“Sure, the sight av ye’s grand for sore eyes,” said Granny.

Maida had noticed that Billy’s appearance always made the greatest difference in everything.  Before he came, the noise of the wind howling about the store made Maida sad.  Now it seemed the jolliest of sounds.  And when at seven, Rosie appeared, Maida’s cup of happiness brimmed over.

While Billy talked with Granny, the two little girls rearranged the stock.

“My mother was awful mad with me just before supper,” Rosie began at once.  “It seems as if she was so cross lately that there’s no living with her.  She picks on me all the time.  That’s why I’m here.  She sent me to bed.  But I made up my mind I wouldn’t go to bed.  I climbed out my bedroom window and came over here.”

“Oh, Rosie, I wish you wouldn’t do that,” Maida said.  “Oh, do run right home!  Think how worried your mother would be if she went up into your room and found you gone.  She wouldn’t know what had become of you.”

“Well, then, what makes her so strict with me?” Rosie cried.  Her eyes had grown as black as thunder clouds.  The scowl that made her face so sullen had come deep between her eyebrows.

“Oh, how I wish I had a mother,” Maida said longingly.  “I guess I wouldn’t say a word to her, no matter how strict she was.”

“I guess you don’t know what you’d do until you tried it,” Rosie said.

Granny and Billy had been curiously quiet in the other room.  Suddenly Billy Potter stepped to the door.

“I’ve just thought of a great game, children,” he said.  “But we’ve got to play it in the kitchen.  Bring some crayons, Maida.”

The children raced after him.  “What is it?” they asked in chorus.

Billy did not answer.  He lifted Granny’s easy-chair with Granny, knitting and all, and placed it in front of the kitchen stove.  Then he began to draw a huge rectangle on the clean, stone floor.

“Guess,” he said.

“Sure and Oi know what ut’s going to be,” smiled Granny.

Maida and Rosie watched him closely.  Suddenly they both shouted together: 

“Hopscotch!  Hopscotch!”

“Right you are!” Billy approved.  He searched among the coals in the hod until he found a hard piece of slate.

“All ready now!” he said briskly.  “Your turn, first, Rosie, because you’re company.”

Rosie failed on “fivesy.”  Maida’s turn came next and she failed on “threesy.”  Billy followed Maida but he hopped on the line on “twosy.”

“Oi belave Oi cud play that game, ould as Oi am,” Granny said suddenly.

“I bet you could,” Billy said.

“Sure, ’twas a foine player Oi was when Oi was a little colleen.”

“Come on, Granny,” Billy said.

The two little girls jumped up and down, clapping their hands and shrieking, “Granny’s going to play!” “Granny’s going to play!” They made so much noise finally, that Billy had to threaten to stand them on their heads in a corner.