Then Thomas and Annabel-Lee gently carried Raggedy Ann and put her in her own bed and tenderly tucked her in, and then took their seats in the two little red chairs.

After a while Annabel said softly to Thomas, “I feel ever and ever so much better and happier!”

[Illustration]

“So do I!” Thomas replied.  “It’s like a whole lot of sunshine coming into a dark room, and I shall always try to keep it there!”

Fido had one fuzzy white ear sticking up over the edge of his basket and he gave his tail a few thumps against his pillow.

Raggedy Ann lay quietly in bed where Thomas and Annabel had tucked her.  And as she smiled at the ceiling, her candy heart (with “I love you” written on it) thrilled with contentment, for, as you have probably guessed, Raggedy Ann had not been asleep at all!

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

RAGGEDY ANN AND THE KITTENS

Raggedy Ann had been away all day.

Marcella had come early in the morning and dressed all the dolls and placed them about the nursery.

Some of the dolls had been put in the little red chairs around the little doll table.  There was nothing to eat upon the table except a turkey, a fried egg and an apple, all made of plaster of paris and painted in natural colors.  The little teapot and other doll dishes were empty, but Marcella had told them to enjoy their dinner while she was away.

The French dolly had been given a seat upon the doll sofa and Uncle Clem had been placed at the piano.

Marcella picked up Raggedy Ann and carried her out of the nursery when she left, telling the dolls to “be real good children, while Mamma is away!”

When the door closed, the tin soldier winked at the Dutch-boy doll and handed the imitation turkey to the penny dolls.  “Have some nice turkey?” he asked.

“No thank you!” the penny dolls said in little penny-doll, squeaky voices, “We have had all we can eat!”

“Shall I play you a tune?” asked Uncle Clem of the French doll.

At this all the dolls laughed, for Uncle Clem could not begin to play any tune.  Raggedy Ann was the only doll who had ever taken lessons, and she could play Peter-Peter-Pumpkin-Eater with one hand.

In fact, Marcella had almost worn out Raggedy Ann’s right hand teaching it to her.

“Play something lively!” said the French doll, as she giggled behind her hand, so Uncle Clem began hammering the eight keys on the toy piano with all his might until a noise was heard upon the stairs.

Quick as a wink, all the dolls took the same positions in which they had been placed by Marcella, for they did not wish really truly people to know that they could move about.

But it was only Fido.  He put his nose in the door and looked around.

All the dolls at the table looked steadily at the painted food, and Uncle Clem leaned upon the piano keys looking just as unconcerned as when he had been placed there.