For a moment, Kitty could only stare in awe. She had not worn a dress since she was eight years old and certainly never one so fancy. She turned slowly, loving the way the big red sash trailed down the back of the skirt. It matched the ribbon of the bonnet which was tied in a saucy bow beneath her chin. “Well?” Opal prodded anxiously. “What do you think of yourself as a girl…a woman?” Kitty found the curls Opal had fashioned with a hot rolling iron a bit strange. “Well, it’s a different feeling. That’s for sure.” Opal gave one of the sleeves another tug to fluff it. “You’re beautiful, and you know it. Now, let’s be on our way. Around noon is the only safe time to be on the streets, and then it’s no guarantee bullets won’t start flying.” As they walked along, Opal pretended to grumble, “I don’t know why I’m even bothering to move you into the Oriental with me.
