"I got 'em for Christmas," he said. "They wind up with a key and you
don't have to have any track," and down on his hands and knees went
Carleton to start his train.
The assembly bell rang while the train was still running around, and
Miss Davis had to catch it and leave it turned upside down with the
little wheels whirring around while she marched her class into Miss
May's room for the morning exercises.
Several of the children brought new toys with them to school the next
day. Perry Phelps carried a sand toy which was a little car that ran
up and down an inclined plane when filled with sand. Jimmie
Butterworth had a jumping rabbit that took a long hop when you pressed
a rubber bulb. Lottie Carr brought her new doll, and Dorothy Peters
even carried her toy piano, though it was rather heavy.
"My dear little people!" said Miss Davis, when she saw all these toys,
"do you think you will be able to keep your mind on lessons with these
delightful and distracting presents arranged around the room? Or shall
I put them in the cloak room for you till recess?"
The children were sure they could pay attention to lessons and still
look at the Christmas toys, so Miss Davis allowed them to put the
presents under the sand table, and she said no one must touch a thing
till recess. And then, goodness me, wasn't there a gay time! Jessie's
doll walked and Carleton's train ran around and around, the little sand
car jerked up and down its track, the rabbit hopped on top of the
desks, and Dorothy's piano tinkled seven different tunes at once as
seven different children tried to play on it. Miss May came across the
hall to see what the class could be doing to make so much noise.
"Why, it looks like Christmas!" she said, smiling.
"Yes, and I don't know whether we can settle down after so much
excitement," answered Miss Davis doubtfully. "There goes the bell.
Put the toys back under the table, children, and take your seats."
Sunny Boy walked home thoughtfully. He usually walked most of the way
to school and home again alone, for none of the pupils lived very near
him.
"I'm going to take something to show 'em, to-morrow," he said to
himself. "My ice skates and sled aren't much fun. I know what I'll
do! I'll take the lead soldiers!"
He was so excited over this idea that he ran the rest of the way home
and was quite out of breath by the time he reached his front door. He
had to go up in the playroom and put his lead soldiers back in the box
they had come in before he could come to lunch.
"What were you doing, precious?" his mother asked him, when he came
into the dining-room. "Didn't you hear Harriet calling you?"
"Yes, Mother, and I did hurry," replied Sunny Boy. "But I have to take
my lead soldiers to school to-morrow and I was putting them in the box."
Then he told Mother about the toys the other children had brought to
school and that he was sure they would like to see his lead soldiers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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