t. The
conductor came in several times and asked her many questions about her
grandfather and her grandmother. He also told her about his own little
girl who was just Hortense's age and a wonder at fractions.

When it was time for lunch, the porter brought her a little table upon
which she spread the contents of her box, and she had a pleasant
luncheon party with an imaginary little boy named Henry. It was all the
nicer because she had to eat all Henry's sandwiches and cookies,
whereas, if Henry had been a real little boy, he would have eaten them
all himself and probably some of hers, too.

After luncheon, the train went more slowly as it climbed into the
mountains, and all the rest of the way Hortense looked out of the
window. She had never seen big mountains before. Then, about four
o'clock in the afternoon, the conductor came and told her to get ready.
When the train stopped, he helped her off, called, "All aboard" (though
there was nobody to get on), and the train drew away and disappeared.

Hortense was all alone, and there was nobody resembling her grandfather,
or her grandfather's old coachman, to meet her. She felt very lonesome
until a man with a bright metal plate on his cap, which read _Station
Agent_, came to her and asked her name and where she belonged.

"So you're Mr. Douglas' granddaughter," said he, "and are going to the
big house to live. Well, well! I guess Uncle Jonah will be along pretty
soon."

Hortense went with him and looked up the long street of the little
town. The station agent shaded his eyes with his hand.

"I guess that's Uncle Jonah now," said he, and Hortense saw an
old-fashioned surrey with a fringed top drawn by two very fat black
horses. They were very lazy horses, and it seemed a long time before
they drew up at the station and Uncle Jonah climbed painfully out.

Uncle Jonah was very old and black, and his hair was white and kinky.

"Yo's Miss Hortense, isn't yo'?" he asked. "I come fo' to git yo'. I'se
kinda' late 'cause Tom an' Jerry, dey jes' sa'ntered along."

The station agent and Uncle Jonah lifted Hortense's steamer trunk into
the back seat of the surrey, and with Hortense sitting beside Uncle
Jonah, off they went.

"She'd better look out for ghosts up at the big house, hadn't she,
Uncle Jonah?" the station agent called after them.

Uncle Jonah grunted.

"Are there ghosts at Grandfather's house?" Hortense asked, feeling a
delightful shiver up her back.

"'Cose