“It’s nice to go adventuring through the lovely woods!” Raggedy Ann
said as they walked along.
“Yes, indeed it is,” Marggy’s Mama replied. “And wasn’t it fortunate we
met the kind paper Dragon! If it had not been for him, old Mr. Doodle
would have taken Marggy home with him to chop his wood, and then we
would not have been able to hunt any further for Marggy’s Daddy.”
“Dear me suz!” Raggedy Ann exclaimed as she looked back. “Here comes
Mr. Doodle! Why doesn’t he let us alone!”
“I’ll get a nice long switch and we’ll see about this!” Marggy’s Mama
said very severe-like, but when Mr. Doodle came running up, Marggy’s
Mama did not have to use the switch because Mr. Doodle had a box in his
hands and said, “See what I found back in the woods!”
The box was made of shiny wood and on the front were black shiny knobs
with little white numbers on them.
“What is it, Mr. Doodle?” Marggy’s Mama asked, forgetting that she held
the nice long switch.
“I do not know!” Mr. Doodle replied. “After I had the fight with the
paper Dragon and after Marggy’s Mama paddywhacked me, I ran as fast as
I could until I grew very tired; then I sat down to rest, and right in
front of me in a hollow tree I saw this lovely box.”
“I’ll bet a nickel it is a magic box,” Raggedy Andy said.
“Let’s all sit down and maybe we can think what the box is for,”
Raggedy Ann suggested. So while they sat and thought, Marggy’s Mama
gave them each a cream puff, for everyone knows, you can think ever so
much better while eating cream puffs.
Finally Raggedy Ann said, “I’ll tell you what let’s do!”
“What?” Mr. Doodle asked.
“All of you run over and hide in that hollow tree and I will open the
box, then if a Magician, or a Genei hops out he won’t know where you
are.”
“No sir!” Raggedy Andy said, very decidedly. “Mr. Doodle found the box
and it belongs to him, so if there is a Magician, or a Genei in the
magic box then Mr. Doodle can open it so that he will be caught instead
of you, Raggedy Ann.”
“That is true!” Mr. Doodle said. “I found the box and I tried to take
Marggy home with me and caused you enough trouble, so you all run and
hide and I will open the box!”
This was very kind of Mr. Doodle, for before he had been so very unkind
to Marggy and her Mama and friends.
“Huh! I am not afraid,” Raggedy Andy said. “I shall stand right here,
and if a Magician or a Genei pops out of the box I will crack him on
top of the head with this stubby stick.”
“Indeed you shan’t do that, Raggedy Andy,” Raggedy Ann cried. “What
if it should be a very kind hearted Magician, or a generous Genei who
would help us find Marggy’s Daddy? It wouldn’t be nice to crack him on
top of his head with the stubby stick!”
“Then I will not hit him on top of his head with the stick,” Raggedy
Andy agreed. “But just the same, I shall stay right here while Mr.
Doodle opens the shiny box.”
“Then we will all stay,” Marggy’s Mama said.
Mr. Doodle was just about to open the lid of the shiny box when Raggedy
Ann cried, “Wait a moment! Before you open the box, try twisting the
black knobs with the white numbers on them.”
Everyone held their breaths while Mr. Doodle twisted the black knobs.
“SQUEEEE—AWK—EEEE!”
“It sounds like you are pinching him when you twist the knobs!” Raggedy
Andy said. Mr. Doodle twisted the knobs again and a voice from the box
said, “Kay—dee—kay—aye,” and then there came the tinkle of a piano.
“Someone lives in the box!” Raggedy Ann cried. “They are playing the
piano.”
“Yes! That’s it, Raggedy Ann,” Raggedy Andy said. “It is some little
creature’s home!”
“No it isn’t!” a voice in back of Raggedy Ann said, and when they
looked, our friends saw a little boy standing there and his eyes danced
with merriment.
“How do you know?” Mr. Doodle asked.
“Because it is my box!” the boy replied, “I made it myself!”
“Then you must be a Magician, or a Fairy, or something!” Marggy’s Mama
said.
“Oh! Not at all,” the little boy replied. “Almost any boy can make a
box like that if he care to do so!”
“Well! It is my box now!” Mr. Doodle said as he picked up the shiny box
and held it tightly under his arm.
“Why the idea, Mr. Doodle! It isn’t your box at all!” Marggy’s Mama
cried.
“Yes it is!” Mr. Doodle shouted, “I found it in a hollow tree and so
that makes it mine. Don’t you see?”
“Why, Mr. Doodle! I’m s’prised at you!” Raggedy Ann said. “The pretty
shiny box belongs to the nice little boy and you must give it to him!”
“I’ll run with it and then you can’t catch me!” Mr. Doodle said as he
started running. The little boy ran after Mr. Doodle and so did Raggedy
Andy.
The little boy could not run as fast as Raggedy Andy, so Raggedy Andy
caught hold of Mr. Doodle’s coat tails and held him. Mr. Doodle pulled
and pulled until one of his coat tails came off and let Raggedy Andy
fall down.
“Now then you’ll catch it, Raggedy Andy!” Mr. Doodle screamed. “I shall
pull off your coat tail because you pulled off my coat tail!” And he
jumped at Raggedy Andy.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha! I haven’t any coat tails!”
“Then we will have to fight!” Mr. Doodle cried.
“All right!” and Raggedy Andy rolled up his sleeves.
Mr. Doodle and Raggedy Andy were just about to fight when Raggedy Ann
came running up. “Here!” she cried, “You mustn’t fight! It isn’t nice
to quarrel and fight like cats and dogs! Besides, the little boy has
taken the shiny box and run home with it.”
[Illustration]
“It was really all my fault,” Mr. Doodle said when Raggedy Andy said he
was sorry he tore his coat. “If I had not been so selfish and had not
tried to run away with the little boy’s shiny box you would not have
torn my coat even a speck!”
“What kind of a magic box do you think it really was, Mr. Doodle?”
Raggedy Ann wished to know.
“It was a radio,” Mr. Doodle replied. “Didn’t you guess that? Almost
any one would guess it the first pop!”
“We had better hurry on so that we can find Marggy’s Daddy,” said
Raggedy Ann. “You know he has been lost for the longest, longest time.”
“When you hunt for Marggy’s Daddy, why don’t you have Marggy stay at my
house?” Mr. Doodle asked. “She will get tired walking so far with you.”
“Now, Mr. Doodle!” Raggedy Ann shook her rag thumb at him. “You know
very well that Marggy wants to go with us and you just want her to go
home with you so that she will chop the wood and build the fires ’n
everything; ’cause you are too lazy to do it yourself!”
“Whoever says I am lazy will have to fight like the paper Dragon and I
fought,” Mr. Doodle cried as he hopped to his feet.
Raggedy Andy did not want Mr. Doodle to fight Raggedy Ann so he started
rolling up his sleeves to fight Mr. Doodle in Raggedy Ann’s place when
Mrs. Doodle came running up from behind the tree and took Mr. Doodle
right by his ear.
“Now then, Mr. Doodle,” she cried as she pulled him along, “You march
right home with me! I’m tired of having you try to get someone else to
do the work all the time. From now on, you must do it yourself, you
lazy thing.”
And Mrs. Doodle meant just what she said too, for as long as they
watched, Mrs. Doodle still had hold of Mr. Doodle’s ear and was making
him step towards home as fast as he could go without falling down.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]