the directions.
She spent a lot of time ripping. Sometimes she stuffed the whole thing in a drawer and did not sew at all for several days. The girls became more and more anxious. Ellen asked about the dress so many times she felt it would not be polite to ask any more.
Austine stopped mentioning it altogether.
Then the evening before school started, Austine telephoned Ellen.“Guess what!” she said.“Mother is hemming my dress this very minute and it’ll be ready in time for tomorrow. I thought she wasn’t going to get it finished, but she worked all afternoon, and Bruce and I fixed dinner so she could sew.
Don’t forget to wear your white socks.” The next morning Ellen dressed carefully and did not squirm while her mother brushed her hair and tied her sash in a nice fat bow. She twirled around to admire the fullness of her skirt and peered over her shoulder at her sash. She liked her new dress more than any dress she had ever owned.
She could hardly wait to walk into her new fourth-grade room with Austine.
She walked as quickly as she could to Austine’s house. She walked, because her sash might come untied if she ran. She tap-danced, hop, one-two-three , on Austine’s porch and waited for Austine to come out. She waited a long time. Hop, one-two-three, slap down, slap down .
Finally Austine came out with a piece of toast in her hand. “Well, come on,” she said crossly.
Ellen stared. Austine’s dress did not look the least bit like hers. The material was the same, but everything else was different.
Austine’s skirt sagged at the bottom. The sleeves did not puff the way Ellen’s did and the collar did not quite meet under Austine’s chin.The buttons were sewed on over snaps instead of buttoning through real button-holes. The waist was too tight and gapped between the buttons. Worst of all, there was no sash to tie in a nice fat bow.
“But, Austine,” said Ellen in dismay,
“there’s supposed to be a sash.” Austine finished the last bite of toast and licked her fingers. “Well, there isn’t going to be on mine. I’m bigger than you are, and Mother had to allow extra material on the sides of the dress. And then she made a mistake in cutting the sleeves, and when she got through there wasn’t any material left for a sash. Mother says I’m too plump to wear such a wide sash, anyway.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.” Ellen didn’t know what to say. She was terribly disappointed.
She supposed she ought to offer to take off her sash, but it was such a lovely one.
Besides, her mother had stitched it to her dress at the sides, so she would not lose it.
“Well, I think you might take off your sash,” said Austine, pulling a basting thread out of her hem. “We’re supposed to look like twins, you know. It was all your idea in the first place.”
“I can’t take it off. It’s sewed to my dress,” said Ellen, secretly glad she could not take off her sash.
Austine did not answer. The girls walked in unhappy silence. When they were half a block from school, the first bell rang.
“Come on,” said Ellen, glad to have an excuse to speak. “We’d better run.” She started to run and as she did, Austine grabbed the end of her sash.The bow came untied. Austine laughed.
“Oh, Austine. Now look what you’ve done,” said Ellen, trying to retie the bow. It was hard to tie a bow she could not see. One loop pointed up and the other pointed down. Austine did not offer to help.
Austine seemed to feel better after that.
She even took Ellen’s hand as they hurried down the hall to their new fourth-grade room. Ellen squeezed her hand in excite-ment. The first day in a new room was so exciting. She thought the boys and girls going into the third-grade room looked very young.
In the fourth-grade room the children were busy deciding which seats to sit in.
“What are you dressed that way for?” demanded Linda Mulford, as some of the class crowded around the two girls.
“Maybe they
She spent a lot of time ripping. Sometimes she stuffed the whole thing in a drawer and did not sew at all for several days. The girls became more and more anxious. Ellen asked about the dress so many times she felt it would not be polite to ask any more.
Austine stopped mentioning it altogether.
Then the evening before school started, Austine telephoned Ellen.“Guess what!” she said.“Mother is hemming my dress this very minute and it’ll be ready in time for tomorrow. I thought she wasn’t going to get it finished, but she worked all afternoon, and Bruce and I fixed dinner so she could sew.
Don’t forget to wear your white socks.” The next morning Ellen dressed carefully and did not squirm while her mother brushed her hair and tied her sash in a nice fat bow. She twirled around to admire the fullness of her skirt and peered over her shoulder at her sash. She liked her new dress more than any dress she had ever owned.
She could hardly wait to walk into her new fourth-grade room with Austine.
She walked as quickly as she could to Austine’s house. She walked, because her sash might come untied if she ran. She tap-danced, hop, one-two-three , on Austine’s porch and waited for Austine to come out. She waited a long time. Hop, one-two-three, slap down, slap down .
Finally Austine came out with a piece of toast in her hand. “Well, come on,” she said crossly.
Ellen stared. Austine’s dress did not look the least bit like hers. The material was the same, but everything else was different.
Austine’s skirt sagged at the bottom. The sleeves did not puff the way Ellen’s did and the collar did not quite meet under Austine’s chin.The buttons were sewed on over snaps instead of buttoning through real button-holes. The waist was too tight and gapped between the buttons. Worst of all, there was no sash to tie in a nice fat bow.
“But, Austine,” said Ellen in dismay,
“there’s supposed to be a sash.” Austine finished the last bite of toast and licked her fingers. “Well, there isn’t going to be on mine. I’m bigger than you are, and Mother had to allow extra material on the sides of the dress. And then she made a mistake in cutting the sleeves, and when she got through there wasn’t any material left for a sash. Mother says I’m too plump to wear such a wide sash, anyway.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.” Ellen didn’t know what to say. She was terribly disappointed.
She supposed she ought to offer to take off her sash, but it was such a lovely one.
Besides, her mother had stitched it to her dress at the sides, so she would not lose it.
“Well, I think you might take off your sash,” said Austine, pulling a basting thread out of her hem. “We’re supposed to look like twins, you know. It was all your idea in the first place.”
“I can’t take it off. It’s sewed to my dress,” said Ellen, secretly glad she could not take off her sash.
Austine did not answer. The girls walked in unhappy silence. When they were half a block from school, the first bell rang.
“Come on,” said Ellen, glad to have an excuse to speak. “We’d better run.” She started to run and as she did, Austine grabbed the end of her sash.The bow came untied. Austine laughed.
“Oh, Austine. Now look what you’ve done,” said Ellen, trying to retie the bow. It was hard to tie a bow she could not see. One loop pointed up and the other pointed down. Austine did not offer to help.
Austine seemed to feel better after that.
She even took Ellen’s hand as they hurried down the hall to their new fourth-grade room. Ellen squeezed her hand in excite-ment. The first day in a new room was so exciting. She thought the boys and girls going into the third-grade room looked very young.
In the fourth-grade room the children were busy deciding which seats to sit in.
“What are you dressed that way for?” demanded Linda Mulford, as some of the class crowded around the two girls.
“Maybe they
Similar Books
