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Page 41
A little girl of about ten, dressed in a bright pink skirt and a
bright blue waist, stood before them. This startling color
combination was enhanced by a red sash, which, though faded in
streaks, was wide and tied at the back in a voluminous bow. The
girl's naturally straight hair had apparently been urged by
artificial means to curl in ringlets, but only a part of it had
succumbed to the hot iron. The rest fairly bristled in its stiff
straightness, and the whole mop was tied up with a large bow of
red ribbon.
This rainbow-hued specimen of humanity opened the door with a
flourish and bowed to the visitors with an air of extreme
elegance.
Marjorie looked at her in astonishment. The gorgeous trappings and
the formal demeanor of the child made her think she must have
mistaken the house.
"Is this Mrs. Dunn's house?" she inquired, with some hesitation.
"Yes; I'm Miss Dunn," said the child, with such a ridiculous air
of affectation that Molly giggled outright.
"Yes," Miss Dunn went on, "I am the eldest daughter. My name is
Ella. They call me the Elegant Ella, but I don't mind."
"I am Marjorie Maynard and Mrs. Sherwood is my grandmother. She
heard your mother was ill and she sent her these baskets."
"How kind of her!" exclaimed the Elegant Ella, clasping her hands
and rolling up her eyes. "Won't you come in?"
As Marjorie and Molly had been with difficulty balancing
themselves on the broken boards of the porch, they were glad to
accept the invitation.
Their first glance at the interior of the cottage showed that the
rest of the family and the ways of the house did not at all
harmonize with the manner and appearance of the eldest daughter.
Everything was of the poorest, and there was no attempt at order
or thrift.
Mrs. Dunn sat in a rockerless rocking-chair, her left hand wrapped
in bandages and her right hand holding a book which she was
reading.
As the girls entered she threw the book on the floor and smiled at
them pleasantly.
"Walk right in," she said, "and take seats if you can find any.
Hoopsy Topsy, get off that chair this minute and give it to the
ladies! Dibbs, you lift Plumpy out of the other one, quick! There!
Now you girls set down and rest yourselves! Did you bring them
baskets for us? Lawsee! What a good woman Mis' Sherwood is, to be
sure! Now ain't that just like her! She's so kind and gen'rous-
hearted that she makes it a pleasure fer folks to get all scalted
with hot water! Ella, you fly round and empty them baskets so's
the young ladies can take them home again. But you set a while,
girls, and visit."
"Are you much hurt, Mrs. Dunn?" asked Marjorie. "And how did it
happen?"
"Hurt! Land sakes, I guess I am! Why, the hull kittle of boilin'
water just doused itself on my hand and foot!"
"That's why Ma didn't rise to greet you," explained the Elegant
Ella, and again Molly had hard work to keep her face straight as
she noted the girl's comical efforts at etiquette.
"Aw, you keep still, Ella," said her mother; "you ain't got no
call to talk to the young ladies."
But although Mrs. Dunn apparently tried to subdue her elegant
daughter, yet it was plain to be seen that she greatly admired the
flower of the family, and spoke thus merely from a pretended
modesty.
"Ella's so fond of dress," said Mrs. Dunn, "that she jest don't
hev time to bother with housekeepin'. So Hoopsy Topsy does it, and
that's why we ain't so slick as we might be. But fer a child of
eight, I must say Hoopsy Topsy does wonderful well."
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