MARY FRANCES AT HOME
MARY FRANCES came into her mother’s room on the evening of the day
they all reached home.
“Oh, Mother, I have the loveliest surprise for you! Please shut your
eyes and don’t peep. It will take me some time to get it ready.”
[Illustration: “Oh, Mother, I have the loveliest surprise for you!”]
“Yes, dear,” smiled her mother, “but I’m very anxious to see!”
Mary Frances unlocked Mary Marie’s trunk, and spread all the contents
out on the bed.
“I’ll be back in one minute. Don’t you peep, Mother, dear!” she
begged as she ran out of the room.
She brought back Mary Marie, dressed in her party dress and summer
hat, and sat her up on the pillow.
“Now,” she cried, kissing her mother, “now, you may look, Mother,
dear!”
“Why, what in the world, my dear little girl? Where did all these
lovely clothes come from?”
[Illustration: “Why, what in the world, my dear little girl?”]
[Illustration: “She spends hours in the sewing room.”]
[Illustration: Showed bundle of patterns]
“I made them, Mother,―I mean―I, and the Thimble People.”
“You made them!” exclaimed her mother; “not that lovely kimono
and bath robe, and those cunning little bonnets, and that lovely
automobile coat!”
“Every one!” cried Mary Frances, dancing up and down.
“Why, dear,” said her mother, “I cannot believe my eyes! I thought
you did very, very well in the few sewing lessons by mail, but I
never dreamed―”
“If the Thimble People hadn’t helped me, Mother, I never could have
made them; and if you hadn’t sent me the beautiful goods, and my
dear, lovely dolly, I couldn’t have done it! It had to be a secret
until I finished the lessons―I couldn’t tell Grandma,―and I was
crazy to tell you!”
“Who are the Thimble People?” asked her mother. Then Mary Frances
told all about her new friends.
When she finished, she showed the bundle of patterns last given her
by the Thimble King.
“We’ll make these together, Mother, dear―if you say so?”
“I certainly do say so, dear,” said her mother.
[Illustration: “Who are the Thimble People?”]
[Illustration]
“I would like to take some lessons myself―such delightful lessons;
will you teach me?”
“I’ll do my best,―and―I just believe the Thimble People will help!”
said Mary Frances wisely;―and she thought she surely saw Scissors
Shears wink at her.
[Illustration: “Now, you may look, Mother dear”]
* * * * *
Transcriber’s note:
2. There are many mis-matched double-quotes in the original book.
These have been corrected in this eBook.
3. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical
errors.
4. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.
5. ‘LIST of PATTERNS’ - Doll’s Nightgown page 130 corrected to
page 127.