s. At sight of
Rosie, she stood up, tall and gaunt, and held out welcoming hands.

"Ah, Rosie dear, it's glad I am to see you! And himself will be glad as
well when he hears you're back." Mrs. Agin was an undemonstrative old
woman but she bent now and kissed Rosie on the forehead.

"How is Danny, Mis' Agin?" Rosie asked. "Is he pretty well?"

"Pretty well, do ye say? Ah, Rosie--" and Mary Agin paused while her
eyes half closed as if in pain.

"I forgot to tell you," Janet whispered; "Danny's been awful sick."

"And for two weeks," Mary Agin said, "the great fear was on me day and
night that he'd be shlippin' away and me left a sad lonely old woman
with nobody to talk to but the cat.... Will ye come in and see him,
Rosie? The sight of you will do him a world of good, for he's mighty
fond of you and he's been askin' for you every day. Just run along in
for a minute and say 'Howdy.' Janet'll wait out here with me."

Rosie found Danny propped up at the bedroom window. The colour of his
round apple cheeks had faded, their plumpness had fallen in, but on
sight of Rosie the twinkle returned to his little blue eyes and he
raised a knotted rheumatic hand in welcome.

"Is it yourself, Rosie O'Brien? Come over and give an old man a kiss
and tell him you're glad he's not dead yet."

"Oh, Danny, don't talk that way," Rosie pleaded. She kissed his cheek,
which was rough with a stubby growth of beard, then stood for a moment
with her arms about his neck.

"It's the merest chance that ye find me here," Danny said; "but now that
I am here I suppose I'll stay on awhile longer. But I almost got off,
Rosie. 'Twas Mary that pulled me back. Poor girl, she couldn't stand the
thought of not having some one to scold. 'Twould be the death of her."
Danny blinked his eyes and chuckled.

"Danny, you oughtn't to talk that way about poor Mis' Agin!" Rosie shook
her head vigorously. "She loves you, Danny, you know she does!"

"To be sure," Danny agreed. "'Whom the Lord loveth, He chases,' and Mary
has been chasin' me these forty years. But she's a good woman,
Rosie--oh, ho, I never forget that!" Danny paused a moment, then added
with a wicked little grin: "And if I was to forget it, she'd be on hand
herself to remind me of it!"

As always, when they were alone, Danny was a good deal of the naughty
small boy saying things he should not say, and Rosie a good deal of the
helpless shocked young mother begging him to mind his manners. She
loo