Uncle Johnny straightened his immaculately gray-trousered legs and laid
his straw hat down on the grass.

"If that'll help things any--I'm he," he explained with a little
embarrassment.

"You? You? Really--Uncle Johnny?" came in an excited chorus.

"Yes, me," with a fine scorn for grammar. "I'm the one who's to blame
for all the carrots," pinching Gyp's cheek. "But you _have_ sort of
mixed things up."

"But we _had_ to win that basketball game," cried Gyp, "and we couldn't
unless Ginny played."

"Yes--you had to win the basketball game," he nodded with a judicious
appreciation.

"You see, Lincoln got the cup for the series."

"And Jerry paid the price--yes."

"For the honor of the school!"

"Then--I'm afraid this is the last payment. You see, girlies, everything
we do--no matter what it is--is fraught with consequences. If I were to
go over to yonder lake and throw in a pebble--what would we see? Little
ripples circling wider and wider--further and further. That's like
life--our everyday actions are so many pebbles--we have to accept the
ripples. It's sometimes hard--but I guess Jerry sees the truth."

There was no doubt from the expression of Jerry's face but that she saw
the truth--Uncle Johnny's homely simile had made it very clear.

"But _I_ won't take it--that wouldn't be fair." It was the new Ginny who
spoke. "So it'll go to Dana King."

"Yes, it will go to Dana King." Uncle Johnny was serious now. "Ginny
should not have accepted Jerry's sacrifice. Girls, there's a simple
little thing called 'right' that we find in our hearts if we search
that's finer than even the precious honor of your school--and Gyp, you
speak very truly when you say that _that_ is something you must
valiantly always uphold. Now if you'll let me tell this story of yours
to the committee I think it can all be straightened out--and we'll feel
better all around."

"And I'm glad it's Dana King," exclaimed Peggy Lee. "Garrett said he had
had to give up his plans to go to college next fall and he was terribly
disappointed and now maybe he won't have to----"

Jerry and Ginny linked arms as they walked away with the others behind
Uncle Johnny. The shadow dispelled--in youth the sun is always so
happily close behind all the little clouds--the girls' spirits went
forth, joyously, to meet the interests of the moment, the class oration,
the class gift, the class song, Isobel's graduating dress, the Senior
bouquets--the hundred and one