Mary Jane - Her Visit | Page 4

or watch Grandmother hang them,
in the queer little closet that had a latch like a front gate! Mary Jane
was to have a whole room and a whole closet and a bureau all to herself,
and she wouldn't feel a bit lonesome because Grandmother's room was
right next and the door stood open all the night long, Grandmother said.
When everything was in neat order, Mary Jane put on her dark blue
rompers and big blue sun hat, and they went downstairs.
"There now," said Grandmother; "we're all fixed. And before I do
another thing, I'm going to take you all around and show you
everything you want to see."
They started down the back walk toward the barn that looked so
interesting. But they hadn't gone half the way to it before the telephone,
back in the house, gave a long, loud ring.

EXPLORING THE FARM

"There now!" exclaimed Mrs. Hodges impatiently, "that's the 'phone
and I'll have to answer and see what's wanted. You walk along slowly,
Mary Jane, right over to the barn and through the gate and I'll hurry and
catch up with you as quickly as I can."
Left alone, Mary Jane walked past the wood shed; passed what seemed
to be a tool house because through the open door she saw tools of all
sorts and sizes; and on across the yard toward the barn yard gate.
"She said 'through the gate,'" thought Mary Jane, "and this must be the
gate. I wonder if it opens?" She shook the gate as hard as she could but
it didn't open; it didn't even look as though it intended to open; it
looked shut for all day, and Mary Jane was almost discouraged about
getting into the barn yard till she happened to think of a gate at the back
of Doris's yard (her little playmate Doris who lived next door to Mary
Jane's own home) that looked surprisingly like this gate. To be sure it
was little, and this gate was big and wide, but both had boards
crosswise, just right for climbing.
"We climbed on Doris's when it wouldn't open," she thought, "so I
guess this one will climb too."
She put her foot carefully on the first bar--nothing happened; on the
second--everything seemed all right; on the third and in a minute she
was over and climbing proudly down on the other side.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!" she called as she ran gayly toward the
barn; "I did it! The gate wouldn't open so I--Oh, dear! Oh! Oh! It's
coming! Grandfather!" she screamed breathlessly as she saw, coming
out of the barn--not Grandfather as she had expected--but a great, fat,
grunting pig!
Mary Jane shrank back toward the gate and how she did wish it was
open so she could slip through and shut it tightly behind her. She was
afraid to turn her back to the pig long enough to climb over the gate as
she had come; all the while she was trying her best to think of some
way to get away, that fat, grunting pig was coming closer and closer.
Now it was half the length of the barn yard away. Now it seemed to
have spied her and was coming straight for her--nose to the ground
sniffing and grunting louder than ever.
Grandfather, working in the barn, heard and came a-running as fast as
ever he could run; and Grandmother, 'way in the house, heard and
dropped the receiver and ran out so fast that she was breathless when

she reached the little girl. Grandfather was nearest so got to her first.
Really, he saw what the matter was as soon as he got outside the barn
and he shouted to the pig and flapped his arms in such a comical
fashion that Mary Jane hardly knew whether to be afraid of him or to
laugh. But the pig had no such doubts. She seemed to know that he
meant she should go away. She gave one final snort--almost at Mary
Jane's toes--and then turned and went back to the barn as fast as she
could waddle. The faster she waddled the more Grandfather flapped,
till first thing she knew Mary Jane was laughing and had forgotten all
about being afraid.
Grandfather reached down and picked her up, and Grandmother, who
came through the gate at that minute (she seemed to know how to open
it, Mary Jane noticed), patted her and gave her a kiss and a hug.
"Did we frighten you first thing, Puss?" asked Grandfather tenderly.
"That old Mrs. Pig wouldn't hurt you for anything. She was just trying
to get acquainted."
"Yes?" replied Mary Jane doubtfully, "but you see I'm not used to
getting acquainted that way. I 'spect she wouldn't hurt me, but she
didn't