After dinner, the children were ready to go out on the Garden wall again to run and jump, But Grandfather said, that first they all needed to have "a little talk" together in the living room.

"Since your parents are leaving early in the morning, we need to know a bit more about what they want you to learn while they are gone", Grandfather walked slowly toward the living room. He seemed to be thinking seriously. "We all need to understand that there will be changes in your habits. Change is not always easy, but if we think about it before it happens, it becomes easier".

Ardath and Arthur looked up at Grandfather as seriously as he seemed to be thinking of them. Grandfather looked back at them and decided they were much too serious so he changed his mood and said confidently, "I'm sure you two will think it is fun to do something new every day."

"I'm sure they will." Mother sounded confident, too, so the children felt they would learn to be happy with the changes they would need to make at Beverly farm, in their daily living habits.

In the living room there was a big basket of deep red and white peonies in front of the opening in the fireplace. Arthur looked behind the flowers and up the chimney.

"You must take these flowers away when you make a fire in the fireplace, mustn't you, Grandfather?" Arthur asked. He wanted Grandfather to know that he knew a lot about many things. "I'll take them away if you want to make a fire,"he offered.

"Thank you, Arthur." Grandfather was glad to know, Arthur wanted to be helpful. "But we will not need a fire, tonight. It is pleasant without it."

Mother and Ardath sat on a gold colored sofa with soft velvet pillows. Grandfather sat down on a straight, high backed chair and Arthur noticed there were lion's heads carved on the arms of the chair. He was about to ask some questions about the lion's heads, but Grandfather motioned to a Windsor chair. Arthur went to it and sat down, but it was not a child's chair so he slid about on the seat until he felt comfortable. Father sat in a large leather chair besides him. They were all facing one another.

"Ardath and Arthur, you remember that your father and mother are going on a little trip without you, don't you?" Grandfather began his "little talk".

"They may leave before you are out of bed in the morning as they plan to leave Berryville on the early morning train.. At Philadelphia they will change trains, just as you did this morning, to go to New York." Grandfather paused to give the children a chance to speak if they had anything to say.

Father and Mother had talked about their trip to New York for many months and how the children would be staying with Grandfather on his farm while they were gone. The time when they would be leaving the children had always seemed far away so it was something of a surprise to be suddenly told that tomorrow morning was the time they had planned for so many months.

Arthur turned to his Father and asked, "Father, why can't you and Mother stay here and learn from Grandfather, too?" there was concern in Arthur's voice. Ardath didn't say anything, but looked like she might cry.

"I'm sure we could learn a lot from Grandfather, too." Father tried to help Arthur understand.

"Grandfather has taught us a great deal through the years. This is your opportunity to learn something special, in the special way Grandfather has of teaching children as well as their parent. Your Mother and I are going to attend a business convention. We decided you could be happier here and learn more than if you came along with us."

Grandfather was watching the children very closely. If they were going to be sad, he wanted to be ready for it.

"Are you going to the convention, too, Mother?" Ardath was feeling lonely already thinking about being without her Mother. She might have been thinking that maybe Mother would stay with them if Father needed to go away on business.

"I'll be attending the convention, too, but in a different way than your father. He is representing his place of business. I will be with a group of executive's wives who will accompany their husbands to the social affairs of the convention." Mother knew this was not easy for the children to understand. "When there is free time, I'll be seeing things to tell you about. I'll send you both some cards", Mother promised.

"Will you?" Arthur asked mother, then quickly turned to Grandfather "May I get the mail from the mailbox?"

"That is a daily chore you may do." Grandfather approved of Arthur getting the mail every day. "We will put it on your list when we make out our daily routine schedules."

Ardath moved closer to her mother and put her hand in her mother's hand. Arthur had slid to the front edge of his chair while Grandfather decided that he could get the mail everyday from the mailbox. When he slid back n the seat of his chair, Grandfather knew he was ready to listen again, so he went on with his ‘little talk'.

"Your parents believe and I agree with them, that it is good for children to learn to be happy when changes are made in their lives, for a short time or a long time. For instance, here at Beverly Farm, we ‘get up with the chickens and go to bed with the chickens'. Do you know what that means, Arthur?" Grandfather looked at Arthur and saw a puzzled expression on his face.

"Do you mean we sleep in the chicken's house?" Arthur asked. Grandfather knew he might think that so he explained.

"To go to bed with the chickens merely means to go to bed when they go to roost, at sun down. It is a folk-saying of Pennsylvania. If you get up with the chickens, it means you get up when the chickens get of their roost and the rooster crows, at sunrise.

"Did the chickens go to bed already?" Ardath wanted to know.

"Yes, they are on their roost right ow." Grandfather answered.

"Could we go to see the chickens on the roost, to night?" Arthur hoped they could, but Grandfather said another night they would see the chickens on the roost and the birds in the trees. "We have a bit more talking to do."

"We don't go out to play in the sun at our home". Ardath was beginning to understand about the changes that would be made.

Grandfather praised her. "You are learning about change, I see. Here we do get out into the Spring sunshine because we do not have it in winter the way you do."

"We trust you fully to guide the children through necessary changes, Grandfather." Mother smiled and there was not a trace of doubt on her face.

"Thank you, my dear, for your confidence." Grandfather smiled back at Mother. "We want the children to know we all think exactly the same about their stay here on the farm. I believe there is perfect harmony among us."

Father and Mother both nodded their heads in agreement and said, "There is harmony."

Grandfather got up from his chair and raised his right hand as a sign that the little talk was ended. "Whatever experiences we may have during the children's stay with me on the farm, will be dedicated to good learning for their growth and development into noble human beings."

Father and Mother said "Amen," as though it had been a prayer.

"Since you children have been so quiet and listened well during our talk, we could take a little walk in the garden, if you wish", Grandfather suggested.

"That would be very pleasant," Father decided so everyone went out of doors into the cool evening air.
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