Brenda's Bargain: A Story for GirlsReed, Helen Leah
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Brenda's Bargain: A Story for Girls
Reed, Helen Leah
Boston (Mass.) -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction; Young women -- Juvenile fiction
"See! see!" added Concetta, as she tiptoed ahead of the others, "there's
no one here; come on." And in a minute the three were inside the
mysterious room.
"Those are the chests of jewels!" and Concetta pointed to the three
large chests ranged along the wall.
At the end of the room were several large trunks.
"I wish that we could look inside them," said Haleema.
"Oh, no," and there was real terror in Inez's tone.
"Don't be afraid; they're all out," said Concetta.
"Yes, even Miss Angelina," added Haleema; "she's gone to a lecture."
"Miss Angelina," responded Concetta, mimicking her tone. "She's no Miss
Angelina."
"But you always call her that."
"Oh, that only to her face; I should never call her that behind her
back. Why, she's only a girl, just like we are; why, she used to live
down there at the North End, near where Luisa's mother lives. But there,
shut the door, Haleema, so that we can look at these things."
The three little girls bent over the trunk, the lid of which Concetta
had boldly opened. On the top lay the pink satin gown that she had
described in such glowing terms. Haleema slipped her arms into the
sleeves, and strange to say the bodice fitted her very well.
"You oughtn't to touch it," cried Inez.
"You are such a scarecrow," said Concetta, whose English was not always
perfect.
"Scarecrow! you mean 'fraid-cat," corrected Inez.
"Oh, well, it's all the same thing."
What did a little question of English matter, when now they were so near
the mysterious treasure; for Concetta had noticed what the others had
not seen, that a bit of bright-colored fabric was hanging from one of
the chests, and she rightly conjectured that this trunk was unlocked.
Even while she spoke to Inez she was fingering the lid of the chest, and
in a moment it was thrown back. Many were the exclamations of the three
as garment after garment was drawn out from the depths; they were
chiefly of bright-colored and delicate materials, and Madame Du Launy
would have turned in her grave had she seen these little girls trying on
the things that at one time in her life had so delighted her.
"I don't see any jewels," said Haleema disappointedly.
"Oh, we'll find them; there are some boxes at the bottom. But see here!"
and Concetta drew out a mysterious, queerly shaped package. Opening it
rather gingerly, for at first she was uncertain what it contained, and
then with a skip and a jump--
"Oh, let's dress up; here are wigs and--"
"No, no," said Inez, "perhaps some one might find us out."
"No matter, no matter," and she waved the various wigs in the air.
"Are they anybody's real hair?" asked Inez, in an awestruck tone,
pointing to the gray toupee and the short curled wig that Concetta held
in her hand.
"Of course not, child. Oh, see! Haleema has found a box of paint," and
they laughed loudly at the bright red spots on Haleema's cheeks. Then
Haleema put on the curled wig. The others shrieked with laughter. "Your
eyes look blacker than black."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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