Elaine was not invited to any of these gatherings, for the girls all
felt that she had done her full share, and that she would probably
consider herself imposed on, if asked for further assistance. Dorothy,
on the other hand, was an important figure at almost every meeting. To
see Dorothy sewing together pieces of bright-colored calico, with
stitches an inch long, was a constant incentive to industry, while her
habit of waiting till an article was completed before deciding on the
use to which it should be put, enlivened the dullest hours. Dorothy
scorned to ask advice; she simply put her small head on one side,
studied the work of her hands thoughtfully, and, after wavering for five
minutes between a doll’s sunbonnet and a penwiper, would perhaps
surprise the company by announcing that the nondescript article was a
necktie for Aunt Peggy.
The Bazar was usually held at Ruth’s home, as in the Wylie cottage two
rooms, separated by folding-doors, could be thrown into one, while the
front hall was of more generous proportions than in most of the houses
of the Terrace. On the memorable Saturday designated on the calendar as
the tenth, the Wylie establishment was a scene of activity suggesting a
hive of bees at swarming time. Girls made their appearance laden with
baskets and mysterious parcels. Graham Wylie, Ruth’s tall brother, with
Dick Raymond, and other boys of the neighborhood, made themselves useful
bringing small tables and ferns, borrowed indiscriminately from anyone
who would lend them.
Elaine, who had come over to help, had a more pleasant sense of
"belonging" than had been hers at any time since the mud-splashed hack
had deposited her at the door of the only vacant cottage on the Terrace.
She had been assigned to assist with the decorations, and being a girl
of excellent taste and original ideas, she gradually found herself
taking charge, and directing the others. This was pleasant in itself,
and the approving comments called forth by the arrangement of flags over
the mantel, and the bunching of the palms and ferns in the front hall,
brought an unwonted color to Elaine’s cheeks and brightness to her eyes.
Peggy, who was accomplishing as much as any other half-dozen of the
workers, paused in her labors long enough to admire the decorative
effects, including the remarkable transformation wrought in Elaine’s
case by a bright color and a cheery smile.
"To think she could be so pretty," Peggy said wonderingly, and then
finding Graham at her elbow she started and colored high.
"That Marshall girl, you mean?" queried Graham, seemingly unaware of her
confusion. "Yes, it does make a difference. Most of the time she looks
a mixture of starch and vinegar that isn’t particularly attractive.
What ails her, anyway?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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