CAN THE DOLLY TALK
“SAY, are you a really-person? Say, I say, are you real? You look so
swell and so beautiful,―can you talk?―say, can you? I wonder if I
can touch you, you pretty Mary Marie.”
[Illustration: “Can you talk?”]
Scissors Shears took a step nearer the doll.
“My, I wish you could talk! I’d like you to hold this muslin for me
while I cut out your rompers. What! You won’t talk? You just sit
looking at me―Stupid! You must think I want something to do! Humph!
I wouldn’t be a doll, no!
“I wouldn’t be a dolly, a dolly, a dolly!
I’d rather be a polly, a polly, a polly!
For a dolly can’t talk,
And a polly can talk;
And a dolly can’t walk,
And a polly can walk;
I wouldn’t be a dolly, a dolly, a dolly!
I’d rather be a polly, a polly, a polly.
[Illustration: “You just sit looking at me―Stupid!”]
“‛Pretty Poll!’ she can say―‛Pretty Doll!’―try it! Say,
please try it, Mary Marie! Try it! I say! Doll, try it! If
you don’t, you’ll be sorry! Say ‛Pretty Doll!’ say it! I say;
or,―I’ll-cut-your-acquaintance;―then what’ll you do?
[Illustration: “Pretty Doll!”]
* * * * *
“You won’t get your rompers―maybe;
* * * * *
“You won’t get your bloomers―maybe;
* * * * *
“You won’t get your pajompers―maybe.
* * * * *
“Oh, you make me tired, you pretty, proud, sweet, lovely-looking
thing! Speak, I say, speak! Say ‛Bow-wow-wow!’ if you can’t talk, or
even say ‛Meow!’
* * * * *
“I’ll give it up, I guess. My, I should think she’d be ashamed not to
thank us at all for her fine clothes.”
[Illustration: “Please try it, Mary Marie”]
[Illustration: “Look out there, don’t fall”]
“Oh, she’s only a baby!” said Tommy Pin Cushion. “Babies can’t talk!”
“Humph, I s’pose you know, ’cause you’re a cry-baby!” exclaimed
Scissors Shears.
“I’m not a cry-baby!” exclaimed Tommy Pin Cushion.
“Yo’ are! Yo’ are!” cried Scissors Shears. “I can prove it!”
“I’m not! Am I, Sewing Bird,―am I?” asked Tommy Pin Cushion, the
tears rolling down his fat red cheeks.
“If you could see yourself, you’d know you are!” snapped Scissors
Shears.
“Look out there, don’t fall!” cried Yard Stick, seeing Scissors
Shears toppling dangerously on the table edge.
“Oh, look out yourself,” snapped Scissors Shears, “you’re just as
likely to―”
“I always stand firmly on my three feet,” retorted Yard Stick.
“It takes a whole yard to hold them―ha-ha!” laughed Scissors Shears.
Then interrupted Sewing Bird, singing:
[Illustration: “I’m not a cry-baby!”]
“Come, come!
You’re all in fun―
So why get mad,
And make all sad?
The little Miss may hear―
So, Tommy, dry up every tear,
And, Thimble, sheath your little spear,
And, Scissors, don’t you act so queer,
Or else your Mistress may appear.”
[Illustration: “Come, come! You’re all in fun―”]
Just at that moment in stepped Mary Frances, who had heard every
word. The Thimble People looked silly; but she pretended not to
notice.
“Oh, my dear Magic and Mystery,” she said, “to-day I had another
letter from my mother, and she says:
“‘Perhaps you can try to learn a few stitches from the patterns I
send you by mail, and you can send me the samplers you make. They
will be Sewing Lessons by Mail, and we’ll pretend you are taking a
Correspondence Course.’
“Oh, Sewing Bird Fairy Lady,―if it doesn’t seem a trifle
dis-re-spect-a-ble,―I mean dis-re-spect-ful, ―my mother’s stitches
aren’t as nice as mine! Look!”
[Illustration: “Sewing Lessons by Mail”]
[Illustration: Fairy Lady smiled thoughtfully]
Mary Frances held up the sampler.
“I want to know what is the right thing to do, Fairy Lady, I would
love to surprise my dear mother when I get home; and yet I don’t want
to deceive her by not telling her that I know something about sewing.
What shall I do?”
Fairy Lady smiled thoughtfully. “You might tell her you have a little
friend who―”
“Excuse me―friends!” corrected Silver Thimble.
“‛Friends,’” repeated Fairy Lady, “who taught you a little about
sewing. It would make your mother happy, I should think.”
“Yes!” nodded Mary Frances. “Of course, that’s right! And I will feel
much nearer to my mother then, and can tell her some day. Do you
know, Sewing Bird Fairy Lady―I would,―even as much as I love my
dear Grandma,―I would be ex-ceed-ing-ly lonely without my Thimble
People.”
“Lottie, who lives across the street,” she went on, “is lots of fun.
I want to teach her to sew some day―may I, Fairy Lady?”
[Illustration: “Lottie is lots of fun”]
“Oh, to be sure,” said Fairy Lady, “after you have finished with us.”
“But I don’t want you to be Never-Nevers!” said Mary Frances.
“Perhaps there’ll be a way,” suggested Fairy Lady.
[Illustration: “For Billy”]
“How delightful!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Oh, I want to show you the
pillow cover I bought to-day for Billy.”
“How lovely!” exclaimed Scissors Shears, Silver Thimble, Needle Book,
Tommy Pin Cushion, and Emery Bag, all at once.
“Yes, isn’t it? Let me read you his letter:”
_Woodcraft Camp._
_Dear Mary Frances:_
_Glad to hear Grandmother is well. Say, I wish you knew how to
sew! Some of the fellows have the swellest sofa pillows on their
cots. Maybe you’ll learn some day. Mother wrote me about the
lessons she wants to give you by mail. It’s a rattling good idea.
(I crossed out “rattling” because we’re not encouraged to use
slang.)_
_See you in September. So long!_
_Good-bye, Billy._
[Illustration: “How delightful!”]
“So you see, Fairy Lady, it is almost absolutely necessary for me to
learn to sew.”
[Illustration: “How―?” began Needle Book]
“On buttons,” said Needle Book.
Mary Frances laughed. “Yes, that was a necessity, and I suppose the
pillow is a luxury, but I am so pleased that I can make it. See, it
has a flag to be worked in red, white, and blue.”
“How―?” began Needle Book.
“Why, same as I did the kittens on the doll’s apron,” said Mary
Frances.
“Of course!” smiled the Fairy Lady.
“And you don’t need help with it! Isn’t that fine! The sooner we
finish the lesson,―” began Scissors Shears.
“Hush!” said Fairy Lady, holding up her bodkin wand.
Scissors Shears fell down. “Excuse _me_!” he exclaimed.
“Oh, yes,” said Mary Frances. “What is to-day’s lesson, please? I’m
wasting time!”
[Illustration: “Excuse _me!_”]
“Well,” smiled Fairy Lady, “it doesn’t matter so much now,―for
the King of Thimble Land sent you this package, saying to read the
instructions and to ask me any questions you wish at next lesson, if
you do not understand―and he will give you the greatest honor ever
bestowed upon a little girl―he will―”
[Illustration: The metal Sewing Bird]
“Lend you―even when not in lessons―the
Needle-of-Don’t-Have-to-Try,” finished Needle Book, bowing before
Mary Frances.
“Oh, please bear to His Majesty my gratefulest gratitude!” said Mary
Frances, wondering if that were the right way to send a message to a
King.
“Oh, my goodness!” screamed Fairy Lady, turning almost white.
“There’s a cat!” And she immediately changed into the metal sewing
bird on the edge of the table.
“It’s only Jubey!” laughed Mary Frances, “Aunt Maria sent her to me
for fear I’d be lonely. I’ll never let you come here again, Jubey,”
she said, picking up the kitten.
Then she opened the package from the King of Thimble Land, and this
is what she found:
PATTERN 14.―DOLL’S ROMPERS
See Insert IV
To cut out―
1. Fold goods crosswise. Lay pattern with edge having two rings
(oo) on the fold.
[Illustration: “It’s only Jubey!”]
2. Pin in place. Cut out.
[Illustration: Fold _lengthwise_ and _crosswise_]
3. With a large pin, prick through the rows of pinholes marked
FRONT. Or use a tracing wheel.
4. Remove pattern.―Spread the rompers open on a table. Cut _one
end_ of rompers off, along the rows of pinholes.
To cut Neck Band―
Cut a piece of white lawn ten inches long and five inches wide.
5. Fold lawn crosswise.
6. Fold lawn lengthwise. Pin.
7. Place pattern with both the edges having double rings (oo) on
_folded_ edges of lawn.
Pin in place. Cut out.
To cut Belt―
Cut a piece of lawn fourteen inches long, and four inches wide.
Fold _lengthwise_, and _crosswise_.
8. Pin pattern with both edges having double rings (oo) on a fold
of lawn. Cut out.
9. Cut sleeve-band with double rings on crosswise fold of lawn.
To make―
1. Turn in both edges of the neck-band one-eighth inch. Baste.
2. Lay rompers flat upon table, and pin and sew neck-band in
place in the same way as in Morning Dress.
3. Fold rompers _lengthwise_. From the neck, cut a placket down
the fold five inches. _Be certain to cut placket in the back_ of
the rompers. The back is longer from the neck line than the front.
[Illustration: Run elastic in the hem]
4. Make placket as in Morning Dress. Fasten with buttons and
button-holes.
5. Join rompers under arms with French seam.
6. Join curved edges with French seam.
7. Make a half-inch hem at end of each leg. _Leave the hem open_
one-half inch at the top. Through this opening run a narrow elastic.
After joining ends of elastic, finish the hemming.
[Illustration: To make Belt]
8. If desired, cut a pocket by the pattern of the pinafore-pocket.
(See Insert II.)
Sew in place on left side of rompers in position shown by dotted
lines on pattern.
9. TO MAKE BELT.―Clip a tiny gash between the two points at each
end of belt. Turn in outer edges of belt one-quarter inch.
Fold belt in half _lengthwise_. Stitch or overhand the edges.
Make button-hole in one end. Sew button on the other end.
_Sew belt in place_ in middle of back of rompers―as shown on
pattern. Sew to the button-hole side of rompers.
PATTERN 15.―DOLL’S BLOOMERS
See Insert III
1. Cut by pattern of rompers,―_making only as long as the line
marked_ BLOOMERS.
2. Make in same way as rompers.
3. Make a half-inch hem in the top. Run elastic in the hem and
fasten off in same way as ends of legs of rompers.
[Illustration: Tack strap under]
[Illustration:
22. Automobile Bonnet
24. Muff
24. Tippet
28. Polo Cap]
[Illustration: INSERT 8
PATTERNS 22·24·28·
22. AUTOMOBILE BONNET
24. MUFF & TIPPET
28. POLO CAP]
This pattern plate should remain permanently in book so that tracings
on tissue paper can be made from it as required.
PATTERN 16.―DOLL’S LEGGINGS
See Insert IX
NOTE.―Make leggings of old kid gloves.
1. Cut two of each piece of pattern No. 16.
Pin three pieces _not alike_ together.
2. Baste the three pieces not alike, together, matching two
single notches, and two double notches, _making top and bottom of
legging even_.
3. Stitch in a plain seam.
Sew little “shank” buttons on one side, and cut button-holes in
the other side, as indicated on pattern.
Do not attempt to work button-holes in kid.
4. Turn strap under and “tack” (sew with several stitches over
and over each other) in place on wrong side of opposite piece, as
indicated in pattern.
NOTE.―Always _baste with right sides facing each other_, in
making the leggings.
_Yours for happy stitches,
His Nibs,
King of Fairy Thimble Land._
The little girl made everything the King sent.
[Illustration: The little girl made everything the King sent]
[Illustration: CHAPTER XXVI]