“He sure can,” she replied with a smile. She held out her hand and Bobby placed his in it. “Goodbye, Bobby,” she said cheerfully. “Maybe I’ll see you again before I go home.”
“I live in the cabin over by the creek,” he said. “Ma an’ me’ll be glad to see ya,” he declared.
“Oh, and Bobby,” she said, pausing, one foot in the stirrup. “If a fairy gave you a wish what would you wish?”
“I’d wish to go to school,” he answered promptly. “Are you a fairy?” he added.
“Hardly,” Gale said, “but I might meet one and I’ll tell her about you.”
As she rode away she looked back at the sturdy little figure standing gazing after her. He was such an oldish little chap for his years. What a pity he had to waste his active little brain because his mother had no money to send him to the country school. What Gale admired was his fortitude and readiness to accept the little good things that did come his way.
She had an idea in her head and all the way back to the ranch house it persisted in teasing her. But what would the other girls think of her idea? That she meant to find out as soon as possible. She dismounted at the corral and Jim came forward to take her horse. On the porch of the ranch house were gathered the Adventure Girls with Virginia.
“Aha, run away from us, will you?” accused Janet.
“You lost me,” Gale replied.
“We have been discussing ways of spending your reward,” Carol informed her. “We have about decided to save it for another trip out here next summer.”