The secret of the live dolls

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Chapter II

Next morning the dolls were wakened by a bell tinkling, then they heard Dinah call:

“You all better get up. I got cakes and bacon all ready.”

The dolls sleepily tumbled out of bed.

Rosabel trotted over to Janie’s bed; the other dolls followed and stood on tiptoe, peeping at the Queen. How dear she looked with her eyes closed. Her yellow curls lay on the pillow and one tiny hand was tucked under her pink cheek.

The dolls crept close and suddenly the

Queen opened her eyes. They all shouted, for it seemed almost too good to be true that she was really with them and that they were once more scampering about.

She raised her head and sniffed.

“What do I smell?” she asked.

“Oh, Dinah’s pancakes and crispy bacon.”

“Good—let’s hurry!”

At once they all became very busy. Janie’s father had given the dolls a bathroom all their own. In the wee tub they splashed like a lot of tiny cupids.

Presently they were all dressed, seated at the table gobbling up the golden brown cakes and curly bacon.

Dinah was so proud to be baking cakes for the Queen. She sailed in and out of the room, almost like a queen herself. As they finished the meal their beloved one said:

“Now we shall make our beds and when the nursery is all spick and span, we’re going to make a call.”

How exciting to make a call with the Queen!

At once these seventeen dolls went to work. The covers of the wee beds had been thrown back so they were ready to be made. Then they swept and dusted. When all was in order, they wonderingly followed the Queen out of the house.

To their great joy, she led them next door where the Doll Lady used to live.

The Queen rang the bell, the door opened, and there she stood.

“We didn’t know you were back,” said Rosabel. “When did you come?”

“Oh,” laughed the Doll Lady, “didn’t you hear the flying birds in the night? One of them came for me and brought me with Patty on its back.

“We had a lovely ride. The Queen wanted us to come. I don’t know why. Come in.”

And she led them into the lovely room where they used to have such good times.

There they found Patty, and glad indeed they were to see her again.

“Well,” said the Queen, “I do want you. I need you very much. Something new has come to Cloverdale.”

“How nice. I’m so glad I can be in it. Tell me what it is.”

“It’s an idea and it isn’t a bit nice.”

“Oh,” said the Doll Lady in cheery tones, “then it won’t stay here.”

“I hope not, but it looks kind of bother¬ some to me. It is something that has crept in here, like a thief in the night. It came from the East with the new people who just moved in.

“This is it—they say there is no Santa Claus.”

The Doll Lady was so astonished at this news, she held up her hands in horror.

“Dear! Dear!” she said, “how sad that sounds. What a dreary world this would be if that were true.”

At these words Rosabel came closer and her little hand crept into that of the Doll Lady’s, as she said:

“You do believe in him! I’m so glad.” “Indeed, I do, my dear.

“Surely not many could decide not to believe in such a splendid being as Santa Claus.”

“Well,” said the Queen, “you can’t tell. I’ve heard quite a lot about it here and there; seems to be sort of an epidemic sweeping about. I never dreamed it could get into Cloverdale, but we will soon settle it.

“Now, dear Mrs. Doll Lady, we want you to help us. Will you?”

“Will I? Just watch me. Cloverdale is a wonderful place to settle things. We know that. I’ll love it.”

“Of course, only a few here would say there was no Santa Claus. We will soon win them over. I am sure Janie’s family all be¬ lieve in him.”

“No,” came in stifled tones from one who stood apart from the others. “I do not.”

“You, Belinda! Well! Well! Tell us why.”

“I’ve been to all the meetings with the dolls and their mothers. I know all about it,” she finished, importantly tossing her head at those about her.

They stared, amazed, and drew away from the unbeliever.

“Meetings? What meetings?” asked the Doll Lady.

“Oh, they have a club. The new girl from the East is President. She’s the one who brought the idea.”

“A club! Well! How interesting. We had a club once upon a time. It reminds me of that. You all remember, of course. That was when the girls stopped believing in dolls and carried Teddy Bears around under their wings. We soon settled that.

“You remember how the Bears flew away. This idea also will fly away. We, too, will have a club.”

At this news the dolls began to prance about—crying:

“A club—oh, what fun! We’ll love it. What will we do?”

“Do? You wait, we’ll have a grand time. Belinda, are there many in that club?”

“Most of the doll mothers. They just follow that girl from the East as though she were Mary and they were her lambs.”

At these words the Doll Lady looked grave.

“Well,” she said, “we must learn more about this. The first thing for us to do is to call a meeting. We won’t say what for. “We’ll have it in Janie’s big playroom.” “Yes,” said the Queen, “we will, and I’ll go around this moment and say how do you do and invite them. You might go over and get the room ready. Build up a big fire and make it look as jolly as possible.”

Away went the Queen and away went the Doll Lady with the live dolls scam¬ pering at her heels.

They all helped, while Dinah cooked lunch. The fire crackled merrily, cheering them on in their work.

“Listen to it,” said Rosabel. “Seems to be saying—‘Hurrah for Santa Claus,’” and she cast a look of scorn at Belinda who seemed rather uncomfortable.

“Don’t sound like that to me,” she scoffed. “Sounds to me like—‘Santa Claus? Who is he?’ ”

“Here! Here! This won’t do!” said the Doll Lady. “Belinda has as much right to her opinion as you have to yours. It is just for us to find out which is right. There’s the lunch bell. Come.”

The dolls were hungry, and Dinah’s lunch smelled good.

“Who ever made better jelly omelette and such cunning baked potatoes like hickory nuts!”

“These omelettes look like squatty yellow toads, and, oh, the darling wee biscuits!”

“Where did we get these cute little silver pitchers for the syrup?” chattered the dolls.

“I brought them,” said the Doll Lady. “They were in a store window, just begging me to buy them for you.

“You can use them for cream for your baked apples, too.”

They all talked at once as they ate, sound¬ ing like a flock of birds around a heap of crumbs, tossed out from a near-by window.

“Now,” said the Doll Lady as they finished, “we shall help Dinah with the dishes, then we shall all put on clean dresses and be ready for the meeting.”

The dolls soon had the dishes in neat rows on the shelves and very soon they stood by the window with shining faces and clean crisp dresses, watching down the street.

“Here they come! Here they come!” they cried presently, and sure enough there came a real procession up the street; all the doll mothers and their dolls headed by the Queen.

They were much excited over being called to a meeting, and they all sat down and wonderingly waited to know what it was all about.

Chapter III

The Queen took the chair which was placed at one end of the room beside a table.

When all was very, very still, the Queen rose, saying:

“I know you are glad to welcome me once more. How many heard my bugle at midnight? Not many I see. Well, you knew this morning that I had arrived.”

“Oh, yes,” cried one and another, “our dolls wakened us and we were so happy to see them dancing about.”

“Of course, you were. I came now to help you to have a merry Christmas. At 25 once when I appeared, I heard an amazing thing. That’s why I have called this meet¬ ing. I was told that some of you have suddenly decided there is no Santa Claus. How about it?”

The girls all turned toward the newcomer who had lately moved to Cloverdale.

“Tell her,” they whispered.

The new girl, who by the way seemed a very fashionable one, arose and stammered:

“Well some of us have decided that.”

“Why?” asked the Queen.

“Oh,” she said, tossing her head, “no one in the East believes in him. Only babies do. Because babies do, we have to keep it a secret, but our meetings are just splendid.”

“Indeed,” said the Queen, “too bad to keep a splendid thing a secret. Secrets are so interesting. Since there are no babies here would you be allowed to tell us a little bit about this new idea?”

“Well, in the East we had a club. I thought it would be nice to form one here.

So I did. We’re having a grand time. It is such fun to have them secret.”

“Is that so,” mused the Queen, nodding at the fire.

“It would be well if some secrets were never told. I fancy this may be one of that kind. You are the President of this club, I hear?”

“Oh, yes,” cried her followers, “she is the only one who knows how to manage it.”

“Oh!” murmured the Queen, again nod¬ ding her head at the fire. “I also will form a club. The members of mine will believe in Santa Claus. All who want to join may come here.”

At once many scampered across the room, all eager to be the first to reach the Queen’s side. As she looked about her she saw all of Janie’s dolls except Belinda, and a few of the girls and their dolls. But alas; many more stood by the girl of fashion.

The Queen was surprised to see that the new idea had so many followers.

She bade them all be seated again. Then said to the new girl:

“I wish you would tell me a little about how this new idea started.”

“Of course it started in the East. Every¬ thing worth while does,” said the Presi¬ dent proudly. “And my mother says it’s time to ’bolish Santa Claus.”

“ ’Bolish \” repeated the Queen sweetly. “Pray tell us what that means.”

“I don’t know,” said the wise girl, “but that’s what she said.”

“I’ll tell you,” said the Queen. “The word is abolish. It means to put out. Just like this.”

She snatched a candle from a near-by table, lit it, then blew it out.

“There! See the wick smoking so sad because we didn’t want its beautiful light to shine.

“You mean to ’bolish dear old Santa Claus just like that I s’pose. Can’t you just see him blinking his eyes in wonder, dropping tears over his red coat because some people in the East decided it was time to abolish him?

“Well, I want to tell you it can’t be done. See! I’ll light the candle again, and nP matter how many times it is put out, I can keep on lighting it.

“And no matter how many times clubs or mothers or children or live dolls say he is abolished, he will still bob up when Christ¬ mas comes and fill the stockings while

Prancer and Dancer paw about on the roof jingling their bells.”

At this the dolls standing beside the Queen began to dance and prance, just like the reindeer and Rosabel cried:

“Oh, you dear Queen. I am so glad you came. You always make things so bright and jolly. Janie has gone and it seemed so dreadful to have Santa Claus go too.”

“It does indeed, but he isn’t going,” said the Queen in cheery tones, “and now we will talk this over. Christmas will be trot¬ ting along one of these days.

“We know how we keep it with the jolly old Elf.

“I would like to know how you plan to keep it without him. Is that also a secret?”

“Oh, no,” said the new girl, “we haven’t quite decided yet. We plan to, at our next meeting.”

“How interesting! I wonder how it will seem to have no Santa Claus,” mused the Queen.

“Well, dear Queen,” cried Belinda, “tell us this. If there is a Santa Claus, how can he go all over the world in one night?”

“Yes,” cried the girl of fashion, “tell us that. Of course he can’t,” she declared.

“Oh, I see the trouble now,” said the Queen. “The kind of Santa Claus you be¬ lieve in just couldn’t go all over the world in one night.

“Also he is so fat he could only go down large chimneys.

“I think that kind of a Santa Claus isn’t much good. I don’t believe in him either. The Santa Claus I believe in can go any¬ where all at once. Big chimneys, small chimneys or no chimneys. He can always get there. He is the most splendid one you can possibly know about and you can’t put him out any more than you can the sun, moon and stars.

“Now then, any more want to join my club?”

The dolls grouped about the girl of 31 fashion, gazed wistfully up at her and Be¬ linda bravely tripped across to the Queen’s side and clasped her hand.

The President was silent for a moment, then said:

“Where I came from it isn’t fashionable to believe in him. So I think we’ll still stay in our club.”

“Fashionable!” sputtered the Queen. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, don’t you know? It means to be in style. All styles start in the East, you know.”

At this the Queen was silent for a moment, her face very sad. Suddenly she brightened and cried joyously:

“Why I just thought of something. Per¬ haps styles do start in the East. My Santa Claus started there ages ago. He came in with the Star of Bethlehem, and so of course, he can’t possibly go out of style. He always has been and always will be. That’s the joy of believing in him. He’s like the sunshine. Even when it’s raining, we know the sun still shines somewhere.”

“But how can he go everywhere?” asked one of the non-believers.

“That’s the beautiful thing about him. How he does it. Let’s pretend he is one big round sun. You have seen the rays from the sun, how hundreds of tiny shafts of light shine in all directions. Just so on the hun¬ dreds of tiny rays that shine far down the path from Santa Claus, ride his messengers.

How far do the sun rays go? Who knows? Just so far go Santa Claus’ messengers. You can’t keep them out any more than you can keep out the sunshine.”

“Did any one ever thee him?” lisped the Arabella doll.

“Nobody sees him, but is that any sign there is none? Did you ever see fairies dancing in the moonlight?

“No, but that doesn’t prove anything, does it?

“You still believe in them when you go to the woods and see a pink umbrella that pretends it’s a mushroom. You can almost see a bunch of fairies snuggling up under it in case of a sudden shower.

“When you see roots of big trees sticking up, forming rooms carpeted with moss and in a corner of one room a bed of fine needles, no one needs to tell you fairies live there, You know it.

“Shut your eyes and see if you can see them there keeping house. Did you ever 34 play ‘let’s pretend’? It’s a fine game. S’pose we play it for a few moments. All close your eyes. Rosabel, what do you see?”

“Oh,” cried Rosabel, much excited, “I know the darling rooms around the trunk of a big oak where I play dolls. I can see the fairy mother wearing a leaf apron, her curls are tucked under a wild-flower cap. She is getting dinner. I can just see her preparing the food, sitting on a button mushroom.”

“Good! Who else sees something?” asked the Queen.

“I,” cried Elsie Grace. “I see all the little baby fairies swinging in cobweb cradles, jeweled with dewdrops. They look as if a rainbow had burst and all the tiny colored bubbles had lodged there.”

“Oh, now let me tell,” cried Belinda. “I see a dear little church. In front of it are columns of Indian pipes, all so white and pure. They shine like silver. Quite near by is a nest of baby thrushes and the mother birds sing the babies to sleep while the fairy mothers go to twilight service. The bird song sounds like an organ playing softly. Then the fairies kneel and bow their heads just like the crystal pipes. Then they all sing so sweetly. I can almost hear them.”

“Lovely,” said the Queen, “and now try to see if you can see what I see. Around every tree in that big woods and in every woods all over the world, I see tiny fairy homes. It is Christmas Eve. The stockings are hung. The fairies are all asleep.”

Then she almost whispered, “It is so still I hardly dare to breathe. Now just like magic appear hundreds of red-coated, fur-trimmed, fairy Santa Clauses. You can hear them singing as they come flying across the sky, seated in sleighs drawn by fairy rein¬ deer. Into every home they go and empty their packs. Then away they fly, singing— ‘Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!’

“Who saw it?”

“Oh, I did. I did!” cried the dolls and doll mothers. “Tell us some more.”

“No more pretend this time. Now you see, we have two ideas about Santa Claus. One is a big fat man you can see. If you believe in him, Johnny Jones won’t have his stocking filled because his chimney is too small for that Santa Claus to go down. Wherever that Santa Claus goes, there are some places where he can’t get in because some homes have no chimneys. That Santa Claus you can see, but what good does that do?

“The other isn’t a big fat mian, but he can go any place. We can’t see him but we like him much better for that reason.

“Now choose—you who believe in Santa Claus—which one do you want?”

“Oh, your sunshiny one,” cried the dolls grouped about her.

Those standing on the other side of the room were very still. Some of them were pulling at the President’s skirts begging her to join the Queen’s club, but she shook her head.

“Well,” cried the Queen, “which shall it be—Christmas with Santa Claus or with¬ out?”

“I’ll take mine with Santa Claus, thank you!” “And I.” “And I,” came from the many dolls and mothers.

“Will you please tell us, dear Queen, why they have those Santa Claus men around by the trees at Christmas time?”

“Why do little girls have dolls and pre¬ tend they are their children? This world is 38 full of pretends. It’s lots more fun. Isn’t it?

“When you play the fairy game in the woods, it’s more fun than just to walk along without any delicious imaginings.

“I love to pretend. The red-coated Santa Clauses make it seem more Christmasy. Dolls in your doll house make it seem more like a really truly home, doesn’t it?

“Fairies in the woods make it seem more as though you were in Fairy-land.

“Now,” she said to the President, “we have two clubs. Isn’t it fun! I shall call mine, ‘The Live Dolls’ Santa Claus Club.’ Would you be allowed to tell us the name of yours?”

“Oh, yes—it’s the ‘No Santa Claus Club.’ It couldn’t be anything else, you know.”

“No Santa Claus,” mused the Queen. “What a sad name. Before I knew of these clubs, I had badges made for us all to wear at Christmas time and they will fit my club perfectly.”

As she talked, the Queen produced a box from which she took and held up—oh, what do you suppose?

A darling gold fairy Santa Claus, so shiny and bright. His red suit was trimmed with fur, just as in the poem. On his back he carried a pack.

“His cheeks are like roses, his nose like a cherry,” sang Rosabel, as the Queen pinned one on her waist.

Presently on each little breast, shone the jolly elf.

“Isn’t he beautiful,” cried Elsie Grace.

“And, oh, look,” said Belinda, “he carries a wand and on the end shines a gold star. ,Why is that?”

“Why the star? Oh, my dearies,” cried the Queen, her arms outstretched with such a loving look, “that star means a lot. Some¬ time I’ll tell you all about it. Not now. Any one else want badges?” with an inquiring look at those wistful faces across the way.

Two or three took a step toward the

Queen, but stopped as the President tossed her head saying:

“We wouldn’t care about those, thank you. We will have some of our own, and now we must go.”

“I’m sorry,” said the Queen. “Remem¬ ber, any time you think you would like to join us, we shall welcome you with open arms. Good-by.”

Sadly she watched the No Santa Claus Club file out the door and down the walk with dragging steps.

“Oh,” cried one doll mother, “they don’t feel a bit skippy, do they? I wish that girl hadn’t come here. She’s just spoiled every¬ thing. We were always so happy when the Queen brought our dolls to life. Now every¬ thing seems all wrong.”

“Never mind,” comforted the Doll Lady. “The first thing you know you’ll see her skipping over to join our club. They seem to love to play ‘follow the leader,’ so then they will all join.

“It reminds mef of the time when the Teddy Bears found their way into your hearts. You all remember we were rather sad for a while. Our two clubs finally be¬ came one. We had much fun working it out and it wasn’t long before the bears ran away.”

“Yes,” cried Dinah, rolling her eyes, “an’ now we want to make dem dar No Santas change deir tune. Dat dar idee’s jus’ got to fly away from Cloverdale. No room for it in dis town. But how be we goin’ to make it go?”

“Oh,” laughed the Doll Lady, “we’ll make a big kite and tie it, on to the tail. The first windy day you’ll see it fly up, up, and you’ll never hear of it again.”

The Queen, at the window, watched the non-believers out of sight. Then she walked over to the fire—looking sadly at the flaming coals.

“Oh,” cried Dinah, “can’t we play Ringaround-a-rosy for a moment? Dat noskippy club kind o’ makes me feel creepy.”

“We will,” said the Queen. “I think we all want to do something to make us glad.”

They clasped hands and after a rollicking game, which sent them all into a gale of laughter, they again seated themselves in a circle.

The snapping of the fire gave Dinah an idea which sent her to the kitchen. In a moment she came back carrying a cornpopper and a wee pan of corn.

“Dem dar coals was just beggin’ us to pop corn. You all didn’t hear what dey sayin’, but I did.”

As she talked she filled the popper and shook it above the embers.

Presently from the jolly crackle came a crispy mass which she turned out into saucers.

Next melted butter crept its way through the snowy kernels. Then the dolls, with their little feet close to the fire, ate the corn while Dinah’s funny stories kept them in a jolly mood.

“Well,” said the Queen after a time, “I think we now feel skippy enough to talk over what we are to do.”

As she told them her plans, their eyes sparkled and they hopped about crying:

“Oh, you dear Queen, what fun it will be. How soon may we begin?”

“Right away. The Doll Lady will help us. I think we will have more fun than we ever had. Now run home and tell your mothers all about the club and what we are to do.”

The children and their dolls scampered toward home while the Queen, the Doll Lady and Janie’s dolls tidied up the playroom.

“Oh,” said the Doll Lady as they worked, “what fun it is to have you dollies alive again! I love to hear your little feet pat¬ tering about.”

“Well,” said Rosabel, “if you feel that way, how do you s’pose we feel?

“You’d know if you had to sit in a cor¬ ner all day just smiling and staring. Some¬ times it just seems as though I must jump up and down and clap my hands.”

“Yes,” said Dinah, “an’ sometimes I just ache to make a fire an’ pop a pan of biscuits in the oven.”

“Well, Dinah you may do that any time you want to,” said the Queen.

“From now on we are to be very busy, and biscuits, corn bread or cookies will taste very good. Fill up the pantry shelves with all sorts of sweets. We might start out our good times with a candy pull after supper.”

“Oh, Dinah, may we help get supper?” begged Rosabel.

“Well, yes, if you’ll be keerful an’ not spill stuff on ma clean flo’.”

“That will be fun,” said the Queen. “Rosabel, you might put on the kettle of molasses. We’ll start the candy now, then it will be ready to pull when you finish supper.”

And so at once the seventeen dolls were racing around, some setting the table, others cooking.

Soon sweet odors crept through the little

J house. One had only to sniff to know what was bobbing around in the shiny kettles on top of the stove.

Do you want to know what was in them? Peep into the largest and see wee potatoes getting ready to be fluffed. In the steamer are small bits of squash soon to be turned into a delicious golden mass.

Open the oven door and see a tiny loaf of ginger bread and a meat roast, turning brown and crispy.

After supper the candy was pulled, cut up into buttercups and put out to cool.

When they had eaten all they wanted, they were all so sleepy, they were quite ready to go to bed.

So presently the little house was still as a mouse and all that could be heard were the many clocks singing their various tunes.