"I'll not have anythin' to do with stholen stuff, ye wicked craytur," exclaimed Granny, pushing the offending package away from her.
"I didn't steal it, neither," said Terence, proudly. "I leave such works for them Dooleys," and he held his head aloft and went over by his mother.
"I believe you, Terence, my boy," said Mrs. M'Carty. "But wherever did you get it?"
"He axed for it," interposed Katy. "We were that cold, and when we came to a drug-store, Terence, says he, 'Let's slip in and get warm and smell all them perfoomery and things.' And the drug-store man says, 'What does we be wanting,' and Terence says, 'We just came in to get warm, but we'd buy something if we had the money.' 'What would you buy?' said the man, and Terence says, 'Perfoomery for my mother, and stuff to cure Granny's roometiz.' 'Is that all ye want?' says the man; 'then get your fingers warm and take these to your mother and Granny, with a merry Christmas.'"
"And here's your perfoomery," cried Terence, handing a smaller pink package to his mother, who exclaimed over it with delight.
"Sure, it's better than flowers, and far more lasting," she said, "and it's glad I am you brought it."
"I can't read this writin' at all, at all. The sphellin' is too small for me eyes," said Granny, once more becoming the centre of interest.
Mrs. M'Carty took the bottle and read aloud the directions.
"And you're to take a teaspoonful after each meal," she concluded.