Mary Jane's City Home   By: Clara Ingram Judson (1879-1950)

MARY JANE'S CITY HOME

BY CLARA INGRAM JUDSON

Author of "Flower Fairies," "Good Night Stories," "Billy Robin and His Neighbors," "Bed Time Tales," "The Junior Cook Book," and Other Works

ILLUSTRATED BY THELMA GOOCH

NEW YORK BARSE & HOPKINS PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1920, by Barse & Hopkins

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.

TO MY MOTHER and FATHER

CONTENTS

PAGE Finding the New Home 11 The Folks Around The Corner 22 Visiting with Betty 35 Sand Castles 49 The Beach Supper 64 Mary Jane Goes Shopping 76 The Bus Ride 88 The Birthday Luncheon 100 Lost One Doll Cart 115 A Trip to the Zoo 128 A Day in the Parks 143 Visitors and a Boat Ride 156 School Begins 171 Christmas in Chicago 184 A Summer Home and a Telegram 201

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

And she pointed out the little seal who was a bit too slow. Frontispiece

And then, sliding in the wet sand, she sat right down in the lake and sent a wave of ripples right over her castle 60

"But it's all down my dress," said Mary Jane, trying her very best not to cry 107

This year, seeing Mary Jane was such a very old person, she was allowed to put the gold star on the top of the tree 188

MARY JANE'S CITY HOME

FINDING THE NEW HOME

The late afternoon sunshine sent its slanting, golden rays through the car windows on to the map that Mary Jane and her sister Alice had spread out on the table between the seats of the Pullman in which they were riding.

"And all that wiggly line is water?" Mary Jane was asking.

"Every bit water," replied their father, who bent over their heads to explain what they were looking at; "a lot of water, you see. You remember I told you that Chicago is right on the edge of Lake Michigan. And Lake Michigan, so far as looks are concerned, might just as well be the ocean you saw down in Florida it's so big you can't see the other side."

"And does it have big waves?" asked Mary Jane.

"Just you wait and see," promised Mr. Merrill. "Big waves! I should say it has!"

"And all the green part of the map is parks," said Alice, quoting what her father had told them when he first showed them the map.

"Then there must be a lot of parks," suggested Mary Jane with interest. "I think I'd like to live by a park," she added thoughtfully.

"I think I should too," agreed Mr. Merrill, "and it's near a park we will make the first hunt for a home."

"Oh, look!" cried Mary Jane suddenly as she glanced up from the spread out map; "what's that, Dadah?"

"That's the beginning of Chicago," said Mr. Merrill. "Let's fold up the map now and see what we can of the city. This is South Chicago; and those great stacks and flaming chimneys are steel mills and foundries and factories watch now! There are more!"