“Where can Grandma be?” Mary Frances asked, after her mother and father had welcomed everybody. “Oh, there comes the station auto-bus. It’s going to stop here!” Surely enough it stopped, and out stepped the dear old lady, whom everybody tried to greet at once. In the midst of the confusion, Mary Frances and Eleanor slipped away to the play house, and a little later Billy and Bob piloted the guests to the play house garden. “Mistress Mary, never contrary, Will show how her garden grows,” announced Bob, leading the way up the path, where Mary Frances shook hands with each one in a most grown-up, dignified fashion introducing them to “My friend, Miss Eleanor,” just as Mother Paper Doll had done in the Housekeeper story. “So this is you children’s garden surprise, dear! Isn’t it beautiful!” There were tears of joy in their mother’s eyes. “Were there ever such children!” exclaimed their grandmother. “If there are any more wonderful, I have yet to see them!” Aunt Maria’s nose went up into the air with pride. “Jolly good gardener, Bill!” Bob slapped his friend on the back. “What you’ll be next year,” Billy retorted. “Father hasn’t said a word!” Mary Frances suddenly discovered. “I’ve been speechless with surprise, dear,” he said. “It certainly paid to wait to see such a garden. The flowers are wonderful!” “Why, haven’t you seen the garden before this?” everybody asked, and he told the whole story. As he finished, Bob and Eleanor’s father spoke. “I’m gladder than ever that Bob’s to go away to Billy’s school!” Then nearly everybody began to talk at once, saying how much more sensible the ideals of education were to-day than when they were young, and more of such grown-up talk, which gave the boys and girls a chance to slip away to get the refreshments. “How did you guess we were hungry?” asked Bob’s father as Mary Frances served the salad, and Eleanor passed the sandwiches in a dainty basket, trimmed with pink bows. “Where did you find such beautiful lettuce and tomatoes, dear?” asked Grandma, showing her enjoyment of the treat. “That’s part of the secret,” laughed Mary Frances. “After you’ve tested our vegetables, we’ll show you our vegetable garden.” “Gee!” exclaimed Bob, “you don’t mean to say you raised these?” “Everything’s from this garden except the ice-cream!” Eleanor asserted proudly. “Some farmers!” Bob started to say, but his father interposed. “You forget, son, that you’re in a formal social gathering—at a garden party, if you please.” “Please pardon me,” Bob begged, bowing to the company. “Let them talk—it’s the youngsters’ party,” somebody whispered so loud that everybody heard, and everybody laughed. After the ice-cream and coffee had been served, and the bonbon dish of candy was passed, “What delicious mints!” so many people praised, that Mary Frances said she would carry the candy dish with them to the vegetable garden, and all could see the bed of mint where she gathered the leaves for the flavor.