6.The Hundred Dresses 2

The Hundred Dresses Part 2

By El Bosr Ester

Introduction

This chapter as the name suggests is the continuation of the story of the previous chapter.

In this part both the girls Peggy and Maddie introspect and regret upon their misdeeds and mistreatment against Wanda. They make attempts to make amends with Wanda but latter has moved to another city. However , at last they  got relieved when they got to know through a letter that Wanda has no animosity with them.  She actually liked them and two of sketches of dresses has been made for them.

Summary

The story continues with room no. 13 where all the children of room no 13 were admiring the drawings made by Wanda. In midst Miss Mason reads the letter received on the very day from Wanda’s father.

The letter reads that none of his children would attend the school as they have moved to another city where people are not judged by their names. Mason was very regretful to know about the mistreatment done towards Wanda. She conveyed her disappointment regarding the issue.  That episode had a very positive Impact over Maddie that she was inclined to apologize for her bad behavior and make amends with Wanda .  So both Peggy and Maddie went to Boggins Heights but they found that family had already moved on to another city. Since than Maddie kept awake repenting for her cowardice that she couldn’t stand against Peggy for  her mistreatment toward Wanda and used to support the former.

Both the girls   wrote a letter to Wanda asking how did she feels in the new place rather than asking to apologize.  After many days waiting for the reply from Wanda finally they got informed through Miss Mason about Wanda’s  message that she missed every one and wanted to gift the dresses she had in her closet. Both the girls realized that Wanda had drawn their faces along with the dresses which proved that latter actually liked them and dedicated two of the sketches to both of them.

Explanation

WHILE the class was circling the room, the monitor from the principal’s office brought Miss Mason a note. Miss Mason read it several times and studied it thoughtfully for a while. Then she clapped her hands. “Attention, class. Everyone back to their seat.” When the shuffling of feet had stopped and the room was still and quiet, Miss Mason said, “I have a letter from Wanda’s father that I want to read to you.” Miss Mason stood there a moment and the silence in the room grew tense and expectant. The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately. Her manner indicated that what was coming — this letter from Wanda’s father — was a matter of great importance. Everybody listened closely as Miss Mason read the brief note.

While everyone was  admiring the sketches made by Wanda,  Miss Mason received a letter from the principal’s office. After reading it Mr. Mason grew very concerned. She asked everyone to be on their seats.  Suddenly the atmosphere became tense. She carefully adjusted her glasses which indicated that something was very important, to be announced. In next moment Miss Mason was reading and every student was carefully listening to it.

Dear Teacher:

My Wanda will not come to your school any more. Jake also. Now we move away to big city. No more holler ‘Pollack’. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city.
Yours truly,

Jan Petronski

The letter was from Wanda’s father informing that both Wanda and her brother Jake would not attend the school anymore as they had moved to a big city where  nobody  cared about any  different and strange names as in big cities most of the people had such names.

A deep silence met the reading of this letter. Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief. Then she put them on again and looked at the class. When she spoke her voice was very low. “I am sure that none of the boys and girls in Room Thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. I prefer to think that what was said was said in thoughtlessness. I know that all of you feel the way I do, that this is a very unfortunate thing to have happened — unfortunate and sad, both. And I want you all to think about it.”

After the letter had been read there was deep silence as everyone was shocked.

Miss Mason herself was disheartened. She took off her glasses, cleaned them with her white handkerchief and put them on again.

She spoke to the class in a low voice which was showing her disgust. In her speech she was trying to convince herself that no e of the students in Room no. 13would hurt anyone’s feelings just because of his or her long and different name. She further said if something has happened like that it was just because of the lack of consideration.

She remarked that incident unfortunate and sad and asked the students to introspect about it.

The first period was a study period. Maddie tried to prepare her lessons, but she could not put her mind on her work. She had a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing. She had stood by silently, and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done. Worse. She was a coward. At least Peggy hadn’t considered they were being mean but she, Maddie, had thought they were doing wrong. She could put herself in Wanda’s shoes.

The above incident had a very deep impact over Maddie that she kept on introspecting about all her misdeeds. She was not even able to concentrate during her study period. She kept condemning herself that she hadn’t tried to stop Peggy to poke fun at Wanda regarding her dresses. Even though she didn’t like this behaviour towards Wanda, she couldn’t summon courage to go against Peggy. Thus, she held herself equally responsible for all that.

For Peggy it was just a game she wasn’t aware that to what extent it was hurtful for Wanda, Maddie, on the contrary, knew everything but due to her cowardice she couldn’t stand against Peggy.

Goodness! Wasn’t there anything she could do? If only she could tell Wanda she hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. She turned around and stole a glance at Peggy, but Peggy did not look up. She seemed to be studying hard. Well, whether Peggy felt badly or not, she, Maddie, had to do something. She had to find Wanda Petronski. Maybe she had not yet moved away. Maybe Peggy would climb the Heights with her, and they would tell Wanda she had won the contest, that they thought she was smart and the hundred dresses were beautiful.

Maddie regretted that she must have done something to stop Peggy. She should have at least assured Wanda that they didn’t want to hurt her. Thinking all this she looked at Peggy but she was studying hard and she didn’t pay any attention at Maddie.

Irrespective of Peggy’s intentions, Maddie decided to take an action by visiting Wanda at Boggins Heights. She was hoping that Peggy would come along with her and Wanda hadn’t moved away. They both would inform Wanda that she had won the contest and in their point of view latter is very smart and her hundred dresses were beautiful.

When school was dismissed in the afternoon, Peggy said, with pretended casualness, “Hey, let’s go and see if that kid has left town or not.” So Peggy had had the same idea! Maddie glowed. Peg was really all right. The two girls hurried out of the building, up the street toward Boggins Heights, the part of town that wore such a forbidding air on this kind of a November afternoon, drizzly, damp and dismal.

Word meanings

• Damp and dismal- wet and sad (here, expressing a state of hopelessness)
• Forbidding- Unfriendly or threatening in nature

At the end of the school, Maddie got excited and satisfied finding that Peggy herself had the same opinion as she offered her to visit Wanda.

 Both the girls approached towards Boggins Heights, the wet and muddy area of the town with gloomy atmosphere.

“Well, at least,” said Peggy gruffly, “I never did call her a foreigner or make fun of her name. I never thought she had the sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!” Maddie could say nothing. All she hoped was that they would find Wanda. She wanted to tell her that they were sorry they had picked on her, and how wonderful the whole school thought she was, and please, not to move away and everybody would be nice. She and Peggy would fight anybody who was not nice. The two girls hurried on. They hoped to get to the top of the hill before dark.

On their way Peggy as trying to clarify that she never called her foreigner and made fun of her name. She rather used to think that Wanda was too dumb to understand that they were poking fun at her. However, she further appreciated Wanda’s drawings.

Maddie couldn’t say anything upon all the explanation given by Peggy. She was just hoping that they would find Wanda and apologize for their bad behaviour.  She wanted to tell her how much appreciation she was getting for her amazing sketches and assure her that nobody would mistreat her in future and even fight for her against any mistreatment. Thus, she need not move to another place.  Both the girls hurried to reach the place before getting dark.

“I think that’s where the Petronskis live,” said Maddie, pointing to a little white house. Wisps of old grass stuck up here and there along the pathway like thin kittens. The house and its sparse little yard looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s one dress, her faded blue cotton dress, shabby but clean. There was not a sign of life about the house. Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went around to the back yard and knocked there. Still there was no answer.

 Maddie pointed a white house that could be the resident of Wanda.

On the way of Wanda’s house, there were locks of old grasses looking like thin kittens.

The house and its yard were looking clean although their condition was poor. That sight reminded Maddie one of faded blue coloured cotton dress of Wanda that used to be of poor quality but clean.

When they reached there it seemed that none was residing there. Girls got distressed as they knocked at the front and backyard door but there was no answer.

There was no doubt about it. The Petronskis were gone. How could they ever make amends? They turned slowly and made their way back down the hill. “Well, anyway,” said Peggy, “she’s gone now, so what can we do? Besides, when I was asking her about all her dresses, she probably was getting good ideas for her drawings. She might not even have won the contest, otherwise.”

Word meanings

• (To) make amends- to show that one is sorry by doing something else

Both the girls were disappointed as they had lost the chance of making amends with Wanda.  On their way back to home Peggy tried to console herself saying that it was just because of her dress game Wanda was getting new ideas  for the sketches to be drawn for the contest otherwise she would have not won the contest.

Maddie turned this idea carefully over in her head, for if there were anything in it she would not have to feel so badly. But that night she could not get to sleep. She thought about Wanda and her faded blue dress and the little house she had lived in. And she thought of the glowing picture those hundred dresses made — all lined up in the classroom. At last Maddie sat up in bed and pressed her forehead tight in her hands and really thought. This was the hardest thinking she had ever done.

At the comment of Peggy, Maddie tried to convince herself that there was no need to feel bad about Wanda. However, at that night she was not able to sleep as the thoughts about Wanda’s faded but clean dresses,  her gleaming sketches all lined up in the class  were coming again and again in her mind . She sat up in bed and tried to concentrate by pressing her forehead tight in her hands.

After a long, long time, she reached an important conclusion. She was never going to stand by and say nothing again.

If she ever heard anybody picking on someone because they were funny looking or because they had strange names, she’d speak up. Even if it meant losing Peggy’s friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but from now on she would never make anybody else that unhappy again.

Word meanings

Picking on someone- criticising someone

Finally after a deep thinking and introspection Maddie made a firm decision that she would never support criticising  others.

She would raise her voice if there is any mistreatment towards anybody for his/ her strange name or looks. In doing so she would not care about her friendship even.

She had lost her chance of making amends with Wanda but since then she would never let  anybody  unhappy again.

On Saturday Maddie spent the afternoon with Peggy. They were writing a letter to Wanda Petronski. It was just a friendly letter telling about the contest and telling Wanda she had won. They told her how pretty her drawings were. And they asked her if she liked where she was living and if she liked her new teacher. They had meant to say they were sorry, but it ended up with their just writing a friendly letter, the kind they would have written to any good friend, and they signed it with lots of X’s for love. They mailed the letter to Boggins Heights, writing ‘Please Forward’ on the envelope.

On Saturday afternoon, both the girls wrote a letter to Wanda  telling her that she had won the contest as her drawings were very beautiful and asked if she liked the new place and teacher. They wanted to express their confession regarding their misbehaviour but they couldn’t gather courage to do so . Thus, they ended up writing  letter in friendly tone that they could have written to any of best friend and mailed it to Boggins Heights with ‘ please forward’ note on its top.

Days passed and there was no answer, but the letter did not come back, so maybe Wanda had received it. Perhaps she was so hurt and angry she was not going to answer. You could not blame her. Weeks went by and still Wanda did not answer. Peggy had begun to forget the whole business, and Maddie put herself to sleep at night making speeches about Wanda, defending her from great crowds of girls who were trying to tease her with, “How many dresses have you got?” And before Wanda could press her lips together in a tight line, the way she did before answering, Maddie would cry out, “Stop!” Then everybody would feel ashamed the way she used to feel.

Many days passed but the didn’t get reply from Wanda nor even received the letter back so they assumed that she had received the letter but she was too hurt due to their misbehaviour that she didn’t want to answer. Soon Peggy  began forgetting the whole incident. However, at night Maddie used to think about the situation where girl were making fun of Wanda and  she used to defend her shouting “ stop” and everybody felt ashamed of their mistreatment towards Wanda.

Now it was Christmas time and there was snow on the ground. Christmas bells and a small tree decorated the classroom. On the last day of school before the holidays, the teacher showed the class a letter she had received that morning.

“You remember Wanda Petronski, the gifted little artist who won the drawing contest? Well, she has written me, and I am glad to know where she lives, because now I can send her medal. I want to read her letter to you.”

It was Christmas time. There were snow all over on the ground. Classroom was decorated with Christmas tree and bells. On the last day before holidays Miss Mason showed and informed the class about Wanda’s letter she had received. She reminded the class about Wanda Petronski who had won the contest due to her innate abilities and expressed her happiness that now she could send medal to Wanda because she has got to know her address.

Dear Miss Mason,

How are you and Room Thirteen? Please tell the girls they can keep those hundred dresses, because in my new house I have a hundred new ones, all lined up in my closet. I’d like that girlPeggy to have the drawing of the green dress with the red trimming, and her friend Maddie to have the blue one. For Christmas, I miss that school and my new teacher does not equalise with you. Merry Christmas to you and everybody.

Yours truly,

Wanda Petronski

The letter started in a friendly tone asking about Miss Mason and Room no Thirteen.

She requested Miss Mason to tell the girls to keep those hundred dresses with them as she has another set of hundred dresses all lined up in her closet. In the letter, she mentioned Peggy and Maddie her friends and requested both of them to take green and blue dresses among the drawings.

She wrote on the occasion of Christmas she is missing her school and her new teacher couldn’t take the place of Miss Mason and wished Merry Christmas to all of them.

On the way home from school Maddie and Peggy held their drawings very carefully. All the houses had wreaths and holly in the windows. Outside the grocery store, hundreds of Christmas trees were stacked, and in the window, candy peppermint sticks and cornucopias of shiny transparent paper were strung. The air smelled like Christmas and light shining everywhere reflected different colours on the snow. “Boy!” said Peggy, “this shows she really likes us. It shows she got our letter and this is her way of saying that everything’s all right. And that’s that.” “I hope so,” said Maddie sadly. She felt sad because she knew she would never see the little tight-lipped Polish girl again and couldn’t ever really make things right between

Word meanings

• Cornucopias- decorative containers (usually containing flowers and fruits)
• Holly- a shrub having prickly dark green leaves, small white flowers, and red berries. It is used in Christmas decorations.

As it was the occasion of Christmas, there were decorations everywhere. Grocery store were stacked with christmas trees, candy peppermint sticks and cornucopia of shiny papers. Atmosphere was joyful ,  snow was shining in different colors due to colorful decorative lights . Both the girls carefully held the drawings on their way to home. Peggy exclaimed that since Wanda had specially mentioned their names it was her way of saying that everything was alright and even proved that she had received their letter. Maddie, on the other hand was sad thinking that she would never get chance to make amends with Wanda.

She went home and she pinned her drawing over a torn place in the pink-flowered wallpaper in the bedroom. The shabby room came alive from the brilliancy of the colours. Maddie sat down on her bed and looked at the drawing. She had stood by and said nothing, but Wanda had been nice to her, anyway.

Maddie sticked her drawings over a torn place in the pink flowered wallpaper in the bedroom and realized that her lifeless room came alive due to beautiful designs and colors. She sat down gazing at the drawings for a while and finally stood saying Wanda had been nice to her any way.

Tears blurred her eyes and she gazed for a long time at the picture. Then hastily she rubbed her eyes and studied it intently. The colours in the dress were so vivid that she had scarcely noticed the face and head of the drawing. But it looked like her, Maddie! It really looked like her own mouth. Why it really looked like her own self! Wanda had really drawn this for her.

Looking at the pictures her eyes got filled with tears. She suddenly rubbed her eyes and had a careful look upon the drawings. 

She realized   that she  hadn’t been able to notice her own face in the picture due to the beautiful different colors. There was no doubt that Wanda had drawn it for Maddie as the face really resembled her  face.

Excitedly, she ran over to Peggy’s

“Peg!” she said, “let me see your picture.” “What’s the matter?” asked Peggy, as they clattered up to her room where Wanda’s drawing was lying face down on the bed. Maddie carefully raised it. “Look! She drew you. That’s you!” she exclaimed. And the head and face of this picture did look like Peggy.

Being very excited Maddie ran towards Peggy’s house and asked her about the picture. It was lying upside down on the bed . Maddie carefully raised the drawing and looked at it and said that it was actually Peggy’s picture as the face was quite resembling her face.

“What did I say!” said Peggy, “She must have really liked us, anyway.” “Yes, she must have,” agreed Maddie, and she blinked away the tears that came every time she thought of Wanda standing alone in that sunny spot in the school yard, looking stolidly over at the group of laughing girls after she had walked off, after she had said, “Sure, a hundred of them, all lined up.”

Both the girls got amazed and fully assured that Wanda actually liked them inspite of their bad behavior. Maddie, whose eyes get filled with tears every time she recalled that scene where Wanda would look at the girls laughing at her, also agreed with Peggy.

Question Answers

Q1. What did Mr Petronski’s letter say?

Ans. In the letter Wanda’s father, Mr. Petronski informed that both of his children, Wanda and Jake, wouldn’t come school anymore as they were now being shifted to   big city, a with a lot of people having weird names. So there nobody would care about their strange names.

Q2. Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?

Ans. Miss Mason gets shocked and disappointed after reading the fact in the students have misbehaved someone quite badly just because of different race and an strange name. Even though she was unhappy, she gave the children benefit of the doubt that whatever happened must have happened in thoughtlessness.

Q3. How does Maddie feel after listening to the note from Wanda’s father?

Ans. Maddie felt   extremely bad after listening to the note from Wanda’s father. She regreted for her cowardice and  supporting girls who were teasing Wanda. She was thinking about how they used to mistreat Wanda and hoping to get a chance to make amends with her.

Q4. What does Maddie want to do?

Ans. Maddie, wishes to make amends with Wanda and hopes to get a chance to express her apologies.

Q5. What excuses does Peggy think up for her behaviour? Why?

Ans. Peggy makes excuses that she never intended to make fun of Wanda Petronski because of her being an immigrant and strange name. She was only curious to know about her hundred dresses about which Wanda used to lie.

Q6. What are Maddie’s thoughts as they go to Boggins Heights?

Ans. Maddie was hopeful that Wanda would be at home so that she would be able to express her apologies and make amends with her and tell her how everyone in the class likes her drawings.

Q7. Why does Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?

Ans. Wanda’s house was looking  clean but shabby as there were dry grasses all around. This reminded Maddie of Wanda’s faded blue dress which looked clean but shabby as if it was never ironed.

Q8. What does Maddie think hard about? What important decision does she come to?

Ans. The thought of never getting a chance to express apologies about her ridiculous behavior to Wanda, haunted Maddie again and again that night. Finally, she made a firm decision that she would never let anybody tease any one on the account of strange name or appearance.

Q9. What did the girls write to Wanda?

Ans. Firstly, the girls decided to write an apology letter to Wanda but they couldn’t gather courage to admit their guilt so they ended up to write  a friendly letter telling her that she had won the contest and asking about how she feels at new place.  

Q10. Did they get a reply? Who was more anxious for a reply, Peggy or Maddie? How do you know?

Ans. No, they didn’t get a reply. However, Miss Mason received letter from Wanda. Maddie was more anxious for a reply as she was feeling extremely sorry and wanted to make amends with Wanda. It was evident as weeks after sending the letter, Peggy almost forget about the business while Maddie used to make scenarios in her head where she would defend Wanda from the mean girls.

Q11. How did the girls know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?

Ans. In her note to  Miss Mason Wanda had specifically mentioned to give   the drawing of the blue dress to Maddie and the one with a green dress to Peggy. This implied that Wanda liked them even after they teased her.

Q12. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for their family?

Ans. Since Wanda’s family was in great pain due to the misbehaviour their children were facing at school regarding their polish race and different names, so they moved to a big city where people don’t pay any heed on the racial or community differences. Thus, in hope to dwell a peaceful life the family moved to a big city. Certainly, there life Would be different and comfortable there