A Hero at Heart

Chapter 3

Every morning, Emiline was pleased to meet Susan on the road to school. They would walk, giggling all the way to the schoolhouse, talking about Susan's wonderful things.

"You wear a new dress every day, Susan," Emiline said, studying her friend's lovely gown.

"Of course I do," Susan answered. "I wouldn't be seen in the same dress two days in a row!"

Emma glanced down at her own dress. It was nothing fancy; just a simple, cream-colored thing with a white pinafore over the top. She had worn it more than twice that week, maybe three times. A feeling of embarrassment washed over her, but there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't have many dresses at home, and Mother only got around to washing clothes once a week.

Suddenly, Susan's face brightened. "Emma," she began cheerfully, "maybe tomorrow, you can come to my house!"

Emma's eyes twinkled. "Really, Susan?" she gasped.

Susan's golden curls bounced up and down as she nodded her head. "Then I could show you all of my dresses!" the girl added.

Emiline's heart glowed with joy. It would be so much fun to go to a rich girl's house and see all of her beautiful things. "I'd love to see them!" she exclaimed. "But I'll have to ask Mother if I can go first."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll let you come!" Susan replied encouragingly. "My mother always lets me go places when I want to. There shouldn't be a problem."

Emiline smiled. All day long, she dreamed about the fun she and Susan would have together.

The school hours seemed painfully long. As her arithmetic dragged on and on, Emma began to lose focus. Her eyes began to wander over to the desks beside her own. Little Dotty always sat in the desk next to hers. She looked funny and awkward as she squirmed around in her chair squinting her eyes in hard concentration. Emiline resisted the temptation to laugh. All that hard work, she chuckled inside, and she still does a horrible job!

Emiline's eyes glided down from Dorothy's tablet to the ugly, brown frock the little girl was wearing. Dotty wasn't a very pretty child. She had frazzled, red hair and large, blue eyes. But the thing about Dorothy that really made people uncomfortable was the fact that she only had one, homely dress. It was dirty, tattered, and threadbare; and when Emma looked at it, she couldn't help but cringe in disgust. Dotty was never clean and nice looking. She always came to school looking unkempt.

I think it's terribly unfair of Dotty's mother not to make her some new clothes, Emma thought, shaking her head. We all have to look at her every day in that hideous, brown dress.

Suddenly, Dorothy turned and met Emiline's gaze. The little girl smiled and blushed humbly, as if it was an honor to be looked at by Emma. Emiline started and gave a cheerless smile back. Then she picked up her chalk again and tried very hard to study.

When lunchtime finally freed the children from their lessons, they all ran outside to play in the sunshine. Emma took her lunch pail to the shade of a lonesome tree and lay down in the tall grass.

If I had pretty dresses like Susan's, she imagined, then people would treat me like a lady. They wouldn't be mean or snobby to me, because I would look important and rich.

Emma slipped on her white gloves and took her umbrella in hand. She opened the door of her spacious seaside house and breathed the salty air.

"Good day, miss!" a man greeted respectfully, tipping his hat with a smile.

"Good day, sir," she replied. Her smile was full of grace and charm.