Jerry, who hated everything yellow, and who had
never dreamed of applying that color to her hair. She only knew that
Dick St. Claire had called it pretty, but in this new light thrown upon
it all her pride vanished, for she recognized like a flash that it might
be 'yaller,' and stood there silent and vanquished, until Maude, who in
turn had been regarding her attentively, said to her:

'Ain't you Jerry Crawford?'

That broke the ice of reserve, and the two little girls were soon
talking together familiarly, and Jerry was asking Maude if she wore
beads and her best clothes every day.

'Phoo! These ain't my best clothes. I have one gown all brawdery and
lace,' was Maude's reply, while Jack, who was standing near, chimed in:

'My father's got lots of money, and so has Uncle Arthur, and when he
dies we are going to have it; Tom says so.'

Slowly the shadows gathered on Jerry's brow as she said, sadly;

'I wish I had an Uncle Arthur, and could wear beads and a sash every
day' Then, as she looked at Harold, her face brightened immediately and
she exclaimed.

'But I have Harold and a grandma, and you hain't,' and running up to
Harold, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly, as
if to make amends for the momentary repining.

'We must go now,' Harold said, and taking her hand in his, he led her
away toward the house, which impressed her with so much awe that as she
drew near to it, she held her breath and walked on tiptoe, as if afraid
that any sound from her would be sacrilege in that aristocratic
atmosphere.

'Oh, isn't it grand, Harold?' Isn't it grand!' she kept repeating, with
her mouth full of cherries, after they had reached the trees on which
the ripe, red fruit hung so thickly. 'Do you s'pose we shall see the
crazy man?' she asked, and Harold replied:

'I don't know. I guess not, unless he comes to the window. Those are his
rooms, and that window which looks so ugly outside, is the one with the
picture in it,' and he pointed to the south wing, most of the windows of
which were open, while against one a long ladder was standing.

It had been left there by a workman who had been up on it to fix the
hinge of a blind, and who had gone to the village in quest of something
he needed, Jerry saw the ladder and its close proximity to the open
window, and she thought to herself.

'I mean to fill my pail with cherries, and go up that ladder and take
them to him, I wonder if he would bite me?'

Su