"So you did come to see grandpa after all," he cried, triumphantly.
"Come here and give me a kiss. Seems to me you've been staying away a
mighty long time."

As she stood beside him with his arm around her, Walker came in with a
tray full of dishes. "We're going to have a regular little tea-party,"
said the Colonel.

Lloyd watched with sparkling eyes as Walker set out the rare
old-fashioned dishes. There was a fat little silver sugar-bowl with a
butterfly perched on each side to form the handles, and there was a
slim, graceful cream-pitcher shaped like a lily.

"They belonged to your great-great-grandmother," said the Colonel, "and
they're going to be yours some day if you grow up and have a house of
your own."

The expression on her beaming face was worth a fortune to the Colonel.

When Walker pushed her chair up to the table, she turned to her
grandfather with shining eyes.

"Oh, it's just like a pink story," she cried, clapping her hands. "The
shades on the can'les, the icin' on the cake, an' the posies in the
bowl,--why, even the jelly is that colah, too. Oh, my darlin' little
teacup! It's jus' like a pink rosebud. I'm so glad I came!"

The Colonel smiled at the success of his plan. In the depths of his
satisfaction he even had a plate of quail and toast set down on the