have a
nice long stay there this summer. So, as soon as he read the letter he
got out his car, took Mary Jane with him and went into the village to
telegraph that Alice should come at once.

The next morning Mary Jane helped her grandmother clean the room that
Alice was to have--it was just across the hall from Mary Jane's and was
so quaint and cozy with its old-fashioned furniture and ruffled white
curtains. Then the next day Grandmother made a great jar full of
cookies; Mary Jane loved that because Grandmother let her cut out some.
They made stars and crescents and squares and some just plain round
ones; and Mary Jane put the sugar and nuts over the top, too. Then
they made apple pies and berry pies and a tart of each kind for Mary
Jane's dinner and supper that day. Mary Jane decided then and there
that she was going to be a good cook when she grew up because cooking
was about the most fun of anything she had ever tried.

On the morning Alice was to come, Mary Jane got up early; dressed
herself as quickly as possible and ran down the stairs. Just in the
nick of time she was too, for Grandfather was ready to start to the
station.

"Take me, please take me along!" she called as she heard him crank up
his car.

"Hello, Pussy; you up?" he answered; "to be sure you may go along. Get
your grandmother to give you a big piece of coffee cake to eat on the
way and we'll be off."

Grandmother heard what he said and had the coffee cake ready as Mary
Jane ran into the kitchen. A wonderful big piece, she cut, all full of
sugary, buttery "wells" that Mary Jane liked so much. She wrapped it
in a napkin so it wouldn't get Mary Jane's dress sticky with its
sweetness, threw a woolen scarf around the little girl's shoulders for
the early morning air was cool and waved a good-by as they rode out of
the yard.

They reached the station just as the great train pulled in and saw the
conductor and porter help Alice down the steps of the car. Mary Jane
thought she had never seen any one look so nice in all her life!
Grandfather set her out of the auto and she ran as fast as ever she
could and threw her arms around her sister. Alice held her tight a
minute and then turned to kiss her grandfather.

"So you're here all right, Blunderbuss," said Grandfather heartily,
using the nickname he had given her long ago, "and you haven't lost a
bit of your hair!" Alice laughed as he looked admiringly at her long
golden braids.

"I hav