Girl Alone

being Sally Ford, whose rightful place was with those staring, shy little girls in white lawn "Sunday" dresses, that she completely forgot for one mom

ble-a useless effort really, since she was by far the prettiest and most romantic figure in the tent, dressed

sed afternoon from the bleak corridors of the orphanage, catapulted by someone's generosity into fairyland. For to them the carnival was fairyland. These romance-

en two weeks ago, when she had "play-acted" for them as they scrubbed the floor of the dormitory. How awed and admiring they would be if, when their thin little bodies were pressed tight in her arms, she should whisper, "It's me-

p, holding each other's hands, giggling and whispering together as their awed eyes

-year-old Betsy had a summer cold and no handkerchief; her cheeks w

us, hunted eyes and big freckles on her putty-colored cheeks. Her snuff-colored hair had been clipped close to

y, each holding one of her little claw-hands, a

Face"-herself? Sally knew very well

dly the philanthropist was a man-it was nearly aways a politician courting favor who won it cheaply and impressively by "treating" the orphans to a day at the circus or carnival or to a movie. But if he were present, as the philanthropic politici

the child's parentage, came hurrying nervously into the tent. She had undoubtedly been detained at the ticket booth and

known they would. But with a few absent-minded pats she shooed them away and bustled anxiously to

er beautiful mouth. When Miss Pond joined her timidly, deferentially, the "lady," as Sally instinctively thought of her from the first moment that s

ou're beautiful! You are like a real princess, or a queen." But she did not say the words aloud. Behind the litt

queen rather than a princess, had taken her hat off, as if the heat oppressed her. It was a smart, trim little thing of silvery-green felt, that had

ght from the gas jet that burned day and night in the rather dark tent. Her skin, pale with the heat of the day, was creamy-white, lineless, smooth and rich, so that Sal

tion has not cheated of very human emotions. Sally wished that she could see the eyes more closely, for even while they were wide and laughing, sending out little sparkl

to her. But for all her adorable smallness she carried herself with a certain arrogance. Every movem

tle Eloise Durant, the child who had been the "new girl" of Sally's last day in the orphanage, catapulted herself from the huddling mass of children and impulsively seized her hand. The swift, cordial smile with which she greeted the child a

ther little girls-shy, bleating when the other little sheep bleated, obediently excited when they were excited, silent when they were silent-but underneath she was

lovely and arrogant lady. Betsy, the six-year-old, ran from the herd to tak

n see the giant when the crowd moves on. I want to see 'Princess Lalla' more'n anything. I want my fortune told. I want to

red, her eyes round with awe. "They say she di

with a gasp, her eyes popping as she took in the fantastic splendor of "Princess Lalla." "Listen, Princess Lalla," she mustered up courage to whisper coaxingly, "does it

pend your poor little nickel to find me! I'm here!" But she knotted her little brown hands more tightly a

ust pay 25 cents to learn past, pres-ent and future, but for y

en in astonishment. Then with a wild shout of joy she stumbled

play-acting! Oh, Sally, I'm so glad I found you

at frozen with terror. She felt that Betsy's keen eyes had stripped her of her brown make-up, of her fantastic clothes, o

her muscles. Betsy was still clinging to her, her babyish hands shaking the slender shoulders under the

e at the carnival? Listen, kiddie! I'm going to give you a rea

anding by. Dear Gus! But Gus was too wise to give the child in his

'Pitty Sing'-and show all the other kids how much bigger you are than a grown-up lady. Yessi

midget. She looked doubtfully from Sally, whose eyes beneath the black lace veil were lowered to her tightly locked hands, to the p

" she confided to the barker on whose shoulde

loped in the orphanage, trooped after Gus and Betsy, even more easily

nut! Sure that ain't Sally! That's a Turkish princess from Con-stan-ti-no

st little woman in the world. Just 29 inches tall, 29 years old and 29 pounds heavy. Did I say 'heavy'? Excuse me, Pitty Sing! I

t he recovered quickly, glanced about his audience, saw that Miss Pond was straying nervously to

latform. I believe Betsy is scared. Yessir, I believe she's scared half out of her skin!" He laughe

his audience completely hypnotized. He jollied shy little Betsy into taking the midget into her arms, like a baby or a big doll, and only Sall

ight. And somehow he had attracted the attention of a carnival employe, for before he had exhausted the possibilities of the midget as a diversion, Winfield B

ival and I want to tell you children that I'm proud to have you as my guests. I love children, always

on-" and he turned to Miss Pond with a courtly bow-"will do me the honor to accept these tickets, you'll all have a ride on the Ferri

en, with her arm pressed to his side, he escorted her with pompous courtesy to the d

aculously averted by Gus and Pop Bybee, she started to draw a deep, trembling sigh of relief, but it was choked in her throat

me Sally Ford. She's going to question me. I wonder who she is. Mayb

e. Since the performance was ended she had every right to leave the tent,

my eyes! What in the world are y

miring attention all afternoon, stride swiftly and gracefully across the tent toward the golden-haired woman. So he too had witnessed Betsy's hysterical identification

e and then of annoyance sweep over the beautiful little face. Odd that these two who had so strangely crossed her path in one

ur cousin, the governor. Court's here on business and I'm amusing myself taking the orphans to the carni

should be lost to her. She had expected the golden-haired lady's voice to be a sweet, tinkling soprano, to match her in size, but the voice which thrilled her with its perfection of modulation wa

green-satin shoulder. "Van" was holding one of "Enid's" hands in both of his,

who 'Court' is. Her husband? I hate rich women who play 'Lady Bountiful,'" she thought with fierce resentment. "But-

ing on her cot in the dress tent,

but I give her a grand song and dance about you being the same Princess Lalla who joined the show in New York in April. She wanted to talk to you, but I steered her off, told her yo

so he lost many a quarter. She smiled upon him gratefully, was pleased to the point of tears by his whispered: "Good kid! You've sure g

d fretfully, monotonously; women reproved them with high, heat-maddened voices; Jan, the giant, fainted while Gus was ballyhooing him, and it took six "white hopes" to carry him to his ten

ook lak a cyclone! Run for yo' live

t the performers in the Palace of Wonders tent had little

way, and the flap at the back of the tent through which performers passed in and out between shows. At each exit the

l, small body hurling itself futilely against men who had lo

stamped on every pallid face. Children screamed; women shrilled for help, called

, helpless Miss Tanner, who was paying her to carry her to and from the tent, who must ev

the tent; crazed men and women offered little resistance to any

of strong arms, swung high above the heads of the last of the crowd that was battling its way

"Enid" had called "Van." His face was laughing, gay, mocking, untouched by the shameful pallor of fear; exultant, rather, in the excitemen

he uproar of wind, rain, hail and the frightene

ty Sing!" she shouted, strugglin

"I was afraid some officious ass had cheated me of

ened collapse of the tent. A center-pole struck him a

to the horror, rain fell heavily upon the canvas that held them pinned helplessly to the earth; hail pelted her flesh bitingly even through the dubious protection of the ca

er the smothering caul of canvas. "Lie-still. I'll hold up-the canvas-so you-can breathe. S

ace, so that the hail no longer punished it. And she relaxed as much as possible, her head on

s raised, unless someone steps on us. And by this time your charming employer, the redoubtable Pop Bybee, has of course assembled his rou

ous? Aren't you frigh

so appreciative of this opportunity to be alone with you that I could hardly quibb

ned to-to everybody!" Sall

"Lucky David, wherever he is now, that your first thought should go