tration]

IV

AUNT JANE GOES A-VISITING

"Yes," said Aunt Jane, "I've been up to Lexin'ton to see Henrietta,
and I jest got home day before yesterday. Set down, child, and I'll
tell you all about it."

The old lady's eyes were sparkling with happiness, a faint flush was
in her cheeks, and she looked as if she had drunk from that fount
that all are seeking and that none has ever found.

"Henrietta's been wantin' me to visit her for many a year back," she
went on; "but I've been puttin' it off, one way or another, like old
folks always do when young folks wants 'em to do anything that's for
their good. But you see I've lived right here in this old house pretty
near all my life, and takin' me up and carryin' me to off to Lexin'ton
was jest about like takin' up that old ellum-tree out yonder and
carryin' it over and settin' it out in another county. You've got to
be mighty keerful how you move old folks around. However, I've been
and come back again, and I ain't any the worse for it, and Henrietta's
satisfied because she's had her way. Henrietta used to live in
Danville, you know, but Archibald--that's her husband--sold out and
moved to Lexin'ton about a year ago, and he's built her a house the
like o' which never was seen in the blue-grass region, so they say.
And as soon as they moved into it, Henrietta wrote to me and says,
'Grandma, I'm not goin' to ask you to come to see me. But next week
Archibald and I will be down, and we're goin' to take you home with us
whether you want to go or not.'"

Aunt Jane's laugh had a ring of pride, for the love of this favorite
grandchild was very dear to her.

"And, honey," she said confidentially, "that was the only thing that
made me go. If Henrietta had kept on jest askin' me to come to see
her, I'd 'a' kept on holdin' back. I know Henrietta loves me, but
whenever she'd say anything about me goin' to see her, I'd think to
myself, 'Now, Henrietta's jest askin' me because she thinks I'll feel
bad if she don't; and, like as not, if I was to go up there amongst
all her fine friends, she'd be ashamed of me.' But when she said she
was comin' to take me back with her, I says to myself, 'I'll go, for I
know Henrietta wants me.'

"Henrietta was mightily afraid the ride on the cyars would tire me
out; but I don't reckon goin' to heaven'll be any easier and
pleasanter to me than goin' to Lexin'ton that June day. It looked like
everything was fixed to suit me. The weather was jest