The Story Of A Sawdust Doll - Part 3

Hi,

This is Stefania,

And it's time for the next part of The Sawdust Doll.

If you remember from the last part,

The little doll was on her way to her new home,

For she had just been purchased for a lovely little girl.

Now she's in the car.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY The Sawdust Doll could not see,

Of course,

All the things that happened on her automobile ride,

For she was wrapped up in paper from the store.

But she could feel the big machine gliding along on its rubber-tired wheels,

And she knew she was having a ride.

It may be nicer than a ride on the back of the white rocking horse,

Thought the Sawdust Doll,

But it isn't so much fun cooped up here as I am.

I wish we'd get to where we're going.

And soon enough,

She had her wish.

Through the different streets rolled the automobile,

And soon it came to a stop near a pretty house in front of which was a big,

Beautiful lawn.

You may put the auto up now,

Said the lady to the driver.

I shall not be going out again today.

I must get ready for Dorothy's birthday party.

And then the Sawdust Doll was carried into the house.

The lady hurried up the stairs,

Holding the package under her fur coat.

Is that you,

Mother?

Called Dorothy from the playroom.

Yes,

Was the answer.

Stay there.

I'll be with you in a minute.

Is Dick there?

Yes,

I'm here,

Dick answered.

I'm making believe our chair is a rocking horse.

Did you bring me a rocking horse,

Mother?

He asked as he came to the door of the playroom.

It isn't Christmas yet,

Mother answered with a laugh.

Here,

Martha,

She quickly said to the maid.

Take this doll.

It's for Dorothy's birthday tomorrow.

Hide it away on top of a closet shelf where Dorothy will not see it.

The doll was laid away on a shelf in a dark closet.

That is,

It was dark for a time.

But after a while,

The Sawdust Doll began to see things faintly,

Just as she used to look at things on the shelves and counters of the toy store.

Hello?

Who's there?

Suddenly asked a voice of the Sawdust Doll,

And she knew right away.

It was a toy,

Like herself.

But all she could dimly see was a small square box in one corner of the top closed shelf.

Hello,

Said a voice again.

Hello,

Answered the Sawdust politely.

But I can't see anyone,

She answered.

And no wonder.

My spring is broken and I can't put my head out to see you either,

The voice went on.

But I can look at you through a crack.

A crack in what?

Asked the Sawdust Doll.

A crack in my box,

Was the reply.

Well,

Go on,

Said the Sawdust Doll after a moment of silence.

I'm Jack in the box,

The voice continued.

I used to live in a toy store and I was brought last Christmas for the boy who lives in this house.

But after he played with me a while,

Watching me jump out of my box every time the lid was lifted,

My spring broke.

I couldn't jump out anymore then.

And the boy grew tired of me.

So I was put away on this shelf.

Goodness knows how lonesome I've been.

I'm glad you came to keep me company.

How long are you going to stay?

I don't know,

Answered the Sawdust Doll.

I hope your spring isn't broken and that you are not put here because you aren't of any more use as a toy,

Said Jack in the box.

No,

I haven't any springs,

Answered the doll.

I'm full of sawdust.

That's better than having a spring inside you,

Said Jack.

You can't break sawdust.

No.

But you can spill it,

The doll went on.

And that's what I'm always afraid of,

That someday there will be an accident and all my sawdust will run out.

Oh,

Let us hope not,

Exclaimed Jack.

But really,

I'm glad you have come.

I was dreadfully lonesome here.

Tell me about yourself.

Tell me about your adventures.

I haven't had many yet,

Sawdust doll replied.

We used to have fun playing party in the store after all the real folks were gone.

But I'd like to hear about you.

Having your spring broken must be a very wonderful adventure indeed.

Yeah,

It's wonderful,

Right?

Sighed Jack,

But it isn't much fun.

If my spring were not broken,

I could look out now from the top of my box and see you and talk to you much better.

As it is,

I have to whisper through a crack.

It isn't much fun talking through a crack,

Agreed the sawdust doll.

But tell me about your spring.

So,

Jack told how one day the boy pushed him into the box too hard and slammed the cover down so quickly that there was a snip and a snap and poor Jack's spring broke.

Never after that could he jump out of his box with a squeak when ever the lid was lifted.

Now,

I want to hear about you,

Said Jack.

So the sawdust doll told about her friends in the store and how the bold tin soldier had driven the rat back to his hole.

For some little time,

The Jack in the box and the sawdust doll remained on the closet shelf,

Talking together in the make-believe language of toys,

A language no real person's ever hear any more than they can see the toys at play.

Then,

The next day,

The closet door suddenly opened and a flood of light came in.

Ah,

I think they've come for you,

Whispered Jack.

Maybe it's for you,

The doll answered.

Oh,

No.

My days are over,

Was Jack's reply.

Nobody wants to play with a broken dolly.

I'll stay here a long time,

I suppose.

But your adventures are just beginning.

And that is just what happened.

The sawdust doll was lifted down off the shelf and a beautiful dress was put on her.

It was made of silk and was the color of a rose.

You are as nice a doll as any little girl could wish,

Said Martha the maid as she tied a blue sash on the sawdust doll.

There was a mirror in the room where the maid was dressing the toy for the birthday party,

And the sawdust doll had a look at herself in the mirror.

My,

How nice I look,

Thought the doll.

This is much nicer than wearing nothing but a bit of cheesecloth as I did in the store.

I won't catch cold now.

The rose silk dress was fastened on the doll,

And then Mother came to get the toy.

It's almost time for Dorothy's party,

Said Mother.

I hope she will like her doll.

I'll take it down.

Down the stairs,

The sawdust doll was carried,

And a moment later,

She found herself in a room that was filled with little girls and boys.

The girls all wore pretty dresses,

And the boys had their hair combed,

So the sawdust doll began to think it was a party.

And when she heard the guests say to Dorothy that they wished her many happy returns,

The sawdust doll knew it was a birthday party.

Here you are,

Little daughter,

Said Mother to Dorothy.

Here is a present for you.

And the sawdust doll was handed to the little girl.

Dorothy's eyes shone in delight,

And she danced up and down as she hugged the toy close in her arms.

Oh,

She's the very doll I wanted,

Cried Dorothy.

It's the same one I saw in the store.

Look,

Dick!

She called to her brother,

Showing him her new pet.

Don't you remember?

This doll was in the store where you rode the white walking horse.

Yes,

And I wish I had the walking horse now,

Exclaimed Dick.

But dolls are all right for girls,

And I'm glad you have a new one,

Dorothy.

He added,

Feeling he had not been very polite.

She is pretty.

Yes,

My doll is lovely,

Said Dorothy.

Indeed she is,

Cried all the other girls.

And though each one of them had a doll,

None was any prettier or more beautiful.

More beautifully dressed than the sawdust doll.

Then the party fun began.

The boys and girls played games and danced to music.

Some of the girls even danced with the sawdust doll.

And I think it was very good of Dorothy to let them play with her beautiful new doll.

But they were very careful.

I like birthday parties,

Thought the sawdust doll.

I wish the Bow-Tin Soldier and the Calico Clown were here to enjoy this one.

After the children had played games,

They had good things to eat,

For that is one of the best things about a party.

And while the children ate cake and ice cream,

The sawdust doll was laid aside.

She found herself lying on a table near a big pincushion that was tied with a yellow ribbon.

I hope none of the pins or needles come out and stick me,

Thought the doll as she looked at them.

If I get a hole in me,

All of my sawdust will run out and that would be dreadful.

Dorothy's new toy,

Lying on a table near a pincushion in a side room,

Could hear the joyous shouts and laughter of the children at the birthday party.

She could hear the rattle of spoons and of the ice cream dishes.

All of a sudden,

When it was very still and quiet in the room where the sawdust doll was lying,

There came a growling noise.

Gracious me,

Thought the sawdust doll.

I wonder if that is Buster the Bear whom Jack was telling me about.

I wonder.

She started to rise and look around,

But she was afraid to do this for fear of some prying boy or girl might be looking.

And the toys never dare move if anyone looks at them.

Then after the growl,

There came a bark,

A loud bark.

That can't be a bear,

Thought the sawdust doll.

Bears don't bark,

They growl.

But I remember there was a fuzzy dog in Toy Town.

He used to growl and wag his tail when he was wound up.

I wonder if the fuzzy dog could be here.

I wish I dared look.

And then something dreadful happened.

At least it was dreadful to the sawdust doll.

For a shaggy dog,

One she knew was real and not a toy,

Rushed up to her growling and barking.

And the next moment,

The sawdust doll was caught up in the dog's mouth,

Dragged from the table,

And carried away.

Oh,

Dear.

Oh,

Oh,

Dear.

What's going to happen now?

Well,

I tell you,

The sawdust doll will be all right.

But right now,

She's in a bit of a pickle.

In the Doghouse Carlo,

The shaggy dog who lived in the same house with Dorothy and Dick,

Was not a bad dog.

But he liked to find new things to pick up in his teeth,

Shake,

And then carry off.

Sometimes he hid the things he carried off in this way,

And they were not found for a long time afterward.

Often he would take the ball Dick played with and run off with that.

But when Dick saw Carlo doing this,

He chased the dog and got the ball back.

However,

This time,

No one saw Carlo taking away the sawdust doll.

The dog had watched for his chance.

And when he saw Dorothy and the other girls and boys in the dining room,

Eating,

Taking ice cream,

Carlo just thought to himself,

Now I can run in and grab something.

Oh,

I saw Dorothy put something up on the table.

Maybe it's a ball I can have fun with.

So Carlo hurried into the room where he had seen Dorothy lay something down.

And as the table was not very high,

Carlo jumped right up on it.

Oh,

Here's something fine for me to carry away,

Said the dog to himself.

And then he picked up the sawdust doll out of the room,

Down the hall and past the dining room where the children were having such jolly times,

Ran Carlo with the sawdust dog in his mouth.

He did not hurt her,

For he didn't really bite her.

He only carried her as a mother cat carries her kittens by the backs of their necks.

Besides,

Being stuffed with sawdust as she was,

The doll could not feel pain.

Of course,

Her feelings were hurt a little when the dog grabbed her up so suddenly,

But she seemed to know she would not really be harmed.

There you are,

Said Carlo in dog language,

As he dropped the sawdust doll down in the straw of his kennel at the end of the yard.

There you are.

No one will find you here.

The sawdust doll did not answer the dog,

Even though she may have known what he said.

Pet animals and toy pets do not speak the same sort of talk,

At least to one another.

And pets can move about and bark or mew whether any real folks are looking at them or not.

Toy dogs,

Walking horses and monkeys are not like that.

They never move or do anything if you watch them.

Carlo scuttled around in the straw until he had covered the sawdust doll from sight in his kennel.

Then,

Wagging his tail as though he had done something smart,

He went back to the party.

I'm glad he's gone,

Said the doll.

Carlo liked parties.

There were always stray bits of cake dropping on the floor and Carlo could pick them up.

He didn't mind it because they'd been on the carpet,

And it was good for the carpet to have him pick them up.

So,

Leaving the sawdust doll in his kennel,

Carlo ran back to the house.

He wagged his tail as he thought of the good things the boys and girls might give him,

And they sometimes did give him good things.

As soon as he trotted in through the kitchen,

Where the door had been left open to bring in another freezer of ice cream,

Carlo found a piece of cake on the floor.

That made him wag his tail harder than before.

But the poor sawdust doll,

Think of her,

Left all alone in the straw of the dog's kennel with her new rose-colored dress on.

Wasn't that too bad?

But she's going to be okay.

This is certainly an adventure,

Said the sawdust doll to herself.

I'm glad this straw is nice and warm,

Or I might get cold.

But I don't exactly like it in here.

It was better even on the closet shelf with Jack in the box,

Though he did have to talk through a crack to me.

For some time,

The sawdust doll lay in the straw of the dog's kennel.

She sat up and looked about her,

For there being no one there with human eyes to watch,

The toy could do as she pleased.

She even got up and walked about,

Though it was hard work because the long pieces of straw were tangled in her feet.

She went to the door of the kennel and looked out,

First making sure no one in the yard could see her.

Dear me,

I could never walk back through the house in the snow,

Said the sawdust doll to herself.

If it were summer,

I might try it after dark when everyone had gone to bed,

But I could never do it now in the snow.

I'd simply catch cold and have the sawdust fever.

Now,

I shall have to stay here until someone comes for me.

I hope that nice girl Dorothy misses me soon and comes and gets me.

And surely enough,

Dorothy did miss her doll shortly after that.

The cake,

Ice cream,

And other good things had been eaten,

And after some games had been played by the boys and girls,

Dorothy said,

Now,

Let's get my new doll again,

Girls.

She must be lonesome waiting for us to get through with our cake and ice cream.

Yes,

We'll get your doll,

Said another girl.

Dorothy ran to the table where she had put her sawdust doll.

Why,

Why,

Cried the little girl.

She isn't here.

She's gone.

What is gone,

Dorothy?

Asked Mother.

Your piece of cake.

You shouldn't have left it on the table,

My dear.

No,

Mother.

I didn't leave any cake on the table,

Dorothy said.

It was my new sawdust doll.

I left her here,

And now she's gone.

Oh,

That is too bad.

Said Dorothy's mother.

But are you sure you left your doll on this table?

She asked the little girl.

Oh,

Yes,

Answered Dorothy.

I saw that sawdust doll lying there,

Said Helen,

One of the party guests.

So did I,

Chimed in Dick.

And then Dorothy looked sharply at her brother.

Did you take my doll?

She asked him suddenly.

Did you take my new doll that Mother just gave me for my birthday?

Course I didn't,

Cried Dick.

Why should I take your doll?

I don't play with dolls.

Dorothy thought.

Perhaps you had taken it in fun,

Gently said Mother.

If you didn't,

Perhaps Martha laid it in another place.

We must look for the sawdust doll.

We can make a game of it,

Cried Dick.

I don't want my sawdust doll made into a game,

Exclaimed Dorothy,

Who was feeling sad.

It is only in fun and make-believe,

Said Mother.

That would be a good way to find your pet,

My dear.

Come,

Children,

Look for Dorothy's doll.

The sawdust doll was not the only one Dorothy had,

But as it was her newest toy,

She wanted that just then more than any of the others.

So she helped her boy and girlfriend's look in different rooms for the missing doll.

The maid said she had not taken the sawdust doll away,

And no one could imagine where she was.

And the tears came into Dorothy's eyes as minute after minute passed,

And the new toy was not found.

Now we must see what is happening to the sawdust doll.

For some time,

After going to the door of the kennel to look out,

She lay quietly in the straw.

It kept her warm,

For there was no fire in Carlo's house,

As there was in the house where Dorothy and Dick lived.

After a while,

The sawdust doll heard someone walking toward the kennel.

She knew the sound of human footsteps,

For she had often heard them in the department store.

And she knew it was not the Bold Tin Soldier or the Calico Clown coming towards her now.

I wish it were one of my friends,

Thought the sawdust doll,

But it cannot be.

This person walks just like the watchman in the store.

I wonder who it is.

And then a loud but pleasant voice spoke,

And a man said,

Well,

Well,

I almost forgot about putting some clean straw in Carlo's kennel.

That straw he must have.

It must be all wet with the snow.

I'll rake that out and put in fresh for the dog.

It'll keep him warmer tonight.

Something long and black with sharp iron teeth was thrust into the kennel,

And the next moment the straw was raked out,

And the sawdust doll went with it.

Out she came in the mist of the straw.

The big gardener,

For it was he who was going to give Carlo clean straw,

Exclaimed what he had raked out.

He saw something pink,

And looking at it,

He said,

Dear me,

What a funny bone.

Where could that have come from?

He thought the sawdust doll was a bone that Carlo had hidden in the kennel.

Why?

Why?

It isn't a bone at all,

Exclaimed the gardener as he picked it up and looked at it more carefully.

It's a doll,

A sawdust doll.

Oh,

I wonder where she came from.

And he turned the toy over and over in his hands.

Well,

Somebody's found the doll,

So she'll be safe.

But what's going to happen to her right now?

You'll find out in the next story.

Not now,

But next time.

Bye-bye for now.