Chapter IV

"Tomorrow is St Valentine's day," said [Jack]. "Whom can I send a [card] to, Mama?" "Who is the nicest little [girl] you know?" asked [Mama]. Jack tried to think. "I guess it's the one in the big brick [house]," he said. "Her hair is curly, and she gave me an [apple] when I climbed the [tree] for her [kitten]. Her name is Kitty, too, and that's a pretty name."

So Mama took a sheet of [folded paper] and painted [flowers] all around it, with two little [doves] at the top; and Jack wrote a verse in the middle, with pictures--like this story. "Dear Kitty; The [rose] is red, the [violet] blue--I like [kittens] so I like you. Yours truly, J." Then he put it in an [envelope] and went out to send it. [Jimmy Crow] went too.

Of course Jack could not carry it himself, or Kitty would know who sent it. So he tied it around [Jimmy Crow]'s neck. When they reached Kitty's house he set him down on the [steps] and rang the bell. Then he ran and hid behind the [gatepost].

The [door] opened quickly, for Kitty was just coming out with her sled. She looked all around but she could only see [Jimmy Crow], busy picking a bone her [kitten] had left there. Then she caught sight of the [envelope], and untied it. She dropped her [sled rope] and the [sled] slid down the steps and away to the gate. Jack jumped out and caught it. "Oh, what a pretty [card]!" cried Kitty. "Thank you, Jack." "No, no!" said [Jack] in a hurry. "You mustn't know it's me." "Well, then, thank _you_, Jimmy," laughed [Kitty]. "Now let's go sliding." "All right," said Jack. He put [Jimmy Crow] on the sled and off they all went. [Edith Francis Foster]

[DROPPING STITCHES.]

JIMMY CROW.