CHAPTER XI
EDINA GETS HER HAIR CUT
Edina Tooker’s hair, released from the hard knot into which she hadbound it at the back of her head, proved to be luxuriant and soft tothe touch. The barber, a dark-skinned, effusive little fellow, wascharmed with the color and texture.
“It is a long day since I have seen such a head of hair. And now itmust be cut off, shorn like the wool of a sheep. Eh, well, it is thefashion. These ladies,” with a twinkling glance at Billie, “must be inthe fashion or die, is it not?”
The barber took up a pair of gleaming shears. Edina’s eyes met Billie’sin an agonized look of appeal.
Billie smiled reassuringly, but remained adamant.
“She is the boyish type, don’t you think?” she said, cajoling thebarber. “It seems to me her hair would look nice short, quite short,and maybe tucked behind the ear on the left side.”
“Leave it to me,” returned the little dark man with a flourish of theshears. “I will make her ravissant. So she will not know herself. Nowthen! Attend!”
At the first rip of the shears through her heavy tresses, Edina shrankdeep into her seat and shut her eyes tight. She did not open them againuntil the barber announced in a pleased tone that all was finished.
“Will you please to look at yourself in the mirror, Miss?”
Edina looked, batted her eyes and looked again.
“It ain’t so bad,” was her final pronouncement. “But it ain’t me!”
Billie thought the haircut a triumph of art. It was cut short in theback, fitting Edina’s admirably shaped head like a soft black cap. Inthe front it was longer, but not too long, falling back from the girl’sbroad forehead like the sweep of a raven’s wing.
Billie reached forward and tucked a lock of ebony hair behind a shapelyear.
“You have nice ears and you should show them. Ears are an asset thesedays, if they are not positively deformed. Pay the man now, Edina, andlet’s go on about our business.”
The barber bowed them out with Latin gallantry--they being the onlycustomers in his shop at the time--and Billie led her protégé to one ofFleetsburg’s best department stores.
There they entered into an orgy of buying.
Edina, bewildered, silent, left it to Billie to do all the work, merelysignifying by a nod of the head when appealed to that everything wasproceeding to her satisfaction.
“Something for yourself, Miss?” the saleswoman asked Billie, with ahopeful smile. “I have some sweet little new fall models that willexactly suit your type.”
Billie smiled and shook her head.
“I’m not doing a scrap of buying for myself to-day. Everything must befor the young lady,” indicating the tongue-tied Edina. “And we wanteverything, from undies to hats.”
The saleswoman glanced dubiously at the dowdy figure of the girl fromOklahoma.
“Everything must be simple, but smart,” Billie continued. “A completeensemble first of all, if you please--dress, coat, hat. We will pickout the shoes and stockings later.”
The saleswoman’s deference returned. Here was a young person who knewwhat she wanted, even though her companion did look like some one’spoverty-stricken cousin.
“This way, please!” said she.
The next moment Edina found herself in a tiny cubicle just largeenough to admit her and Billie, a chair or two, a tiny table and thesaleswoman.
The saleswoman, en route, had picked up two frocks and a coat of soft,rich-looking material.
“Take off your things, Edina,” directed Billie, beginning to enjoyherself thoroughly. “This coat is adorable. I’d love it myself. Whatare you waiting for?” as Edina continued to regard her in a dazed wayand made no motion to remove her dowdy cloak.
“You don’t mean I’ve got to--to undress here--before a stranger?”stammered Edina and flushed crimson at the saleswoman’s momentary andinvoluntary giggle.
Billie ached to echo the giggle but she only said gravely:
“Only to your slip, Edina. And we’re all girls together. Whatdifference can it make?”
As at the moment before they entered the barber shop, Billie had theimpression that Edina was about to balk. She favored her protégé with asevere look and waggled a finger beneath Edina’s decided nose.
“You do as I say, young lady, or back we go to Three Towers with only ahaircut to show for our pains.”
Edina hesitated, glanced appealingly at a ruthless Billie--andcapitulated.
Off came the heavy coat. After considerable unhooking and unbuttoning,off came the heavy dress as well. Beneath the dress, Edina wore, not aslip, but a starched, old-fashioned petticoat!
Billie could not surpass an exclamation of dismay.
“Edina, you don’t mean to say you wear _those_ things!”
Instantly she regretted her tactless speech. Edina’s crimsoned facegrew redder. She bit her lip and turned away and Billie caught thegleam of tears in her eyes.
“Maw fixed ’em for me. She thought they was grand. I’m sorry if youthink they are somethin’ to--laugh at.”
Instantly Billie’s contrite arm was about the girl’s shoulders.
“Dear Edina, I wasn’t laughing, truly, and I’m dreadfully sorry forbeing so rude. It’s only that a slinky, soft silk slip sets off yourdresses so much better than a petticoat. Dresses are slinky these daystoo, you know. Still, if you prefer the petticoat----”
“I don’t!” Edina had fought a battle with herself and was willing toacknowledge defeat. “Maw would want me to have what was right. Shewasn’t sure herself about the petticoats. You go ahead and tell me whatto get. I’ll do as you say about everything.”
“Good girl! Then the first thing for you to do is take off thatpetticoat.”
After a short, inward struggle, Edina obeyed and stood before theamused saleswoman and an interested Billie in a chemise and a pair ofruffled knickers. Billie was glad to see that, relieved of the greaterpart of her starched and bulky wearing apparel, Edina was slim. Thesaleswoman, too, was astonished.
“I brought you size eighteen and I guess you don’t take any more than asixteen,” said she. “Well, we can try these on anyway, and see how youlike the style.”
Over Edina’s dark, sleek head, the saleswoman slipped a one-piecesports frock, beige in color and elaborately simple in design.
It was too big for the girl, but one glance was sufficient to assureboth Billie and the saleswoman that color and design were just right.
“I’ll get her size in that,” said the saleswoman to Billie, anddisappeared.
Edina turned this way and that before the long mirror. She glancedappealingly at Billie.
“It looks grand--but it ain’t me. Seems like I got to live with astranger before I git used to myself.”
“A mighty nice stranger, though. In that get-up, you’re stunning,Edina--no other word to describe you.”
Edina’s pleasure in the praise was almost pathetic.
“You really think I look nice?”
“Stunning was the word I used,” cried Billie gaily. “And wait till yousee the rest of the things we are going to get for you, Edina Tooker.Why, you don’t know the half of it!”
Before Edina could think of a reply to this cheerful prophecy, thesaleslady returned. Over her arm were half a dozen frocks, sizesixteen, two adorable coats and a shower of soft satin, lace-trimmedunderwear.
Edina gave a little gasp and, like any other normal girl with a lovefor “pretties,” seized a handful of the shimmering things and buriedher face in them. When she looked up again, Billie knew that she hadwon her victory. The subtle magic, the touch of those lovely things,had accomplished more than all her arguments and pleading. From themoment, Edina was all girl, reveling in girlish things.
“I never knew just underclothes could be so purty,” she murmured,reluctantly relinquishing the armful of loveliness. “I’d ruther havethem than all the coats and dresses.”
Billie laughed delightedly.
“I know how y
ou feel. But, unfortunately, the dresses are a necessity.Now,” with a little wriggle of sheer delight, “let’s get on with thefitting.”
The magic of those silken underthings had done their subtle work. Edinawarmed to the spirit of the occasion. As Billie watched her try ondress after dress it seemed to her that Edina’s very look softened; hernose became less dominant, her square chin less aggressive. In her eyeswas a bemused, dreaming, feminine look that Billie had never seen inthem before.
Billie thought of a phrase Amanda Peabody was fond of using. Edina hadbecome “clothes-conscious.”
After an hour of sheer enjoyment, Edina threw an appealing glancetoward Billie.
“They’re all so purty,” she breathed, “I don’t hardly know which totake.”
Billie chuckled.
“That’s easy! Why not take them all?”
The saleswoman threw Billie a startled glance, that at once gave placeto eager hopefulness. Edina’s glance was also startled--and hopeful.
“Dare I?” she breathed. “I never had so many clothes in all my lifebefore!”
“That’s why you need them now,” said Billie cheerfully. “It gives agirl no end of confidence to have a complete wardrobe. And I’d add aparty dress, or two, if I were you. We have school hops in the gym, youknow, and once in a while the boys at Boxton give a dance. Yes, youwill need at least two party frocks.”
Edina had surrendered completely to Billie’s guidance. She did notprotest when the saleswoman--voluble now, and almost oppressivelyanxious to please--disappeared and a moment or two later reappearedwith a mass of color and fluff over her arm.
Billie gave the frocks one glance and waved them aside.
“Something plainer,” she said to the saleswoman, disregarding Edina’sprotests. “Something that depends entirely on color and line for itseffect. We can’t have Edina here swamped with fluffy ruffles and beadembroidery. It isn’t her type.”
“But I liked them,” Edina protested, when the saleswoman had retreateduncomplainingly with her burden of fluff. “They were purty--almost aspurty----”
“Pretty,” corrected Billie.
“Pretty,” Edina accepted the correction docilely, “as the undies.”
“Pretty--but not for you,” said Billie decidedly. “Trust me, Edina. Iam going to make you a personage at Three Towers Hall.”
Billie’s enthusiasm was difficult to resist. Edina did not try toresist it. She permitted herself to be swept along by the new andentirely blissful experience of being able to buy all the lovely thingsshe wanted at one time. The long-starved, demanding girlhood in Edinawas finding expression.
The saleswoman returned with an entirely different collection ofevening frocks which the critical Billie was good enough to approve.
“The coral one would look gorgeous on you Edina and the yellow taffeta.Try them.”
Edina obeyed and was captivated. She insisted that she would take boththe frocks of Billie’s choice but remained adamant in her intention totry on nothing more.
“If I try ’em on, I’ll buy them,” she said, showing a grain of the goodhorse sense she had undoubtedly inherited from “Paw.” “I’ve got morenow than I could wear out in a lifetime of trying--unless I was twins.”
Billie gave in with a sigh and a giggle.
“We’ve got to get hats and shoes and stockings, anyway,” she mused.“Suppose we’ve got to stop somewhere.”
The saleswoman, feeling that this was her lucky day, offered a brightsuggestion.
“I can have hats sent up here to match the frocks----”
“One hat!” corrected Edina, putting down her foot. “I can’t wear more’none at a time, and that’s all I want.”
Billie conceded this point, having won so much.
“You might send up a few small shapes in beige or brown to match thecoat,” she said to the saleswoman. “Then I guess,” with a hurriedglance at her wrist watch, “that will be all!”
From the hats that found their way promptly from the millinerydepartment to the tiny cubicle wherein Billie sat in judgment theyselected one small, helmet-like chapeau that fitted Edina’s head snuglyand showed only one tantalizing lock of raven-black hair.
“Looks like I was scalped,” was Edina’s comment. “But if you say it’sall right, that goes with me. Now,” with a nervous glance about her atthe extravagant numbers of her purchases, “what would you say I’d bestwear back to Three Towers Hall?”
“The beige frock, the one you tried on first,” said Billie, withoutthe slightest hesitation. “Then that adorable brown coat with the foxcollar and cuffs and the beige hat. Downstairs we’ll get you shoes andhose and gloves to complete the outfit. Good gracious!” Billie glancedat her wrist watch again and jumped to her feet with a look of alarm.“It’s past the time I promised to meet Miss Arbuckle and the girls. Youstay here, Edina, and climb into that outfit. I’ll be back in less thantwo shakes!”