Free The Wishing Star by Marian Wells

expression on her face, Jenny thought, was like being hungry with nothing to fill the hunger. Slowly she turned. Jenny needn’t look to know she was seeing the peaceful pasture filled with black and white cows, and the rows of newly turned soil beyond. For just a moment, Jenny felt her spirit soar unfettered. “Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
    Then Nancy turned to her. “Jen, what do you want most of all?”
    Jenny answered quickly, and her reply caught even her by surprise. “To learn.” Her toes dug down into the loam, rich soil. “Like this, I want to dig into everything just to see what makes it go. I want to know about all the ‘whys.’”
    â€œIs that why you won’t leave Pa’s book alone?” Jenny’s head snapped up and, startled, she nodded. Nancy looked thoughtful for a moment, “You’re growing up, Jen. Last year you’d have gone for a stick of candy.”
    Silently they walked home. Candy. The last time Jenny had thought of candy, Arnold had promised information about Joe. And she had told Tom that she would marry Joe. Her lips curled at her silly, childish proclamation. She still recalled the way Tom had looked at her. He thought she had suddenly gone wild.
    â€œOne thing’s certain,” Jenny spoke out of the silence, “we’ve seen the last of Joe. When he hightailed out of the courtroom, I doubt he stopped ’til he got back to his ma’s.”
    Nancy turned her green eyes on Jenny. “That happened over three months ago. You’re still thinking about him—why?”
    Jenny shrugged, but as they walked slowly up the lane toward home, she thought again about Joe and about the green book, wondering if all the promises it made could come true.
    She’d told Nancy she wanted to learn. She’d told Tom she didn’t want to live like this for the rest of her life. She’d told Joe she wanted to find the secrets of Pa’s book. Maybe all those desires were somehow connected—maybe they would all come true together someday. Maybe wishing hard enough and saying it out loud would make it happen.
    â€œI’m still scared,” she whispered to herself, “of that glitter in Joe’s eye when he talks about the spirits, and of the pictures in Pa’s green witchin’ book. But—” she paused, taking a deep breath, “I’m not goin’ to be a baby about it anymore. If there’s power to be had, spirit power to change the way things are, then I’ll find it—no matter what!”

Chapter 6
    Summer leaves were turning yellow and drying around the edges when the Timmons’ covered wagon creaked down the main street of Manchester, New York.
    From the eldest to the youngest, they were silent and slack-jawed as the marvels of the town unfolded before them. When the wagon had nearly reached the end of the main street, Nancy recovered enough to say, “Jen, I don’t know where you got your information about the West, but this town is bonny ; I could stay here forever!”
    â€œâ€™Tain’t the West,” Pa muttered, gawking about with the rest of them, “but it’s gonna have to do for now. I’m ’bout tuckered out.”
    Jenny’s attention snapped back to the wagon, and she looked from her bleary-eyed father to her mother leaning against the wagon seat. The sight of her drawn face and swollen stomach tightened the fearful knot in Jenny’s throat. Just for a moment, as she glanced at her father, anger surged through her. Quickly she turned her face before he could see the feelings that were becoming harder to hide.
    Nancy touched her mother’s shoulder. “It’s far enough for now. Ma’s not feeling up to another mile.”
    Jenny spoke slowly, trying to control the hope in her voice. “There’s a school, and that’s some kind of a big mill ahead. Pa, if we were to stay here, we could all go to