“I don’t know how much,” said Joyce. “It’s more than Mother can pay. She’s trying hard to put the sewing money aside for it, but that doesn’t pay very well and it’s slow. I oughtn’t to complain and I oughtn’t to talk about it at all—I hardly ever do, but when I saw you and Henry and Katherine yesterday having such a lark, I just longed to, too.”
“Oh, there ought to be some way to make the money,” declared Jimsi. “There really ought! You ought to be well right away. I wish I could help! But girls can’t earn money doing the things that boys can. Henry can shovel snow and do carpentry and he earns money. Somehow, I never can find any way to earn money. If I could, I’d put it all in a bank and give it to you to help. It mightn’t be much, but I wish I could do it.”
The little lame girl’s mouth quivered. “Maybe some time I will be well,” she said bravely. “I’m going to forget all about it and try to think of something else. That’s why I like to keep busy doing things. It keeps me from thinking about being lame. I never say anything to Mother about it. I don’t believe Miss Phoebe or anybody knows—”
“But I’m glad you told me,” Jimsi sighed sympathetically. “It helps to talk things over with a friend, I think. It always helps me to talk worries over with Aunt Phoebe. If you’d let me tell Aunt Phoebe about this, Joyce, I think she’d know exactly what to do.”
“I don’t know,” brooded the little lame girl.
“Please,” urged Jimsi. “I’m sure that Aunt Phoebe would know how to get the money. Maybe she’d just sit right down and write a story and sell it and send you right off to be all fixed up new by the doctor. Think! Why, you could come to visit me in the city then and I’d show you all my play-things. We’d ride my bicycle and take walks in the park. Oh, we’d have ever so much fun!”
The little lame girl smiled. “Wouldn’t it be splendid?”
“You’ll let me tell Aunt Phoebe?”
“Why, I wouldn’t let her send me to the hospital! Mother wouldn’t let her. Mother is going to send me some day when she has the money. She’s putting it aside now, but I think it’ll be at least two years more before there’s enough—”
“Aunt Phoebe could write a story just as easy as not. She’d help in a jiffy, if you let me tell her. Then you could go right away now!”