RUBY.
The little girl you see in the picture is one of the very nicest of my little friends. She looked just as you see her there on the day of her party, which was given in honour of her fourth birthday. I remember going into the nursery while she was being dressed. Nurse was just arranging her sash, while she stood on a chair in front of the looking-glass, admiring her little self generally; but most admiring her pretty blue shoes, which just matched her sash.
When she saw me at the door, she cried out: “I ready now; wait for me.” And jumping off the chair and seizing my hand, she tripped away downstairs, chattering merrily as she went. The time of the year was the end of April, and Ruby’s home being in the country, and the weather very fine and warm, some of the festivities took place out of doors in the garden. There were dances, and all sorts of games, on the dry sunny lawn, a soft westerly wind blowing on the happy children the while, bringing health and enjoyment with its sweet balmy breath.
While their fun was at its height, a curious figure appeared upon the lawn. It was a queer-looking old woman with a nutcracker face, carrying a large basket under her arm. She went hobbling along here and there, in and out, among the children. From the basket came balls, tops, dolls, and all sorts of toys, for the younger ones; useful presents for the bigger children. Was there ever such a curious old woman, or ever a basket that held so much? How they all laughed when presently she threw off her mask, bonnet, and cloak; and behold! Ruby’s papa stood before them.
Now it was tea-time, and the little people trooped into the house. After tea they were requested to walk into the drawing-room to be introduced to Count Shuffalongofriski, the Polish dwarf, and his friend Captain Sovveritall, the wonderful giant. Going into the room, they beheld a little man standing on a table placed in the recess of a large window, the curtain being partly drawn round the table. The dwarf wore a turban and large beard: he had a long pipe in his mouth, and was dressed up in shawls. He seemed very affable and pleasant, jabbering away continually in some unknown language, while now and then he threw a handful of crackers among the children to be scrambled for.
Presently an enormous figure appeared stooping to come through the door of the room. He was covered up with a long cloak, and was an oddly made giant too, for his shoulders seemed to stick out little more than half-way up him, and he had a tiny little face, with a voice much weaker than the dwarf’s. He stalked up to the dwarf’s table and stood beside him. At last a little boy of the party, being very curious, lifted up the giant’s cloak to peep beneath, but happening to pull it at the same time, down it fell, and there stood Ruby’s papa again, with her little brother Johnnie on his shoulders.
And now the boys were becoming uproarious, and tried to peep behind the curtain to find out how the dwarf was made, when their attention was attracted by the sound of a fiddle playing outside. They saw, in the fading light of evening, a poor blind man being led up the carriage drive by a barefooted little girl about the size of Ruby. As the blind fiddler and his little girl turned the corner of the drive towards the hall-door, they passed out of sight from the drawing-room windows, and I observed that Ruby and three or four other children ran into the hall to meet them. The boys, however, turned once more to pursue their investigations concerning the dwarf, and were becoming quite riotous, when I thought I might as well see what was going on in the hall, for I heard the fiddler playing lustily.
Entering the hall, what do you suppose I saw? I saw Ruby and four or five other little girls, including the fiddler’s child among them, dancing away with all their might to the inspiriting music of the fiddle, fiddler and children seeming as happy as possible together. But the strangest sight of all was to see Ruby’s pretty blue shoes upon the dirty stockingless feet of the fiddler’s child, while Ruby herself had only her white silk socks to dance in.
Dear little Ruby! hers was the true spirit of charity, though certainly not well directed.
