“I could believe I was in some foreign country,” said Mrs. McQuilken, smiling under her East Indian puggaree, as she had not been seen to smile before, and dropping a kiss on the cheek of her favorite Edith.

After dinner the Dunlees met in Aunt Vi’s room, and Aunt Vi observed that Mrs. Dunlee kept Jimmy close by her side, looking at him in the way mothers look at good little sons, her eyes shining with happy love and pride.

They were talking over “Jimmy’s play,” which had not been played.  The money must all be given back to the people who had sat and looked so long at that calico curtain.

“We’ll try ‘Granny’s Quilting’ again next Saturday,” said Aunt Vi.

They did try it again.  There were no caves to dig this time, and young Master “Ezekiel Whalen” was on the stage promptly at half-past one, eager to show his grandparents that he was a boy to be relied upon after all.  The play was a remarkable success.  All the “summer boarders and campers” came to it, and everybody said:—­

“Oh, do give us some more entertainments, Mrs. Sanford!  Let us have one every Saturday.”

Aunt Vi, being the kindest soul in the world, promised to do what she could.  She gave the play of the “Pied Piper of Hamelin,” with children for rats; and Eddo was dressed as a mouse, and squealed so perfectly that Edith’s cat could hardly be restrained from rushing headlong upon the stage.

Later there were tableaux.  Edith wore red, white, and blue and was the Goddess of Liberty.  Jimmy was a cowboy with cartridge-belt and pistols.  Lucy and Barbara were Night and Morning, with stars on their heads.  Mr. Sanford was Uncle Jonathan.  Mr. Hale was an Indian chief.

Jimmy’s debts were more than paid, and a happier boy was not to be found in the state of California.

After this there were plenty of free entertainments on the tailings.  At one of these, when the audience was watching a flight of rockets, Katharine heard two women not far away talking together.  One of them asked:—­

“Where’s that little Dunlee girl, the one that keeps the play-school?”

“Over there in the corner,” replied the other, “She hasn’t any hat on.  She’s sitting beside the girl with a cat in her lap.”

“Oh, is that the one?  So young as that?  Well, she’s a good girl, yes, she is.  I guess she is a good girl,” said the first speaker heartily.  “My little Henry thinks there’s nothing like her.  He never learned much of anything till he went to that play-school.  He never behaved so well as he does now, never gave me so little trouble at home.  She’s a good girl.”

A world of comfort fell on Kyzie.  Young as she was and full of faults, she had really done a wee bit of good.

“And they didn’t say a word about my jumping out of the window,” thought she, with deep satisfaction.  “Wait till I grow up, just wait till I grow up, and as true as I live I’ll be something and do something in this world!”