“At starting end, I come half-way through, From my eye you bring threads down the right ’neath my toe, Left thumb holds them down, I slip through and over, Pull threads out and up, the edge firmly cover. Stitching left, ’long the side and around the end go, Then ’long the next side to starting end, sew. At this end take two bar steps across and long, With blanket-stitch cover, to make this end strong.” [Illustration: Buttonhole-stitch] “My! that was a teeny bit hard to do,” said Margaret to Stitcher and Sir Bodkin when the first buttonhole was finished. She took a little rest before starting the other one. “They aren’t easy the first time. You have to mind your P’s and Q’s. But ‘Practice makes perfect,’” said the King to her. [Illustration: Finished buttonhole] Margaret cut the second buttonhole on the other end of the band, put on the bar and then overcast it. “Keep buttonhole stitches even and close together to make a firm edge,” the King reminded. [Illustration] When the second one was done, Sir Bodkin showed Margaret how to lap the buttonholes over the other end of the band and mark the place for the buttons with a pin. Then she sewed each button on with strong black cotton thread. Just as she finished she heard her mother calling to her that dinner was ready. “I wonder what she’ll say when she sees these,” Margaret said to her little friends. “She’ll think you’re a very smart little girl, I’ll wager,” replied Sir Bodkin, bowing and scraping. “Thank you both,” said Margaret, and ran out of the room carrying the bloomers over her arm. CHAPTER XVII TUCKING GRANDMA’S APRON [Illustration] One day Margaret and her little friends, the One-Eyes, were talking together about grandparents. “You never had any grandmother or grandfather, did you?” Margaret asked Sir Bodkin. “Of course we had them just like everybody else but we never saw them. They were very funny; you’ll laugh when I tell you their names,” said Sir Bodkin. “Oh! please tell me!” urged Margaret. “Well, thorns and briers were their names!” he said. “Why, how funny, for they grow outdoors on trees and bushes!” cried Margaret trying not to laugh for she thought this sounded very queer. “Just so. Yes, our great-grandparents, as I’m telling you, used to grow outdoors. They were the first One-Eyed Fairies. The people who made them lived outdoors, too. Then our grandparents were made of ivory and bone and were cut from bones and tusks. They lasted many a long day, I can tell you. Even to-day when some place is uncovered where people used to live hundreds of years ago, you’ll find a grandparent lying fast asleep with one eye open wide.” [Illustration]