More than anything, ten-year-old Cindy wanted the bike at the bike shop. It was "Barbie" pink and even had a neat horn. So Cindy did extra chores around the house, took on every baby-sitting job she could get (at age ten), and even helped mean old Mrs. Morton who everyone thought was a witch clean out her garage to earn money for the bike..
Finally, she earned enogh money to buy the bike. And when she brought it home, her mother blew her stack.
"What did you waste your money on that thing for?" she asked. "Now you'll just want to spend your days lollygagging around instead of earning your keep like you have been lately. You'll take that bike back first thing in the morning."
Fortunately, Cindy had kept a few interesting trinkets when she cleaned out Mrs. Morton's garage.
And after putting a few drops from a bottle marked AR Tonic in her mother's coffee, Cindy no longer has to worry about returning the bike. She also got a new baby-sitting job for her new little sister. And she's even promised the bike to her sister when she gets older.