CHAPTER XII
A PERFECT DAY
Billie Bradley found Miss Arbuckle and the girls impatiently awaitingher at the Busy Bee.
“We’re starving!” they cried reproachfully. “What has been keeping you?”
“And where’s the lion cub?” another wanted to know.
Billie smiled mysteriously.
“Just wait till you see her! You’d be surprised!”
Whereupon, Billie proceeded to “fix things” with Miss Arbuckle. Thiswas not difficult, Miss Arbuckle being a friend of Billie’s withconsequent implicit belief in the girl’s good sense and judgment.
“We haven’t finished our shopping--not nearly,” Billie explained,having drawn the teacher aside so that the curious and watchful girlscould not hear what was said. “If you don’t mind, Miss Arbuckle, I’dlike to take Edina to lunch--just the two of us. After that we willshop some more and maybe take in a movie, if there’s time.”
“We--ell,” the teacher hesitated, “if you will give me your word to beon hand to take the school bus back----”
“Oh, I will,” promised Billie. “Thanks so much, Miss Arbuckle. It wouldsimply spoil everything to--to spring Edina on them now.”
A look of mutual understanding passed between teacher and pupil. MissArbuckle smiled.
“I suppose it would,” she agreed. “Run along to your good work, Billie.I’m entirely in sympathy with it and I wish you luck.”
“Miss Arbuckle, you’re a perfect dear!” cried Billie gratefully.
She squeezed the teacher’s hand, flashed one triumphant look at thegroup of curious, half-envious girls, and darted out into the street.
In the fitting room at the department store, Billie found a transformedEdina impatiently awaiting her. Billie paused in the doorway and staredat the wholly unfamiliar apparition.
“Turn yourself about, Edina,” she breathed. “Slowly--that’s right. Mydear, you are a triumph! I’m proud of you--and me! Come along now andwe’ll get something to eat. I’m starving. Besides, I’ve got to show youoff!”
Edina Tooker would never be beautiful. Nor could she even be spokenof as a pretty girl. But Billie realized as she looked at this new,tastefully dressed Edina that the girl possessed a native dignity andpoise that was more compelling than mere prettiness. Her own prophecywas being fulfilled. The girl had become a personage.
Perhaps Edina read something of this in Billie’s prolonged scrutiny.
“I’m just tryin’ to live up to my clothes,” she said, with a wistfulsmile. “They’re the first things I ever owned in all my life thatseemed to--to belong to me. I know I look different and, somehow, Ibegin to feel different.”
“You will feel differenter and differenter as time goes on,” Billieprophesied gaily. “You’re a knockout, Edina. I can’t wait for the girlsto see you.”
Into the eyes of Edina came a provocative gleam that was as new as hernew clothes.
“Neither can I!” she confessed. “Mebbe they won’t laugh at me now.”
“They will be simply green with envy,” prophesied Billie. “I am,myself. Just think of having all those perfectly gorgeous new frocksall at once!”
Edina chuckled.
“I can’t get over the notion I should be twins,” she chuckled.
The gratified saleswoman parted from them with regret and many urgentinvitations to visit her again.
“If I did that often,” chuckled Edina, “Paw would be bankrupt. As itis, I’ll have to write him for more money. He’ll like it, though,”she added in that gentler tone she always used when speaking of herparents. “Paw always wanted to do things for Maw and me. He wants usto have the best, Paw does.”
Laden with bundles, the two girls went below to the store tea roomwhere they ordered creamed chicken on toast and apple tart.
Billie noticed that Edina ate carefully, picking up a knife or fork orspoon only when she was sure she had chosen the right one.
“Raw and crude enough,” thought Billie. “But intelligent and eager tolearn. Her new clothes will give her confidence. Meantime, I am havingthe time of my life!”
Their appetites satisfied, the girls returned with a will to theirshopping.
Shoes were bought, several pairs of them, and stockings to match. ThenBillie led her protégé to the toilet goods counter where they boughtcreams and unguents.
“Anybody’d think I was going to be one of them movie queens,” Edinaprotested. “What do you suppose I’m going to do with that stuff?”
“Wear it on your face at night,” Billie retorted imperturbably.
“Not all at once!” cried Edina horrified.
Billie glanced at her to make sure she meant it, then went off intogales of giggles that made passing shoppers gaze at her curiously.
“A little at a time, you silly! Edina, you’ll be the death of me yet!”
“Well, I don’t like the idea of it, nohow--anyhow,” the girl persisteddoggedly. “I ain’t never--ever--had anything but good spring water onmy face up to now and I’m not yearning to go greasing myself up like anIndian at this late date.”
“You’ll get used to it,” prophesied Billie cheerfully. “You can getused to anything. Besides, now that you have all those beautifuldresses, you must grow a complexion to match.”
“How you talk! A complexion ain’t--isn’t--like shoes andstockings--that it’s got to match up with your clothes.”
“It’s even more important,” said Billie firmly. “Don’t argue. Comealong!”
Laden with boxes and bundles, they found their way to a movie picturepalace in the vicinity.
The scenario of the picture happened to be laid in the West--one ofthose blood-and-thunder films replete with villains, dashing ponies,lariats, and heroic cowboys. During the entire entertainment, Edinakept up a running fire of comment and criticism that provided Billiewith more entertainment than the film, much to the annoyance of adignified and portly old gentleman who had the seat in front of them.
At the end of the picture Billie glanced at her wrist watch and tuggedat the sleeves of Edina’s new coat.
“We have to go. If we miss the school bus we will get about sixteendemerits apiece and I’ll be barred from boating and tennis for the restof the fall term, and that I could never stand! We’ll have to bolt forit.”
Edina was seized by sudden panic.
“I don’t want to go,” she said, in a strained, tight voice. “I feelsuch a fool, all togged out like this! I--I’d ruther stay here in thedark!”