green fire as the muscles near her lips twitched. "None
of your business!"
"Miss Towers!" whiplashed Miss Dewhurst.
"Answer Miss Dollanganger's question!"
"It's my purse," said Sissy Towers, glaring at me
defiantly.
"It's a very lumpy purse," I said, and suddenly I
lunged forward and seized Sissy Towers about the
knees. With my free hand, as she struggled and
howled, I pulled from her pocket a blue scarf. From
that scarf tumbled Mr. and Mrs. Parkins and baby
Clara. I held the three porcelain dolls in my hand and
demanded, "What are you doing with my sister's
dolls?"
"They're my dolls!" said the girl, her gimlet
eyes narrowing to slits. The girls gathered around
began to snicker and made whispering remarks to one
another.
"Your dolls? These dolls belong to my sister." "You lie!" she fired back. "You are stealing
from me and my father can have you thrown in jail!" "Miss Dewhurst," ordered the small demon, her
hand reaching for the dolls, "you make this person
leave me alone! I don't like her, no more than her
dwarf sister!"
I got to my feet and towered threateningly
above her. Protectively I put the dolls behind my back.
She'd have to kill me to get to them!
"Miss Dewhurst!" shrieked the imp as she
attacked me. "My mommy and daddy gave me those
dolls for my Christmas!"
"You lying little devil!" I said, itching to slap