John stayed a whole week at Grandfather's and every one of the seven
days, he and Mary Jane had a beautiful time. They fed chickens for
Grandmother and gathered eggs; they visited the rabbits, carrying with
them tit-bits of lettuce so they could the easier make friends with the
little creatures; they played with the lamb and watched Mary Jane's
ducks and rode in the car with Grandfather and altogether had a
wonderful time. But the thing that both Mary Jane and John liked the
best--well, anyway, _almost_ the best of all, was playing circus in the
barn.
They pretended that the downstairs was the animal tent and that Brindle
Bess was the elephant--"she waves her hind tail just like he did his
front tail, so that's almost the same," John said--and that the hogs
were lions and little pigs, tigers. And they pretended that the loft
was the performers' tent and that they were the circus folk. Mary Jane
learned to turn a summerset in the hay and she tried to walk a rope but
that didn't work very well because the rope came down; evidently it
wasn't tied tightly. John stood on his head and did tumbling and was
learning to throw three bottles at one time. They tried to do the
elephant-eating-his-dinner act with Brindle Bess but she didn't seem to
understand (maybe because she hadn't been to the circus herself) and
tipped the table over and broke two dishes so they had to give that up.
But finally Cousin Margaret came to take John home and Mary Jane was
left without a playfellow.
"No use moping around, Mary Jane," said Grandmother briskly as she saw
Mary Jane sitting dolefully and idly on the back steps an hour after
John had gone. "Find something to do as you did before John came and
you'll feel happier."
"But everything I know to do, needs two to do it," complained Mary
Jane. "I don't know any children's things for just one!"
"Listen to the child!" laughed Grandmother, "when she played the whole
day long, all by herself and as happy as could be! Well, then, dear,"
she added kindly, "if you don't know a children's thing to do, how
about a grown folks' thing?"
"Oh, Grandmother!" exclaimed the little girl happily, "is there a
grown-up folks' thing I can do?"
"I shouldn't wonder," said Grandmother, smiling mysteriously. "I
shouldn't wonder a bit."
"But I don't want to sew," said Mary Jane, suddenly wondering if her
grandmother might be thinking of that, "I don't feel sew-ish."
"No, it's not sewing," replied Grandmother. "I haven't time for sewing
this morning because I'm going to make strawberry jam."
"Then what is it?" asked Mary Jane and she pressed her face up against
the screen door in her effort to look inside at her grandmother's work.
"You come in and wash your hands and face--wash them good with soap,"
said Grandmother, "then bring me one of Grandfather's big handkerchiefs
and I'll tell you what it is."
That puzzled Mary Jane and she immediately forgot all about John and
her lonesomeness. She hurried to the bathroom and washed her hands and
face the very best she knew how. Then she reached into Grandfather's
drawer and picked out a handkerchief and took it down to Grandmother.
"Now get me five pins from my basket," said Grandmother.
Mary Jane got the pins in a jiffy and then Grandmother stopped her work
and began to unfold and refold the handkerchief.
"What--" began Mary Jane as she watched Grandmother's hands busy
folding, "what's it going to be?"
"A cap," replied Grandmother, smiling, "a cap for the cook who's going
to get our dinner"; and she set the cap squarely on Mary Jane's head!
"Me? Get dinner? Me? By myself?" exclaimed Mary Jane, "but I don't
know how!"
"Oh, yes, you do," laughed Grandmother, "and what you don't know how,
you can learn. Do you know what potatoes look like?"
"Why, of course," replied Mary Jane and she giggled at such a funny
question for potatoes were her favorite vegetable. "I've seen 'em at
home and I've seen 'em in your cellar."
"Sure enough!" said Grandmother, nodding approvingly, "then you'll know
what to do. Take that pan over there," and she pointed to the table,
"and go into the cellar and pick out six nice smooth potatoes."
Mary Jane did as she was told and she thought it was lots of fun too,
to hunt over the bin as she had seen Grandmother do and pick out
potatoes that just suited her.
"Now then," said Grandmother when Mary Jane brought up the potatoes,
"take that scrubbing brush over there and scrub them clean. Then open
the oven door with this holder and lay the potatoes on the shelf to
bake."
"Just like I scrub my hands?" asked Mary Jane.
"Just the same," answered Grandmother, "only you don't use soap."
"How about some baked apples?" asked Grandmother as the oven door was
shut on the potatoes; and Mary Jane noticed that she said it just as
though Mary Jane could do anything or cook anything a body might want.
"They're good, _I_ think," replied Mary Jane.
"So do I," said Grandmother, "and we'll have some. Your Grandfather
opened the last box just this morning. You pick out three, Mary Jane,
and bring me the apple corer from the drawer and the flat brown bowl
from the pantry."
By that time, Mary Jane felt as important as any cook in the land. She
washed the apples. Grandmother hadn't said to do that, but Mary Jane
was sure it should be done. Then she took the bowl and the corer over
to where Grandmother was working with her strawberries.
"Hold the apple so," said Grandmother, showing just how an apple should
be cored, "and turn the corer so--see if you can do the next, Mary
Jane."
Mary Jane could. Not as quickly as Grandmother had done it, of course,
but she did it just the same and set it into the bowl as Grandmother
had done.
"Now comes the fun part," said Grandmother; "your mother used to love
to fix apples I remember."
"Did she do 'em just like me?" asked Mary Jane.
"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.