Aunt Jo's scrap-bag, Volume 6 : $b An old-fashioned Thanksgiving, etc.Alcott, Louisa May
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Aunt Jo's scrap-bag, Volume 6 : $b An old-fashioned Thanksgiving, etc.
Alcott, Louisa May
Children's stories
For nearly two months they lived happily with Minna, Gretchen and
Nanerl, then they set out on their travels again, and this was the way
it happened. A little girl came to order a set of furniture for her new
baby-house, and seeing two shabby dolls reposing in a fine bed she asked
about them. Her mamma spoke German so Minna told how they were found,
and showed the old wrapper, saying that they always meant to send the
dolls on their way but grew so fond of them they kept putting it off.
"I am going as far as New York very soon and will take them along if you
like, for I think little Miss Maria Plum must have been expecting her
dolls all this time. Shall I?" asked the mamma, as she read the address
and saw the dash under "With care," as if the dollies were of great
importance to some one.
"Ja, ja," answered Minna, glad to oblige a lady who bought two whole
sets of their best furniture and paid for it at once.
So again the dolls were put in their brown paper cover and sent away
with farewell kisses.
"This now is genteel and just suits me," said Dora, as they drove along
with little Clara to the handsome house where she was staying.
"I have a feeling that she is a spoilt child, and we shall not be as
happy with her as with the dear Poppleheimers. We shall see," answered
Flora, wisely, for Clara had soon tossed the dolls into a corner and was
fretting because mamma would not buy her the big horn to blow on.
The party started for New York in a day or two, and to the delight of
Flo and Do they were left out of the trunks for Clara to play with on
the way, her own waxen Blanche Marie Annabel being too delicate to be
used.
"Oh my patience, this is worse than tumbling about in a mail-bag,"
groaned Dora, after hours of great suffering, for Clara treated the poor
dolls as if they had no feeling.
She amused herself with knocking their heads together, shutting them in
the window with their poor legs hanging out, swinging them by one arm,
and drawing lines with a pencil all over their faces till they looked as
if tattooed by savages. Even brave Flora was worn out and longed for
rest, finding her only comfort in saying, "I told you so," when Clara
banged them about, or dropped them on the dusty floor to be trampled on
by passing feet.
There they were left, and would have been swept away if a little dog had
not found them as the passengers were leaving the car and carried them
after his master, trotting soberly along with the bundle in his mouth,
for fortunately Clara had put them into the paper before she left them,
so they were still together in the trials of the journey.
"Hullo, Jip, what have you got?" asked the young man as the little dog
jumped up on the carriage seat and laid his load on his master's knee,
panting and wagging his tail as if he had done something to be praised
for.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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