proposed Susy, who, being plain, knew there was little hope of her
getting a chance in any other way.
So all stood in a row, and Jill, from her sofa, surveyed them
critically, feeling that the one Jack would really prefer was not
among the number.
“I choose that one, for Juliet wants to be Queen, Molly would
make faces, and the others are too big or too light,” pronounced
Jill, pointing to Merry, who looked pleased, while Mabel’s face
darkened, and Susy gave a disdainful sniff.
“You’d better draw lots, and then there will be no fuss. Ju and I are
out of the fight, but you three can try, and let this settle the
matter,” said Molly, handing Jill a long strip of paper.
All agreed to let it be so, and when the bits were ready drew in
turn. This time fate was evidently on Merry’s side, and no one
grumbled when she showed the longest paper.
“Go and dress, then come back, and we’ll plan how we are to be
placed before we call up the boys,” commanded Jill, who was
manager, since she could be nothing else.
The girls retired to the bedroom and began to “rig up,” as they
called it; but discontent still lurked among them, and showed itself
in sharp words, envious looks, and disobliging acts.
“Am I to have the white silk and the feather?” asked Merry,
delighted with the silvery shimmer of the one and the graceful
droop of the other, though both were rather shabby.
“You can use your own dress. I don’t see why you should have
everything,” answered Susy, who was at the mirror, putting a
wreath of scarlet flowers on her red head, bound to be gay since
she could not be pretty.
“I think I’d better keep the plume, as I haven’t anything else that is
nice, and I’m afraid Emma wouldn’t like me to lend it,” added
Annette, who was disappointed that Mabel was not to be the
Beauty.
“1 don’t intend to act at all!” declared Mabel, beginning to braid up
her hair with a jerk, out of humor with the whole affair.
“1 think you are a set of cross, selfish girls to back out and keep
your nice things just because you can’t all have the best part. I’m
ashamed of you!” scolded Molly, standing by Merry, who was
sadly surveying her mother’s old purple silk, which looked like
brown in the evening.
“I’m going to have Miss Delano’s red brocade for the Queen, and I
shall ask her for the yellow-satin dress for Merry when I go to get
mine, and tell her how mean you are,” said Juliet, frowning under
her gilt-paper crown as she swept about in a red table-S cloth for
train till the brocade arrived.
“Perhaps you’d like to have Mabel cut her hair off, so Merry can
have that, too?” cried Susy, with whom hair was a tender point.
“Light hair isn’t wanted, so Ju will have to give hers, or you’d better
borrow Miss Bat’s frisette,” added Mabel, with a scornful laugh.
“I just wish Miss Bat was here to give you girls a good shaking. Do
let someone else have a chance at the glass, you peacock!”
exclaimed Molly Loo, pushing Susy aside to arrange her own blue
turban, out of which she plucked the pink pompon to give Merry.
“Don’t quarrel about me. I shall do well enough, and the scarlet
shawl will hide my ugly dress,” said Merry, from the corner, where
she sat waiting for her turn at the mirror.
As she spoke of the shawl her eye went in search of it, and
something that she saw in the other room put her own
disappointment out of her head. Jill lay there all alone, rather tired
with the lively chatter, and the effort it cost her not to repine at
being shut out from the great delight of dressing up and acting.
Her eyes were closed, her net was off, and all the pretty black curls
lay about her shoulders as one hand idly pulled them out, while the
other rested on the red shawl, as if she loved its glowing color and