Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

“ Molly told her husband after she had seen the little girl go out of sight between Lily's curls and ruffles and ribbons and Amelia's smooth skirts.
“She doesn't look like a happy child,” agreed the rector. “Poor little thing! Her aunt Eudora must have been a queer woman to train a child.”
“She is certainly trained,” said Molly, ruefully; “too much so. Content acts as if she were afraid to move or speak or even breathe unless somebody signals permission. I pity her.”
She was in the storeroom, in the midst of Content's baggage. The rector sat on an old chair, smoking. ”

“ Content, little lonely girl among strangers in a strange place, mutely beseeching love and pity, from her whole attitude toward life and the world, looked up at Edward Westminster and Molly, and the rector realized that his determination was giving way. He began to believe in imagination, even to the extent of a sister Solly. ”

“ Edward, has Content ever had a sister? Has she a sister now?”
“No, she never had a sister, and she has none now,” declared the rector, emphatically. “I knew all her family. What in the world ails the child?”
“She said her big sister Solly, Edward, and the very name is so inane. If she hasn't any big sister Solly, what are we going to do?”
“Why, the child must simply lie,” said the rector.
“But, Edward, I don't think she knows she lies. You may laugh, but I think she is quite sure that she has a big sister Solly, and that this is her dress. ”

“ Would it not be better to wait until to-morrow?”
“I think not,” said Edward Westminster. Usually an easy-going man, when he was aroused he was determined to extremes. Into Content's room he marched, Molly following. Neither of them saw their small son Jim peeking around his door. He had heard — he could not help it — the conversation earlier in the day between Content and his mother. ”

“ Making believe is just a real mean way of lying. Now I made Content promise last night never to say one word in school about her big sister Solly, and I am going to tell you this, so you can tell Lily and the others and not lie. ”

“ This time she did not smile, a tear trickled out of her right eye and ran over the pale cheek.
“Because you know,” said Jim, observant of the tear, but ruthless, “that you haven't any big sister Solly, and never did have. You are getting us all in an awful mess over it, and father is rector here, and mother is his wife, and I am his son, and you are his niece, and it is downright mean. Why do you tell such whoppers? Out with it!”
Content was trembling violently. “I lived with Aunt Eudora,” she whispered.
“Well, what of that? Other folks have lived with their aunts and not told whoppers.” ”

“ Well, Edward Westminster, just wait. You are a man, and of course you cannot understand how very strange it is about the dress.”
The rector looked inquiringly.
“I want to know,” said Molly, “if Content's Aunt Eudora had any young relative besides Content. I mean had she a grown-up young girl relative who would wear a dress like this?”
“I don't know of anybody. There might have been some relative of Eudora's first husband. No, he was an only child. I don't think it possible that Eudora had any young girl relative.” ”

“ It was the first warm day of the season.
“Mother,” cried Jim Westminster — “mother, they are coming!”
“Who, for goodness' sake, Jim?”
“Why, Arnold's aunt Flora and his aunt Dorothy and little Lucy's aunt Martha. They are coming to call.”
Involuntarily Molly's hand went up to smooth her pretty hair. “Well, what of it, Jim?” said she.
“Mother, they will ask for — big sister Solly!”
Molly Westminster turned pale. “How do you know?”
“Mother, Content has been talking at school. A lot know. ”

“ Poor Molly worked all that day and several days afterward. The rector deserted her, and she relied upon her own good sense in the disposition of little Content's legacy. When all was over she told her husband.
“Well, Edward,” said she, “there is exactly one trunk half full of things which the child may live to use, but it is highly improbable. We have had six bonfires, and I have given away three suits of old clothes to Thomas's father. The clothes were very large.”
“Must have belonged to Eudora's first husband. He was a stout man,” said Edward. ”

“ They have a theory that she is either an idiot or dreadfully disfigured. I had to tell them I know nothing about it.”
“There isn't any girl,” said the rector, wearily. “Molly, do explain.”
Dr. Trumbull listened. “I have known such cases,” he said when Molly had finished.
“What did you do for them?” Molly asked, anxiously.
“Nothing. Such cases have to be cured by time. Children get over these fancies when they grow up.”
“Do you mean to say that we have to put up with big sister Solly until Content is grown up?” asked Molly, in a desperate tone. And then Jim came in. Content had run up-stairs. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1930, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 93 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”