r than Sunny Boy's own
mother. She came out so unexpectedly and stared down at the children
so crossly that she seemed taller than she was. She had near-sighted
eyes, and wore big, thick-rimmed glasses, and these, too, made her
look more severe.

"Well?" she demanded.

Sunny Boy stood at the foot of the steps and smiled at her. He knew
she wasn't always upset like this.

"You have such a nice sidewalk," he explained, putting down his drum
and removing his cap as Mother had taught him. "It's so wide and
smooth. I should think it would be great for roller-skating."

"I won't let 'em!" the woman answered quickly. "In the summer I just
about spend my whole day chasing children off this walk. I didn't have
it put down for a roller-skating rink. What are you young ones doing,
anyhow?"

"This is my army," Sunny Boy indicated the column with a backward
sweep of his hand. "We were marching, and we stopped to drill. But
we'll go, if you'd rather."

"That's a cunning little girl," said the woman, looking at Ruth. "Is
she a soldier, too? I thought only boys could join the army."

Sunny Boy explained that Ruth was taking the place of a private who
didn't want to do his duty.

"We'll be going now," he added politely.

"Wait a minute," said the woman, who didn't seem cross at all now.
"I've been bothered to death this morning--company telephoning they
were coming to spend the afternoon and then changing their minds after
I had the lemonade all made and on the ice. I have a lot to bother
me."

She looked a little wistfully at Sunny Boy. He didn't know it, but she
was trying to say she was sorry she had been impatient and testy.
Grown-ups frequently find it as difficult to say "I'm sorry" as boys
and girls do.

"I wonder if your army would like some nice ice-cold lemonade?" said
the woman abruptly. "Would your mothers mind, do you think?"

"Not lemonade," Sunny Boy assured her promptly. "'Sides, it is a long
time to lunch, and Mother doesn't mind if you don't eat just before
lunch."

"Well, all right, then. But how shall I give it to you?" asked their
would-be hostess. "If I bring it out here all the neighborhood will
come and want some. And I do hate to have so many children tramping in
over my clean rugs."

Not without reason was Sunny Boy a general.

"I can march 'em in the basement door," he suggested. "They'll stay in
a row and not muss anything."

So it was decided. The woman went in and closed the door, pro