dressing the rag doll in new clothes and going visiting with her and all
that, that she didn't notice mother when she twice peeped into the door to
see if her little girl was safe and happy. First thing Mary Jane knew, it
was lunch time--you know how quickly the clock does run round and round
when you are having a good time.

Now on wash day the Merrills didn't have their lunch on the dining table as
they did on other days; no, because they liked to do different things and
wash day is a very good day to be different. On that day Mrs. Merrill
fixed a tempting little tray for each person and left all the trays on the
kitchen table. Then each person as he or she came home, father and Alice
and Aunt Effie (and of course mother and Mary Jane who were already
at home, had trays too), went into the kitchen and got his or her own
tray--the trays could be told apart by the napkin rings marked with
initials--and carried it into the living room and sat down in a comfortable
chair and ate lunch. And afterwards, each person carried his or her own
tray back to the kitchen table. They thought that way of eating lunch was
lots of fun and Mary Jane well remembered how big and important she felt
the first day mother allowed her to carry her own tray (with the glass of
milk on mother's tray for safe keeping, of course) and to hold it on her
own lap like big folks instead of sitting up to the piano bench like a
baby! Mary Jane felt bigger that day than she ever had in all her life.

Just as she had picked up her tray and was going out of the kitchen on this
particular noon, the new laundress came up from the laundry. Of course that
wasn't so very unusual for Mary Jane often met the laundress in the kitchen
at noon time, but it was unusual to have the laundress step up and lay
something on her tray. Mary Jane had to hold tight to keep from spilling
something she was so surprised!