Chapter XX: The Crow’s Nest

The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore. But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

“We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

“How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

“Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake. It was about half a mile away, though once on that shore the children might not have been able to find a path back. For the shore of the lake went winding in and out like the edges of a blot of ink when you splatter a drop on a sheet of paper.

“I wish we could get the poles,” murmured Janet. “Then we could push ourselves back.”

“I’ll try again,” offered Teddy, and he began paddling hard with his hands over the side of the boat, endeavoring to send the craft back to where the two poles could be seen floating.

But as Teddy paddled with his hands only on one side of the boat, it was just the same as if he had rowed with one oar. The scow began to go around in a circle.

“It’s like a merry-go-round!” chuckled Ted.

“But you mustn’t do it!” complained Janet. “It makes me dizzy to go around like that!”

“Well, you paddle on your side then,” suggested Ted. “That’s what we have to do--paddle on both sides.”

This was true; just as when you want a boat to go straight you must row with two oars, one on each side, and you must pull evenly on each oar.

Putting her shoes and stockings with Ted’s, up in the bow of the boat, Janet began paddling with her hands on one side, while her brother paddled on the other side. In this way they managed to send the boat back a little way, even though the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.

“We’re getting nearer to the poles,” cried Teddy. “I think I can reach one now. Stop paddling, Janet!”

She stopped and Teddy leaned over the side of the boat. He stretched his hands out as far as he could reach, but as soon as the paddling stopped the boat began to drift back again, blown by the wind. Wider and wider became the space between Ted’s outstretched hands and the floating poles.

“Look out!” cried Janet. “You’ll fall over!”

And Ted came very nearly doing this. Just in time he leaned back and sat down in the bottom of the boat.

“You can’t get those poles!” sighed Janet.

“Yes, I can!” declared Teddy. He was not a boy to give up easily. He started paddling with his hands again, as did Janet. Once more they were almost within reach of the poles, but the wind blew them back.

“I--I guess I can’t do it,” Teddy had to admit, rather out of breath.

“Let’s drift over to the other shore, and then we can get out of the boat and walk home,” suggested Janet.

This seemed the best plan to follow. So the Curlytops sat in the boat and tried to pretend that they were enjoying the voyage and having a good time. But, to tell you the truth, they were rather worried and frightened.

The wind was now blowing stronger, but the children saw that this would, all the more quickly, send them to the opposite shore.

“Let’s eat!” suggested Ted, after a bit. “We’ll make believe we’re shipwrecked sailors and we’ll eat.”

“But don’t eat the cheese,” objected Janet. “We might find Jim the crow on the other shore, and we could catch him with some cheese.”

“All right,” agreed Teddy. He was not very fond of cheese anyhow, and he was willing that Jim should have it--if they could find Jim.

They were more than half way across the little bay, or arm of the lake, and they could see that the other shore was a sandy one on which to land when, from the woods they had left, came a shout.

“Where you children going with that boat?” hailed a man.

Looking back Janet and Ted saw a stranger standing on the shore near the place where they had dragged out the craft which had been hidden under the bushes. The man had a pair of oars in his hand, and it was evident that he had come to use his boat. He had probably taken the oars back home with him, knowing that the boat could not be taken far without them.

“Where you going with my boat?” he asked, rather angrily.

“We didn’t mean to take it away,” Ted called back. The talk could plainly be heard, as voices carry well over water, you know.

“Well, what did you take it away for?” asked the man, who was a stranger to the Curlytops. “That’s my boat. I want to go fishing in it and now you have it.”

“We’d bring it back if we could,” Teddy called back. “We’re sorry. We only went out a little way but we lost our poles and we can’t get back.”

The man stood there and seemed to be thinking for a moment. Then he laughed and said:

“Well, sit quiet and don’t fall out. You’ll be at the other shore soon. Land there and make the boat fast. I’ll walk around and row you back. Don’t be afraid.”

The Curlytops felt better after this. They watched the man turn back with his oars over his shoulder. He was soon lost to sight in the bushes. Then Ted and Janet looked toward the other shore which was coming nearer and nearer. Of course they were really coming nearer to the shore, for the land did not move. But in the boat it looked as though it did.

The wind blew in puffs, and when one stronger than those before it struck the boat it blew it well up on the sandy beach. Ted jumped out and pulled the boat farther up on shore, while Janet remained in it.

“Now you can get out,” Ted told her. “We’ll stay here until the man walks around and rows us back.”

“He was a good man, wasn’t he?” asked Janet, as she handed Ted his shoes and stockings.

“Yes,” he agreed. “He wasn’t very cross ’cause we took his boat. I didn’t know it was anybody’s--hid like that in the bushes.”

“I didn’t, either,” agreed Janet, as she and her brother put on their shoes.

There was nothing to do until the man came, for the Curlytops were on a strange shore and did not want to wander away and get lost. So they sat down on stones, near where Ted had tied the boat to keep it from drifting away, and they ate what little lunch remained.

“What’ll I do with this cheese?” asked Ted. “I don’t s’pose we’re going to find any crows.”

“No,” admitted Janet slowly. “But maybe----”

Then she stopped suddenly, for in the air overhead sounded a loud:

“Caw! Caw! Caw!”

“Oh, look!” whispered Janet.

Fluttering down from the sky was a big, black bird. It flew to a low stump of a tree, not far from where the children sat, and there the crow perched, still cawing.

In wonder and hope the children watched the crow. The bird turned its head from side to side, and seemed to be looking about for any danger. He appeared to see the Curlytops, but did not mind them.

Then the crow began moving about on the edge of the stump, stirring up something down in the hollow of it.

“Oh, Ted!” cried Janet. “I believe that crow has a nest in the stump!”

“It does look so,” admitted her brother.

As the two children saw the crow stepping about Janet observed something else. Eagerly she clutched Ted’s arm and whispered:

“Ted, that crow is lame, just like Mr. Jenk’s!”

“And he’s tame, too,” said Teddy. “He isn’t a bit afraid of us. I’m going to offer him some cheese!” He held out a bit in his hand to the black bird. “Here, Jim! Jim!” coaxed Teddy. “Here’s cheese for you!”

“Caw! Caw!” croaked the glossy bird, head on one side. It fluttered its wings and seemed about to fly toward Teddy to get the cheese.

“Oh, Ted! I’m going to tap like a woodpecker!” said Janet. “And you snap your fingers. If that’s Jim, the lame, tame crow, he’ll stand on one leg and he’ll pull a cork!”

“We’ll try it!” exclaimed Teddy.

Janet tapped on a tree near her, using a stick to make the sound. Teddy snapped his fingers as well as he was able. Instantly the crow stopped cawing. It turned its head on one side and then, a moment later, stood on one leg, thrusting the other--the lame one--out from him like a stiff stick.

“Look, Teddy! Look!” whispered Janet.

“Snap! Snap!” went Teddy’s chubby fingers.

“Pop! Pop!” exploded the crow, like a cork coming from a bottle.

“Oh, it’s Jim! It’s Mr. Jenk’s lame, tame crow, Jim! We’ve found him!” shouted Janet in delight. “We’ve found him!”

Then, with another hoarse caw, the crow flew over and began picking at the cheese in Teddy’s hand.

There was no doubt of it, they had found the lame crow. Jim was so tame, and he knew the Curlytops so well, that he allowed his black feathers to be stroked as he picked at the cheese. He seemed to be enjoying himself very much.

“Now we’ve got him how are we going to keep him?” asked Ted. “He may fly away again.”

“You could tie a string to his leg,” suggested Janet.

“I will!” decided her brother. He had plenty of string in his pocket. Putting the cheese down on a log, where Jim could pick at it, Ted soon tied a strong cord around the crow’s sound leg. The other end of the cord Ted fastened to his waist to have both his hands free.

While he was doing this Janet walked over to the low stump where the crow had what might be called his nest, though wild crows always build in the highest trees they can find. Janet looked down in the hollow stump. She saw bits of mussel shells, some bright pebbles, a lot of hair from the tails of horses and a shiny piece of tin. Then she saw something else that caused her to cry out in wonder.

“What is it?” asked Teddy, who had tied Jim fast to him.

“Oh, look what I’ve found!” gasped Janet. She held up something glittering and shiny that dangled to and fro. “It’s mother’s diamond locket and chain that we were playing house with!” cried Janet. “I’ve found mother’s lost locket in Jim crow’s nest! Oh, how glad I am!”

“So am I!” said Teddy, rejoicing with his sister. “But how did it get here?”

“Jim must have flown over to our house and picked it up off the box when we ran out to see the auto accident,” answered Janet.

And that is exactly how it had happened. Of course Jim could not talk and tell about it, for he could only pull corks and whistle. But from what is known of crows--how fond they are of bright things--it could easily be guessed what had happened.

Jim, flying away from Mr. Jenk’s house, had seen the glittering locket where Janet had left it for a moment as she and her brothers hurried out to the street. The crow had picked it up and had flown off to the woods with it, as they often do with bright and shining things that take their fancy.

Being a tame crow, Jim had made his nest in a low stump instead of a high tree, and there he had dropped the diamond locket, having really no further use for it. And there it had been all this while. Jim must have liked his new freedom, for he did not fly back to Mr. Jenk’s house, though very likely the lame crow the children once saw was this same Jim.

“Oh, everything is coming out all right!” happily cried Janet, as she looked at the diamond ornament. “I’ve found mother’s locket that I thought I’d lost, and we have Mr. Jenk’s crow.”

“We’ll get ten dollars, too,” laughed Ted.

The man who owned the boat came. He was surprised when he heard the children’s story, and said he often had known crows to fly away with bright things.

“Well, I’ll have three passengers to row back, instead of two,” he said, with a laugh. “Where do you live?” he asked the Curlytops.

“At Mount Major, near the sawmill,” they told him.

“I know where it is,” he said. “I’ll soon have you there.”

A little later when he rowed up to the bungalow dock he found Mr. and Mrs. Martin just beginning to get worried about Ted and Janet.

You can imagine how surprised everyone was when the Curlytops came back, not only with the missing crow but also the diamond locket.

“I never saw such lucky children!” chuckled Tod Everett.

“Caw! Caw!” croaked the crow, as if of the same opinion. Jim did not try to get away. He seemed to have had enough of freedom. But no chances were taken and he was kept fastened by a string until he could be sent back to Mr. Jenk.

True to his promise, the owner of the lame, tame crow paid the ten dollar reward to Teddy and Janet. Part of the money was given them to spend, and the remainder was put in the bank for them.

“We’ve certainly had a fine summer in the woods,” said Mr. Martin, when the time came to go back, for he had the camp store in good running order now.

“It was the best time we ever had!” agreed Teddy.

“And it was exciting, too,” added Janet.

“I’m glad I have my little diamond locket back,” said Mrs. Martin.

“An’ I glad I got a new fire engine, an’ it squirts weal water!” laughed Trouble, for Ted and Janet had taken part of their reward money and bought him a new toy.

So all ended happily. But this is not the end of the adventures of the Curlytops, for there are more to follow. But, for a while, we will bid them good-bye.

THE END

THE CURLYTOPS SERIES

BY HOWARD R. GARIS

Author of the famous “Bedtime Animal Stories”

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1. THE CURLYTOPS AT CHERRY FARM _or Vacation Days in the Country_

A tale of happy vacation days on a farm.

2. THE CURLYTOPS ON STAR ISLAND _or Camping out with Grandpa_

The Curlytops were delighted when grandpa took them to camp on Star Island.

3. THE CURLYTOPS SNOWED IN _or Grand Fun with Skates and Sleds_

Winter was a jolly time for the Curlytops, with their skates and sleds, on the lakes and hills.

4. THE CURLYTOPS AT UNCLE FRANK’S RANCH _or Little Folks on Pony Back_

Out West on their uncle’s ranch they have a wonderful time among the cowboys and on pony back.

5. THE CURLYTOPS AT SILVER LAKE _or On the Water with Uncle Ben_

The Curlytops camp out on the shores of a beautiful lake.

6. THE CURLYTOPS AND THEIR PETS _or Uncle Toby’s Strange Collection_

When an old uncle leaves them to care for his collection of pets, they get up a circus for charity.

7. THE CURLYTOPS AND THEIR PLAYMATES _or Jolly Times Through the Holidays_

The children have great times with their uncle’s collection of animals.

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Exciting times in the forest for Curlytops.

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BY MINNIE E. PAULL

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Ruby and Ruthie were not old enough to go to school, but they certainly were lively enough to have many exciting adventures, that taught many useful lessons needed to be learned by little girls.

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There were troubles enough for a dozen grown-ups, but Ruby got ahead of them all, and, in spite of them, became a favorite in the lively times at school.

RUBY AT SCHOOL

Ruby had many surprises when she went to the impossible place she heard called a boarding school, but every experience helped to make her a stronger-minded girl.

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Brother and Sister attend the Ridgeway public school where their little, poor friend Mickey Gaffney is also a pupil. Brother and Mickey try to find a missing gem which their teacher loses from her ring which gets them into trouble with the janitor.

3. BROTHER AND SISTER’S HOLIDAYS

Thanksgiving Day at their grandmother’s house was lots of fun for Brother and Sister; also their Christmas time, when they helped the “poor people” for miles around.

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Billy Bunny’s uncle, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, is the owner of a circus. The big elephant becomes the friend of the little rabbit and they have many strange adventures together.

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This old robber is on the watch to catch the little rabbit, who has to use his wits to escape from the crafty old fox.

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Uncle Bull Frog sits all day on his log in the Old Mill Pond catching flies, and telling Billy Bunny interesting stories.

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“Uncle Lucky,” as he is called, because he is very rich, owns a Luckymobile, in which he takes Billy Bunny out for a drive almost every day.

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Billy Bunny gets into trouble with nearly all of his woodland neighbors but they make up and become friends again. Robbie Redbreast has his troubles but they are only little ones.

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The Linger-Not girls had no thought of becoming mixed up with feuds or mysteries, but their habit of being useful soon entangled them in some surprising adventures that turned out happily for all, and made the valley better because of their visit.

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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.