Esmeralda or Every little bit helps Author:Nina Wilcox Putnam Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II Foe a long second she held the center, of, as I may say, the limelight; and I do verily believe that during that period she was the least perturbed... more » person present. Let me say at once, her personal appearance was such that I give you my word I did not for several seconds even notice her outrageous costume. She was a tall girl, but so well- proportioned that this was not a disadvantage; and the very first thing one noticed was her hair. It was red, a peculiar coppery red, and lay about her face in smooth waves. It was one of those heads of hair which hairdressers often try to mimic with their art, yet seldom succeed. So far, so good. As to hair, she was as well groomed as any woman present. Below this a pair of level eyes looked quietly at the company. There was something disconcerting about those eyes, even from that distance. When I came near her I discovered that this was not due to their color, which was indescribable, or really to the eyes themselves, but to a little brown mole which grew at the outer corner of her left eyebrow and gave a curious quirk to her expression, as if she were ever so slightly amused all the time. It was a fearfully contagious suggestion. Her complexion was naturally white, but exposure to the weather had colored it a pale gold, which blended into the fine hairs on her forehead in a fascinating manner. Beautiful? Well, dear Mrs. DeWynt never thought so; but for once we were not altogether of the same mind. No one could deny that it was a striking face, at any rate. But her gown! I shudder to remember it! Could such an atrocity indeed be fitly so described! For here, into the midst of a company of women who knew how and did accordingly, was introduced that which I can only feebly catalogue as an eccentric sports costume. It was im...« less