"Mr. Martin, they are going to count the votes for the doll."
Edna"s eyes grew big, and she could scarcely sit still from anxiety.
She kept craning her neck to see if anyone were coming from the direction of that special booth. Finally she was rewarded by seeing the doll delivered into the hands of a gentleman who made his way toward the platform.
There was another little girl who was quite as eager as herself. Edna had often seen her in church, and knew she was the daughter of wealthy parents. She wore very pretty, dainty clothes, and Edna found her eyes very often wandering in the direction of this little girl during service; but the object of her admiration once turned and made a face at Edna, which proceeding shocked her very much. "I wouldn"t do that in church," she said to herself. "I don"t care if she is rich and comes in that shining carriage; she is not a nice little girl. I like Maggie Horn much better."
Therefore it was a very thrilling moment when the gentleman holding the doll mounted the stand, and said, "I have here a very popular young lady. She comes from Mrs. Tuttle"s booth, and has received so many votes that she must be quite anxious herself as to her future."
Then reading from a paper, he said, "I will only announce the two candidates who have received the greatest number of votes: Clara Adams, one hundred and twenty-seven; Edna Conway--" the little girl"s heart stood still, and she clasped Miss Martin"s hand convulsively, while she looked at her with something like reproach--"in behalf of Maggie Horn," continued the gentleman, "three hundred and one votes."
There was silence a moment. "I want to say," the gentleman went on, "that the little girl--whose representative I hope is here--is one of the inmates of the Home of the Friendless, rescued from a pitifully unhappy life by Edna Conway, who has also been the means of procuring for the little girl, no longer friendless, this beautiful doll. Will Miss Edna Conway please come forward?"
Growing red and white by turns; glad, fearful, ashamed, all at once, Edna went to the platform amid tremendous applause. Every eye was turned upon her, and she felt in this conspicuous position as if she should sink through the floor. Into her hands the lovely doll was given, and then the gentleman detained her by saying, "One moment, my dear. The ladies of the fair want you to accept this little basket of flowers, with their love;" and a basket of exquisite roses was handed down.
Edna hardly knew how she got back to Miss Martin"s side, but when she did reach there the doll was laid upon the bench, the flowers were handed to Mr. Martin, and the little child hid her face on her friend"s shoulder, overcome by the situation.
"We"d better go now," said Miss Martin, in a low voice, as she saw a body of girls ready to pounce upon Edna with hugs and kisses. "I am sure Mrs. Horner would not like this fuss over her niece," she continued to her father. And Edna was quite ready to leave, not liking herself to be fussed over.
Miss Martin and her father only stopped to see their little charge safe in the hands of her aunt and uncle, and with many thanks, Edna bade them a fervent good-night. In her delight she entered the sitting-room, forgetting to be a little girl that should "be seen and not heard."
"O, Uncle Justus!" she cried. "See! see! the doll for Maggie; and look at my flowers! Look, auntie!"
"Not so loud, child," reproved Aunt Elizabeth.
"Let me see. Yes, the doll is very pretty; and where did you get your flowers?"
[Ill.u.s.tration]
"Why," returned Edna, innocently, "the man said that the ladies of the fair gave them to me with their love, and I don"t know why, for I didn"t get a single vote but yours and Uncle Justus"s."
Aunt Elizabeth smiled, but she did not explain. "Well, child," she said, "it was very kind of the ladies to pay the compliment to Mr.
Martin"s little guest."
"O, yes," replied Edna, "of course it was, and he liked it, too. I wish I had given him and Miss Martin more of the roses."
"You had better put them in water, or they will all fade," said Aunt Elizabeth; "I have no doubt the ladies will remember Mr. Martin. Now go to bed, and try to get up when you are called so as to be ready for Sunday-school."
"O, Aunt Elizabeth, just please tell me when I can take Maggie her doll."
"I am afraid I shall not be able to go with you on Monday, for I have a meeting in the afternoon," answered Aunt Elizabeth.
"Couldn"t you find your way alone?" asked Uncle Justus.
"I think perhaps I could," replied Edna, a little doubtfully, "but I am not very good at finding my way about. Papa says my b.u.mp of locality was left out. I don"t know what that means, but he said so."
"Perhaps if I put you on the cars and tell the conductor to let you out at Pearl Street you could find your way," said Uncle Justus.
"And what about the getting back?" put in Aunt Elizabeth. "I think Edna will have to wait."
But here again Miss Martin came to her aid, for the next morning after Sunday-school she made her way over to where Edna was standing waiting for Louis, and asked her about the matter.
"I can"t go till Tuesday," Edna told her, "for Aunt Elizabeth hasn"t time to take me, and I do so want Maggie to have her doll. Won"t she be s"prised. Miss Martin? I am just crazy to take it to her."
"Let me see," returned Miss Martin, thoughtfully. "If your aunt will allow you to go, perhaps I can take you. How would that do? I will see Mrs. Horner after church, and we"ll try and arrange it."
And so it was settled that Edna should go with Miss Martin to the Home the next afternoon. In the meantime it was a great temptation to have the pretty doll so near and not resist the temptation of being a little envious of it. Many a peep was taken at the fine lady laid away in state in one of Edna"s bureau drawers; but the child was honorable enough not to run the risk of spoiling the freshness of her attire by taking her out of her place.
"I think you were a goose not to try for the doll yourself," said Louis.
"O, Louis!" replied Edna. "I never could have had all those votes, and besides I have Moggins, so you see I ought to make up to Maggie for that."
"Well, that"s so," replied Louis. "Anyhow I am glad that that stuck-up Clara Adams did not get her."
Edna was thoughtful. "So am I," she confessed. "But," she added, "I heard Miss Martin say, "Poor Clara Adams, I"m very sorry for that child.""
"Poor!" exclaimed Louis. "I don"t know where you get your rich people from if she"s poor. I reckon Miss Martin doesn"t know what she"s talking about."
"I"m going to ask her," declared Edna. And true to her word she did ask, that very afternoon, "What made you say, "Poor Clara Adams," Miss Martin?"
"Did I say that? Well, dear, she is a very poor little girl; with all her rich clothes and her ornaments there is one ornament which I am afraid she will never be able to wear."
Edna opened her eyes. "What is it, Miss Martin?" she asked, wondering if Clara were in any way deformed so she could not wear rings.
Miss Martin smiled. "Did you never hear about the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit?" she said.
"O," returned Edna, only half understanding.
"Clara is a restless, discontented, envious little girl," continued Miss Martin; "and although her mother and father come to church every Sunday, and give liberally to charities, their little girl is not taught to find happiness by thinking of others rather than of herself, and so that poor little self of hers often feels as much neglected as Maggie Horn ever did."
"But Clara isn"t neglected," interposed Edna.
"She thinks she is, unless some one is paying attention to her all the time. She wants to be noticed and considered and amused from morning till night, and feels slighted at being set aside for a single instant. So you see she is a little girl to be pitied. "Contentment is better than wealth," says the old proverb."
That was a new way to look at Clara Adams, Edna reflected; but she had not time then to think much of the matter, for by this time they had reached the Home where Maggie was.
This was not visitors" day, but a note from Mrs. Horner to Miss Barnes gave Edna special permission to see Maggie. She came into the room looking very clean and neat in her blue dress and gingham ap.r.o.n. Her face brightened as she caught sight of Edna.
"Why," she exclaimed, "how did you happen to come to-day? How is Moggins? I hope he doesn"t bother your aunt."
"Moggins is as fat as b.u.t.ter," answered Edna, "and I came--O, Maggie--I came to bring you this," and she thrust the doll into the little girl"s arms.
Maggie looked from the doll to Edna and back again, perfectly bewildered. "Why, why," she said, "not for me! You don"t mean for me!"
Edna nodded, "Yes," most decidedly. "It"s for you, and came from the fair. O, so many people voted for her--three hundred. Isn"t she sweet?"
"O! O!" cried Maggie, "I never had nothin" like this. I never expected nothin" like it. I feel like it was Christmas, an" I was a-dreamin, an" it was a story book all to once. Da"st I kiss you?"
"Why, of course," replied Edna, heartily, and she threw her arms around the little girl and gave her a fervent embrace. Then followed a close examination of the dolly"s pretty clothes by both little girls, till Miss Martin came in accompanied by Miss Barnes, who said she was sorry to take Maggie away, but that it was study hour; and the children separated, one about as happy as the other.
Then Edna and her friend turned toward home, where a new surprise was awaiting.