"Would you speak to her, doctor?" asked Mrs. Merrill anxiously.
It was eight o'clock the next morning. They had reached home about an
hour after they left Flatrock and fortunately had found Dr. Smith at
home. He came at once in answer to their telephone call and was there
even before they had Mary Jane undressed and put to bed. He examined
her carefully and could find no broken bones and no injury, but still
Mary Jane slept on, breathing, but so quietly and unnaturally that she
didn't seem like herself. Her mother and father had stayed by her all
the night long; Grandmother, Grandfather and Alice had with difficulty
been sent to bed after midnight and Dr. Smith had stayed most of the
time.
But when she still didn't stir the next morning Mrs. Merrill grew more
and more anxious.
"I don't know," said the doctor doubtfully; "we might try. You speak
to her; your voice would be the best."
Mrs. Merrill bent low over her little girl and whispered, "Mary Jane!
Mary Jane! Mother's here!"
No answer, but Mrs. Merrill thought she saw a quiver on the little
girl's face, so she tried again.
"Mary Jane! Mary Jane! Mother's here!" she repeated.
"I know," whispered the little girl; "you com'd to-day," and she opened
her big blue eyes and looked at her mother.
Mrs. Merrill kissed her rapturously and held her close, and Mary Jane
raised her arm enough to pat her mother's shoulder. Then she looked
around the room in surprise. "Where's the moon?" she asked.
"The moon?" said Mrs. Merrill, and the laugh she tried to give with her
answer sounded very near tears. "The moon went to sleep a long time
ago."
"And where's the picnic?" continued Mary Jane wonderingly.
"The picnic was over before you were hurt," said Mrs. Merrill.
Mary Jane stared at her wide eyed for two or three long minutes.
"Don't talk to her," whispered Dr. Smith very softly; "let her think it
out herself."
So Mrs. Merrill just held her little girl close and waited.
"Oh, I know!" exclaimed Mary Jane as suddenly she remembered it all,
"it came around the corner so fast--something big did, and then I'm
here!"
"And lucky you are to be here, young lady," said Dr. Smith, coming
around to where she could see him. "How do you feel?"
"Hungry," said Mary Jane briefly.
Dr. Smith and Mother laughed so that the others heard them downstairs
and came running to hear what the good news could be.
"Is he going to stay for breakfast?" asked Mary Jane as she sat up in
bed and pointed to Dr. Smith. "It _is_ breakfast time, isn't it,
Grandmother?"
"Bless the child!" exclaimed Grandmother from the doorway, "of course
it is! She shall have anything she wants!"
They could hardly believe their eyes--those five who had seen the
accident, but it was true. Mary Jane had not been hurt a bit--not more
than a half-dozen scratches--only stunned by her fall. She got up in a
few minutes, and with her mother's help (and how good it did seem to
have her mother there _to_ help) they soon came downstairs to
breakfast. Grandmother was so happy and excited that if it hadn't been
for the help of Alice, who could always be counted on to be "steady"
when there was excitement a-foot, there's no telling what would have
happened to that breakfast.
Alice got out the honey and set the extra place for Dr. Smith and cut
the melons and brought the eggs to her grandmother. And Grandmother
made some of her wonderful griddle cakes and they had a merry feast.
"Aren't you glad that big thing hit me?" asked Mary Jane of Dr. Smith
as she passed up her plate for a third (or was it the fourth) helping
of cakes, "'cause if it hadn't, you wouldn't have had any of
Grandmother's griddle cakes this morning, you wouldn't."
Dr. Smith had to admit that some good comes of everything and that he
certainly was glad to get those griddle cakes. "The whole trouble," he
added, "was because you didn't take _me_ to the picnic--of course
that's not a hint!"
They all laughed at that and promised that he should go to the very
next picnic they had--the very next.
How the days did fly after that.
Mary Jane would never have supposed that ten days could go so swiftly.
They took long rides in the car; had several fine picnics--with Dr.
Smith along whenever he could go; went fishing in the river miles away
and spent a day on a farm where threshers were working--a wonderful day
the girls thought for it was all new to them.
And finally it came time to pack the trunks and start for home.
Mary Jane had hard work deciding what to put in, just as she had had
when she packed to come. She wanted to take all the burr houses and
green apple dolls they had made; and the ducks and a lot of corn and
apples for Doris. She finally agreed that she would leave out all the
other things if she could take _one_ house of burrs and _one_ green
apple doll just to show how they were made and then a nice box of red
cheeked eating apples to give to her little friend.
It was decided to go home by the day trip. The journey was shorter
that way and Alice begged to go at a time when they might eat in the
diner. So they took the train at nine in the morning and would reach
home in time for dinner that night.
Mary Jane found it very hard to say good-by to Grandmother and
Grandfather. She had learned to love them dearly and they had been so
good and kind and thoughtful to her she would never, as long as she
lived, forget the happy days she had spent with them. But, nice as it
was to go away to visit, it was nicer still to be going home. Home to
her own dolls and toys and friends and duties--everything that Mary
Jane loved--that is, most everything, for it was hard to leave the lamb
and the duck now grown so big and interesting and the baby mice--the
new baby mice that had come to the barn loft family.
She waved good-by to her Grandmother and Grandfather as long as she
could see them--which wasn't very long for the train pulled away so
quickly from the little station where the Merrills got on; and then she
turned to her mother and said, "now let's talk about something quick."
"Very well," said Mrs. Merrill, "I was just wanting to do that. Let's
talk about what you are going to do this winter."
"Do this winter?" exclaimed Mary Jane in surprise, "I'm going to do
just like I always do. I'm going to play with my dolls and play with
Doris and sometimes with Junior and help you and everything like I do,
Mother."
"Think so, dear?" asked Mrs. Merrill, "how old are you?"
"I'm five," answered Mary Jane in surprise.
"Five and a little more than a quarter," corrected Mrs. Merrill, "and
seems to me that's big enough to be going to kindergarten. What do you
think?"
"Oh, is it, Mother?" exclaimed Mary Jane happily, "am I really big
enough?"
"I'm afraid my little girl is growing up," said Mrs. Merrill with half
a sigh, "and that she ought to go to school. What do you think,
Father?"
"I think she'll like it and that she ought to go," said Mr. Merrill
promptly; "suppose we start her the first of October?"
So it was settled that Mary Jane was to go to kindergarten. They made
plans and talked till the porter came through the car and called,
"First call for luncheon! First call for luncheon! Diner in the rear
of the train!" And then they all went through the train to the diner
and Mary Jane ate her first meal on the train.
And if you want to know about what Mary Jane did after she got home
from her summer trip; and about all the fun and good times she had
after she started to kindergarten, you must read--