How happy Mary was!  She danced for joy.

Mother put on the lace, and grandmother worked the buttonholes.  How many do you suppose she worked?  Why, she worked twelve!

When the dress was finished, it was just like Sue’s.  Only it was a great deal finer, for Mary’s dress had three ruffles and Sue’s had only two!  And, then, there was the lace from England!

THE PLAID DRESS

“I want a warm plaid dress,” said a little girl.  “The days are colder, and the frost will soon be here.  But how can I get it?  Mother says that she cannot buy one for me.”

The old white sheep in the meadow heard her, and he bleated to the shepherd, “The little girl wants a warm plaid dress.  I will give my wool.  Who else will help?”

The kind shepherd said, “I will.”  Then he led the old white sheep to the brook and washed its wool.  When it was clean and white, he said, “The little girl wants a warm plaid dress.  The sheep has given his wool, and I have washed it clean and white.  Who else will help?”

“We will,” said the shearers.  “We will bring our shears and cut off the wool.”

The shearers cut the soft wool from the old sheep, and then they called, “The little girl wants a new dress.  The sheep has given his wool.  The shepherd has washed it; and we have sheared it.  Who else will help?”

[Illustration:  Shearer shearing the sheep]

“We will,” cried the carders.  “We will comb it out straight and smooth.”

Soon they held up the wool, carded straight and smooth, and they cried, “The little girl wants a new dress.  The sheep has given his wool.  The shepherd has washed the wool.  The shearers have cut it, and we have carded it.  Who else will help?”

“We will,” said the spinners.  “We will spin it into thread.”

“Whirr, whirr!” How fast the spinning wheels turned, singing all the time.

Soon the spinners said, “The little girl wants a new dress.  The sheep has given his wool.  The shepherd has washed the wool.  The shearers have cut it.  The carders have carded it, and we have spun it into thread.  Who else will help?”

“We will,” said the dyers.  “We will dye it with beautiful colors.”

Then they dipped the woven threads into bright dye, red and blue and green and brown.

As they spread the wool out to dry, the dyers called:  “The little girl wants a new dress.  The sheep has given his wool.  The shepherd has washed the wool.  The shearers have cut it.  The carders have carded it.  The spinners have spun it, and we have dyed it with bright beautiful colors.  Who else will help?”

“We will,” said the weavers.  “We will make it into cloth.”

[Illustration:  Weaver at loom]

“Clickety-clack! clickety-clack!” went the loom, as the colored thread was woven over and under over and under.  Before long it was made into beautiful plaid cloth.