While they did the work, Mary Jane answered all the
questions about Mother and Alice and Father that Grandmother
could ask and then, as soon as the last dish was put
away the two went upstairs and unpacked the trunk.
Such fun as it was to put all her own ribbons and
handkerchiefs into the funny little bureau that stood
in Mary Jane’s room! And to hang up her
dresses, or watch Grandmother hang them, in the queer
little closet that had a latch like a front gate!
Mary Jane was to have a whole room and a whole closet
and a bureau all to herself, and she wouldn’t
feel a bit lonesome because Grandmother’s room
was right next and the door stood open all the night
long, Grandmother said.
When everything was in neat order, Mary Jane put on
her dark blue rompers and big blue sun hat, and they
went downstairs.
“There now,” said Grandmother; “we’re
all fixed. And before I do another thing, I’m
going to take you all around and show you everything
you want to see.”
They started down the back walk toward the barn that
looked so interesting. But they hadn’t
gone half the way to it before the telephone, back
in the house, gave a long, loud ring.
“There now!” exclaimed Mrs. Hodges impatiently,
“that’s the ’phone and I’ll
have to answer and see what’s wanted. You
walk along slowly, Mary Jane, right over to the barn
and through the gate and I’ll hurry and catch
up with you as quickly as I can.”
Left alone, Mary Jane walked past the wood shed; passed
what seemed to be a tool house because through the
open door she saw tools of all sorts and sizes; and
on across the yard toward the barn yard gate.
“She said ‘through the gate,’”
thought Mary Jane, “and this must be the gate.
I wonder if it opens?” She shook the gate as
hard as she could but it didn’t open; it didn’t
even look as though it intended to open; it looked
shut for all day, and Mary Jane was almost discouraged
about getting into the barn yard till she happened
to think of a gate at the back of Doris’s yard
(her little playmate Doris who lived next door to
Mary Jane’s own home) that looked surprisingly
like this gate. To be sure it was little, and
this gate was big and wide, but both had boards crosswise,
just right for climbing.
“We climbed on Doris’s when it wouldn’t
open,” she thought, “so I guess this one
will climb too.”
She put her foot carefully on the first bar—nothing
happened; on the second—everything seemed
all right; on the third and in a minute she was over
and climbing proudly down on the other side.
“Grandfather! Grandfather!” she
called as she ran gayly toward the barn; “I
did it! The gate wouldn’t open so I—Oh,
dear! Oh! Oh! It’s coming!
Grandfather!” she screamed breathlessly
as she saw, coming out of the barn—not
Grandfather as she had expected—but a great,
fat, grunting pig!
