likely I'd go out and get her a dozen
stale eggs, even if I could find 'em. Well, she wants them this
afternoon and I hate to disappoint her. She's kind of used to getting
what she wants and everybody feels sorry for her. I know you like to
walk and when I saw your mother and brother going off in the car, I
says, 'Maybe she won't mind walking over there for me, having nothing
else to do.'"

"I'll go," said Rosemary pleasantly, "but where does this Miss Clinton
live?"

Mrs. Hildreth gave minute directions for finding the house. It was
close to the road, the same road that went past the Gay farm, but in
the opposite direction. It wasn't over a quarter of a mile and
Rosemary was to knock on the door and when someone called "Come in" to
lift the latch and enter.

"I'll take Shirley with me," said Rosemary, "and you'll tell Winnie,
won't you, Mrs. Hildreth? She went down to the mail box at the
cross-roads to mail a letter and she'll wonder where we are when she
comes back."

Mrs. Hildreth promised to tell Winnie and she and Sarah departed to
begin their war on the chicken pests while Rosemary and Shirley set off
to follow the back road to the little yellow house where Miss Clinton
lived.

They found it without difficulty, knocked and heard someone call "Come
in," just as Mrs. Hildreth had predicted.

"How do you do?" said the same voice when they stepped directly into a
large square room. "I'm very glad to see you."

A very tiny old lady sat in a wheel chair in the center of the room.
Her skin was almost as yellow as the paint on the house and
considerably more wrinkled. She had bright black eyes that reminded
Rosemary of a bird and little, eager claw-like hands that were
strangely bird-like, too. She beamed at the girls, plainly delighted
to have company.

"I'm glad you came," she said when Rosemary had given her the eggs and
explained they were from Rainbow Hill. "Mrs. Hildreth told me the
Hammonds rented their house this summer. Sit down and we'll talk. Let
the little girl play with the toys in the cabinet--she won't hurt 'em."

The cabinet stood in one corner of the room and was well stocked with
toys, some new, some well-worn. Shirley sat down on the floor and
amused herself contentedly while Miss Clinton kept up a running fire of
comment till Rosemary's wrist watch showed half-past four.

"I wish you'd come see me again," said the old lady wistfully. "I get
lonesome for someone to talk to.