Martha Young

“ Bessie Bell might have remembered one time when a great house was all desolate, and when nobody or nothing at all breathed in the whole great big house, but one little tiny girl and one great big white cat, with just one black spot on its tail. ”

“ In all of her life Bessie Bell had never heard anything like that.
And all the other little girls who were playing joined in and said: "Bessie Bell doesn't know what she is talking about. Of course you are sisters. Everybody knows you are sisters!" ”

“ When she would give one just a little pinch to see if that one was a real sure-enough little girl, why that little girl would say, "Don't." She would say "Don't!" just the same as a little girl in the row of little girls all with blue checked aprons would say "Don't," if you pinched one of them ever so little.
There were no Sisters on that high mountain. Sister Helen Vincula was the only Sister there. That seemed very strange to Bessie Bell.
One day the strangest thing of all so far happened. ”

“ Then the lady might have said: Yes, there were apple-trees like that in the world, for all the nursery walls were papered like that, with a row of big round red apples at the top.
But Bessie Bell did not think of or remember that then; she just leaned up against the lady and swung one of her little feet up and down, back and forth, as she sat on the stone bench: she was so happy to have met the Wisest Woman in the world. ”

“ These little girls in all sorts of clothes were real, and sure-enough, and nobody could ever say of them, "There are no such little girls in the world," because sometimes when Bessie Bell would get to thinking, and thinking about the strangeness of them, she would almost wonder if she did not just remember them. ”

“ The little brown birds seemed to know, too, that they could come back to the gravel to look for crumbs again.
Then, as the little girls were again eating their cakes, one little girl said: "Sister Angela, were they Sisters?"
Sister Angela said: "No, they are not Sisters."
Then another little girl asked: "Sister Angela, what were they, then?"
Sister Angela said: "They are only just ladies."
Then always after that Bessie Bell and the other little girls were glad when Only-Just-Ladies came to see them. ”

“ Sister Angela said: "Bessie Bell was written on her little white night-gown, done in linen thread."
And Sister Angela said: "Yes, we have always kept the little white night-gown."
And one of the pretty grown-up people said: "Yes, that was right. Always to keep the little white night-gown." ”

“ But though there was a difference, a very great difference, between Mamas and Ladies it was very hard to tell—unless you asked.
One day a large fat lady took Bessie Bell on her lap. That was very strange to Bessie Bell—to sit on top of anybody.
And the lady made a rabbit, and a pony, and a preacher, all out of a handkerchief and her nice fat fingers. And then she made with the same handkerchief and fingers a Mama holding a Baby.
Then Bessie Bell looked up at her with her wondering eyes and asked: "Are you a Lady—"
"Bless my soul!" cried the lady. "Do you hear this child? ”

“ They put a big soft white blanket around the little girl and walked out of the big house with her, someone carrying her in strong arms.
And the big white cat got down off the big white bed and rubbed himself against the bedpost, and went round and round the bed-post, and rubbed himself round and round the bed-post. ”