“We know that!” chuckled Ted.
And then followed such a lot of talk and so much laughter over the happy days to come that it is a wonder anyone ate any breakfast. And when the meal was nearly over there came a ring at the door, and Mr. Jenk, the neighbor in the adjoining house, came in.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Martin,” said Mr. Jenk, “especially after your fire trouble.”
“You’re not disturbing us,” said Mr. Martin pleasantly. “As for the fire, it didn’t amount to as much as we feared. It was really only some fireworks.”
“What I came over for,” said Mr. Jenk, as he took his seat in a chair, “is to ask you if you have seen Jim this morning.”
“Your tame crow?” asked Mr. Martin.
“Yes, Jim,” went on Mr. Jenk. “My crow is missing, and I wouldn’t lose him for a good deal. He’s worth more than a hundred dollars and he gets cuter and smarter every day.”
“Oh, is Jim gone?” exclaimed Ted. “How did it happen?”
“That’s what I don’t know,” answered Mr. Jenk. “He came in last night, as he always does, just before dark, and he went to sleep on his perch in the kitchen. But this morning he was gone. I know he used to come over here quite often, and I thought perhaps some of you might have seen him.”
“We saw him yesterday afternoon,” replied Janet, and Ted nodded his head at this. “But we haven’t seen him this morning.”