Pretty soon the dog, whose name was Grip, woke up, shook himself, and ran after her to have a frolic, for he was always ready for that; and Annie and he raced around, till her sun-bonnet fell off. Then she sat down under the grand old oak tree, and had a real nice talk with Grip, who ran out his tongue, and wagged his tail, and looked as wise as Solomon.
He was just listening very attentively to a story about the beautiful new house her papa had had built for the ducks to live in, when there came a sound like the crunching of wheels on the gravelled road; and in a twinkling he cocked up his ears, and, without waiting for the end of the story, ran off barking, to see who had arrived. I think he was very impolite; don't you?
Then Annie got up and ran too, saying to herself, "Why! I wonder if dear mamma has come back."
[Illustration: Ilken Annie talking to Grip.]
No; it was not her mother's carriage. It was another one; and it soon whirled round the sweep, and stopped at the door.
"Oh, my," said Annie, "that is the company. I must go and help her out. Why, grandmamma!" she exclaimed, "dear grandmamma, is that you?"
"Yes, little darling," said a pleasant voice; and a tall, beautiful lady stepped from the carriage, and lifting Annie in her arms, gave her a good kissing.
"Oh, grandmamma, I'm so glad. I am the house-_keeping_; and I must be very polite and kind to you. Come in, grandmamma, and let me take off your hat."
The lady sat down in the parlor, smiling at the sweet little child, and let her untie her bonnet with her small fat fingers. It took quite a long time, for Annie could not get the right ribbon to pull; but her grandmamma never said "hurry," but let the little one do just as she pleased.
"Mamma has gone to New York, grandma," said Annie, "to buy a cook and hire a chest of tea."
"Buy a cook?" asked her grandma, laughing.
"Oh, yes, grandma," said Annie, quite serious; "she told me so."
"_Hire_ a cook and _buy_ the tea. Isn't that it, darling?"
"O--h, _yes_, grandma! I made a mistake, didn't I?"
They both laughed merrily, and then Annie, sitting in her own tiny chair, put one little fat hand over the other, and began to think.
She looked up at her kind, beautiful grandma, with such a serious pair of blue eyes, that the good lady came near laughing; but she sat quite still, to see what Annie would do or say next. She loved the little girl dearly.