"Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood."
The woman envisioned her future self as a mature individual who retains the innocence and love from her childhood. She imagined nurturing her own children with storytelling and joy, reminiscent of her past summer days and childhood memories, embracing their simple sorrows and joys just as she once did.