Part 8 (1/2)
”What do you think of it?” asked some one, as the child stood absorbed in gazing at the lovely creature before her. Edna looked up; at her side stood the minister of the church to which she went every Sunday with her aunt and uncle.
”I think it is perfectly lovely; but what does that mean?” exclaimed she.
”What, the card? It means that a wealthy gentleman bought the doll, and, having no little girl of his own to give it to, thought this would be a nice way to dispose of it. The friends of some little girls will vote for them, and the one who has the greatest number of votes will get the doll. Now, I suspect you wish very much that you could be the fortunate little girl.”
”Yes, I do,” replied Edna, candidly; ”only I haven't very many friends, 'cause I don't live here. I am spending the winter with Uncle and Aunt Horner.”
”O, yes, you are Professor Horner's little niece; now, let me see, perhaps you have more friends here than you imagine. Suppose I were to try to get some votes for you; shall I?”
Edna was about to speak, when a sudden thought came into her mind. For a moment a hard struggle went on. She did love dolls, but she had several, and she stood looking soberly at the one before her while the minister watched her.
”What is it, little one?” he asked, gently. Edna looked up wistfully, the color coming and going in her face.
”I was thinking”--she said, ”O! won't you please get the votes for Maggie Horn instead of me? I don't believe Maggie ever had a doll in her life, and I have so many.”
”And don't you want this one?”
Edna was silent, but her candor always prevailed. ”O yes, but Maggie would be so perfectly wild over it, and you see she's one of the little Friendlesses, and this is her fair, so she ought to have it,”
she said in a moment.
”Then,” returned the minister, ”I will try to get a great many votes for her. And your name is--”
”Edna Conway. I must go back to Uncle Justus now.”
The minister took her by the hand and piloted her through the crowd.
”Can you spare me your little girl a while longer, Professor?” he asked.
Uncle Justus gave a willing consent, and when Edna had eaten a plate of ice cream, had heard the music, had seen the lemonade well, lighted up with electric lights, and had looked at pretty things till she was tired, her friend took her back to Uncle Justus.
But that gentleman sent her to pick out a cornucopia from Aunt Elizabeth's table, and she was made happy by the possession of the one which she had always especially admired; it was s.h.i.+ny white with little bunches of flowers over it, and the picture of a dear little girl on it.
Her uncle and the minister were in earnest conversation when she returned to them, and the minister's parting words were:
”Good-night, my child; we must have you here to-morrow evening to hear who gets the doll.”
Edna was so tired that she nearly fell asleep on the way home, but she felt quite wide-awake when they reached there, and was very much surprised when Uncle Justus bent down and kissed her good-night. He had never done this before, and although pleased at the act, Edna wondered why he did it, and she went up stairs also wondering who would get that lovely doll.
Chapter VII
WHERE THE DOLL WENT.
Edna awoke, still wondering. Of course she realized that there was no hope of her going to the fair again that evening, for she had been up until ten o'clock the night before, and besides Aunt Elizabeth would not be well enough to go out into the night air, and Uncle Justus could not be expected to give up his warm corner and his easy chair a second time. So Edna contented herself with dwelling upon the delights of the evening before, and wrote a long account of it to sister.
Writing to her sister or her parents was one of her regular Sat.u.r.day employments. The letters were always strictly scrutinized by Aunt Elizabeth, and sometimes had to be written all over again.
Edna had just finished her letter when Ellen called her.
”Come, dear; there's a lady to see you in the parlor.”