It was a long time after Christmas, and the snow and ice had all melted, and the trees were green again, and the flowers and birds had all come back.
Summer was just beginning again; and on the very day that she was five years old the little pilgrim started on a long journey with papa and mamma and Aunt Lillie.
They were going into the country to Aunt Lou’s, to stay for a great many weeks—mamma and Aunt Lillie and Bessie; and papa was going to take them there and stay one night, and then go home again, because he had to attend to his business.
Grandpapa was not going at all now, because he could not leave his church and his poor people; but by and by, he said, when the days and nights were both too hot for him, he would take a vacation like the school-children, and go to Aunt Lou’s for a month.
Rosy and Jane had promised to take good care of the house, and they both stood at the gate watching the family off.
At first the little pilgrim thought it very fine to go off in the steam-cars and watch the houses and trees fly past the windows, for this is what they seemed to do; but the cars did the flying, while the houses and trees stayed just where they were before.
There was not a happier little girl to be found that morning than Bessie. She had a beautiful little trunk with her that held all Blanche’s clothes, and the key of the trunk was on a ribbon around her neck. Blanche, you know, was her best dolly—the one her mamma gave her on her last birthday—and she had always taken great care of her, so that she was now almost as good as new.
When mamma began to pack the trunks her little daughter brought nearly every plaything she had to be packed too, for she seemed to think that everything she had must go with her to Aunt Lou’s. But mamma told her that there was not room for all her toys, and that she must choose a few things to take with her, and leave the rest.
Bessie was very much puzzled what to choose, and which of her dollies to leave behind. She was afraid that if she took Blanche, Sarah Jane would feel badly; and if she took Sarah Jane, Blanche would not like to be left behind.
So she went to ask Aunt Lillie about it.
“Auntie,” said she, “s’pose you had two little chillens, and your mamma would only let you have one chillen to take away, would you choose Blanche or Sarah Jane?”
“I think,” said Aunt Lillie, who looked very smiling, “that I should have to take the child who needed me most.”
“That’s Blanche,” said Bessie, who wanted to take her all the time, because she was so much handsomer than Sarah Jane; “she’s the youngest, and I have to be careful of her clothes.”
So, trying to explain it all to Sarah Jane why she was to be left at home, she began to get Blanche ready for the visit at Aunt Lou’s.
When the little trunk came, with Blanche’s name painted on one end, Bessie was very much delighted; and the tiny dresses and aprons and petticoats were packed in it very neatly.
Miss Blanche had a new travelling suit that Aunt Lillie made for her. It was gray, trimmed with blue; and there was a turban hat with a blue feather in it. Bessie said that Sarah Jane looked very cross when she saw this, but she told her that it was not right to be jealous of her sister.
Papa’s eyes laughed when he asked his little girl if he should not get a check for Blanche’s trunk and have it taken away by the expressman with the other baggage; and Bessie thought she would like this very much, until Aunt Lillie said that it would not do, because the little trunk might get crushed under the heavy ones.
When they went into the cars papa was carrying Blanche’s trunk in one hand, and holding Bessie by the other, and the little pilgrim herself was carrying Blanche.