Quote from the book "New Yorkers"

‘Will you buy my hair?’ Della asked. ‘I buy hair,’ Madame replied. ‘Take your hat off, then, and show me your hair.’ The beautiful brown hair fell down. ‘Twenty dollars,’ Madame said, and she touched the hair with her hand. ‘Quick! Cut it off! Give me the money!’ Della said. The next two hours went quickly. Della was happy because she was looking round the shops for Jim’s present. At last she found it. It was a gold chain for The Watch. Jim loved his watch, but it had no chain. When Della saw this gold chain, she knew immediately that it was right for Jim. She must have it. The shop took twenty-one dollars from her for it, and she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents. When she arrived there, she looked at her very short hair in the glass. ‘What can I do with it?’ she thought. For the next half an hour she was very busy. Then she looked again in the glass. Her hair was now in very small curls all over her head. ‘Oh, dear. I look like a schoolgirl!’ she said to herself. ‘What’s Jim going to say when he sees me?’ At seven o’clock the dinner was nearly ready and Della was waiting. ‘Oh, I hope he thinks that I’m still beautiful!’ she thought.