MAGGIE'S WISH

By

Marilyn D. Anderson

Chapter One

Mom called to Maggie over the whine of the vacuum cleaner. "Please gosee why Corky is barking."

Maggie put down her toy horses and looked out the window. She saw agray car in the driveway. "It's Tim and Jodi," she cried as she ran tothe door.

Mom shut off the vacuum and pulled in the cord. "Oh, my," she said."What will I give them for lunch?"

Maggie didn't care what they ate. She was excited that she would havesomeone to play with. Being an only child on a dairy farm could getlonely.

The Johnson's small brown and white dog was jumping all over Maggie'scousins before she reached them. "Corky, stop that," she ordered, butthe dog paid no attention.

Tim leaned over to pet Corky. "We don't mind," he said.

"We like dogs," added his younger sister, Jodi.

"Hello, Andersons," Mom called from the front door. "It's good to seeyou." Maggie's mom hugged her sister.

"We've got a new bow and arrow set," Tim told Maggie. "Wait until yousee it."

Maggie hesitated. Tim was a year younger than she was, but he alwayshad some new toy she had never tried. It seemed she could never keepup with him.

"A bow and arrows?" she repeated. "When did you get those?"

"The day school let out," he said with a grin. "Mom wanted us to stayout of her hair for awhile."

"Well, did you?" Maggie asked.

"Sure," said Tim.

Jodi shook her head and said, "You still put a hole in her lawnchair."

"Tattletale," Tim said, frowning. "Come on, Maggie. Let's see ifyou're a good shot."

Maggie was not a good shot. Her arrows always dropped right in frontof her. She kept forgetting to let go of the bowstring when she let goof the arrow. After dozens of tries, she had only hit the cardboardtarget once. Even Jodi, who was only 6, did better than that. Tim hitthe target almost every time.

After lunch the cousins climbed trees. Maggie was good at that, butshe never took crazy chances like Tim did. She often held her breathand waited for him to fall, but he never did.

Later Maggie and the other kids found some old skis in the garage.They skied around the grass until Maggie's dad yelled, "Hey, you guys.Does that look like snow to you? Put those skis away, and Maggie, goget the cows."

"We'll help," Tim said eagerly. "Where are they?"

"In the pasture," Maggie said, pointing out beyond the barn....