arm
comfortingly around the little girl. "They're not far away, depend on
that. But if you want something to feed and take care of, something
all your own--I'll get it for you."

"Will you, Grandmother, really truly?"

"Really truly," nodded Grandmother, "and you shall keep it in this
pretty little house!"

"Goody!" exclaimed Mary Jane, "and will it be pretty like my Easter
rabbits?"

"Every bit as pretty," said Grandmother, "just come with me to see if
it isn't!"

And she took hold of Mary Jane's hand and together they went toward the
chicken house.

MARY JANE'S FAMILY

"Is it a chicken?" asked Mary Jane as she saw the direction they were
taking.

"Bless the child!" exclaimed Grandmother, "she can ask questions the
fastest! No, my dear, it isn't a chicken! You'd better wait and see."

"Yes, I'm a-waiting," said Mary Jane with a tiny sigh, "but I hope it
isn't very long waiting, 'cause I like to see what I'm going to have."
And she skipped along by her grandmother as fast as she could.

Fortunately it wasn't very far to the chicken house, so she hadn't long
to wait. They went in at the front of the house; that was no surprise
because Mary Jane had been there every day of her visit. She looked
around quickly but she didn't see anything new, anything that looked
like a surprise. But Grandmother didn't stop there; she went on back
through a little door Mary Jane had never noticed, and into a room that
was nice and warm and had a big desk in it. Or at least Mary Jane
thought it looked like a big desk. And there wasn't anything there
that looked like a surprise; Mary Jane would have begun to be worried
if she hadn't been so sure Grandmother must know what she was talking
about.

"Now, let's see how heavy you are," said Grandmother, "maybe we'll need
your Grandfather after all." She put her hands under Mary Jane's arms
and tried to lift her up. "I can do it but I can't hold you long
enough," she said with a shake of her head, "better run call your
grandfather, dear."

"But he's way out in the barn," cried Mary Jane who was fairly dancing
with eagerness she was so anxious to see the surprise; "can't I get a
chair?" And then she thought how silly that was when of course there
wasn't a chair in the chicken house! "Or a box, Grandmother," she
added as an after thought.

"A box?" questioned Grandmother, looking around thoughtfully, "oh, yes!
I know. There's one right out in that next room.