Uncle Johnny will like her better
than us--she's just a poor child he feels sorry for."

"Do you suppose mountain people dress differently from us?" asked Tibby.

Graham promptly answered: "Yes, silly--she'll wear goatskin--and she'll
yodel."

"Anyway," Isobel rose languidly, "we don't want to forget about Uncle
Peter----"

"And our prestige," interrupted Gyp, tormentingly. "And we can't act
horrid to her 'cause _that'd_ hurt Uncle Johnny's feelings----"

Tibby suddenly saw a bright side of the cloud.

"Say, it'll be fun seeing how she can't do things!"

And, strangely enough, such is human nature in its early teens, little
Tibby's suggestion brought satisfying comfort to the three others. Gyp's
face cleared and she tossed her head as much as to say that _she_ was
not going to worry any more about it!

"Come on, Isobel, I'll treat down at Wood's."

"Let me go, too," implored Tibby.

Gyp hesitated. "I only have thirty cents----"

"You owe me ten, anyway," urged Tibby.

Graham, in a sudden burst of generosity, relieved the tension of their
high finance. "Oh, let's all go--I'll stand for the three of you!"

CHAPTER V

JERRY'S WISH COMES TRUE

Jerry would, of course, never know how very hard Mr. John had had to
work to make her "wish" come true. Ever afterwards she preferred to
think that it was just standing on the Wishing-rock and wishing and
wishing!

She had noticed, however, and had been a little curious, that every time
Mr. John had come to Sunnyside he and her mother had talked and talked
together in low tones so that, even when she was near them, she could
not hear one word of what they were saying, and that, after these talks,
her mother had been very pale and had, again and again, for no
particular reason, hugged her very close and kissed her with what Jerry
called a "sad" kiss.

Then one afternoon Mrs. Allan had come with John Westley, and her
mother, to her disgust, had sent her down to the Notch with a message
for old Mrs. Teed that had not seemed a _bit_ important. After her
return John Westley had invited her to take him and Bigboy and Pepperpot
to the Witches' Glade because, he said, he "had something to tell her!"

It was a glorious afternoon. August was painting with her vivid coloring
the mountain slopes and valleys; over everything was a soft glow. It was
reflected on Jerry's eager face.

John Westley pointed down into the valley where Jerry's "shining" road
ran off out