But this time the crow did no tricks. Perhaps he was tired of showing off. At any rate he flew into a tree over in the yard back of the home of the Curlytops. Jim was allowed to fly about as he pleased, and was well known in the neighborhood. He always flew home at night, though, and slept in the kitchen.
“Oh, Mother!” called Janet, as she saw Mrs. Martin turning to go in the house. “Could I take your little diamond locket? Not the big one, just the little teeny one.”
Mrs. Martin had two diamond lockets, one a very expensive one, and the other not so valuable. This small one had been given to her by her husband when the Martins did not have as much money as they had now. And for this reason Janet’s mother thought more of her small ornament than she did of her more costly one.
“I just want to wear it playing house on the back porch,” Janet went on.
“Will you be very careful of it and bring it back to me as soon as you have finished playing?” asked Mrs. Martin.
“Oh, yes,” promised the little girl. “I’ll be ever so careful, and I won’t let Trouble or Ted have it.”
“Well, Ted would be all right,” said Mrs. Martin. “But Trouble might drop it and step on it. I’ll let you take it for a half hour or so.”
She took the locket, with its tiny diamond, from her jewelry box, and gave it into the eager hands of Janet. The little girl’s eyes sparkled like twin diamonds as she clasped the ornament about her neck.
“Now be careful of it!” cautioned her mother, as Janet went back to play house with Ted and Trouble.
“I will!” the little girl promised.