Pushing her shabby handmade cart along the road Stella pulled open the cover to look at her merchandise as she always did, looking at each gown and shirt and bonnet, imagining the look of the person who bought it, imagining who would look the best in it as she examined potential customers in their rushed daily business scampering on the street.
"Good morning, Madame!" Stella cried to one of her regular customers. "Have I got the dress for you! You'd look so lovely- and something for little Sarah too, free of charge!" She was one of the few people who Stella could talk to with such a friendly attitude. Happiness floated on her fingers as she inched for the right dress, pulling out a yellow one in Mme. Bolle's favorite style. She looked then at Sarah, a shy girl six years of age who stood like a shadow behind her mother and looking just the same.
"Have you a dress for me?" asked Sarah, who didn't much care what she wore. She preferred playing to dressing up any day.
"No," Stella said, straight faced and pulled out a doll that looked just like Sarah. Stella beamed as she saw the girl's awed expression. "I tried to make her as pretty as you but you're so pretty that I just couldn't." Sarah was too engrossed in looking at every precious detail of the rare treat, her new and only doll.
"Oh, Mama, can I go show it to Adelaide?" Mme. Bolle nodded, and smiled at Stella, accidentally leaving her just a few pennies' worth too much.