picnic in March before."

"Grandpa, you shall be squeezed as well as pressed," cried Johnnie,
putting her arms about his neck. "You shall stay and see what a lovely
time you have given us. Oh, if Cinderella were only here!" and she gave
one little sigh, the first of the day.

"Possibly Cinderella may appear in time for lunch;" and with a significant
look he directed Amy to the basket he had brought, from the bottom of which
was drawn a doll with absurdly diminutive feet, and for once in her life
Johnnie's heart craved nothing more.

"Maggie knew that this little mother could not be content long without
her doll, and so she put it in. You children have a thoughtful mother,
and you must be thoughtful of her," added the old man, who felt that the
incident admitted of a little homily.

What appetites they all had! If some of the potatoes were slightly burned
and others a little raw, the occasion added a flavor better than Attic
salt. A flock of chickadees approached near enough to gather the crumbs
that were thrown to them.

"It's strange," said Webb, "how tame the birds are when they return in
the spring. In the fall the robins are among the wildest of the birds,
and now they are all around us. I believe that if I place some crumbs on
yonder rock, they'll come and dine with us, in a sense;" and the event
proved that he was right.

"Hey, Johnnie," said her grandfather, "you never took dinner with the
birds before, did you? This is almost as wonderful as if Cinderella sat