But after supper Grandfather sat down to look at his paper.  And as he spread it out before him he suddenly chuckled to himself.

“The very thing!” he said, “the very thing!  Why didn’t I think of that before?” Then he looked over at the droopy-eyed little folks sitting on the window seat.  “But I suppose you wouldn’t care to go?”

“Go where?” exclaimed both children in a breath.  “Where, Grandfather?”

“What you talking about, Father?” asked Grandmother.

Instead of answering, Grandfather passed his paper over to her and pointed to where he had been reading.

Grandmother laughed and nodded.  “Yes, if you want to,” she said, “but they’d better be going to bed in a hurry if they’re going to do all that to-morrow!”

“Tell us!  Tell us!” cried Mary Jane eagerly.

“Not a word,” laughed Grandfather.

“Not a word,” insisted Grandmother.  “You wouldn’t sleep a wink.  You just stop thinking about what it is and go to sleep.  Father, you take John up and I’ll go with Mary Jane.”

So without finding out the least thing, for Grandmother wouldn’t even answer a question, not one, Mary Jane went off to bed—­and to sleep.

GRANDFATHER’S TREAT

It didn’t take long to call those children the next morning, you may be sure of that.  Just one word and they were up and dressing and more eager than ever to know what Grandfather was planning to do.

“Now will you tell us?” asked John as he ran into the living-room where Grandfather was sitting.

“Not a word till you’ve eaten your breakfast,” replied Grandfather laughingly.

“Not even a hint?” exclaimed Mary Jane as she hurried in, buttoning her play dress as she came, just in time to hear what her Grandfather said.

“Not even a hint,” repeated Grandfather, “not till each of you has eaten your bowl of oatmeal and as much other breakfast as Grandmother says you should.”

“Come on, then, John,” said Mary Jane practically; “let’s eat quick!” And she lead the way into the dining-room, where Grandmother had the breakfast served and ready to eat.

Never did bowls of oatmeal disappear so rapidly as did those!  And when the children had eaten a baked apple, an egg and a piece of toast apiece, Grandmother declared that they had done their full duty and could hear the surprise.

“But I’m not through myself!” exclaimed Grandfather in mock surprise.  “Did you put your breakfast on your chairs?  You couldn’t have eaten it this soon!” And he pretended to hunt around under the table for the breakfast.

“You know we didn’t hide it, Grandfather!” cried Mary Jane; she had been there long enough to get used to Grandfather’s teasing so she wasn’t puzzled by it as John was.  “Now you’ll have to tell us, won’t he, Grandmother?”

Grandmother nodded and Grandfather got up from his chair and went to the dining-room closet.  He rummaged on the shelf a minute and then brought out a big roll of paper.  “There!” he exclaimed as he laid it in front of the children, “you may unroll that and see if you can tell what it is?  Better lay it on the floor so you don’t tip the cream pitcher over.”