“Three flannel dresses—a dark brown, a dark blue, and a dark green; all beautiful shades and nice, fine material,” she commented. “I like them better than I expected to, but—”
“Well, dear?” inquired Violet, as the little girl paused without finishing her sentence.
“They are very pretty shades,” repeated Lulu, “but I think red—a dark shade, most black in some lights—would be more becoming to my complexion. Don’t you, papa?” looking up into his face as he came and stood by her side.
“Possibly,” he answered, sitting down and drawing her to his knee, “but there might be times when it would prove dangerous. Some animals have a great hatred to that color, and with a red dress on you might be chased by a turkey gobbler or some large animal,” he concluded laughingly, hugging her up in his arms and kissing her first on one cheek, then on the other.
“Oh, yes! I didn’t think of that!” she exclaimed with a merry laugh.
“Beside,” he continued in the same sportive tone, “so thoroughly patriotic a young American as my Lulu surely does not want to be a redcoat?”
“No, papa, no, indeed! that would never do for a blue-jacket’s daughter, would it? Blue’s the right color, after all, and I’m glad that it was the color chosen for one of the dresses.”
“And now the next thing is to go up to the sewing-room and have them cut and fitted,” said Violet. “Alma is there, and will attend to it at once.”
“And we’re going to have Mrs. Allen and Susan here to help too, aren’t we?” queried Lulu, leaving her father’s knee and gathering up the new purchases.
“There will be some parts they can work on at home,” said Violet.