as quite as content as her father and mother to sit back, cool and
comfortable, and see the beautiful flowers and shrubbery slip past them.
So they rode and rode through one park after another, it seemed, till
suddenly Mary Jane spied something that looked familiar.

"That's my Midway!" she announced, as the car turned into the long, broad
stretch of parkway near their own home.

"Sure enough it is!" exclaimed Mr. Merrill in pretended amazement, "we'll
have to turn around and go back!"

"No we won't," said Mary Jane, "we'll go home."

So they went on home, just in time to cook a good warm dinner and to talk
over and over again the many things they had seen in the parks.

VISITORS--AND A BOAT RIDE

One day, not so very long after the trip through the parks, the bell at
the Merrills' front door pealed long and hard. Mary Jane, whose job was
answering the door, ran to the little house 'phone, and heard a loud voice
shout, "Special for Merrill!"

"What's he mean, mother?" she asked, in a puzzled voice.

"Better press the buzzer and let him in, dear," replied Mrs. Merrill, "if
he has the name right he must have something for us."

So Mary Jane pressed the downstairs buzzer and then opened the front door.
Yes, it was for them--a special delivery letter for Mrs. Merrill. Mary
Jane and Alice were much excited and could hardly wait till the
messenger's book was signed and the letter was opened.

"It's from grandma," said Mrs. Merrill as she glanced at the writing, "and
listen! This is what she says:

"'Grandpa finds quite unexpectedly that he must come to Chicago on
business and he says that if it's convenient to you folks I can come along
and we'll stay two or three days for a visit. Please wire reply because we
must start Wednesday evening.'"

"And it's ten o'clock Wednesday morning now!" exclaimed Mrs. Merrill. She
hurried to the telephone, called Mr. Merrill so he could send a telegram
at once, then she and the two girls went right to work making ready for
the guests.

It was decided that Alice and Mary Jane should sleep on couches and give
up their room to the visitors. "Now's when I wish we had our nice guest
room," said Mrs. Merrill, "but then, grandma knows that folks who live in
Chicago flats don't keep guest rooms for infrequent visitors." For her
part, Mary Jane thought sleeping on a couch would be great fun--so grown
up and different from every day. She was to have the dining-room couch and
Ali