“MAY I GO WITH YOU?”
Reading edition
“May I go with you, Auntie?”
“No, Jo, I do not wish for any company this morning; here’s a kiss, and you may feed my poodle if you like.” So saying, Aunt Millie, who was spending her vacation at the farm, tied on her garden hat, and sallied forth for a walk, leaving behind her a very disappointed little swain, for Jo generally accompanied her in her rambles, and he and Aunt Millie were sworn allies. Lately she had run off several times without him, and he certainly felt quite disconsolate to-day. But he could not doubt her love and goodness, so he whistled away his blues.
Jo was only five years old, and it is no wonder he soon forgot his grievances. About lunch-time he thought he would go down in the meadow, to see if the first strawberries were ripening, as he intended them for mamma’s birthday.
Threading his way carefully through the tall grass and nodding daisies, he suddenly came upon the queerest looking “machine”—as he called it—in front of which sat Auntie.
“Why, Jo!”
“Aunt Millie, what are you doing?” as he caught sight of a photograph of himself, and a large copy on the easel.
“I am crayoning—and” (this last a trifle averse) “I had intended it as a surprise for mamma, to-morrow.”
The big blue eyes raised to hers had a suspicion of tears in them—she bent down quickly and gathered the little fellow in her arms.
“Never mind, pet! I was a bit vexed, that you had discovered my secret.”
“Is it a secret?” in an awed tone; “well, I’ll keep it.”
“Do you think you really can, Jo?”
“Yes,” he said; “and you can keep my strawberries,” forgetting he had told her a dozen times before.
“Well, I’ll trust you.”
Would you believe it, the child did keep his word, although burning many times to tell; and he succeeded in surprising Aunt Millie, as much as he did mamma.