New England -- Description and travel -- Juvenile fiction
"They put it in your room all ready for you," said Uncle Hal.
"Then I’m going walking with you," announced Mary Jane.
"And I’m going too," said Alice, "I just can’t hardly wait till I see
everything."
"And I’m going too," laughed Mrs. Merrill, as she put her hat back on,
"because I don’t want to miss anything either."
"Aren’t we missing something anyway?" asked Alice as they walked from
the room.
Mrs. Merrill and Hal looked back into the room.
"No-o," she answered, "I guess not. What did you think we were
leaving?"
"I didn’t think we were leaving anything," said Alice half laughing,
half embarrassed, "but—"
"Oh, I know," announced Mary Jane laughingly, "I’m missing it too. It’s
breakfast."
"You don’t mean to say—" exclaimed Uncle Hal. "That’s certainly one on
me! You see, I’m so little used to having my family come to see me, and
so very glad to see them when they get here, that I actually forgot
breakfast. We’ll have to get an extra good one to make up for it."
And an extra good one it certainly was; for Mary Jane had strawberries
and cream and toast and fish and hashed brown potatoes and a cup of
delicious hot cocoa with whipped cream. While they ate, Mary Jane told
Uncle Hal more about her Class Day frock.
"It’s white, and pink ribbons—lovely long crispy ribbons," she told him,
"and new shoes, _pumps_ just like grown-up ladies." Of course Uncle Hal
was much impressed as Mary Jane had hoped he would be, but neither he
nor Mary Jane herself would ever in the world have guessed the trouble
those pretty new pumps were going to make before another day was over!
Breakfast finished, they went for their walk, going through the Square
and down as far as the Commons. The city looked fresh and clean, after
a rain the night before and the flowers in the Commons nodded their
fresh blooms and looked as though they had grown on purpose to make Mary
Jane think Boston was beautiful.
"Now then," said Uncle Hal, looking at his watch, "I’ve just time for a
surprise and then I’ll have to leave you."
"Couldn’t we go along to Harvard with you?" asked Alice.
"Yes, you could," replied Uncle Hal, "want to?"
"’Deed I do," answered Alice heartily, "I don’t want to miss anything."
"Then with me you go, for even if I can’t stay with you long, you can
have the ride out and back. But now for the surprise."
He guided them across a bridge and down a sheltered path to a tiny lake
and there riding on the water were several great white swans. No, they
weren’t swans either. They were much too big for real swans and there
were seats on a platform right behind. Boats—that’s what they were of
course. Boats in the shape of swans!
"Can we ride on them?" asked Mary Jane breathless with excitement,
"really ride on them—people can?"
"To be sure people can," laughed Uncle Hal, "and we’re going to this
very minute."
He bought four tickets while Mary Jane and Alice climbed into the
nearest seats and then he and Mrs. Merrill sat just behind them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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