Again there was silence. Of course, Aunt Phoebe knew Jimsi was right. They would rather wait than borrow. It was too much for a gift.
Aunt Phoebe got up and walked restlessly about the room. She did that sometimes when she was writing stories, when the story stopped and wanted to go another way than the way Aunt Phoebe planned. Jimsi often laughed about this habit in fun. It did seem so odd that the story people wouldn’t do as Aunt Phoebe wanted them. Aunt Phoebe said it helped her think to walk about like that. Jimsi sat on the couch and watched her silently.
“There must be a way,” Aunt Phoebe kept saying. Then she would walk some more. Once she went right out of the room and Jimsi heard her telephoning. Then she came back and sat down in the rocking chair. “Run and bring me the shadow play that you made from the Magic Book, Jimsi,” she asked. “I want to look at it again. I know somebody who wants to see it. Jimsi, don’t get your hopes up too high—maybe the man will buy the idea and put it on the market as a children’s toy. What do you say to that? If you’ll give me the toy you made, I’ll wrap it up and we’ll send it on for him to look it over. Don’t tell Joyce. I think Joyce can patent it.”
Well, if Jimsi didn’t fly! Into The Happy Shop she rushed and came back panting. The crow’s motion picture play was all there. Aunt Phoebe had paper. She did it up neatly, addressed and sealed it. Then she went to her desk and began to write a letter to send with it. She wrote for quite a while. When the letter was done, it was bed-time. Jimsi kissed her and went upstairs.
The next morning there was a storm—oh, how it did snow and blow! Aunt Phoebe declared that Jimsi couldn’t go out—no, not even as far as the little lame girl’s house. She sent her to play in The Happy Shop and promised to bring her something nice from crow, if she was good. Aunt Phoebe herself put on her cloak and hat and furs. She said she might not be home till four o’clock as there was business to do in the city even when it was stormy. She told the kitchen maid what to get for Jimsi’s lunch and Jimsi went as far as the front door to wave her off. Aunt Phoebe had—why she had that package of the motion picture play of crow’s under her cloak. Jimsi saw it as Aunt Phoebe turned to wave. There was enough showing under Aunt Phoebe’s arm for Jimsi to recognize the parcel. Her heart gave a big jump; that must be the business Aunt Phoebe intended to do in the city on a stormy day.
Jimsi watched Aunt Phoebe plod through the snow and up the street out of sight. Then she turned and went toward The Happy Shop. It was going to be a very lonely day all alone. But hardly had she opened the glass door when she saw that Aunt Phoebe had put the Good Crow on the shelf today, and in his bill he held a letter.
Jimsi took the crow down and removed the letter. She tore the wee envelope open and read:
“Dearest Jimsi:
I am right here for company to-day while Aunt Phoebe is away. I’m giving you a letter myself because, you know, a play crow has to write letters.
Look in the corner of The Happy Shop and see the nice thing I brought. It’s a little Christmas-tree and you can cut decorations for it from your Magic Book. I think you must have learned how to make chains for Christmas-trees: just cut strips of colored wall paper and make links by pasting the ends of one strip at a time together. Slip the next strip through the first link and paste. You go on and on making a chain that will circle the tree.