Magic Elizabeth (15 page)

Sally sat up very straight. Her heart was pounding as she stared at Shadow.

“What is it, Sally?” asked Aunt Sarah.

But Sally didn’t answer. She jumped to her feet and ran over to Shadow. “Shadow!” she cried. “What are you doing?” Shadow looked up at her, then went on poking with his paw. She could hear him growling low in his throat. “He’s trying to get something out of there,” she said. She knelt beside him, pushed him gently aside, and reached into the dark space.

Her hands closed over something soft, something that made her fingertips tingle. She drew it out and held it up.

“Elizabeth!” she cried.

For it was indeed the little doll herself, muff, ruffled dress, and all. Dusty, rumpled, and rather dirty, but without any doubt whatsoever it was dear, dear old golden-haired, sweet-smiling Elizabeth! Tears were running down Sally’s cheeks onto Elizabeth’s head as she hugged her and then hugged her again.

“What is it, Sally? What’s wrong?” cried her
aunt. And she moved so suddenly that she knocked against the mirror in passing, and it fell and broke with a crash that reverberated through the attic.

But her aunt ignored the mirror and hurried over to her. “Whatever is it, Sally?” she asked.

Sally, laughing and crying all at once, wordlessly held the doll up to her.

Aunt Sarah uttered a strange little cry of joy. She sat down on the floor. Tears ran down her wrinkled cheeks.

“It
is
Elizabeth! Sal!” she cried. “You’ve solved the mystery! How did you do it?”

“Shadow was trying to get her out all the time,” said Sally. “He knew! He knew where Elizabeth was! He got the bonnet out, and there
was
a piece of her hair in his paw!” She stroked his fur. “Oh, Shadow, you’re wonderful!”

Shadow blinked and purred his happiness, and Sally told her aunt about the dream and how she had figured out what had happened.

“Sal, this is just amazing!” said her aunt. She was holding Elizabeth out and smiling at her, just as if she knew her. “Well, old Elizabeth,” she was saying, “we’ll have to wash your dress and iron it, and then we’ll brush your hair, and you’ll be just like your old self. And of course,” she added, handing the doll back to Sally, “she’s yours.”

“She
is
?” whispered Sally, looking down in wonder
at Elizabeth cradled in her arms. Elizabeth seemed to be smiling up at her. “She’s mine?”

“Of course,” said her aunt. “I know that the other Sally would want you to have her.”

“Do you think so?” asked Sally.

“I know so.”

“If only she could know,” said Sally, glancing over at the broken mirror.

“I think she does,” said Aunt Sarah.

“You do?”

Her aunt nodded.

Yes, thought Sally. Maybe she did. Somehow. “I think Elizabeth really is a little magic,” she said.

“So do I,” said her aunt. “Come, let’s all go down now.”

“But the mirror,” said Sally.

“Never mind,” said her aunt. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll clean it up later. We’ll take care of Elizabeth first. She’s been waiting a long, long time.”

“The bonnet!” said Sally. She took it from her pocket and placed it on Elizabeth’s head. Then they went off down the stairs together.

“May I show her to Emily?” Sally asked.

“Run along,” said her aunt, smiling.

“Sally, you’re better!” cried Emily, when she had come to the window in response to Sally’s excited call.

Sally nodded. For a moment she could not speak.

“What are you holding behind your back, Sally?”

Sally brought the doll out and held her up.

“Elizabeth!” shrieked Emily, very nearly falling out the window. “You found her! How? Where?”

“Tom hid her in the attic,” said Sally, “in the space under the roof. Shadow and I found her!”

Emily’s mother, carrying little Richard in her arms, came hurrying to the window to see what was going on.

“What a lovely doll,” she said, smiling down at Sally.

“Dow, Dow!” crowed Richard, waving his pink fists.

“And just think, Emily,” said Sally, “you helped me to find her.”

“I
did
?” gasped Emily.

“Yes, that time in the sleigh, when you said that maybe the cats knew what happened. It started me thinking. And then
you
found the bonnet!”

Emily was beaming with pride.

Of course she came along to help wash and iron Elizabeth’s clothes. When they were done, they took Elizabeth up to the bedroom and compared her with the picture. “She looks just the same.”

“Maybe even better,” said Emily.

“Do you think the other Sally knows?” asked Sally.

Emily looked solemnly up at the picture. “Yes,” she said gravely. “Oh, Sally,” she whispered, “this is the most exciting thing that ever happened to me!

“Me too,” said Sally.

That night Sally dreamed that she saw the other Sally. Sally held Elizabeth up and said, “I found her,” and the other Sally smiled and waved. “I’m happy now,” said the other Sally, and vanished.

S
ally woke
with Elizabeth beside her on her pillow. “And I’m happy too,” she said to the little doll. “And I really think the other Sally does know now.” It seemed to her that Elizabeth was smiling just a little more than usual.

Her mother and father came to get her that day not long after breakfast. Sally ran down the front path to the little iron gate, Elizabeth in her arms, and threw herself into her mother’s waiting arms, and then into her father’s. They were all laughing and talking at once as they came up the path together. No one heard what anyone else was saying, though perhaps Sally’s mother understood what had happened, because Sally kept waving Elizabeth excitedly beneath her nose. At least she understood it all later, when they had calmed down a little.

Aunt Sarah was waiting in the doorway with Shadow as they came up onto the porch. Sally’s mother ran to her and kissed her.

“Aunt Sal!” she cried, hugging her. “Oh, Aunt Sal!”

Sally stopped in astonishment and stared at them. “What did you say?”

Her mother turned and smiled at her. “I said, ‘Aunt Sal.’ I haven’t seen Aunt Sal in years and years, and I’m so glad to see her!”

“What’s the matter, Sally?” asked her father.

For Sally was staring at her aunt. Aunt Sarah’s eyes were twinkling, and her lips were twitching a little, as if a smile was trying to get out.

“But you’re Aunt
Sarah!
” she said.

Her aunt nodded. “But my nickname was always Sal.”

Sally stared some more. Then she said slowly, “You’re — you’re the other Sally! And Elizabeth was yours! You knew about her, and about Mrs. Niminy Piminy —”

Her aunt nodded. She was
really
smiling now.

“Oh, Aunt Sarah!” cried Sally, and she rushed into her aunt’s arms, Elizabeth and all. “I love you,” she said, kissing her aunt’s cheek.

“And I love you, Sal,” said her aunt.

“And I’d love to get inside,” said her father, “if you two Sallys will let me by.”

They all went into the parlor and talked and talked. The melodeon, of course, joined in from time to time.

“And so,” said her father at last, “you’ll be selling the old house and going back to California, will you? It looks to me as if Sally here is going to miss you.”

Aunt Sarah smiled and shook her head. “I’ve changed my mind.”

They all looked at her.

“You see,” she explained, looking down at her hands in her lap, “I really felt just terrible about selling this old place and having them tear it down, but there seemed to be no reason not to. But now there are lots of reasons,” she said, looking fondly over at Sally. “I love this old house. I’m an old lady, and it’s full of my memories. I’ll come here every summer and go to California for the winter, if I feel like it. I’d like to have the garden fixed up, put all these shells along the paths again, and have the house painted. Yes, I’m staying. That is, if Sally and Elizabeth will come to visit me from time to time.”

“Oh, Aunt Sarah,” whispered Sally, and her eyes were shining with what might have been tears, “I’m so glad! I can’t wait to tell Emily!”

“And will you come?” asked her aunt.

“Oh, yes!” cried Sally. “Yes, we will!”

And they did.

Magic
Elizabeth

by
norma kassirer

Illustrated by Joe Krush

SCHOLASTIC BOOK SERVICES

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 Copyright © 1966 by Norma Kassirer. This edition is published by Scholastic

Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines, Inc., by arrangement with

The Viking Press, Inc.

2nd printing … … … … … … … … … … … . October 1967

Printed in the U.S.A.