Somebodys Little Girl | Page 9

hear.
Every afternoon all the nurses came to the Mall and brought all the

babies, and the nurses rolled the babies up and down the sawdust walks
in the pretty baby-carriages, with nice white, and pink, and blue
parasols over the babies' heads.
That afternoon Sister Helen Vincula stayed a long time with Bessie
Bell, on the Mall, sitting by her on the stone bench and listening to the
gay music, and looking at the children in their prettiest clothes, and at
the nurses rolling the babies in the pretty carriages with the beautiful
pink, and white, and blue parasols over the babies' heads.
Then Sister Helen Vincula said: ``Bessie Bell, I am going across the
long bridge to see some ladies and to tell them Good-bye, because we
are going away tomorrow.
And Sister Helen Vincula said: ``Now, will you stay right here on this
stone bench till I come back for you?''
Bessie Bell said, ``Yes, Sister Helen Vincula.''
So Sister Helen Vincula went away across the long bridge to see the
ladies and to tell them Good-bye.
Bessie Bell did not know much about going away, and she did not
understand about it at all, so she did not care at all about it.
She just sat on the stone bench with her little pink hands folded on her
blue checked apron, and looked at the children in their prettiest clothes,
and at the babies, and at the parasols.
She loved so to look, and she loved so to listen to the pretty gay music
that she did not notice that a lady had come to the stone bench, and had
seated herself just where Sister Helen Vincula had sat before she went
to see the ladies and to tell them Good-bye.
There were many other ladies on the Mall, and many ladies passed in
their walk by the stone bench where Bessie Bell and the lady sat.
Everybody loved to come to the Mall in the afternoon when the band

played. Everybody loved to hear the gay music. Everybody loved to see
the children in their prettiest clothes, and to see all the nurses rolling
the babies in the carriages with the pretty parasols.
And one of the ladies passing by looked over to the stone bench where
Bessie Bell sat with her hands folded on her blue checked apron, and
where the lady had seated herself just as Sister Helen Vincula had sat
before she went across the long bridge.
And the lady said, as she passed by and looked: ``Striking likeness.''
Another lady with her said: ``Wonderful!''
And another one with them said: ``Impossible! But strange indeed--''
Bessie Bell did not notice what the ladies said, but because they looked
so attentively to where she sat on the stone bench her attention was
turned the way their eyes turned as they talked in low tones and looked
attentively passing by.
So when they had passed by, Bessie Bell turned and looked to the other
end of the bench where the lady sat.
Bessie Bell was so surprised at the first look that she hardly knew what
to think.
The lady did not look like Sister Helen Vincula, oh, not at all; but the
veil that she wore was soft and black like that that Sister Helen Vincula
wore. The dress that the lady wore was black also, but it looked as if it
were stiff and very crisp, and not soft like the dress that Sister Helen
Vincula wore. Bessie Bell did not mean to be rude, but she reached out
one tiny hand and took hold of the lady's dress, just a tiny pinch of it.
Yes, it was very crisp.
Then the lady turned and looked at Bessie Bell.
Then Bessie Bell was still more surprised, for there was something
white under her veil. Not white all round the face like that Sister Helen

Vincula wore, but soft crinkly white just over the lady's soft yellow
hair.
Also on the breast of her black dress was a cross, but not white like the
cross that Sister Helen Vincula wore. No, this cross was shining very
brightly, and it was very golden in the sunlight,--and-- somehow,
somehow,--Bessie Bell knew just how that cross felt,--she knew
without feeling it. She did not have to feel it as she had felt the dress.
Bessie Bell looked and thought. She thought this lady looked like a
Sister--and yet there was a difference. She looked also like Just-
A-Lady, and she also looked grand and important enough for a Mama.
Bessie Bell looked and thought, but she could not tell just exactly what
this lady was.
It was best that she should ask, and then she would surely know.
So she asked: ``Are vou a Lady, ma'am?''
``I hope so,