Mary Jane: Her Book | Page 4

arms and walked straight along.
Now whether the paper in the bag was not very good to begin with; or
whether Mary Jane held the parcel too tightly or what--it would be hard

to say--but--Mary Jane had not gone five steps past Doris's house
before she felt a funny little movement in the bag under her arm. She
looked and what do you suppose she found had happened? That sugar
bag had sprung a leak. Yes, a really for sure leak and the sugar was
dribbling, dribbling down to the sidewalk! Quick as a flash Mary Jane
turned the bag other side up and stopped the leak but, even so, there
was a little white mound of sugar there on the sidewalk.
"I wonder what I ought to do now?" she said thoughtfully. "Should I
pick up the sugar and put it back into the bag?" She tried that, but she
soon found that sugar is very slippery. She could pick only a few grains
at a time and even some of those few slid out of her hand before she
could tuck them into the leak in the bag. It was very puzzling. She bent
low over the pile of sugar and in that way she was hidden from the
houses by the high hedge that grew along the walk.
"I wonder, I wonder--" she said, and then she noticed that she had
company. Two busy ants had found that pile of sugar and were moving
it away as fast as ever they could. "This must be moving day for them
too," said Mary Jane laughingly. "I wonder where they are going? I
guess I'd better see."
She sat down beside the pile, being very careful to hold her bag of
sugar leaky-side up, and watched and watched. If you have ever seen
ants moving grains of sugar you know how very interesting it is and
you won't wonder that she forgot all about taking the parcel home to
her mother. And there is no telling when she would have remembered if
she hadn't, just then, heard her mother's voice.
"Mary Jane! Mary Jane! Mary Jane!" called Mrs. Merrill.
"Coming, mother," answered Mary Jane and she scrambled to her feet
and hurried home. "'Cuse me, mother, for being so long," she said
breathlessly, "but it leaks and please may I go back by Doris's and see
the ants?"
Mrs. Merrill took the bursting bag and thanked Mary Jane for the
errand. Her mind was on her delayed baking and she thought Mary Jane
meant to go to see Doris's aunt. So, without a question, she replied,
"Yes, you may, dear, but don't stay too long." And so Mary Jane ran
back to her ants.
By careful watching she found where they were going. They had a
whole colony of tiny holes out in the grass plot between the sidewalk

and the curbing and they seemed to be moving the sugar into these
holes.
"I think I ought to help them, they're such little things," said Mary Jane
to herself, "and I think Doris would want to help them too." She went
to Doris's gate and called and her little friend came out to watch ants
too.
"See what they are doing?" explained Mary Jane. "They're moving the
sugar into their pantry and we ought to help them like my father helps
me when I move my doll house things."
But somehow the plan which sounded so well, didn't work. Maybe the
ants didn't understand that help was being given them; for really, the
more the little girls "helped" the more scurrying and confusion there
was in that company of ants. And even when Mary Jane picked up a
grain of sugar and actually dropped it into a hole ready for them to put
away, that didn't seem to be the right thing either!
Just then, when the little girls were getting tired of bending over so
long and trying to do something that didn't work, the noon whistles
began to blow, and, a minute later, Mr. Merrill came riding by in his
car.
"Do you know where I could find two little girls to ride around to the
garage with me?" he asked as he pulled up by the curbing.
"Right here they are," cried Mary Jane and she and Doris climbed into
the car in a jiffy.
"What were you people doing there on the sidewalk?" asked father as
they drove around the corner.
"Helping ants store sugar in their holes but they didn't like it," said
Mary Jane disgustedly.
"I don't blame them," laughed Mr. Merrill. "When we get into the
house I'll show you how those holes are made and then you'll
understand why the ants didn't want help." So Doris came into the
house too and Mr.