[Illustration: HERE ARE SCHOOL BOOKS WITH PRETTY COVERS MADE TO KEEP THEM CLEAN. THESE ARE THE BOOKS THE CHILDREN COVERED, AND THE BOOK-MARKER, PICTURE FRAME AND NOTEBOOK ARE HERE TOO]
Jimsi, however, was doubtful. She didn’t care to lose freedom that she had been having. Yet she liked school. “I’ll be glad the medicine’s gone, but I’ll want Aunt Phoebe and her crow play ever so much,” she declared. “I’m having such a good time here—and there is Joyce.”
“Well,” smiled Mother, “don’t borrow trouble. Today there is a whole long afternoon to play with Henry and Joyce and Katherine. And you have none of you read your crow letters yet.”
“I was keeping mine for the desert,” joked Jimsi. “Henry, you found your letter first, so you read yours first.”
Henry was deep in a slice of bread and butter, but he put it down and took up the sheet he had laid down when they had begun discussing Jimsi’s going-home. He read:
You deserved to be punished for having laughed at me to-day but I know it was just fun so I’ll forgive you and, just because you were so naughty, I will give you something useful to do. I won’t tell you about any new play this time. You don’t deserve it!
I’m going to tell you something you can do for Aunt Phoebe: she has some books that she wants to have covered very neatly in paper. I should advise you to cover some of your school-books the same way when you go back to school. It saves the books and keeps the covers fresh. (I know you like to keep yours and sell them when you go into the next class.)
This is what you do: you take the book you wish to cover and lay it flat with cover open upon a sheet of thin wall paper taken from the Magic Book.
Next, you fold the paper to one side cover, making it all flat and very neatly turning the edges of the paper over one cover. Cut the paper at each corner of the book to help fold more easily. Fold in under the back of your book the extra strip that is not needed at the back of the cover.
If you have fancy labels that may be glued on, paste them on the front cover and write the name of the book as well as your own name on them.
You’ll find five books of Aunt Phoebe’s that need new fresh covers. They are in The Happy Shop on the shelf beside the crow mail-box.