On the very day that Alice counted out her money and found she had the
seventy-five cents she needed for her much wanted camera and that Mary
Jane had fifty cents, there came a telegram from Mrs. Merrill saying
that she and Mr. Merrill would arrive the next morning for a stay of
ten days.
"Now this is something like old times," said Grandmother happily as she
and the two girls bustled around making ready for the guests. "Lots of
cooking to do and two nice girls to help me do it. Seems like the days
when our own girls were here! Mary Jane, you've done plenty of dusting
for today; you go and get your grandfather to pick out two nice fat
chickens for frys while I teach Alice about making her cake. She's
going to have a beauty to show her mother, that's what she is!"
Mary Jane liked doing things with her jolly grandfather, so she skipped
out happily and found him in the barn.
"Pick out some frys, should we?" he said. "All right, that suits me,
only we'll fool her, Mary Jane; we'll get _three_! I believe in having
enough, I do."
"What we going to do to-morrow, Pussy?" he asked when that job was done.
"Why, we're going to get Mother and Father at the train and then we're
coming home."
"Oh, yes, I know that," said Grandfather, "but let's do more than that.
Let's have a picnic to celebrate their coming."
"Oh, Grandfather!" exclaimed Mary Jane, "could we?"
"We certainly could," said Grandfather, "and I think it would be a fine
thing to do. There's a full moon and we could go about four and come
home by moonlight. Let's see what your grandmother and Alice think
about it."
Grandmother and Alice were enthusiastic. "I can take my cake!"
exclaimed Alice eagerly. "It's a beautiful cake, Grandfather, see?"
she said proudly. "It's all done but the frosting and I'm going to put
that on as soon as it's cool enough."
"Looks good enough to eat," said Grandfather admiringly, "and I'm sure
it will be fine to-morrow."
"And I can take my frys," said Grandmother, planning; "your father
loves cold fried chicken, girls," she added, "and maybe your mother
will make a bowl of her fine salad to-morrow while I make a
custard--yes, Father, that's just what we'll do. We'll have a picnic.
Where'll we go?"
"To Flatrock," replied Grandfather, who had decided that point long
ago, "and you needn't plan too much fixyness because Mary Jane and I
have a surprise."
"Oh, goody!" cried Mary Jane. "What is it?" Everybody laughed at that
and Grandfather took the little girl out to the garden to show her what
the secret was. But they didn't tell anybody else what it was--I
should say not!
It was lucky there was plenty to do that day, and many interesting
things to plan for the picnic; for, even so, Mary Jane thought the day
would never end--never. She hadn't realized she was so anxious to see
her mother till she knew the long separation was so nearly over.
"To-morrow I'll see my mother! To-morrow I'll see my mother!
To-morrow I'll see my mother!" she whispered over and over to herself
as she went to sleep, and she thought it was the best news she ever
told herself.
She was awake and up the first of any one in the house the next
morning, and long before Grandfather was ready to start she was out
sitting in the automobile.
"Look who thinks she's going to the station!" exclaimed Grandfather.
"'Fraid you can't go this time, Pussy; there won't be room."
"Oh, _Grandfather_!" exclaimed Mary Jane over the big lump that
suddenly came into her throat, "I _must_ go to see my _mother_!" And
then she looked at her grandfather and saw the twinkle in his eye.
"You're just teasing, aren't you, Grandfather?" she added anxiously.
"Yes, I am, and I ought to be shot for it, so there!" said Grandfather,
who, when he saw how eager she was, regretted his hasty teasing.
"Surely you can go--we'll start in two minutes."
It wasn't more than a second after her father and mother got off the
great train before Mary Jane was held tight in her mother's arms and
oh, how good it did feel to be there! "I didn't know how much I did
want you," cried Mary Jane, "till you're here!"
Mother replied with a satisfying whisper and another pair of kisses,
one on each rosy cheek, and then Father had to have his hug and they
started gayly home.
After breakfast Mary Jane showed them all the creatures she had learned
to love--from the lamb in the pasture lot to the ducks that now lived
down by the creek. Then they went back into the house and Mary Jane
gave her mother the glass of jam made all by herself (and you can just
guess how proud and happy Mrs. Merrill was over _such_ a gift!) and
Alice showed her cake.
"Look's good enough to eat right now," said Mr. Merrill, smacking his
lips; "let's have a piece."
"I should say not!" exclaimed Alice; "that's to take to the picnic!"
So then they told all about the plan for the picnic, and Father and
Mother were pleased just as everybody had known they would be. And
every one set to work at the pleasant preparations.
Mrs. Merrill, Grandmother and Alice stayed in the kitchen, while Mr.
Merrill joined Mary Jane and Grandfather in making preparations for the
secret. They didn't let any one see a thing of what they were doing
and they carefully covered up the big basket that they stowed away in
the back of the car.
At three o'clock they were off and with such good company and over fine
roads the twenty-five mile ride to Flatrock seemed all too short.
"Now you folks who think you have the eats," said Grandfather as they
all got out of the car, "can just fool around any way you like. Mary
Jane and I are going to build a fire for the coffee her father and I
will be sure to want."
"That's no surprise," laughed Alice; "Grandmother has the coffee in her
basket and she told me I could help you make the fire!"
"Isn't that amazing!" teased Grandfather, and Alice knew from the way
he talked that she hadn't guessed the secret after all.
Flatrock was a rough, wooded spot, most unusual for that region; and
right through the middle of the woods a pretty little creek ran
tumbling over some broad, flat rocks. It was by the side of one of
these rocks, close by the little stream, that Grandfather started his
fire. He pulled two logs together till they formed a big V; then he
and Mr. Merrill and the girls gathered wood, twigs and branches and
leaves, till they had a big pile between the logs. They set fire to
these and soon they had a heap of glowing coals.
"Now," said Grandfather, "I think it's about time for our surprise.
Shall we get it, Mary Jane?"
She nodded "yes" and he went to the car, bringing back with him the
mysteriously covered basket. "You shall take the cover off, Pussy," he
said.
Mary Jane pulled back the cover cloth and there, inside, was a basket
full to the brim of--yes, it was--roasting ears! The very first of the
season!
"We keep watch of our corn patch, we do," said Grandfather, and he
nodded solemnly at Mary Jane, "and now we're going to have something
good."
They piled the roasting ears in on the hot coals, then they built
another fire over the top of them, and by the time that had burned down
the corn was ready to eat.
Grandmother and Mother and Alice unpacked the baskets and they all sat
around and enjoyed the feast. Grandmother's fried chicken and crullers
and rolls and Alice's fine cake, which was given the place of honor on
a rock by itself where it could be seen all the time till they were
ready to eat it, were pronounced the best ever.
The moon rose so clear and big and beautiful that it was hard to tell
just when day ended and night began. So it was a surprise when
Grandfather announced that it was eight o'clock and high time they were
starting home. The few scraps, and there weren't very many, were
packed neatly into one basket and the party regretfully left the rocks
and started for the car.
"Nobody ever comes along this road at this time of night," said
Grandfather. "I'll just get the car out into the middle of the road
where you can get in easier." So he pulled it away from the fence
where he had left it, and ran it out into the middle of the road.
"Here, Pussy," he added, "run around on the other side of the car and
hand me that basket."
Mary Jane did as she was told and after he had taken the basket from
her she waited in the middle of the road, by the car, till he should be
ready to help her in.
No one ever knew quite how it happened--it was all so sudden. Perhaps
the other driver, too, thought that no one was ever on that road at
that time of the evening. Out of the shadows and the moonshine, around
the curve of the road, came a roadster moving so fast that before its
driver could realize that some one stood in the center of the road, he
had hit Mary Jane squarely and had tossed her over the fence on the
opposite side of the road.
Grandfather jumped over the fence after her as quickly as he could out
of the car, but, quick as he was, Mary Jane's father was quicker. He
picked up the little girl, carried her back to her mother and together
they ran their hands over her--no bones seemed to be broken; her heart
was beating and she was breathing. But _just_ breathing, that was all.
She lay in her mother's arms as still and quiet--so still and so quiet
that she didn't seem like Mary Jane--the Mary Jane who was always
running and talking and lively.
Without more than a half-dozen necessary words Grandfather and
Grandmother, Father, Mother and Alice got into the car and Grandfather
put on all speed. The one thought in every one's mind was to get to
Dr. Smith as quickly as ever they could. Grandfather was thankful for
the moonlight that made the way so plain and he drove home the fastest
he had ever driven.
And so they came back from the picnic at Flatrock.