as if he wanted to thank her
but did not know how to put it. Instead, he stared about the shop.
"Say," he exclaimed, "you've made this store look grand. I'd never
know it for the same place. And your sign's a crackajack."

The praise--the first she had had from outside--pleased Maida. It
emboldened her to go on with the conversation.

"You don't go to school," she said.

The moment she had spoken, she regretted it. It was plain to be
seen, she reproached herself inwardly, why he did not go to school.

"No," the boy said soberly. "I can't go yet. Doc O'Brien says I can
go next year, he thinks. I'm wild to go. The other fellows hate
school but I love it. I s'pose it's because I can't go that I want
to. But, then, I want to learn to read. A fellow can have a good
time anywhere if he knows how to read. I can read some," he added in
a shamed tone, "but not much. The trouble is I don't have anybody to
listen and help with the hard words."

"Oh, let me help you!" Maida cried. "I can read as easy as
anything." This was the second thing she regretted saying. For when
she came to think of it, she could not see where she was going to
have much time to herself.

But the little lame boy shook his head. "Can't," he said decidedly.
"You see, I'm busy at home all day long and you'll be busy here. My
mother works out and I have to do most of the housework and take
care of the baby. Pretty slow work on crutches, you know--although
it's easy enough getting round after you get the hang of it. No, I
really don't have any time to fool until evenings."

"Evenings!" Maida exclaimed electrically. "Why, that's just the
right time! You see I'm pretty busy myself during the daytime--at my
business." Her voice grew a little important on that last phrase.
"Granny! Granny!" she called.

Granny Flynn appeared in the doorway. Her eyes grew soft with pity
when they fell on the little lame boy. "The poor little gossoon!"
she murmured.

"Granny," Maida explained, "this little boy can't go to school
because his mother works all day and he has to do the housework and
take care of the baby, too, and he wants to learn to read because he
thinks he won't be half so lonely with books, and you know, Granny,
that's perfectly true, for I never suffered half so much with my
legs after I learned to read."

It had all poured out in an uninterrupted stream. She had to stop
here to get breath.

"Now, Granny, what I want you to do is to let me hear him re