reflected in the mirror, was the floor of the Mirror Palace, then Tib’s reflected feet ought to be where her head was.
“You ought to be standing on your head,” said Betsy.
“That’s easy,” said Tib.
For Tib was a dancer. It wasn’t a bit of trouble for Tib to stand on her head. She took off her spoonholder crown and put Matilda’s mirror carefully on the seat of the throne. She jumped to the arms of the chair and went upside down, her head upon the mirror, her legs stretching straight and true into the air.
Betsy and Tacy and Freddie, looking down into the mirror, had a fleeting dazzling vision … Queen Dolly with her dainty feet pointing toward the floor. But the vision was fleeting, indeed!
The kitchen door swung open and Matilda, her arms full of freshly ironed linen, entered the dining room.
“Gott im Himmel!”
cried Matilda, and tablecloths and napkins fell in a snowy shower.
Tib came rightside up in a hurry. She came in such a hurry that she tumbled to the floor. The coffee urn crashed, and so did the teapot … they were silver, so they didn’t break. Oranges rolled in all directions.
But Matilda was looking at the mirror.
“Whose mirror is that?” she demanded.
“It’s yours, Matilda,” said Tib. “I borrowed it for this game we were playing.”
“We were going to put everything back, Matilda,” Betsy said.
Tacy was already picking up the linen and Freddie was pursuing oranges.
Matilda examined the mirror.
“It isn’t broken. No thanks to you,” she said.
“We’re glad it isn’t broken, Matilda,” Betsy said. And she and Tacy folded the linen so neatly, you would not have known it had fallen, hardly. Freddie had found all the oranges, so now he was picking up silver. Tib put the feather boa and the paisley shawl away.
Matilda stalked back to the kitchen.
Working silently and swiftly, Betsy and Tacy and Tib and Freddie put the dining room to rights. It looked so tidy when they had finished that no onewould dream it had ever been mussed up. Then they went to the window seat and sat down softly.
“I wonder if we’ll get the apple cake,” asked Freddie in a whisper.
“Probably not,” said Tib.
“Never mind,” said Betsy. “I’ll tell you a story about Aunt Dolly and how she happens to live in a mirror.”
So she told them the story while twilight spread purple gauze over the drifts outside.
But before she had finished Matilda brought them the apple cake. They could hardly believe their eyes when she stalked in with the tray.
“Thank you, Matilda,” said Tib. “I’m glad your mirror wasn’t broken.”
“So’m I,” Tacy murmured.
“The dining room looks all right now,” Betsy added. “Doesn’t it, Matilda?”
Matilda looked at the tidy dining room. She swept it with a stony glance.
“I hear,” she said meaningly, “that Mrs. Ray’s kitchen looked nice
too
after you kept house for
her
one day.”
And she stalked back into the kitchen.
7
Red Hair, Yellow Hair, And Brown
T HAT SPRING Tacy had diphtheria.
Betsy and Tacy and Tib had always thought that spring was the nicest part of the year; but it wasn’t much fun that year; it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
The snow melted up on the Big Hill and came rushing down the slopes in foaming torrents. And Betsy and Tib made boats and sent them bobbingdown the stream to the Atlantic and the Pacific. They did it every year; it was one of their favorite things to do; but it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
May Day came, and of course they made baskets. They made them out of tissue paper in all the colors of the rainbow; beautiful baskets with fringed paper trimming and braided paper handles. And they filled the baskets with spring flowers from the chilly snow-patched hills, and hung them on people’s door knobs; and rang the bells and ran away. But it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
The trees on the hill turned slowly green and the wild plum was dazzlingly white and fragrant, and gardens were
“You ought to be standing on your head,” said Betsy.
“That’s easy,” said Tib.
For Tib was a dancer. It wasn’t a bit of trouble for Tib to stand on her head. She took off her spoonholder crown and put Matilda’s mirror carefully on the seat of the throne. She jumped to the arms of the chair and went upside down, her head upon the mirror, her legs stretching straight and true into the air.
Betsy and Tacy and Freddie, looking down into the mirror, had a fleeting dazzling vision … Queen Dolly with her dainty feet pointing toward the floor. But the vision was fleeting, indeed!
The kitchen door swung open and Matilda, her arms full of freshly ironed linen, entered the dining room.
“Gott im Himmel!”
cried Matilda, and tablecloths and napkins fell in a snowy shower.
Tib came rightside up in a hurry. She came in such a hurry that she tumbled to the floor. The coffee urn crashed, and so did the teapot … they were silver, so they didn’t break. Oranges rolled in all directions.
But Matilda was looking at the mirror.
“Whose mirror is that?” she demanded.
“It’s yours, Matilda,” said Tib. “I borrowed it for this game we were playing.”
“We were going to put everything back, Matilda,” Betsy said.
Tacy was already picking up the linen and Freddie was pursuing oranges.
Matilda examined the mirror.
“It isn’t broken. No thanks to you,” she said.
“We’re glad it isn’t broken, Matilda,” Betsy said. And she and Tacy folded the linen so neatly, you would not have known it had fallen, hardly. Freddie had found all the oranges, so now he was picking up silver. Tib put the feather boa and the paisley shawl away.
Matilda stalked back to the kitchen.
Working silently and swiftly, Betsy and Tacy and Tib and Freddie put the dining room to rights. It looked so tidy when they had finished that no onewould dream it had ever been mussed up. Then they went to the window seat and sat down softly.
“I wonder if we’ll get the apple cake,” asked Freddie in a whisper.
“Probably not,” said Tib.
“Never mind,” said Betsy. “I’ll tell you a story about Aunt Dolly and how she happens to live in a mirror.”
So she told them the story while twilight spread purple gauze over the drifts outside.
But before she had finished Matilda brought them the apple cake. They could hardly believe their eyes when she stalked in with the tray.
“Thank you, Matilda,” said Tib. “I’m glad your mirror wasn’t broken.”
“So’m I,” Tacy murmured.
“The dining room looks all right now,” Betsy added. “Doesn’t it, Matilda?”
Matilda looked at the tidy dining room. She swept it with a stony glance.
“I hear,” she said meaningly, “that Mrs. Ray’s kitchen looked nice
too
after you kept house for
her
one day.”
And she stalked back into the kitchen.
7
Red Hair, Yellow Hair, And Brown
T HAT SPRING Tacy had diphtheria.
Betsy and Tacy and Tib had always thought that spring was the nicest part of the year; but it wasn’t much fun that year; it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
The snow melted up on the Big Hill and came rushing down the slopes in foaming torrents. And Betsy and Tib made boats and sent them bobbingdown the stream to the Atlantic and the Pacific. They did it every year; it was one of their favorite things to do; but it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
May Day came, and of course they made baskets. They made them out of tissue paper in all the colors of the rainbow; beautiful baskets with fringed paper trimming and braided paper handles. And they filled the baskets with spring flowers from the chilly snow-patched hills, and hung them on people’s door knobs; and rang the bells and ran away. But it wasn’t much fun without Tacy.
The trees on the hill turned slowly green and the wild plum was dazzlingly white and fragrant, and gardens were
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