[Illustration: "There were the berry bushes—fairly loaded with shining blackberries.">[
The girls set to work most enthusiastically and by the time Grandfather came to see how they liked their job (for, of course, he had heard all about it at dinner time) they had their baskets nearly full. He walked home with them and helped them measure out their berries with Grandmother's quart measure. Alice had a quart and a half and Mary Jane a full, even quart and Grandmother paid immediately—fifteen cents for Alice and ten cents, a bright new dime, for Mary Jane.
"My, but I do be rich!" exclaimed Mary Jane delightedly. "I can get my dear mother the nicest thing!"
"Of course you can, Pussy," said Grandfather, "and Alice will have her camera in no time. I get the best of all, though," he added with a mysterious nod of his head.
"How do you?" asked both girls at once.
"I get to eat the jam!" replied Grandfather in a comical attempt at a whisper.
"They do too, bless their hearts!" exclaimed Grandmother. They shall eat all they want. I'll make it first thing in the morning."
"And first thing in the morning I mean to get more berries," said Alice. "Let me see—fifteen into seventy-five:—in four more days I'll have enough money to get my camera!" And she danced around gayly, she was so delighted.
"Not quite," laughed Grandfather; "don't be in too big a hurry, Blunderbuss; you have to give the berries a chance to ripen. Better plan to go every other day. You'll get more at a time that way."