64 



Here was a find indeed, and no one in sight to 

 scold him or to shout to him to drop it. In a 

 moment James had seized the ribbon and was 

 hurrying across the lawn with it and on down the 

 lane. 



Ned followed, taking care that the crow should 

 not see him. Down at the very end of the lane was 

 an old willow tree. 



James flew up into this with the ribbon, and then 

 Ned lost sight of him among the branches. 



Presently James flapped down into the lane 

 again. He did not have the ribbon. He stopped 

 to rub his beak on the grass. Then he walked idly 

 up the lane again, cawing gently to himself. After 

 he was out of sight Ned came from behind the 

 hedge where he had been hiding and swung himself 

 up into the willow tree. 



There he found a hollow among the branches, 

 and in this hollow was the greatest collection of 

 things, — a ball of yarn, a rusty jack-knife, a screw, 

 two apple cores, a peach stone and a silver thimble. 



Ned took the thimble and the jack-knife, and 

 then slid down the tree leaving the other things 

 undisturbed. It seemed a good thing to let the crow 

 still think no one knew of his hiding spot. Then if 



