“Huh, I’d rather be a red one, with yellow streaks down the middle. They’re lots showier and they live longer, too. The gardener that was putting our bulbs out last fall told me so.”
“But they’re beastly ugly. People don’t dream about being something ugly, even if it is strong and healthy. I’d rather not live so long, if I could only be so beautiful that people just had to stop and look at me. Wouldn’t you, Letty?”
“I don’t think looks matter so much,” said Letty practically, “if you keep your soul all nice and clean inside you. Then it shines out through your eyes and your smiles and makes you beautiful that way. Even cripples are beautiful if their souls are clean. My Sunday-school teacher, dear Miss Reese, told me that once. She was beautiful—very beautiful, and until then I had thought it was because she had nice white skin, pink cheeks, dimples and a pretty silk dress. But after she told me that, I knew it was just her angel soul looking out through her eyes.”
“What color were her eyes?” asked Christopher. “And could cross-eyed people look beautiful? I don’t see how they could on the outside, even if their souls were ever so clean.”
Grandmother and Mrs. Hartwell-Jones, who could not help overhearing this conversation, smiled at each other. Just then Joshua drove up in the carriage and everybody knew that it was time to go home.
“I understand that Sally has a birthday day after to-morrow,” said Mrs. Hartwell-Jones to Jane.
“Oh, yes, Mrs. Hartwell-Jones, she will be three years old,” replied Jane, with all the pride of a doting mamma. “Uncle Gus gave her to me when I lost my first tooth. The fairies gave me a big silver dollar for the tooth, too. I wrapped it up in tissue-paper and put it under my pillow and they took it away in the night and left a shining silver dollar.”
“The blessed fairies! Now suppose you let me give Sally a birthday party? It would give Letty and me such pleasure to arrange it.”
Jane glowed with delight and accepted in both Sally’s name and her own, with alacrity. Christopher pricked up his ears. A doll’s birthday party did not appeal to him, even with the inducement of the “party.” Why would not that day be the very opportunity for his excursion with Billy and Jo Perkins?
“Please let the children come early, Mrs. Baker,” Mrs. Hartwell-Jones said to grandmother, “so that we may have a long afternoon together. Or, if you wish, Letty could drive out after them in the pony carriage.”