time Rudolph and Mabel, discovering that Tattine did not
see them, came stealing along under cover of the apple-trees.

"Whatever is Tattine doing, talking to herself like that?" whispered
Mabel, and then they came near enough to hear what she was saying.

"She's out of her head," said Rudolph, when they had listened some
moments, and then Tattine turned round and saw them.

"No, I'm not out of my head at all," she laughed; "I was just practicing
a little while I waited for you."

"Practicing your GRANDMOTHER," which as you have observed was a
pet expression with Rudolph, whenever he wished to intimate that he
considered your remarks to be simply absurd.

"Yes, that's exactly it," Tattine answered good-naturedly. "I am
practicing my Grandmother. Grandma Luty, that's Mamma's mother, has come
to make us a visit, and Mamma has discovered that I'm not very polite to
old people. Children used to be taught, you know, to say, 'Yes'm,' and
'Yes, sir,' but now that is not considered nice at all, and you must
always say the name of the person you are speaking to, especially if
they are older people, to whom you ought to be respectful," and Tattine
sounded quite like a little grandmother herself as she talked.

"Yes, we know, and it's an awful bother," sighed Rudolph. "We're fairly
nagged about it, Mabel and I, but Mother says she's going to keep it up
until we always do it. Perhaps we would get on faster if we practised
by ourselves as you do, but really, Tattine, it did sound as though you
were out of your head, to hear you saying all those sentences over to
yourself."

While the children were having this little talk about politeness,
Rudolph and Mabel had climbed into the wagon, and the donkey, acting
upon a suggestion from Tattine's whip, had started down the roadway. The
trio were off for Patrick's, for this was to be the day of the Kirks'
"At Home," and, dressed in kis Sunday-best, Patrick that very minute was
waiting at his door to receive them.

Full two miles lay ahead of the children, and though Barney fortunately
seemed to be in the mood for doing his best, Patrick would still have
a full half-hour to wait. At last the donkey-cart drew up at the Kirks'
door and two happy old people welcomed three happy little people into
their comfortable little home. It would take another book, the size of
this one, to tell you all the doings of that August day. First they went
into the house and laid their wraps on the white c