One reason why Willy had been taken upon the trip was his health.  He had always been considered rather delicate.  It did seem as if he had every chance to grow stronger in Exeter.  The air was cool and bracing from the mountains; aunt Annie had the best things in the world to eat, and as he had said, he was really having a splendid time.  He rode about with uncle Frank in the grocery wagon, he tended store, he fished, and went berrying.  There were only two drawbacks to his perfect comfort.  One came from his shoes.  Grandpa Perry had found an old pair in the store, and he wore them on his fishing and berrying jaunts; but they were much too large and they slipped and hurt his heels.  However he said nothing; he stumped along in them manfully, and tried to ignore such a minor grievance.  Willy had really a stanch vein in him, in spite of his gentleness and mildness.  The other drawback lay in the fact that the visit was to be of such short duration.  It began Monday and was expected to end Saturday.  Willy counted the hours; every night before he went to sleep he heaved a regretful sigh over the day which had just gone.  It had been decided before leaving home that they were to return on Saturday, and he had had no intimation of any change of plan.

Friday morning he awoke with the thought, “this is the last day.”  However, Willy was a child, and, in the morning, a day still looked interminable to him, especially when there were good times looming up in it.  To-day he expected to take a very long ride with uncle Frank, who was going to Keene to buy a new horse.

“I want Willy to go with me, to help pick him out,” he told Grandma Stockton, and Willy took it in serious earnest.  They were going to carry lunch and be gone all day.  This promised pleasure looked so big to the boy, as he became wider awake, that he could see nothing at all beyond it, not even the sad departure and end of this delightful visit on the morrow.  So he went down to breakfast as happy as ever.

“That boy certainly looks better,” Grandpa Stockton remarked, as the coffee was being poured.

“We must have him weighed before he goes home,” Grandma said, beaming at him.

“That’s one thing I thought of, ‘bout stayin’ a week longer,” Grandpa went on.  “It seems to be doin’ Sonny, here, so much good.”  Grandpa had a very slow, deliberate way of speaking.

Willy laid down his spoon and stared at him, but he said nothing.

“I don’t see what you were thinking of not to plan to stay longer in the first place,” said aunt Annie.  “I don’t like it much.”  She made believe to pout her pretty lips.

“Well,” said uncle Frank, “I’ll send for that coat right away this morning, so you’ll be sure to get it to-morrow night.”

“Yes,” said Grandpa, “I’d like to hev it to wear to meetin’.  Mother thinks my old one ain’t just fit.”

“No, it ain’t,” spoke up Grandma.  “It does well enough when you’re at home, where folks know you, but it’s different among strangers.  An’ you’ve got to have it next week, anyhow.”