A ring of the
same valuable material was conspicuous on one small finger. She was
very ragged and careless-looking, but had an intelligent sparkle in
her quick glance that diverted one's attention from her appearance.
"What is your name?" asked Cousin Bessie, admitting her into the hall.
"Snip, ma'am," she answered, sweeping a glance from the ceiling to the
floor.
"Snip!" we both exclaimed.
"Well, that's what the Grimes and the Dwyers and all them calls me,
anyhow," she argued, with a perfectly placid countenance.
"What does your father call you?" cousin Bessie asked.
"Sometimes he says 'little 'un,' and more times it's 'girly.' I ain't
particular about names, ma'am, suit yourself," she said, without a
change of expression, which was one of stolid earnestness.
"Well, then, we'll call you 'Girly' for the time being," cousin Bessie
interposed, smiling and directing a glance of sly amusement at me.
"I hope you will be a very good little girl while you are in my house
and we shall all be very good to you," Cousin Bessie began in a
premonitory tone. "You must give up your old friends now and listen to
us instead and--" here she paused, as if the next sacrifice had to be
delicately proposed. "I don't like to see those ear-rings nor that
ring with you, they are not becoming to a poor little girl."
Up went the two small hands to the ear-rings, which were hurriedly
dragged out, she pulled the tight brass ring from her finger,
revealing a dark blue circle where it had lain, and gathering them
together in her little palm she looked us straight in the face and
said with great earnestness
"D'ye suppose I care a continental for finery?" Then curling her red
lips as if she had discovered that we so misjudged her, she shook her
bushy head sideways with an emphatic gesture and said with a fiery
indignation, which amused us intensely
"Not I! I hate it! I wore it for spite.
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