Sarah stood in front of the mirror(镜子). "It looks like a raincoat on me," she said.
"Perhaps the blue," said Mama, gently.
"Sure," the shopkeeper said. But when she took the blue coat, there on the shelf behind all of the dark coats, hidden like a spring flower in winter darkness, there, as if by magic, was a pink coat.
"A pink coat!" Sarah cried. "I want the pink coat."
"That coat is smaller than the other ones," Papa said.
Sarah spoke up. "I'm small, too. Papa, please let me try it on, Mama? Please?"
"It wouldn't hurt to let her try it on," Mama said.
Without a word, the shopkeeper took the coat from the shelf and held it for Sarah.
"Ohhh!" Sarah said. The coat was smooth and shiny inside like her sister Sylvia's blouses. "Ahhh!"
Sarah stood very straight and looked in the mirror. She looked for a very long time. In the pink coat she looked like a spring flower.
"Sarah!" Mama said.
Sarah looked up. Mama was standing behind her. She was holding the brown coat.
"I'm afraid the pink coat will only fit one year," Mama said, taking a step closer.
"And there's no one to pass it on to," said Papa.
And the shopkeeper said, "It's wise to save money."
Sarah backed away. No one was going to put her into a raincoat again. She wanted to be a flower.
"Sarah!" It was Papa. He came over to her. "You're old enough to know that you can't always have your own way," he said seriously.
"Wise and true," said the shopkeeper.
Sarah took off the pink coat, slowly.
"It is her colour, though," Mama said.
"Ahh," said the shopkeeper. "Anyone can see how the pink of the coat brings out the roses in her face."
Papa looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We are lucky." continued Mama, "that it is only one little coat for Sarah and not also new coats for Sylvia and Susan and Sally."
Papa looked from the brown coat to the pink coat. "The cows will give milk soon enough," he said "And how can we let Sarah wear a brown coat when she looks like a flower in this one?"
"Papa!" Sarah cried, putting on the pink coat back, quickly. She threw her arms around Papa's neck. " " she whispered.
"Like a rose in spring," Papa said.
