In a few minutes Adele appeared with Cloudy in her arms. “I shut the window,” she said. “It is getting dark up there, and I suppose I shall have Angelina coming for me in a few minutes. I am glad you were able to make Eb give up the brush. What do you suppose he was going to do with it? Isn’t he getting to be a thief?”
“He certainly is,” said Jessie. “I suppose he was going to hide it somewhere.”
“I wonder where?”
“I’m sure I don’t know. Where do you suppose he would hide things, Minerva?”
“Bless me, I’m sure I can’t tell. Well, there, I shouldn’t be the least surprised if he was the one that stole those spoons. It is a wonder none of us thought of that. It’s only lately he’s taken to carrying off things, though. He tried to get my thimble off my finger yesterday.”
“I’m going right in to tell mother about him,” said Jessie, “and maybe we can find the spoons if he has hidden them.”
Minerva followed the two children into the sitting-room, where Mrs. Loomis was told of the suspicion which rested upon Eb. “Well, I declare,” she said. “I verily believe he is the thief. We must watch him, and see where he goes. Keep your eyes open, children, and perhaps we can trace him.”
However, Eb was much too sly to be discovered at once, and despite all their efforts they could not find out where he made a hiding-place for his treasures. He was even given the chance to carry away certain articles, but as soon as he saw that he was followed he would drop what he carried and would fly off with a caw of derision. “He is the cleverest creature I ever saw,” declared Minerva. “There is no catching him napping. I let him carry off a piece of my red worsted this morning, and would you believe it, he dropped it on the step as soon as I opened the door.”
“We’ll catch him unawares some time,” said Sam.
But as if he knew himself suspected, Eb continued to behave with such secrecy that no one could say that he was really the thief, and finally Jessie declared that she didn’t believe he was guilty at all, and she told Adele so.