, 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!"

BURR HOUSES

The week after the strawberry sociable was the busiest one of Mary
Jane's visit thus far. Frances came to see her twice and they became
better friends each time. The Westlands lived two miles farther from
the village than the Hodges did and Frances's father could easily leave
her at the Hodges's home when he went into the village and get her
again on his return trip. Mary Jane showed her all the interesting
things she had found--the pet mice, who were getting tamer and tamer
all the time; the ducks, which were losing their pretty babyness by now
and were getting almost big enough to look after themselves; the lamb
and the pigs and Brindle Bess.

Of course Frances was used to country sights, so she wasn't as much
surprised at