The next day Billie had much difficulty in persuading Phoebe to put on
the beautiful pink linen.
"It is not right," Phoebe kept saying, although her eyes shone with a
new luster when she gazed at the pretty frock. "I am very grateful for
what you have done but you must not do too much. I am sure my father
would not approve of my accepting so many favors."
"Nonsense," exclaimed Billie. "Can't one girl lend another a few clothes
without its being called 'favors'? I shouldn't hesitate to borrow from
you, Phoebe, if I were--well--in your situation. And it seems to me that
this dress would be very becoming to you. It suits your complexion
better than mine because it matches your cheeks. I usually wear blue
but I was over-persuaded by Nancy-Bell to get pink."
In the end, Phoebe was induced to put on the pink dress. It had been
wonderful enough to wear a neatly fitted duck skirt and a lace-trimmed
blouse, but in this embroidered linen frock the color of wild roses
Phoebe was in a dream.
"Oh," she exclaimed, glancing at her flushed image in the mirror, "I
never understood that clothes would make so much difference. I feel like
someone else." She looked down at her white canvas pumps, which were, as
a matter of fact, a shade too long for her, although she had run
barefoot over the mountains. "And my feet look really small."
When Billy placed on her head a white Panama hat trimmed with a broad
band of black velvet, Phoebe's eyes filled with tears.
"Am I Phoebe?" she ejaculated. "Phoebe without a name, who lives in a
log house? Oh, Miss Campbell----"
"Not Miss Campbell," interrupted Billie. "You must call me Billie.
Aren't you my guest and almost the same age? Besides, I never recognize
myself with 'Miss' tucked on before my name."
"Billie, then," went on Phoebe, blushing because she had never known a
girl before to call by the first name. "Do you think it is right that I
should dress up so beautifully when--when my father is hidden away
somewhere?"
"But I feel perfectly sure he is safe," said Billie. "Perhaps someone
has told him it would be safer to keep away for a while."
"But why? He has never injured anyone in his life."
"It is all Lupo's doings and that is one reason why we want you to go
with us down to the village and show yourself, so that they can see you
have a number of very good friends to look after your interests."
The girls all left off their khaki camping clothes and attired
themselves in light summer frocks that morning. There was a reason for
this unusual "hike" as Percy called it, and it pleased Nancy extremely,
who took that opportunity to wear her best blue batiste and her
prettiest hat. Billie wore no hat. It annoyed her when she drove the
car, she said; but as a matter of fact she had lent her only hat to
Phoebe.
From time to time, as the car went down the mountain road, Miss Campbell
glanced admiringly at the mountain girl beside Billie in front.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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