Writing to Bess and other girl friends in her old home
town and penning long letters on thin paper to Momsey and Papa
Sherwood in Scotland, did not fill all of these hours when Nan
shut herself into that east room.
Sometimes she pulled down the paper shades and opened the clothes
closet door, bringing out the long box she had hidden away there
on the first day she had come to Pine Camp. In that box, wrapped
in soft tissue paper, and dressed in the loveliest gown made by
Momsey's own skillful fingers, was the great doll that had been
given to Nan on her tenth birthday.
When girls went to high school, of course they were supposed to
put away dolls, together with other childish things. But Nan
Sherwood never could neglect her doll-babies and had often spent
whole rainy days playing with them in secret in the attic of the
little house on Amity Street.
Her other dolls had been left, carefully wrapped and shielded
from the mice, at Tillbury; but Nan had been unable to leave
Beautiful Beulah behind. She packed her in the bottom of her
trunk, unknown even to Momsey in the hurry of departure. She had
not told a soul here at Pine Camp that she possessed a doll; she
knew the boys would make fun of her for sure.
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