Nancy first and last

by Amy Ella Blanchard

"No, thank you. I promised to go over to The Beeches with Lillian."

She waited till the car had turned a corner and then went in to hunt up her mother. She found her busily and happily occupied in mending something of Pepé's. "He is coming, coming, do you hear, blessed mother? He is coming on Christmas Eve."

"Pepé is?" queried her mother, snipping off a thread. "Was there any question about it? I know Aunt Manning expects him to join us."

Anita went over and took her mother's head between her hands, kissing the top of it. "Oh, you precious thing, I acknowledge that Pepé is a most absorbing subject, but there are others, there are others. It is Terrence who is to come. You must ask Aunt Manning to have him here at once. He can see, mother, he can see. Mr. Kirkby has just told me. One eye is all right and the other is not absolutely lost to him."

"I am glad, very glad, daughter dear, for him and for you."

"And you will ask Aunt Manning? I must hunt up a piece of music to take over to Eleanor, a jota that she will want to practice for Christmas Eve. Pepé and I will dance it together, and I must show her how to get the swing of it. Oh, mother, we must try to get up an Asturian costume for Pepé. He will look so well in one, and it will add so much to the dance." She began searching around in her trunk for the music which she presently found and laid aside, then she rose to her feet with a frock hung over her arm, a soft blue crêpe de chine. She carried it to her mother. "Don't you think I might wear this when Terrence comes?" she asked. "I have worn sombre colors for so long, and my heart sings so, sings so that I want to do something to express my joy. I brought this with me because I could not bear to leave it behind. It is a little out of style, but not much so, because it is so simple. It is Terry's favorite of all my frocks."

Her mother smiled. "And so, you sentimental child, you brought it along and want him to see you in it when he meets you."

Anita smiled, too. "You looked right into my heart that time. I do want to wear it. Don't you see how he will recognize it and then will be sure that it is his Nancy."

"A nice dramatic situation. Very well. I see no reason why you should not wear it, for certainly you have worn sober colors long enough, and I, for one, shall be glad to see you in something more cheerful than grays and lavendars. Leave the dress here and I will look it over and see if it is in proper condition for you to wear on Christmas Eve."

"I should like to have a hat on when he first sees me," said Anita, thoughtfully, as she picked up the pieces of music she had selected, "then he would not be so much puzzled by my dark locks."