And so in the restful cool of a flower-laden atmosphere in one of the
finest moving-picture places in the city Julia Cloud sat with her two
children and saw her first moving picture, holding her breath in
wonder and delight as the people on the screen lived and moved before
her.
"I'm afraid I'm having too good a time," she said quietly as she
settled back in the car again, and was whirled away to the hotel. "I
feel as if I were a child again. If this keeps on, I won't have
dignity enough left to chaperon you properly."
"Oh, but Cloudy, dear, that's just why we want you, because you know
how to be young and play with us," clamored both of them together.
Then after a good dinner they went up to their rooms, and there was
Julia Cloud's shining new trunk that had to be looked over; and there
on the floor beside it stood two packages, big boxes, both of them.
"This must be a mistake," said Julia Cloud, looking at them curiously.
"Allison, you better call the boy and have him take them away to the
right room."
Allison picked up the top package, a big, square box.
"Why, this is your name, Cloudy Jewel!" he exclaimed. "It must be
yours. Open it!"
"But how could it be?" said Julia Cloud perplexedly.
"Open it, Cloudy. I want to see what's in it."
Julia Cloud was bending over the long pasteboard box on the floor and
finding her name on that, too.
"It's very strange," she said, her cheeks beginning to grow pink like
those of a child on her first Christmas morning. "I suppose it's some
more of your extravagant capers. I don't know what I shall do with
you!"
But her eager fingers untied the string, while Leslie and Allison
executed little silent dances around the room and tried to stifle
their mirth.
The cover fell off at last, and the tissue-paper blew up in a great
fluff; and out of it rolled a beautiful long, soft, thick gray cloak
of finest texture and silken lining, with a great puffy collar and
cuffs of deep, soft silver-gray fox.
"Oh-h!" was all Julia Cloud could say as the wonderful garment slipped
out and spread about over the box and floor. And then the two children
caught it up, and enveloped her in it, buttoning it down the front and
turning the collar around her ears.
"It's yours, Cloudy, to keep you warm on the journey!" cried Leslie,
dancing around and clapping her hands. "Doesn't she look lovely in it,
Allison? Oh, isn't she dear?" and Leslie caught her and whirled her
around the room.
Then Allison brought the big square box, and demanded that it be
opened; and out of it came a small gray hat in soft silky beaver, with
a close gray feather curled quietly about it, that settled down on
Julia Cloud's lovely white hair as if it had been made for her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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