Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy and Marggy and her Mama followed the
little red magical ball of darning cotton through the woods until they
came to a gate made of logs. The little red magical ball rolled through
the gate and our friends started to follow it, when a great big Dragon,
just like the Dragons you see in Chinese pictures, came right out and
opened its mouth and the little red magical ball of darning cotton
rolled inside.
“Oh, dear!” cried Marggy’s Mama as she sat down on a stone and wiped
her eyes with her apron. “Now the little red magical ball is gone and
we will never find Daddy.”
“Why did you swallow our little red magical ball of darning cotton?”
Raggedy Ann asked the great big dragon.
“Because,” the Dragon replied.
“That isn’t any reason at all,” Raggedy Ann said. “And you ought to be
ashamed of yourself! That’s what!”
“Well, I’m not,” the great big large Dragon replied as it wiggled its
long tail. And when Raggedy Ann pointed her rag hand at its nose to
make it feel ashamed of itself, the great big large Dragon opened its
great large mouth real wide and went, “Gobble! Gobble!”
“Here! You stop that, Mister Dragon!” Raggedy Andy cried, but he was
too late for the great big large Dragon had swallowed Raggedy Ann
completely.
“Now then, you’ve gone and done it!” Raggedy Andy cried as he hunted
around for a great big stick.
“What are you going to do with that great big stick?” the Dragon asked
as he twirled his long tail.
“You just wait and see! That’s what!” Raggedy Andy said as he rolled up
his sleeves.
“Are we going to have a fight?” the Dragon asked.
Raggedy Andy did not answer the Dragon. Instead, he walked right up
to it holding the large stick in front of him. When Raggedy Andy came
up to him, the Dragon opened his great big mouth and started to say
“Gobble! Gobble!” just like he had done when he swallowed Raggedy Ann,
but Raggedy Andy was too smart for him. Raggedy Andy just as quick as
a wink, put the large stick in the Dragon’s mouth and this held the
Dragon’s mouth wide open.
My! How the Dragon wiggled and wobbled his long tail, but it did no
good, for he could not get the stick out of his mouth. And when he
wiggled and wobbled his long tail Raggedy Andy and Marggy and her Mama
could hear Raggedy Ann and the little red magical ball rattling around
way back inside the Dragon. Then they heard a funny scratching sound
and here came Raggedy Ann crawling out.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
“The Dragon is just made out of paper and thin slats of wood!” Raggedy
Ann laughed.
“The reason I did not fight the great big large Dragon was because
I saw right away that he was made out of paper,” said Raggedy Andy.
“And if I had hit him upon the head with the large stick, I would have
broken his head in pieces.”
“Are you going to take the stick out of his mouth?” Marggy’s Mama asked
Raggedy Andy, “The great big Dragon might eat someone else up just as
he did Raggedy Ann.”
Raggedy Ann laughed. “The great big Dragon wouldn’t harm anyone even if
he did swallow them,” she said. “For he is hollow all the way to the
tip of his tail. And if he swallowed anyone, all they would have to
do would be to kick real hard and they could kick a large hole right
through him.”
Raggedy Andy walked up to the large paper Dragon and took the big stick
out of its mouth. “There,” said Raggedy Andy. “Does that feel better?”
“Yes indeed!” the Dragon replied. “When my mouth was propped open with
the stick, it made cold chills run all the way to the tip end of my
long tail, and it felt just like someone had left the front door wide
open on a cold day.”
“Then after this, you mustn’t swallow anyone again,” said Raggedy Andy.
“I did not swallow Raggedy Ann,” the Dragon replied.
“No, he didn’t, that’s true,” Raggedy Ann agreed. “I jumped into his
mouth, because I saw right away he was made out of paper and thin slats
of wood. I knew someone had to rescue the little red magical ball of
darning cotton or we would never find Marggy’s Daddy.”
“What do you eat, Mister Dragon?” Marggy’s Mama asked as she walked up
and thumped the Dragon’s head to see if he really and truly was paper.
“I never eat anything,” the Dragon replied, “But lots of times when I
yawn the wind blows pieces of paper right in my mouth and dry leaves
and I do not know how to get them out again! I’m afraid maybe if mice
find out I have pieces of paper and nice dry leaves in me, they might
build nests in my paper body. And you know how mice are, sometimes they
chew holes in things.”
“I tell you what let’s do! Let’s pull him up into a tree by the tip end
of his tail and shake all the leaves and pieces of paper out,” Raggedy
Andy said.
Marggy and her Mama couldn’t climb trees like Raggedy Ann and Raggedy
Andy, so they stayed upon the ground and boosted the paper Dragon’s
tail up to Raggedy Ann and Andy. Then Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy
shook the paper Dragon’s tail until all the leaves and pieces of paper
rattled down to his mouth. Then Marggy and her Mama cleaned all the
leaves and paper out of the paper Dragon’s mouth and he felt very, very
much better.
Then Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy and Marggy and her Mama told the
paper Dragon good-bye and followed the little red magical ball of
darning cotton through the woods.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]