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!"