w she would take it out the first minute he was out
of sight.

"I'll go down with you," said Grandfather, rising quickly from the
table, "because I'm expecting a letter too."

Sure enough! There was a letter for Grandmother that looked very much
as though it came from Mary Jane's mother; and a letter for Grandfather
that looked to be exactly the same letter! There wasn't a mite of
difference so far as Mary Jane could see, except in the one Grandfather
said was his, the first word was shorter. And there was a letter for
Mary Jane too, the first letter she ever received from her mother.

They all three sat down on the front steps to read. First Mary Jane
opened hers and Grandmother helped her read it. "I'm going to learn to
read myself," declared Mary Jane, "'cause folks that get letters ought
to know how to read them."

"You're right they should," agreed Grandmother, "and I shouldn't wonder
a bit but what a certain little girl I know would go to school this
fall."

"And that little girl's me?" asked Mary Jane.

"That little girl's you," said Grandmother. "Now listen while I read
my letter."

So Mary Jane sat real still and heard Grandmother's letter.

"Now then, Father," said Grandmother as she folded hers up and put it
back in the envelope, "we'll hear yours, Grandfather."

"Not right now," said Grandfather, rising suddenly and starting for the
barn. "I'm too busy to stop any more." And that was the last they saw
of him all afternoon.

"I do think that's the queerest," said Grandmother as she looked after
her husband. "He's always so anxious to hear letters and I know he
isn't as busy as he makes out. But if he don't want to tell he won't,
Mary Jane, so I guess we'd better stop thinking about it."

Mary Jane ran up to her room to put her precious letter away for
safe-keeping. Then she and Grandmother tidied up the dinner work and
dressed for afternoon. Grandmother didn't have lots of hard work to
do, as some farm folks have, for she and Grandfather had long ago
stopped doing the hardest work on the farm. They rented out most of
their land and kept for themselves only enough garden and chicken yard
and pasture to make them feel comfortably busy. So Grandmother had
plenty of time for pleasant walks and rides with Mary Jane.

Grandfather seemed to be tired at supper that evening so nothing was
said about secrets or letters or anything like that, and he went off to
bed about as soon as Mary Jane