Mary Jane Her Visit by Clara Ingram Judson
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Clara Ingram Judson >> Mary Jane Her Visit
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"Just exactly," said Grandmother. "Get a cup of sugar from the bin;
and a teaspoon of cinnamon from that brown box over there and the pat
of butter you'll find on the pantry shelf. Mix the sugar and cinnamon
together and fill up the holes in the apples with it--there's your
spoon, dear."
Grandmother went on with her work and Mary Jane stirred the sugar and
cinnamon and filled up the apples--it was lots of fun, she didn't
wonder her mother had liked to do it! Then Grandmother showed her how
to put a lump of butter on the top of each apple--"just like a hat,
Grandmother!" exclaimed Mary Jane delightedly--and set the bowl in the
oven by the potatoes.
"Now can you set the table?" asked Grandmother.
"'Deed yes," said Mary Jane proudly; "I do that for Mother."
"I thought so," replied Grandmother. "I won't have to show you about
that."
And she didn't. Mary Jane put the silver and the napkins and the
pepper and salt and glasses and dishes all just as they should be. And
at Grandmother's suggestion she put on a pat of butter and a glass of
Grandfather's favorite jelly.
"How's the circus lady?" called Grandfather, who happened to come into
the kitchen just then.
"She's gone," cried Mary Jane, "and a cook lady's come to visit you."
And she skipped out from the dining-room to show him her cap.
"Well, I like circuses," said Grandfather solemnly, "but I must say
that right at this minute I'd rather had a cook lady than a dozen
circuses--so there! Who's getting dinner?" he added as he saw
Grandmother working away at her jam.
"Mary Jane is," answered Grandmother "and I expected to be through by
now to broil the steak--she's everything else ready. But," she added
worriedly, "I simply can't stop for ten minutes and I know her potatoes
are about done!"
"Is there another handkerchief around here somewhere?" asked
Grandfather suddenly.
"In your drawer there's lots," said Mary Jane, but for the life of her
she couldn't see what Grandfather meant.
"You get it," he said, and she dashed upstairs on the errand.
"There now," said Grandfather after she handed it to him, "how's that?"
Mary Jane laughed and laughed at the funny sight. He had twisted the
handkerchief around his head dusting cap style and was bowing to her in
a grand fashion. "I guess I can cook too!" he declared, "bring on the
steak!"
Mary Jane got the steak out of the ice box and helped him salt and
pepper it; then, while he broiled it--yes, he did know how, Mary Jane
had thought he was only fooling--she took up the potatoes and apples
and got the pitcher of water.
"I tell you what," said Grandfather proudly as they sat down to dinner
a minute later, "it's all very well to be a circus lady but personally,
I prefer a good cook, Mary Jane, and if you keep on as you've begun,
you'll be a good one!"
"I'm going to keep on," said Mary Jane, proudly, "'cause it's more fun
than playing."
"Good for you," said Grandfather, "and by the way, Mother, have you
told her where she's going to-night?"
"Not a word," said Grandmother, smiling.
"Goody!" cried Mary Jane, clapping her hands happily, "it's a surprise."
"Yes, it is," laughed Grandmother, "you never did it before that's
certain. But you have to finish your dinner and then take a good
nap--a really for sure enough nap, before you know a single thing about
it so it's no use to ask questions. I'll tell you this much though,"
she added as she saw Mary Jane look a bit disappointed, "you'll wear
your best dress and your biggest hair ribbon."
Now what in the world was coming? Mary Jane couldn't think and she
went to her nap wondering and wondering and wondering.
THE STRAWBERRY SOCIABLE
It's awfully hard to go to sleep when you're wondering all the time
what you're going to do when you wake up. But Mary Jane finally did
drop off to sleep--perhaps the fact that Grandmother pulled down the
shades helped. However it was, Mary Jane slept soundly and had to be
called twice when it was time to get up. She blinked open her eyes and
was just trying to guess if Grandfather had gone down to his breakfast
when Grandmother called, "do you wear a sash with your best dress,
dear?"
That waked her in a jiffy and immediately she remembered about the
surprise that was to come and that she was to wear her best dress and
biggest ribbon.
"Yes, Grandmother, my pink sash," she answered, and she tossed off the
light quilt Grandmother had spread over her and ran into the next room.
Grandmother was laying out her own best dress and shoes on her bed. It
was the first time Mary Jane had known of her wearing them and she
guessed right away that something pretty important must be going on.
"What's the surprise, Grandmother?" she asked eagerly, "can you tell me
now?"
"Surely dear," replied Grandmother kindly, "I'd have told you before
only I was afraid you'd stay awake and ask questions. To-night is the
annual strawberry sociable of the village church and I thought maybe
you'd like to go. Your grandfather and I always attend and I think
you're old enough to go--especially now, as you've had such a good
sleep."
Mary Jane stared at her grandmother as though she didn't understand a
word she had said.
"What is it--a strawberry sociable?" she asked.
Grandmother bent down and kissed her. "I forget my little city girl
don't know all our ways," she said, smilingly. "A strawberry sociable
is our big time of the year. We haven't taken you to our church yet,
dear, because your grandfather and I don't go as regularly in the
summer as we do in the winter, but maybe you've noticed it as we've
driven through the village. The little white church with the steeple
and the green blinds?"
"Yes," said Mary Jane, nodding eagerly, "I've seen it. The one with
the big yard."
"That's the one," said Grandmother, "and it's that yard we're going to
this evening. All our people have fine gardens and a good many of us
have berry patches. We save our finest berries and take them to the
church to-night for the sociable. The folks who have no berries take
cake and in that way every one helps and we raise money. We're trying
to get enough for an organ now."
"But how do you get the money?" asked Mary Jane, to whom this was all
new.
"We sell the strawberries and cake--ten cents for a dish of fruit with
a piece of cake," explained Grandmother. "I expect you never heard of
the like before, but I think you'll have a good time all the same.
There'll be other little girls there, Frances Westland and Helen Loiter
and maybe others; you'll have a beautiful time. Now let's get out your
things."
If there was one thing above another that Mary Jane loved to do, it was
to dress up in her best clothes. She loved the feel of the soft, fine
materials and she liked the crisp hair ribbons and dainty shoes. She
was so glad that her mother had let her bring her brand new dress that
she had worn to her birthday party and the wide pink hair ribbon and
sash that went with it. Grandmother said they would dress before
supper as she wanted to be ready to go early for she knew that Mary
Jane should not stay late.
It took some time for those two busy ladies to dress. Grandmother
wasn't used to hair bows and sashes of course and they went pretty
slow. Then likely as not there was a good deal of visiting went along
with the dressing for Grandmother and Mary Jane were good company. So
it's not much wonder that by the time each had inspected the other and
had decided that everything was exactly as it should be. Grandfather
called to say that supper time had come. Grandmother and Mary Jane
went grandly down the stairs in answer to his call and he stood at the
bottom and admired and complimented till Mary Jane had to drop her
grand air and giggle, he was so funny.
Grandmother laughed, too, and then bustled out to the kitchen, put on a
great big all-over apron and prepared the supper.
"We'll not have a thing but eggs and bread and jam and milk," she
announced, "because with all the cake and strawberries you're going to
have that's all you should eat--just very plain food. Mary Jane, you
slip on this apron and help Grandfather feed the chickens and by that
time I'll have supper ready to eat."
When they drove up to the village church an hour later Mary Jane looked
upon a yard of hurry and fun such as she had never before seen. Men
were fixing lanterns on wires, others were carrying chairs and
arranging them around tables underneath the lanterns. Women were
fixing great bowls of crimson berries (and oh, how good they did look,
Mary Jane thought!) on a long table that stretched across the back of
the yard. Other women were unpacking baskets of tempting looking cakes
and cutting them up into pieces ready for serving.
Grandmother took one basket of berries out of the back of the car and
Grandfather took the other and they walked over to the table, Mary Jane
following meekly behind.
"This is my little great granddaughter, Mary Jane Merrill," said
Grandmother to the lady in charge, "and as she's never been to a
strawberry sociable before, I'm going to look after her till she gets
used to things--you've plenty of help here anyway."
"Glad to meet you, Mary Jane," answered the lady and Mary Jane made her
prettiest courtesy, "you'll like the sociable better when the lanterns
are lighted and the other little girls come. Don't you want to come
and eat some cake crumbs now?"
Much as Mary Jane liked cake crumbs, she didn't fancy staying with the
strange people when she might be with her grandmother, so she hung back
shyly and Grandmother declined the offer for her.
"I think we'll walk around first, thank you, Miss Oliver," said she,
"and get our little girl to feeling more at home."
Mary Jane liked the walking around and watching the busy folks at their
curious work. And, before she hardly realized it, twilight had set in,
men had lighted the gay Japanese lanterns and the yard had become full
of jolly people--the strawberry sociable had begun.
Grandfather hunted up Helen Loiter, a pretty little black haired girl
and Frances Westland to whom Mary Jane took a fancy at once. She wore
a plain little white dress and a big blue hair ribbon and seemed so
kind and pleasant to the little stranger. Helen, on the other hand,
was dressed in a much trimmed and be-ruffled frock and seemed to feel
far too dressed up to be natural.
"I'm going to get you girls your berries," said Grandfather, as he
settled them at a table over to one side where they could sit as long
as they liked and eat and visit, "and if you want more cake, just let
me know."
"Let's hurry and eat this up so he'll get us some more," said Helen.
"I've got a dime of my own and if he gets us another dish, that'll make
three times!"
"Oh, let's eat slow and talk," said Frances, "no use hurrying, maybe we
won't want three dishes. Is your mother here, too, Mary Jane?"
"No," answered Mary Jane, "but my sister's coming next week and my
mother's coming before very long after that."
"Why didn't you bring your best dress so you could wear it to-night?"
demanded Helen as she took a big bite of berries. "I should think
you'd like a pretty dress for tonight!"
"This is my best dress," said Mary Jane in amazement, "it's my very
best dress and my best hair ribbon and everything!"
"Well, I don't think it looks like it," said Helen, scornfully, "it
hasn't a single ruffle and not one bit of lace! I guess your father
must be pretty poor!"
Mary Jane looked at Helen's be-ruffled frock that was trimmed and
trimmed with yards of cheap lace and then she looked at her own dress,
so plain and neat with only a bit of hand embroidery for its ornament.
Then she looked at Frances' dress that was more like her own. And a
queer feeling of lonesomeness--a lonesomeness that she hadn't felt
since the rainy day so long ago, began to come over her.
But before she had time to think of an answer, Frances spoke up.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Helen Loiter! Talking that way to
Mrs. Hodges's little girl! I guess folks can dress as they please
without asking you! My dress isn't fancy either and my father's got as
much money as yours has, so there!"
Mary Jane looked at Frances admiringly and felt much better.
"How old are you?" continued Frances, turning her attention pointedly
to Mary Jane.
"I'm five," replied Mary Jane, "how old are you?"
"I'm seven, only I'm not very big for seven so you wouldn't guess it,"
said Frances, "do you go to school?"
"No, not yet," answer Mary Jane, "but I'm going to some day."
"Of course you are, stupid!" said Helen, "everybody does! Well, I'm
bigger'n you are. I'm eight and I'm in second grade! So there!" And
she polished out the bottom of her dish with her spoon. "I guess your
grandfather's forgotten all about getting us some more cake--I'm going
to get some for myself. You two slow pokes can sit around and wait if
you want to. I'll not!" And she flounced herself out of her chair and
ran over to the cake table.
Left by themselves Frances and Mary Jane compared notes as little girls
will. Mary Jane told her about her own home; about her friend Doris
and her sister Alice and the birthday party and everything she could
think of. And Frances told about her school and her garden--yes, she
had one about as big as Mary Jane's--and about her pet calf.
"Father gave it to me when it was only a day old," she said, "and when
it's big enough, I'm going to sell it and get money to take music
lessons. Won't that be fun?"
Mary Jane thought it would; she looked admiringly at Frances and
thought she was quite the most wonderful little girl she had ever met.
When Grandfather came up to them a few minutes later, he had to speak
twice so busy were they with their talk. He got them each another dish
of berries and then, when they were through eating that, he took them
walking around the yard so they could see the lanterns and so that Mary
Jane would see and be seen by all his friends. Frances seemed to know
every one and that was a great help to Mary Jane who wasn't used to
meeting so many people.
All too soon Grandmother announced that it was time to go home. The
candles in the lanterns flickered out one by one; the housewives busied
themselves with clearing up the remnants of cake and berries; the
fathers (and grandfathers) carried baskets back to the cars, lit lights
and made ready for the homeward journey.
Frances and Mary Jane told each other good night and Frances promised
to come over and see Mary Jane very soon.
"Well, what did you think of the sociable?" asked Grandmother as they
spun along home. "I saw you talking with Frances and Helen; did you
like your new friends, dear?"
"I liked Frances so much," said Mary Jane, "and she's coming to see me."
Grandmother, who knew Helen much better than Grandfather did,
understood in a minute. She slipped her arm around her little
granddaughter and pulled her close. "So my little girl learned
something as well as had a good time to-night, did she?" she whispered;
"she learned how to pick out a friend. I'm glad Frances is coming to
see you, dear!"
BURR HOUSES
The week after the strawberry sociable was the busiest one of Mary
Jane's visit thus far. Frances came to see her twice and they became
better friends each time. The Westlands lived two miles farther from
the village than the Hodges did and Frances's father could easily leave
her at the Hodges's home when he went into the village and get her
again on his return trip. Mary Jane showed her all the interesting
things she had found--the pet mice, who were getting tamer and tamer
all the time; the ducks, which were losing their pretty babyness by now
and were getting almost big enough to look after themselves; the lamb
and the pigs and Brindle Bess.
Of course Frances was used to country sights, so she wasn't as much
surprised at what she saw as Mary Jane had been when she came from the
city. But she was interested and she told Mary Jane many things about
the farm creatures and the fun she had had with her own pets.
Then one day Grandfather took Mary Jane to see Frances and Mary Jane
had fun every minute of the two hours she was there. The Westlands
kept many cows and Mary Jane saw twenty little calves--such gentle,
soft-eyed little creatures that were so tame the girls could pet them
and feed them all they wanted to. And chickens! Mary Jane had thought
her grandmother had a good many but the Westlands had more!
"May we feed them all?" asked Mary Jane eagerly as she saw them.
"I guess Frances would be glad to have you," laughed Mrs. Westland
kindly; "she has to do it so much that I'm sure she'll be glad for help
at the job."
So the girls went to the bins and gathered great handfuls of corn and
oats for the feast. Frances gave a peculiar call which the chickens
seemed to know and immediately they came a-running, hundreds of them,
so fast that Mary Jane dropped the corn she held and tried to run away.
"They won't hurt you," laughed Frances, "see? I can let them eat right
out of my hand!"
Mary Jane looked and thought that if Frances was safe she would be too.
So she took some of the grain Frances handed over to her and bent down
for them to eat out of her hand too. It wasn't more than a minute
before she had lost every trace of fear and could let the biggest
rooster gobble up his grain right out of her hand. The girls tried
dropping kernels of corn on their shoes and then holding up one foot
for the chickens to reach for the grain. And they tossed occasional
kernels way to the outside of the feeding group and then giggled to see
how quickly the greedy ones whirled around to get all they could.
Then, before it was time to go, Mrs. Westland called them in and gave
them each a big glass of rich milk and a plate of fat sugar cookies to
eat on the porch. Altogether Mary Jane thought she had the most fun
during that visit of any visit she had ever made! And before the
little girls separated, Frances had promised to come over to Mary
Jane's house very soon.
The day after the call at the Westlands the postman brought a letter
from Mrs. Merrill which said that Alice could come to her grandfather's
in two days if that would be convenient. Grandfather was very fond of
Alice; she had visited there before and he was hoping she would have a
nice long stay there this summer. So, as soon as he read the letter he
got out his car, took Mary Jane with him and went into the village to
telegraph that Alice should come at once.
The next morning Mary Jane helped her grandmother clean the room that
Alice was to have--it was just across the hall from Mary Jane's and was
so quaint and cozy with its old-fashioned furniture and ruffled white
curtains. Then the next day Grandmother made a great jar full of
cookies; Mary Jane loved that because Grandmother let her cut out some.
They made stars and crescents and squares and some just plain round
ones; and Mary Jane put the sugar and nuts over the top, too. Then
they made apple pies and berry pies and a tart of each kind for Mary
Jane's dinner and supper that day. Mary Jane decided then and there
that she was going to be a good cook when she grew up because cooking
was about the most fun of anything she had ever tried.
On the morning Alice was to come, Mary Jane got up early; dressed
herself as quickly as possible and ran down the stairs. Just in the
nick of time she was too, for Grandfather was ready to start to the
station.
"Take me, please take me along!" she called as she heard him crank up
his car.
"Hello, Pussy; you up?" he answered; "to be sure you may go along. Get
your grandmother to give you a big piece of coffee cake to eat on the
way and we'll be off."
Grandmother heard what he said and had the coffee cake ready as Mary
Jane ran into the kitchen. A wonderful big piece, she cut, all full of
sugary, buttery "wells" that Mary Jane liked so much. She wrapped it
in a napkin so it wouldn't get Mary Jane's dress sticky with its
sweetness, threw a woolen scarf around the little girl's shoulders for
the early morning air was cool and waved a good-by as they rode out of
the yard.
They reached the station just as the great train pulled in and saw the
conductor and porter help Alice down the steps of the car. Mary Jane
thought she had never seen any one look so nice in all her life!
Grandfather set her out of the auto and she ran as fast as ever she
could and threw her arms around her sister. Alice held her tight a
minute and then turned to kiss her grandfather.
"So you're here all right, Blunderbuss," said Grandfather heartily,
using the nickname he had given her long ago, "and you haven't lost a
bit of your hair!" Alice laughed as he looked admiringly at her long
golden braids.
"I haven't," she replied teasingly, "but I can't say as much for you!"
And she laughed at her grandfather's bald head.
"Such a girl! Such a girl!" exclaimed Grandfather proudly; "now I
suppose I'll have to get your trunk and take you home and stand your
teasing the rest of the summer!" And in mock dismay he went for the
trunk the baggage man had tossed off the train.
That was the beginning of more fun for Mary Jane. First there was the
house and farm which must be shown to Alice just as carefully as though
she had never seen it before. Then there were all the jolly things
that Alice thought of to do--Alice was always thinking up something to
do, it seemed. She fixed up a saddle for the lamb and taught Mary Jane
to ride. She tied tiny bells on the rabbits so they could be more
easily found. She helped Mary Jane take the ducks down to the creek at
the end of the pasture and turn them into the water. Mary Jane thought
it perfectly wonderful that they should know how to swim--"just as
though they had taken regular lessons, Grandfather," she said as she
told him about it afterwards. And Alice learned how to make
bread--with Mary Jane helping to turn the crank of the bread mixer so
she wouldn't feel left out.
On the third day of Alice's visit Frances Westland came over to play
and the three little girls went out into the front yard and wondered
what they would do.
"I wish we had doll houses here like we have at home," said Mary Jane.
"I know Frances would like to play with doll houses."
"But you haven't any here," said Frances practically.
"Maybe we can get some," said Alice thoughtfully; "we ought to be able
to find something to make a doll house out of. Let's hunt."
"Where'll we hunt?" asked Mary Jane.
"Let me see," said Alice. She looked around the yard but saw nothing
that interested her. She looked across the road to Grandmother's lot
and saw all the grasses and brush that flourished there.
"We ought to be able to find something over there," she said; "let's
hunt."
So the three little girls scrambled over the fence and roamed through
the lot. The lamb was used to a good deal of petting and he supposed,
of course, that was what they had come for. So he poked himself into
their way at every step.
"No, sir," said Alice, laughing; "we didn't come to play with you
to-day! You run along, sir!" She rubbed her hand over his back to
push him away and something rough and pricky scratched her. She pulled
at his wool and a small brown burr came off in her hand.
"Look! Girls!" she cried suddenly. "If he got this, there must be
more in the lot!"
"Of course!" said Frances, looking scornfully at the burr Alice held up
for her to see; "there's a million over there--see? They're an awful
nuisance, burrs are, even this early in the season."
"They may be a nuisance," laughed Alice, "but I'll venture to say
they'll make good doll houses for all that. Here! I'll show you what
I think we can do." She ran over to where Frances had pointed out a
lot of burrs, pulled off a handful and began sticking them together.
"Yes, it works," she said in a satisfied tone, "but let's not stop to
make the houses here. Let's gather a lot of burrs and take them over
to Grandmother's front yard. Then we can make a whole village!"
Frances and Mary Jane didn't quite see how a village was to come out of
a lot of burrs, but Alice was so sure of what she was going to do that
they thought she must be right. So they gathered up their skirts and
filled them with burrs and then helped each other back over the fence.
Under the big pine tree, where the ground was the levelest of any place
in the yard, Alice had them spread out all their burrs.
"Now," she said when the burrs were ready, "you make them stick
together--so. Make eight rows of six burrs each. That will be the
floor of the house. Then start up the sides for walls."
Frances and Mary Jane got the idea in a minute and they set to work in
a jiffy. Such fun as it was! The houses and barns and churches grew
so rapidly that none of the girls gave a minute's thought to pricked
fingers--there wasn't time! When the stock of burrs was entirely used
up, Alice set the houses along in a straight line as though they were
on a street. Frances put the barns back of the houses where they
belonged and Mary Jane ran to her garden for nasturtiums to lay by the
houses for gardens.
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