n the grass under the trees for a while, and then began taking
turns jumping again.

"Now let's try a new way," suggested Rose after a bit. "We'll see how
high we can jump over the rope."

So they began this game, and pretty soon some little girls from the
house across the street came out to play with Rose and Vi. They were
from a family that Aunt Jo knew, and had played with the little Bunkers
before.

The children had lots of fun, skipping rope, and seeing who could jump
the highest. Rose was best at this, though Mabel Potter, one of the
little girls from across the street, jumped nearly as high.

"Now let's go and play with our dolls again," suggested Vi. "Can you
come over to our Aunt Jo's house, and sit on her porch?" she asked
Mabel, Florence and Sallie, the other little girls.

They said they could, and they were just starting to get their dolls
when along came a boy with a basket of groceries on his arm. He had got
out of a delivery wagon down the street, and was bringing some things to
Aunt Jo. The boy had often called with groceries before, and Rose and Vi
knew him. His name was Henry Jones.

"Hello, little girls!" called Henry, for he was older than any of them.
"What you doin'?"

"Seeing who can jump highest," answered Rose.

"I can jump higher'n any of you!" boasted Henry. "Want to see me?"

"Well, you ought to jump higher--you're bigger'n we are," said Mabel.

"Well, I'll jump and keep on holding my basket," offered the grocery
boy. "That'll make it harder for me. Go on! Hold the rope up real high
and I'll jump over it."

"Maybe you might spill the things in your basket," suggested Rose.

"No, I won't. I'm a good jumper," said Henry. "Hold the rope up real
high."

Rose took hold of one end of the rope and Mabel the other. They held it
across the sidewalk as high up as their own waists.

"Higher!" ordered Henry.

They raised it a little.

"There! That's high enough!" said the grocery boy. "Now you watch me
sail over that. I'll show you some jumpin'!"

Henry, still holding his basket of groceries, stood on the sidewalk, a
little way back from the rope. Then he took a run and started toward it.
Up into the air he jumped, but something sad happened.

Whether Henry did not spring up high enough, or whether one of the
girls raised the end of the rope when she ought not to have done so, no
one ever knew.

But what happened was that Henry's feet became entangled in the cord,
and down he fe