"I am as good as Lucy, am I not? If she is worth
twelve cents, I am. And if she is American lady enough to use a
tooth-brush, I am."
Lucy is not a usual name on the East Side. It was, in fact, the
principal of the school who had recommended it, at Dora's
solicitation. The little girl had hitherto been called Lizzie, the
commonplace East Side version of Leah, her Hebrew name. Dora
never liked it. It did not sound American enough, for there were
Lizzies or Lizas in Europe, too. Any "greenhorn" might bear such
a name. So she called on Lizzie's principal and asked her to
suggest some "nicer name" for her daughter
"I want a real American one," she said
The principal submitted half a dozen names beginning with "L,"
and the result was that Lizzie became Lucy
Dora went over every spelling lesson with the child. It was so
sweet to be helpful to her in this way. Lucy, on her part, had to
reciprocate by hearing her mother spell the same words, and often
they would have a spelling-match.
All of which, as I could see, had invested Lucy with the fascination
of a spiritual companion
The child had not been at school many weeks when she began to
show signs of estrangement from her mother-tongue.
Pages:
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393