine to enjoy the Magic Book as much as possible before train-time.Your ownCaw Caw.”
“Dear Little Girl:
Hello:
I thought of something nice that you can do with your paper from the Magic Book. You can frame pictures. It is easy to frame pictures, if you use glue and have a sheet of glass to fit your picture. This is the way to do it.
Put the glass with your picture under it right on top of your Magic Book. Have the glass on the white side of the wall paper. Draw all around the edge of the flat glass with a pencil. This will show you the size to cut from your sheet of wall paper. You must add a half-inch or full inch to each side of this measurement before cutting out.
When this is done, fold the sides of the paper over your glass. Begin with the long sides. Glue these to the glass and then fold over the short ends of the paper the same way. Put some weight on top of the picture and let all dry carefully. See that all glue is used so sparingly that it does not muss the pretty paper.
After the paper is dried to the glass, paste on each corner some small flower or rosebud to finish and cover the corner folds. Paste a hanger at the back of the picture and you are through with your work. You canframe pictures for your own room this way and you can make dainty little gifts this way too. Save all the pretty pictures you find to use like this.
I won’t tell you any more today. I’m telling you a great deal because, you see, I want you and Henry and Katherine to enjoy the Magic Book as much as possible before train-time.
Your ownCaw Caw.”
That, too, was voted a good idea. Henry raced to the table in The Happy Shop to see what was there and he found a pretty picture framed just like that. Oh, it really was lovely, itwas!
But the crow left no more letters for anybody that lunch time, even though Aunt Phoebe made believe that she thoughtsheought to have one. She even got up and looked under her chair and made everybody laugh by saying in such a disappointed way, “Oh, Caw Cawmusthave forgotten me!” But right then and there, Jimsi remembered that she had been trusted with a crow letter to Aunt Phoebe—the one from Joyce in the little basket. She had left it by mistake in her room when she hurried down to lunch after brushing her hair.
“Please, Aunt Phoebe,” she begged.“I know he didn’t forget you. May I go and look—”
Mother must have understood for she let Jimsi go to hunt. And then when she came flying back, how Mother did enjoy the joke. And Aunt Phoebe did like her basket andherletter.
As there was no more horrid nap-time now after lunch, the children ran over to spend the whole long afternoon with the little lame girl. Henry carried his books to be covered; Jimsi carried her picture to show; Katherine took the book-marker. It was a jolly party that filed home about five o’clock after all the fun. Henry had to give crow calls all the way home up the street to Aunt Phoebe’s house.
And then—Oh, dear! All too soon came train time. And Mother, Henry and Katherine were gone.
As Aunt Phoebe bent over Jimsi’s pillow that night, she whispered, “Feel under it, dearie.” And right under the pillow was—what do you think? You couldn’t guess. It was a candy kiss, and it said, “Good night, Crow.”
THE next day was Sunday. In the afternoon Jimsi ran over to see the little lame girl. They did not play with the Magic Book. The little lame girl did not feel very well. She was reading in her chair that stood in the bow-window. She was very glad to see Jimsi for, somehow, she had been feeling very lonely and wishing that she were like other children who could run about and do the many active things that were denied her.
“I’m cross today, Jimsi,” she greeted. “I’m discontented. Once in a while it just comes over me that I can’t do what other girls can. I have to stay here all day—and, Oh! I do want to run about so! I wish I weren’t lame!”
Jimsi stood beside the chair. She wished that she could think of something comforting to say. It surely was very hard to keep cheerful all the time, if one couldn’t run about and play like other children. Jimsi knew wellwhat it felt like to be sick. “But—but—you’ll get well some time,” she said.
The little lame girl sighed. “I don’t know. Not unless there’s money for me to go to the hospital and have the doctor do what ought to be done. He said I could walk, maybe, if it was done. He wasn’t sure—”
“But why can’t you go and have it done, then?” demanded Jimsi, bringing an arm over the little lame girl’s shoulder. “Surely, it’s very important that you get well. Would it cost very much money?”
“I don’t know how much,” said Joyce. “It’s more than Mother can pay. She’s trying hard to put the sewing money aside for it, but that doesn’t pay very well and it’s slow. I oughtn’t to complain and I oughtn’t to talk about it at all—I hardly ever do, but when I saw you and Henry and Katherine yesterday having such a lark, I just longed to, too.”
“Oh, there ought to be some way to make the money,” declared Jimsi. “There really ought! You ought to be well right away. I wish I could help! But girls can’t earn money doing the things that boys can. Henry can shovel snow and do carpentry andheearns money. Somehow, I never can find any wayto earn money. If I could, I’d put it all in a bank and give it to you to help. It mightn’t be much, but I wish I could do it.”
The little lame girl’s mouth quivered. “Maybe some time I will be well,” she said bravely. “I’m going to forget all about it and try to think of something else. That’s why I like to keep busy doing things. It keeps me from thinking about being lame. I never say anything to Mother about it. I don’t believe Miss Phoebe or anybody knows—”
“But I’m glad you told me,” Jimsi sighed sympathetically. “It helps to talk things over with a friend, I think. It always helpsmeto talk worries over with Aunt Phoebe. If you’d let me tell Aunt Phoebe about this, Joyce, I think she’d know exactly what to do.”
“I don’t know,” brooded the little lame girl.
“Please,” urged Jimsi. “I’m sure that Aunt Phoebe would know how to get the money. Maybe she’d just sit right down and write a story and sell it and send you right off to be all fixed up new by the doctor. Think! Why, you could come to visit me in the city then and I’d show you all my play-things. We’d ride my bicycle and take walks in the park. Oh, we’d have ever so much fun!”
The little lame girl smiled. “Wouldn’t it be splendid?”
“You’ll let me tell Aunt Phoebe?”
“Why, I wouldn’t lethersend me to the hospital! Mother wouldn’t let her. Mother is going to send me some day when she has the money. She’s putting it aside now, but I think it’ll be at least two years more before there’s enough—”
“Aunt Phoebe could write a story just as easy as not. She’d help in a jiffy, if you let me tell her. Then you could go right awaynow!”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that way,” protested Joyce. “I’d—oh, I’d never take any money like that! I’d want to earn it myself—I wish I could. I help with the sewing sometimes, but mostly, Mother uses the machine.”
“I wish I were rich—you’d have to take the money if I gave it to you! I’dmakeyou! I wish I could make things to sell. Don’t you suppose—” Jimsi broke off suddenly. “Why couldn’t we sell some of the things we’ve found in Aunt Phoebe’s wall-paper sample book?”
“What?” inquired Joyce. “The paper dolls and the toy furniture wouldn’t sell, would they? And the valentines aren’t sellable.The embroidery patterns and stencils wouldn’t—it’s the splendid fun of making something out of nothing and finding thenothingisSOMETHINGthat is jolly to play with. That’s why the Magic Book is so nice. It doesn’t cost a single cent and yet it is full of play that is nicer than shop-made games and toys.”
“I know,” Jimsi agreed. “And one can buy scrapbooks in shops, too. I don’t believe that the butterflies and the birds and May baskets would sell except for very little,—maybe a penny or so.”
“What else is there that we’ve made from the Magic Book?”
“Um-m-m,” mused Jimsi. “Let’s see—there’s the picture-framing, and Katherine’s book-markers, and the covers for books—oh, yes! And there are the pin-wheels, but they aren’t sellable any of them—”
“Maybe we could invent something new,” Joyce suggested. “People do, you know. Ever so many times, they make money out of very little things that seem at first too small to count for much. I’ve been thinking of some new things to make. I was going to make one for Daddy’s Christmas. Poor Daddy! He never says anything about me, but I know hethinks about it ever so much. He wants me to go to the hospital, too. But he won’t let me go till we can pay for it, he says.”
“What were you going to make for Christmas?” asked Jimsi. “I thought of Christmas presents I could make with the paper from my Magic Book, too. Mine is stencil work. I was going to stencil a box of letter-paper for Aunt Phoebe and some correspondence cards for Mother. I could use the stencils—the small ones—that way.”
“That’s good,” agreed Joyce. “I thought of making blotter-pads by covering the bottom of a cardboard box with wall paper, after its rims were cut off. Then I’d take wall paper and make little corner pieces and fit them at each corner of my blotter. I’d glue the corner pieces to the cardboard that was covered with the wall paper and that would make a blotter-pad for Daddy’s desk in the other room where he works nights.”
“You’d have to line the corner pieces unless you used very heavy paper,” Jimsi added. “You’d have to make the blotter-pads stick with glue. Paste isn’t strong enough.”
“Oh, I know how I’d do it,” Joyce protested. “It’s perfectly simple. The blottercould be taken out and a new one put in, you know. The corner pieces would be turned in underneath and glued to the cardboard covered with the fancy wall paper. It would be pretty. Let’s try it tomorrow.”
photograph of desk setSome Desk Fittings That Were Made with Wall Paper
Some Desk Fittings That Were Made with Wall Paper
“Yes, let’s!”
“And I thought of another thing. I was going to make it for Miss Phoebe. It is a case for blotters. I’d make it by cutting a strip of flowered paper or a border pattern ofwall paper to fit and fold around the small blotters you buy twelve for five cents. I’d glue the ends underneath and cut the pattern out. It would make a pretty way to give a present. And, I suppose, I might stencil my blotters in water-color paint.”
“Um-hum,” nodded Jimsi reflectively. “I could make that kind of a present for my teacher at school, maybe. You wouldn’t mind, if I used your idea?”
“Of course! Why, use it,” urged Joyce. “And there’s still another thing I thought of doing. I was going to cut the outline of a leaf from green paper and tie pen-wiper things to the back. I have some cloth I could use—linen. If one had chamois, that would be better. It would be tied at the back of the leaf and cut the same shape. Three pen-wiper layers of cloth or chamois would be enough. I’d use a little red ribbon to tie all together at the stem of the leaf.”
“That’s good, too,” declared Jimsi. “I’m going to ask Aunt Phoebe tonight if she thinks we could sell some of these, if we made ever so many and took them to a shop. Maybe the shopkeepers would buy them.”
“I wish they would!”
“Dear me! Don’t I wish so!”
Both little girls smiled into each other’s eyes. “I’ll miss you dreadfully when I go home,” sighed Jimsi.
“And I’ll missyou!”
“Let’s think of something else we can sell.”
“Let’s see.”
They thought and thought. It seemed very hard to think of something that would sell.
“There’s a little clock made of cardboard on Father’s desk,” finally Jimsi announced. “I think you and I could copy it. Father turns the hands around. They are on a pivot and they point to numbers that are on the dial of a white clock-face. Father fixes the hour with the clock-hands. He uses it when he leaves his office. The clock tells when he will be back. Mother said she would like one once. I thought I could copy Father’s. I thought of using fancy paper pasted over a square of cardboard at the back. There would need to be an easel back so the card would stand. A strip of cardboard covered with the same sort of wall paper could be glued at the back and left loose lower down to rest the card upright.The clock face would be cut out of pad paper and numbers could be cut from a calendar to paste on the dial—all around the edge. A round-sided paper-fastener would answer for a pivot to hold the clock hands in place. The hands one could cut from cardboard. They might be colored to make them stand out clearly.”
“I see,” the little lame girl answered. “I’ll make one, too. Perhaps my daddy would use one.”
“I’ll ask Aunt Phoebe if she thinks any of them will sell. I’ll ask her tonight. Perhaps we could make the two years shorter alittle,” sighed Jimsi.
“Maybe we will make a fortune,” laughed Joyce. “Anyhow, Jimsi dear, I’m not going to be discontented any more. I’m not going to have any more blue days. I’m going to be plucky, I am. Don’t you ever dare to mention it again.”
“All right,” Jimsi agreed, “not unless we do make the fortune,” she laughed.
“Which we won’t,” smiled Joyce.
The twilight deepened into dusk and the firelight lit the room. “Oh, I must run,” declared Jimsi. “Aunt Phoebe told me to comehome before dark. Good-bye, dear. I’m going to make a fortune somehow—see if I don’t, and then you’ll go to the hospital and get well right off fast. Let’s pretend we’re going to make a fortune anyhow.”
THAT night after tea, Aunt Phoebe curled up on the lounge. “Jimsi,” she said, “I don’t feel like reading and I don’t know what to do. Come talk to me. What’s the matter, dear? You hardly said a thing all through supper. Don’t you feel well?”
“Oh, I’m all right, Aunt Phoebe,” Jimsi declared. “But I was thinking—I want to make some moneydreadfully!”
“What for?” Aunt Phoebe drew Jimsi onto the couch beside her. “Is it for Christmas, Honey?” she asked.
Jimsi shook her head from side to side slowly. “Of course, I do want money for Christmas presents, but what I want itmostfor is to give it to somebody. I want to know if you think, Aunt Phoebe, that I could earn some money some way. Do you think that I could make things to sell if I made blotter-padsand little presents and took them to a shop? Would the shopkeeper buy them to sell at Christmas, do you think?”
“I don’t believe so, Honey. You’d not make much money that way, I’m afraid.” Aunt Phoebe smiled. “It wouldn’t be a fortune, dear. Shopkeepers would not pay little girls much. The things you make are lovely, I know, but—you see, shopkeepers don’t buy that way.”
There was silence.
“What is it you want the money for?” asked Aunt Phoebe suddenly. “Maybe I could help.”
“I think you could, Aunt Phoebe. I want it to help somebody who is sick.”
“It’s the little lame girl, Joyce, isn’t it?—I didn’t know they needed money. Of course, dear, I knew they were not rich, but riches do not always mean money. I know very many poor persons who are rich because they have the things many rich persons do not have. I mean love and hope and happiness and work. Riches are not always money, Jimsi. I think you’re a rich little girl because you are so resourceful. You have such happy clever ways of making things. The crow’s magic bookhas been very magic indeed with the things you and Joyce have made. I’ve been thinking about it all as I watched you. There’s one thing you’ve made that issplendid. It’s the motion picture play screen.”
“Crow told Joyce about it,” said Jimsi. “Yes, it’s ever so much fun. Do you think maybe we could sellthat?I could make them, ever so many of them. I want the little lame girl to go to the hospital and be made well, Aunt Phoebe. She can’t go till the money is in the bank, and it may be two whole years—”
Aunt Phoebe sat upright with a jump. “You don’t mean that Joyce could get well if there was money to send her where she could have treatment, do you?”
A hot, little tear crept from Jimsi’s eye and fell on Aunt Phoebe’s hand that clasped hers in her lap.
“Why, I’ll send Joyce,” she cried. “They never told me!”
“No, no, you can’t,” declared Jimsi. “Joyce wouldn’t let you. She wouldn’t go that way, she says.Shewants to help her mother earn the money. Her father can’t put much aside. They need it. That’s why I wanted to help.”
“Nonsense,” declared Aunt Phoebe. “They’ll have to take it from me.”
Again there was silence. Of course, Aunt Phoebe knew Jimsi was right. They would rather wait than borrow. It was too much for a gift.
Aunt Phoebe got up and walked restlessly about the room. She did that sometimes when she was writing stories, when the story stopped and wanted to go another way than the way Aunt Phoebe planned. Jimsi often laughed about this habit in fun. It did seem so odd that the story people wouldn’t do as Aunt Phoebe wanted them. Aunt Phoebe said it helped her think to walk about like that. Jimsi sat on the couch and watched her silently.
“There must be a way,” Aunt Phoebe kept saying. Then she would walk some more. Once she went right out of the room and Jimsi heard her telephoning. Then she came back and sat down in the rocking chair. “Run and bring me the shadow play that you made from the Magic Book, Jimsi,” she asked. “I want to look at it again. I know somebody who wants to see it. Jimsi, don’t get your hopes up too high—maybe the man will buy the ideaand put it on the market as a children’s toy. What do you say to that? If you’ll give me the toy you made, I’ll wrap it up and we’ll send it on for him to look it over. Don’t tell Joyce. I think Joyce can patent it.”
Well, if Jimsi didn’t fly! Into The Happy Shop she rushed and came back panting. The crow’s motion picture play was all there. Aunt Phoebe had paper. She did it up neatly, addressed and sealed it. Then she went to her desk and began to write a letter to send with it. She wrote for quite a while. When the letter was done, it was bed-time. Jimsi kissed her and went upstairs.
The next morning there was a storm—oh, how it did snow and blow! Aunt Phoebe declared that Jimsi couldn’t go out—no, not even as far as the little lame girl’s house. She sent her to play in The Happy Shop and promised to bring her something nice from crow, if she was good. Aunt Phoebe herself put on her cloak and hat and furs. She said she might not be home till four o’clock as there was business to do in the city even when itwasstormy. She told the kitchen maid what to get for Jimsi’s lunch and Jimsi went as far as the front door to wave her off. Aunt Phoebehad—why she had that package of the motion picture play of crow’s under her cloak. Jimsi saw it as Aunt Phoebe turned to wave. There was enough showing under Aunt Phoebe’s arm for Jimsi to recognize the parcel. Her heart gave a big jump; that must be the business Aunt Phoebe intended to do in the city on a stormy day.
Jimsi watched Aunt Phoebe plod through the snow and up the street out of sight. Then she turned and went toward The Happy Shop. It was going to be a very lonely day all alone. But hardly had she opened the glass door when she saw that Aunt Phoebe had put the Good Crow on the shelf today, and in his bill he held a letter.
Jimsi took the crow down and removed the letter. She tore the wee envelope open and read: