A STRANGE TRIP TO TOY-LAND.
One afternoon Mrs. Fussy, who lived next door, came to call on
Dorothy’s mamma. When they had exchanged greetings Mrs. Fussy exclaimed:
“Dear, dear, what shall I do! Cook has left me without a moment’s
notice--the third this month. It is really discouraging.”
Dorothy was drinking in every word that fell from the visitor’s lips,
and mamma said, “Run away, dear, and play with your dolls.”
Dorothy ran to her play-room and took down all her dolls and toys to
have a real good time. She decided to play house, so she said, “Now I’m
going to be Mrs. Fussy.”
She gazed earnestly at her dolls and sighed, “Dear, dear, what shall I
do! Cook has left without a moment’s notice--the third this month. It
is really ’raging.”
Suddenly all the dolls jumped up and began to roll up their sleeves.
“We’ll help,” they cried, and Dorothy was so surprised that she could
not speak for a minute.
“I’m glad you are so willing,” said the little girl at last. “Suppose
you go into the kitchen and cook the dinner, Dinah.”
“Yeth, ma’am,” replied Dinah with a sweeping bow and hurriedly left the
room.
“Susan Ida may go into the laundry and iron, while _you_, Kathleen, had
better dust the hall.”
“What shall _I_ do?” asked Jessop with his usual grin, and his little
mistress told him to make himself generally useful.
When they had gone to do their work Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief
and said, “I think I’ll rest a minute.” She took out her Mother Goose
and was so very much interested in Little Bo-Peep that she did not
notice anything going on around her. But when she raised her eyes from
her book she was surprised to find herself quite alone.
“Why, where are all my toys?” exclaimed Dorothy. “I sent the dolls to
work, but those naughty toys had no business to leave this room.”
Then she decided to go into the kitchen and see how Dinah was getting
along with the dinner. She tripped down-stairs and the minute she
opened the kitchen door there was a strong odor of something burning.
But worse than that, there stood her tin soldier with his arm around
Dinah’s waist. Dorothy ran for the tin soldier, but he dodged her and
jumped out of the window. Dinah threw back her head and began to swing
a soup ladle, while her indignant little mistress exclaimed, “I’m
ashamed of you, Dinah, and you can go to your room at once.” Dinah
sulked out of the kitchen and Dorothy took up the burned potatoes.
“Now I’m going to give Dinah a good whipping,” said Dorothy; but the
minute she opened the kitchen door she heard loud voices on the stairs.
Hurrying to the spot, there stood Kathleen (her quiet, gentle Kathleen)
brandishing a feather duster in the most threatening manner at Jessop.
Dorothy was astonished. “Why, Kathleen,” she cried, “what is the
matter?”
“Well, he isn’t going to call me doll-faced,” said Kathleen, looking
very angry at Jessop.
“She said I was a clown,” shouted Jessop, “and I won’t stand it.”
“Go to your room both of you; not another word,” exclaimed Dorothy
shaking her finger at Kathleen, who walked off with her head in the air.
“Well, I declare,” sighed the mistress, “I wonder what will happen
next!” She started for the laundry to see how Susan Ida was getting
along, and found her crying bitterly and no work done.
“Why, Susan Ida, what have you been doing all this time?”
“Nothing, ma’am,” was the answer. “It’s all his fault. Boo-hoo-o!” and
she pointed to Dorothy’s toy rooster, who was calmly standing on the
table watching them.
“What are you doing here, Dick?” asked Dorothy, turning to the rooster;
“the idea of coming into the laundry!”
“He came to crow over me, ma’am,” exclaimed Susan Ida between her sobs.
“I don’t care,” cried Dick; “she said she’d take my head off.”
“Get out both of you,” and Dorothy made a rush for the bad toys, but
they nearly fell over each other in their efforts to get out of the
kitchen.
“I’ll go up-stairs and give them a good whipping and put them to bed,”
said Dorothy; but when she reached the stairs she stopped in amazement.
There was Toto her toy monkey sliding down the banister, while her toy
puppy barked with all his might. A toy broom was whacking the stairs at
a grinning Jack-in-the-box, who was trying to stand on his head.
“Toto,” cried Dorothy, and she was just going to catch him, when her
toy cat flew past chasing the toy mouse.
“Goodness! he must not catch my mouse,” cried Dorothy, and she caught
up the toy broom and hurried after the toy cat. The toy puppy and
the monkey followed, and the Jack came out of his box and joined in
the chase. Across the hall they flew, and as the door happened to be
opened, down the steps and into the yard. It was the strangest race you
ever saw, and as they ran through the street people came to the windows
and shouted at them. A great many soldiers left their barracks in the
toy shops and hurried after the procession.
On and on they ran through the street, into another, across vacant
lots, over stones and hedges, through the green fields, up the hills,
down the lanes, and never stopped until they came to Toy-land.
The minute they got there the mouse was still, the cat curled himself
like a ball and went to sleep, the puppy stretched out and began to
snore, the Jack-in-the-box remained perfectly quiet, and the monkey sat
upright and scratched his head.
Dorothy sank into a toy chair exclaiming, “Such an exciting race I
never had in my life.”
“You must be tired,” said a voice at her elbow, and Dorothy turned and
there stood Little Bo-Peep.
“How do you do?” said Dorothy. “Have you found the sheep that were
lost?”
“Not yet,” replied Bo-Peep, “but I am looking for them.”
“I will help you,” cried Dorothy, and she jumped up and taking Little
Bo-Peep’s hand walked all over Toy-land looking for the lost sheep.
Suddenly they met the old woman who lived in a shoe with her whole
brood of children hurrying along.
“Whither away so fast, good woman?” asked Dorothy.
“To the grand parade, my dear,” was the answer, while Little Bo-peep
exclaimed, “Sure enough, it is the first of April, the birthday of our
dear Mother Goose, you know.”
“Let us go too,” cried Dorothy, and they hurried after the old woman.
They passed Little Boy Blue fast asleep under a hay-mow, but Bo-Peep
gave him a little shake and he awoke and followed them.
They reached a bridge just in time to see Mother Goose and all her
followers passing along. All Toy-land clapped and shouted; and what
with dogs barking and cocks crowing there was a merry time.
Dorothy was delighted, and the toy soldiers who marched in the
procession were straighter than any real soldiers that she had ever
seen.
“What beautiful times you have in Toy-land!” exclaimed Dorothy.
But Bo-Peep did not answer, she was looking at the end of the
procession.
“There they are now!” she cried, and Dorothy saw the lost sheep
following the crowd. “I must hide,” said Bo-Peep and she tried to stand
behind Dorothy, but the sheep spied their little friend and they all
ran to her and began to frisk about. It made Dorothy laugh to see them,
but when a great black sheep tried to stand on his head Dorothy was
afraid and ran away.
She tripped over the fields until she came to the village green where
she found Mother Goose and the whole procession resting.
As she approached, Dorothy saw that they were all watching something in
the center of the green. She turned to Simple Simon who was standing
near, and asked him what they were all waiting for.
“To see the cow jump over the moon, of course,” replied Simple Simon,
grinning at Dorothy.
Just then the cow rose in the air and gave a great jump to the sky and
right over the moon. Everybody laughed, even Dorothy’s little toy dog;
and Simple Simon rolled on the grass, he thought it was so funny.
Dorothy ran off laughing and turned into a street that was called Doll
Avenue. Beautiful doll houses lined both sides of the street, and
Dorothy met several lovely dolls who were out taking an airing. All at
once Dorothy came to the end of Doll Avenue and found a pond where toy
swans were sailing around. The dearest little doll that Dorothy had
ever seen was all alone, throwing pebbles into the pond.
“What is your name, dear?” asked Dorothy, walking up to the doll.
“My name is Rosy,” said the doll; and Dorothy exclaimed, “O, you are
just lovely, I’d like to take you home with me!”
“I can go with you,” replied Rosy, “if you don’t step on dirt.”
“Good,” cried Dorothy, clapping her hands. “I know what you mean. You
must step on stones, if you walk on the earth you’re poisoned. I’ve
played that game very often.”
Dorothy took Rosy in her arms and started to walk home.
“You shall be my best doll,” whispered Dorothy, “and I’ll make you a
lovely silk dress.” She crossed and recrossed stones and rocks, being
careful not to touch the ground. She was getting along nicely when all
at once she tripped and her feet touched the earth. In a second Rosy
was on the ground running away from her as fast as she could.
“Come back, come back,” shouted Dorothy; but Rosy only ran the faster.
Dorothy started after the lovely little doll, but all at once she was
stopped by a great toy policeman.
“What is the matter?” asked he of the blue coat and brass buttons.
“I want to catch that doll. O, please let me get her,” said Dorothy.
“Does she belong to you?” shouted the policeman in a gruff voice.
“N-no, not exactly; that is,”--said Dorothy, beginning to explain.
But the policeman looked very angry and said, “I arrest you for trying
to take something that does not belong to you.”
“But please, Mr. Policeman, I didn’t know I was doing wrong,” sobbed
Dorothy.
“Neither did I,” roared the policeman.
“But I never was arrested before,” cried Dorothy.
“That isn’t my fault,” said the policeman.
Just then Little Bo-Peep came along with all her sheep.
“Why, what is the trouble?” asked Little Bo-Peep, looking from Dorothy
to the toy policeman.
“He’s going to arrest me,” answered Dorothy.
“You mustn’t do that,” cried Bo-Peep; “she’s a friend of mine.”
“But she was breaking the law,” said the policeman.
“That’s too bad,” whispered Bo-Peep, putting her arm around Dorothy’s
neck.
“You know, dear, that you can break everything in Toy-land except the
law.”
“However,” she continued, “as you are a visitor you cannot be arrested.”
“I think I had better go home now,” said Dorothy, “I wonder where all
my animals are?”
“I’ll blow my whistle,” said the policeman, “and they will come.”
No sooner did the whistle sound than all her animals appeared.
The policeman locked them up in Noah’s Ark, but Dorothy stepped into a
train of toy cars and was soon safe home.