Grandfather opened the front door of the big stone house. "Welcome to Beverly Farm", he said, heartily. Even before he said "This is indeed a pleasure to see all of you looking so fine after your long trip on the train', the children knew he was pleased to have them visit him. There was something about Grandfather that made them feel warm and comfortable.

Mary, the housekeeper, came from the kitchen smiling and wiping her hands on her apron. The house was filled with the odor of baking bread .Mary was so friendly that she too made Ardath and Arthur feel she was glad that they were going to be staying at the farm for a short time. Her thoughtfulness in suggesting that everyone may want to take a tub bath before lunch since trains do not have tubs was appreciated by each of them. They all agreed it was a good idea.

Grandfather said, "You go right on upstairs and make yourselves comfortable", as he motioned to the broad, open staircase leading from the front hall of the house. "I'll see you at lunch."

Adam helped Father carry the luggage and traveling cases upstairs to a spacious bedroom with a big white canopied bed in the middle of it. On either side of the bed, along opposite walls, were two small beds, but ardath did not notice them.

"Is this going to be my bed?" she asked Mary, who had come upstairs with them. Ardath stroked the ruffled white spread on the big bed and looked at Mary for an answer.

Mary said she thought Father and Mother would sleep in that bed, at least tonight and that Ardath would sleep in one of the smaller beds. She walked to the small bed with blue pillows and asked, "Wouldn't you like to sleep here, tonight?"

Ardath looked at the small bed with the blue pillows and decided, "Yes, I'd like to sleep there if Father and Mother are going to sleep in the big bed."

Arthur ran to the other small bed with the red and white striped pillows and threw himself backward on it, with his feet in the air. He kicked several times then brought his feet back to the floor. All the time he had been on the train, he had not had a chance to kick, at least not whenever he wanted to.

When everyone had changed to fresh clean clothing after bathing, they felt even better than when they had arrived, although that had been good. Mary called to say lunch was ready anytime everyone was ready to eat it. Breakfast had been so early on the train that everyone was hungry and lost no time in getting downstairs.

Grandfather was waiting for them in the dining room and told each one where to sit. They all joined hands around the table and said a prayer, aloud. It was the same prayer the children said with their parents at home and they were surprised that Grandfather knew it, too. They might have been more surprised to know that Grandfather had taught it to their Mother when she was a little girl.

"In harmony with our best thoughts and desires, may this food be blessed by God and His silent workers, so it may become part of us, helping us to be obedient to the laws of life and love, and to be servants of God.

There was a big loaf of brown bread besides Grandfather's plate, on a board, with a knife beside it. Grandather cut a slice of bread and gave one to each of the children, then hi asked Father and Mother if they would like a thick slice of warm, newly baked bread. There was a small glass tub of yellow butter, with a leaf design on the top. Mother said Mary had made both the bread and the butter.

The children had been told they could go to the garden after lunch to discover some of the wonders of nature to be found there. There must have been something very special about the hot buttered sugar peas in their soft green pods, the cool lettuce salad with yellow and white egg dressing, the cottage and cup cheeses and the hot herb tea with honey that made them forget about going to the garden When it was suggested by mother that they may want to rest awhile, first, they readily agreed.

They really had awakened very early in the morning to change trains at Philadelphia. It was so nice not to be moving and to hear soft music playing somewhere in the house, rather than the clanking wheels of the train rumbling over the iron rails, that it did not take long for the children to be sleeping peacefully.
|Top|