Mary Jane: Her Book | Page 7

and then she spied the
hose lying in the back yard.
The very thing!
Quick as a minute, she ran down the stairs, out the kitchen door and
over to the hose. Yes, just as she had hoped, it was attached and ready

for use. She ran up to the house wall, turned on the water (it took all her
strength, but she didn't mind that), took one good look up at the apple
tree to see just where the nest was, and then turned the hose that way.
But something didn't seem just right. Instead of liking it, and being very
still because they were getting a good cold drink, those stupid robin
babies chirped and cried and acted far from pleased.
"I know," thought Mary Jane, "they want it like rain," and she turned
the hose nozzle high and straight so that the water would come down
on the top of the nest.
But that wasn't any better or even as good as the first try; for the water,
instead of coming down on the apple tree, came straight and wet onto
Mary Jane herself! She was so startled that she screamed and dropped
the hose without a thought of the robins she had meant to help.
And then there was a commotion! Mr. Merrill, who had come home for
some papers he had forgotten, came running around the house; Father
Robin darted out from the hedge and made straight for his nest; Mother
Robin hurried up from the pine tree in Doris's yard and Mrs. Merrill,
tea towel still in hand, ran out from the back porch.
"What ever is the matter?" she cried.
"I was just giving the baby robins a drink," sputtered Mary Jane, "and
they didn't seem to like it!"
Mrs. Merrill gathered her into her arms, wetness and all, and held her
close. "I thought something had happened to my little girl," she said.
"You must come in and get dry clothes on, dear; then I'll tell you more
about the babies and you'll understand why they don't like too much
water."
"And _I'll_ tell you something," said father. "If you like to learn about
creatures and everything that grows, you meet me here at the back door
step at five o'clock this afternoon and I'll tell you a secret."
"Oh, goody!" cried Mary Jane, as she clapped her wet hands. "Can't
you tell it to me now?"
"I should say not!" said father importantly, "it's a secret! You'll have to
wait till five o'clock!" And he hurried off to his work leaving Mary
Jane to a day of wondering what might be coming--a pleasant sort of
wondering, for father's secrets were always jolly ones.

FATHER'S SECRET

Mary Jane thought that five o'clock would never come--never! She
looked at the clock and looked at the clock and she asked mother and
Alice to tell her the time so as to be sure she herself wasn't mistaken in
what the clock said. But finally lunch time was passed, and rest time,
and then Mary Jane knew it wouldn't be very long till five o'clock.
"Now, I'm going to dress for my secret," she said when her rest was
finished.
"That's just what I came to see you about," said Mrs. Merrill, who came
into Mary Jane's room at that minute, "you'd better put on this little
dress." And she held up a little, old, dark blue morning dress--not at all
the sort of dress that a little girl would wear to an afternoon secret,
Mary Jane was sure of that.
"Why, mother!" exclaimed the little girl, "you don't mean me to wear
that!"
"I surely do," said Mrs. Merrill, pleasantly; "it's just the right kind of a
dress for this secret."
"But Daddah's secret is a nice secret," said Mary Jane positively.
"His secrets always are," agreed her mother.
"And nice secrets ought to have nice dresses," said Mary Jane.
"Nice secrets ought to have dresses that belong to them," corrected Mrs.
Merrill. "We don't talk about things that are decided," reminded Mrs.
Merrill. "Put on the blue dress and come downstairs, Mary Jane. I'm
sure you will be glad--when father comes home."
So Mary Jane put on the blue dress, but she wasn't very happy about it;
she felt sure, certain all the time that she was dressing, that Daddah
would be disappointed when he saw her. And she began to wonder if
the secret was so very wonderful after all; it didn't sound so wonderful
if an old dress went with it--in the afternoon!
But even though she was disappointed and a bit doubtful, she went
down to the front porch and sat on the step where she could see father
the minute he turned the corner of Fifth Street.
"Isn't this a