"Sure I've seen no more of him since Danny got big enough to lend a hand," said her father. "Danny's the good lad and will do a hand's turn of work with the best of them." "'Tis Danny that keeps the house dry-thatched," said Kathleen, looking down at the brown-thatched, white-walled cottage at the foot of the hill. "'Tis Kathleen that reds up the house and helps the two grandmothers," suggested Mary Ellen. "She's a fine slip of a girl," replied her father heartily, "and you too, Molly jewel; there's a pair of ye." CHAPTER IV ERIN'S HARP March winds blew across the valley and ruffled Mary Ellen's yellow curls as she sat in the ring of green grass made by the fairies' dancing feet, and played with some sea-shells and pebbles Danny had found in the seaweed he gathered for Farmer Flynn. She had been playing contentedly for a long time when she suddenly jumped up, scattering a handful of pebbles from her lap. "Kathleen," she called, "I hear the peddler's cart. Sure, he's comin' across the bridge this minute." Kathleen rushed out of the house, clasped her sister's hand tightly in her own, and ran up the little path to the top of the hill as fast as she could go. "Oh, Mary Ellen!" she panted; "I made sure I'd finish the stockings before the peddler came this way again; but here he is now and only one done. The blue dress will be worn out before the other stocking's finished." The peddler drew up his cart before the door of the little cottage, and Grandmother Barry went out to bargain with him for a piece of linen in exchange for her butter and eggs. Great-grandmother Connell hobbled out to see that the bargain was well made, and the three laughed heartily over Kathleen's hurried flight. In the winter the peddler had given the child a piece of blue homespun for a dress, and she had promised to knit a pair of stockings for him in payment; but there were so many more interesting things to do every day that the knitting proved slow work, and Kathleen had often wished the blue dress back in the peddler's cart. "Faith, Kathleen makes it harder work to keep out of my sight than to do the knitting," the peddler said, as he opened his cart and took out the linen. Grandmother Barry laughed as she answered, "I'm thinkin' it will teach the child a good lesson. It's best to keep well out of debt, and a dress is better paid for before it is worn. But she shall finish the stockings this day week, or I'll knit them myself." She went into the house to fetch her butter and eggs, and after much weighing and measuring and talking, they were exchanged for a piece of coarse linen and a pound of good honey. In the meantime the two little girls hid behind the fairy rath and whispered together about the stockings. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, New York THE HILLS OF DONEGAL The road over which Danny brought the seaweed for Farmer Flynn. _Page 21_]