"How lucky that she left these things!" she cried. "Here are white
shoes, gloves, stockings, fans, everything!"
"I am all ready but a dress," said Elnora.
The Bird Woman began opening closets and pulling out drawers and boxes.
"I think I can make it this way," she said.
She snatched up a creamy lace yoke with long sleeves that recently had
been made for her and held it out. Elnora slipped into it, and the Bird
Woman began smoothing out wrinkles and sewing in pins. It fitted very
well with a little lapping in the back. Next, from among the Angel's
clothing she caught up a white silk waist with low neck and elbow
sleeves, and Elnora put it on. It was large enough, but distressingly
short in the waist, for the Angel had worn it at a party when she was
sixteen. The Bird Woman loosened the sleeves and pushed them to a puff
on the shoulders, catching them in places with pins. She began on the
wide draping of the yoke, fastening it front, back and at each shoulder.
She pulled down the waist and pinned it. Next came a soft white dress
skirt of her own. By pinning her waist band quite four inches above
Elnora's, the Bird Woman could secure a perfect Empire sweep, with the
clinging silk. Then she began with the wide white ribbon that was to
trim a new frock for herself, bound it three times around the high waist
effect she had managed, tied the ends in a knot and let them fall to the
floor in a beautiful sash.
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