Children's stories, American; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- United States; Short stories
When she came to the glass cases filled with trimmed hats she
remembered having seen upon the heads of the women in the street
similar creations. So she selected one that suited her fancy and placed
it carefully upon her yellow locks. I won’t attempt to explain what
instinct it was that made her glance into a near-by mirror to see if
the hat was straight, but this she certainly did. It didn’t correspond
with her dress very well, but the poor thing was too young to have much
taste in matching colors.
When she reached the glove counter she remembered that gloves were also
worn by the women she had seen. She took a pair from the case and tried
to fit them upon her stiff, wax-coated fingers; but the gloves were too
small and ripped in the seams. Then she tried another pair, and several
others, as well; but hours passed before she finally succeeded in
getting her hands covered with a pair of pea-green kids.
Next she selected a parasol from a large and varied assortment in the
rear of the store. Not that she had any idea what it was used for; but
other ladies carried such things, so she also would have one.
When she again examined herself critically in the mirror she decided
her outfit was now complete, and to her inexperienced eyes there was no
perceptible difference between her and the women who had stood outside
the window. Whereupon she tried to leave the store, but found every
door fast locked.
The wax lady was in no hurry. She inherited patience from her previous
existence. Just to be alive and to wear beautiful clothes was
sufficient enjoyment for her at present. So she sat down upon a stool
and waited quietly until daylight.
When the janitor unlocked the door in the morning the wax lady swept
past him and walked with stiff but stately strides down the street. The
poor fellow was so completely whuckered at seeing the well-known wax
lady leave her window and march away from the store that he fell over
in a heap and only saved himself from fainting by striking his funny
bone against the doorstep. When he recovered his wits she had turned
the corner and disappeared.
The wax lady’s immature mind had reasoned that, since she had come to
life, her evident duty was to mix with the world and do whatever other
folks did. She could not realize how different she was from people of
flesh and blood; nor did she know she was the first dummy that had ever
lived, or that she owed her unique experience to Tanko-Mankie’s love of
mischief. So ignorance gave her a confidence in herself that she was
not justly entitled to.
It was yet early in the day, and the few people she met were hurrying
along the streets. Many of them turned into restaurants and eating
houses, and following their example the wax lady also entered one and
sat upon a stool before a lunch counter.
“Coffee ’n’ rolls!” said a shop girl on the next stool.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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