CHAPTER VI: TWO CALLS


One morning, Laura Lathrop came bustling importantly into the shop.
“Good morning, Maida,” she said; “you may come over to my house this
afternoon and play with me if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Laura,” Maida answered. To anybody else, she would have
added, “I shall be delighted to come.” But to Laura, she only said,
“It is kind of you to ask me.”

“From about two until four,” Laura went on in her most superior
tone. “I suppose you can’t get off for much longer than that.”

“Granny is always willing to wait on customers if I want to play,”
Maida explained, “but I think she would not want me to stay longer
than that, anyway.”

“Very well, then. Shall we say at two?” Laura said this with a very
grown-up air. Maida knew that she was imitating her mother.

Laura had scarcely left when Dicky appeared, swinging between his
crutches. “Maida,” he said, “I want you to come over to-morrow
afternoon and see my place. You’ve not seen Delia yet and there’s a
whole lot of things I want to show you. I’m going to clean house
to-day so’s I’ll be all ready for you to-morrow.”

“Oh, thank you,” Maida said. The sparkle that always meant delight
came into her face. “I shall be delighted. I’ve always wanted to go
over and see you ever since I first knew you. But Granny said to