Mary Jane dutifully climbed into the front seat, with a little help from Cousin Louise, and then John played host by explaining to her all about their automobile. Mary Jane didn’t know one thing about an automobile and she was much impressed by the fact that this little cousin whom she had expected to take care of and mother around, knew so very much more than she did. Bui she liked it; she liked his sturdy, frank way and she wished that they could stay longer and get acquainted, really acquainted, with so desirable a cousin. Shortly, John’s father who had been doing an errand, came back, and after greeting the travelers, started up the car and away they dashed, over the hills and bridges to the little white farmhouse by the mill where John lived. Mary Jane loved the house from the minute she saw it. It had green blinds and a long front porch; a flower-covered front yard, an interesting looking barn at the side and a rambling kitchen at the back. "Oh, Mother," she cried as the car turned in, "do let’s stay a long time! Let’s not go to-night." "To-night!" exclaimed Cousin Louise, "surely you didn’t think of going to-night?" "That’s what I had planned," said Mrs. Merrill. "You know there is a nine o’clock train to Boston, and I thought that would give us time for a nice visit-y dinner and we have so many plans for to-morrow." "Then you’ll just have to change your plans," said Cousin Louise briskly as she welcomed them into the comfortable old house. "We’ve lots of room and we’ll loan you night things, and you can see what good times my sonny and your girls are going to have." "Well, then—" said Mrs. Merrill. "She’s going to let you stay," said John. "Come on, let’s go see my lamb." He was a bit shy with his new grown-up cousin, Mrs. Merrill, but very comfortable and easy with the two girls. "Coming along, Dad?" he called to his father as the three children slammed out of the kitchen door. "Not for a while—got to see what’s the matter with this," answered his father, who was tinkering with the automobile. "You take the girls through the barn and show them your pets. I’ll join you in the pasture lot after a bit." John needed no urging. He ran ahead to open the barn door and let his cousins in on the lower floor where his pet calf—a tiny little brown creature who looked wonderingly at her visitors—stood by her mother in a large roomy stall. "This barn’s most like grandpa’s," exclaimed Mary Jane, as the sight and smell of barn things brought back to her mind the joys of the summer she spent visiting her grandparents in the country. "He had an underpart, too, where cows lived sometimes. And a stairs—have you a stairs that’s most like a ladder?"