"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 ap.r.o.n 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 ap.r.o.n 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 j.a.panese 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!"