Grandma lives at Jack's house. She has a bird, too. Grandma's bird is a green parrot. The parrot's name is "Pepper." Jack loves Grandma, but Jack's crow does not love Grandma's parrot.
P epper can talk like a man, mew like a cat, bark like a dog. She can cry and laugh. When Jimmy says "Caw, caw!" Pepper says "C-a-w, c-a-w!" and then laughs. Jimmy crow doesn't like to be laughed at. Once he flew at Pepper, and pushed her off her perch. But Pepper scratched him with her talons and pulled out a tail-feather with her beak. Now Jimmy keeps away from her, unless he wants to steal her crackers.
O n Christmas Eve children came to Jack's Tree. Mama had trimmed it with popcorn and candles, and hung ornaments everywhere. When she went with a match to light the candles, they were gone! "Where are the candles?" cried Mama. "Somebody has carried them off, and I can't light the tree." Betty, the littlest girl, began to cry—two tears ran down her cheeks. Pepper sat on her perch cracking a nut. When she heard the outcry, she dropped it and screamed "Jimmy Crow, Jimmy Crow! Oh, oh! Oh, oh!" "Oh, naughty Jimmy Crow!" said Mama. "He has hidden them. Pepper is telling tales. Run, children, and hunt! We'll play a new game, 'Hunt the candle.'"
E ight pairs of feet ran "up stairs, down stairs, in my lady's chamber." At last Betty tipped over a basket, and out rolled the candles. The littlest girl had won! So Mama held her up, and she lit the Christmas Tree. Edith Francis Foster
AFTER THE SNOW STORM. AFTER THE SNOW STORM.
