d do her marketing and errands and of course Mary Jane
and Georgiannamore went along and had a beautiful time--especially when
they looked in the windows and saw all the good things to eat. Mary Jane
had thought that she knew every sort of good thing a person could possibly
want to eat, but she soon found out that she didn't. For in one of the
windows they passed she saw a tray of apples, covered with something slick
and brown and carrying in their stem ends a small smooth stick like a
butcher's skewer.

"What are they, Mother?" she exclaimed. "Don't they look _good_! And may
we buy some?"

Mrs. Merrill went inside the store and Mary Jane, anxiously watching her
mother through the window, waited outside with the doll and cart. She saw
her mother speak to the salesman, look at the apples and then, oh, joy!
saw him pick out four fine ones under Mrs. Merrill's direction and put
them in a paper bag.

"He says they are called Taffy Apples," explained Mrs. Merrill when she
came out, "and that all the girls and boys like them very much. So I
didn't bother to consult you," she added with a twinkle in her eye. "I
bought some for you four girls to eat after school--just on a chance that
you might like them."

The bag was carefully tucked in under the folds of Georgiannamore's robe
and the walking and shopping were resumed, but all the time, Mary Jane
kept her eye on the hump made by the bag of apples and kept wishing that
time for school to be out would hurry up and come. Some good fairy must
have heard the wishes too, for the afternoon hurried by almost as fast as
the morning and first thing Mary Jane knew they were all through the
errands and were going down the street toward the school, ready to meet
Alice.

"Do you like 'Taffy Apples'?" Mary Jane asked Betty as soon as she came
out of the school yard.

"Like 'em--u-um!" replied Betty expressively.

"Well," continued Mary Jane slowly, so the surprise wouldn't be over too
soon, "I've got one in there," pointing to the cart.

Betty eyed the hump Mary Jane pointed out and smiled knowingly.

"It looks like more than one," she suggested hopefully.

"It is more than one," answered Mary Jane delightedly; "it's four--all for
us."

"Can we eat 'em now?" demanded Betty.

"Better wait till we get home," suggested Mrs. Merrill; "that won't be
more than five minutes and then there won't be any danger of stumbling and
running a stick into your throats."

The two little girl