Mary Jane: Her Book | Page 5

Merrill got down a big book and showed the two
girls pictures of ant houses and told them all about how ants make their
homes and store their food.
"My, but I'm glad that sugar bag leaked!" sighed Mary Jane when the
big book was finally shut up and put away, "because I had fun watching
the ants; and I was out front ready for a ride; and now I've had a
story--all because sugar spilled! Mother, is lunch ready? May Doris

stay? We're hungry!"

HELPING THE ROBINS
All the afternoon after she learned about ants and their ways, Mary Jane
was very quiet. Mrs. Merrill thought perhaps she was disappointed
because Doris had had to go home right after lunch so she tried to be
very sociable and kind to make up for the absent playmate.
"How would you like to make a new dress for Marie
Georgiannamore?" she asked.
"Make it now, instead of taking my nap?" asked Mary Jane who
sometimes disliked the hour of quiet that her mother had her take every
afternoon. Of course she didn't really nap, that is, sleep; girls as big as
she didn't need to Mrs. Merrill thought. But she did have to stay quietly
in her own room and look at pictures or rest which ever she wished to
do. Usually Mary Jane enjoyed the hour but sometimes she wished she
could play straight through the day.
"Oh, no," replied Mrs. Merrill smiling, "you will want to take your rest
the same as you always do. But when you get up, then we'll make
Marie Georgiannamore a new dress."
"And while we're making it," asked Mary Jane, "will I have to stay in
the house?"
"Why, of course, Mary Jane," replied Mrs. Merrill, "how funny you are!
You wouldn't enjoy my making a doll dress while you were out doors,
would you?"
"No-o-o," said Mary Jane doubtfully, "maybe I wouldn't. Only I 'pect
I'd like it after it was done."
"Well," said Mrs. Merrill laughingly, "if you don't want a doll dress any
more than that, you don't want one very badly--that's certain! You run
along up to your room now and then, after you're dressed, I'll take my
bag of darning out on the front porch--I think it's plenty warm enough
to-day--and you may play in the yard. Would you like that, dear?"
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Mary Jane, "that's just what I want to do. And
may I take the ant book upstairs?"
Mrs. Merrill said she could and helped her pull the big book out from
the shelves.
"If this is what you are going to look at," she said as she handed the
book to Mary Jane at the foot of the stairs, "better fix some pillows real

comfy fashion in the window seat where the light is good." And Mary
Jane promised she would.
The book proved more than usually interesting and Mrs. Merrill had to
call the third time before Mary Jane heard her and realized that her hour
was up.
"Wash your face and put on your pink smock, dear," called Mrs.
Merrill, "and then come out to the porch. There's a robin in the front
yard and you'll like to watch him."
Mary Jane scrambled her very fastest, which was pretty fast as you can
guess, and in about three minutes was out on the porch inquiring for the
robin.
There he was, big as life and busy as could be hunting his afternoon
tea.
"Doesn't he know it isn't time for dinner till Daddah comes home?"
asked Mary Jane.
"He doesn't pay much attention to time," laughed Mrs. Merrill, "he
likes to eat all the day long. It makes no difference to him whether he
eats in the morning or afternoon."
Mary Jane watched him curiously as he pecked and dug and then she
suddenly exclaimed, "But he didn't eat it, mother! I know he didn't eat
it! I saw him fly away with it!"
"Then I expect he's carrying it to his babies," said Mrs. Merrill.
"Where are his babies?" demanded Mary Jane as she sat down on the
porch step to hear more.
"I'm sure I don't know, dear," said her mother. "I didn't notice which
direction he went, did you?"
"Yes, he flew around toward the back yard," answered Mary Jane
quickly, "I saw him. Does his whole family live in a nest like you've
told me about or does he have a hole and a city and everything like the
ants in the book?'
"His whole family live in one nest," replied Mrs. Merrill, "the father
robin and the another robin and all the little robins--sometimes several
of them. It's pretty crowded perhaps, while the robin babies are
growing, but they like it. I expect if you go around