It'll be
such fun to sit up there and swing when the wind blows, and have poor
Connie down beneath wondering how we manage to stick on. She can't see
the seat from the ground. Won't it be a good joke on her?"

"Oh, very,---yes, indeed.--Well, let's begin.--Now, observe! I will
just loop this end of the rope lightly about my--er--middle. The other
end will dangle on the ground to be drawn up at will. Observe also
that I bestow the good but rusty nails in this pocket, and the hammer
here. Then with the admirable board beneath my arm, I mount to the
heights of--Say, twins, didn't I see an old buggy seat out in the barn
to-day? Seems to me----"

"Oh, Jerry!" The twins fairly smothered him. "Oh, you darling. You
are the nicest old thing.--Now we can understand why Prudence seems to
like you. We never once thought of the old buggy seat! Oh, Jerry!"

Then they hastily brought the discarded seat from the barn, and with
the help of Jerry it was shoved up on the woodshed. From there, he
lifted it to the lowest limb of the old maple, and a second later he
was up himself. Then it was lifted again, and again he followed,--up,
and up, and up,--the loose end of the donated rope trailing loose on
the ground below. The twins promptly,--as promptly as possible, that
is,--followed him into the tree.

"Oh, yes, we'll come along. We're used to climbing and we're very
agile. And you will need us to hold things steady while you hammer."

And Jerry smiled as he heard the faithful twins, with much grunting and
an occasional groan, following in his wake.

It was a delightful location, as they had said. So heavy was the leafy
screen that only by lifting a branch here or there, could they see
through it. The big seat fitted nicely on the two limbs, and Jerry
fastened it with the rusty nails. The twins were jubilant, and loud in
their praises of his skill and courage.

"Oh, Jerry," exclaimed Carol, with deep satisfaction, "it's such a
blessing to discover something really nice about you after all these
months!"

"Now, we'll just----"

"Hush!" hissed Lark. "Here comes Connie. Hold your breath, Jerry, and
don't budge."

"Isn't she in on this?" he whispered. He could hear Connie making
weird noises as she came around the house from the front. She was
learning to whistle, and the effect was ghastly in the extreme.
Connie's mouth had not been designed for whistling.

"Sh! She's the band of dark-browed gypsies tryin