Raggedy Ann Stories | Page 6

said to Marcella, "for
the kite was directly over here when the doll fell!"
Marcella was heartbroken. She went in the house and lay on the bed.
Mamma went out with the children and tried to find Raggedy Ann, but
Raggedy Ann was nowhere to be seen.
When Daddy came home in the evening he tried to find Raggedy, but
met with no success. Marcella had eaten hardly any dinner, nor could
she be comforted by Mamma or Daddy. The other dolls in the nursery
lay forgotten and were not put to bed that night, for Marcella lay and
sobbed and tossed about her bed.
Finally she said a little prayer for Raggedy Ann, and went to sleep. And
as she slept Marcella dreamed that the fairies came and took Raggedy
Ann with them to fairyland for a visit, and then sent Raggedy Ann
home to her. She awakened with a cry. Of course Mamma came to her

bed right away and said that Daddy would offer a reward in the
morning for the return of Raggedy.
"It was all my fault, Mamma!" Marcella said. "I should not have
offered the boys dear old Raggedy Ann to tie on the tail of the kite! But
I just know the fairies will send her back."
Mamma took her in her arms and soothed her with cheering words,
although she felt indeed that Raggedy Ann was truly lost and would
never be found again.
Now, where do you suppose Raggedy Ann was all this time?
[Illustration]
When Raggedy Ann dropped from the kite, the wind caught in her
skirts and carried her along until she fell in the fork of the large elm
tree directly over Marcella's house. When Raggedy Ann fell with a thud,
face up in the fork of the tree, two robins who had a nest near by flew
chattering away.
Presently the robins returned and quarreled at Raggedy Ann for laying
so close to their nest, but Raggedy Ann only smiled at them and did not
move.
When the robins quieted down and quit their quarreling, one of them
hopped up closer to Raggedy Ann in order to investigate.
It was Mamma Robin. She called to Daddy Robin and told him to come.
"See the nice yarn! We could use it to line the nest with," she said.
So the robins hopped closer to Raggedy Ann and asked if they might
have some of her yarn hair to line their nest. Raggedy Ann smiled at
them. So the two robins pulled and tugged at Raggedy Ann's yarn hair
until they had enough to line their nest nice and soft.
Evening came and the robins sang their good night songs, and Raggedy
Ann watched the stars come out, twinkle all night and disappear in the

morning light. In the morning the robins again pulled yarn from
Raggedy Ann's head, and loosened her so she could peep over the side
of the limb, and when the sun came up Raggedy Ann saw she was in
the trees in her own yard.
Now before she could eat any breakfast, Marcella started out to find
Raggedy Ann. And, it was Marcella herself who found her. And this is
how she did it.
Mamma Robin had seen Marcella with Raggedy Ann out in the yard
many times, so she began calling "Cheery! Cheery!" and Daddy Robin
started calling "Cheery! Cheery! Cheer up! Cheer up! Cheerily
Cheerily! Cheery! Cheery!" And Marcella looking up into the tree
above the house to see the robins, discovered Raggedy Ann peeping
over the limb at her.
[Illustration]
Oh, how her heart beat with happiness. "Here is Raggedy Ann," she
shouted.
And Mamma and Daddy came out and saw Raggedy smiling at them,
and Daddy got the clothes prop and climbed out of the attic window
and poked Raggedy Ann out of the tree and she fell right into
Marcella's arms where she was hugged in a tight embrace.
"You'll never go up on a kite again, Raggedy Ann!" said Marcella, "for
I felt so lost without you. I will never let you leave me again."
So Raggedy Ann went into the house and had breakfast with her little
mistress and Mamma and Daddy smiled at each other when they
peeped through the door into the breakfast room, for Raggedy Ann's
smile was wide and very yellow. Marcella, her heart full of happiness,
was feeding Raggedy Ann part of her egg.
[Illustration]

[Illustration]
RAGGEDY ANN RESCUES FIDO
It was almost midnight and the dolls were asleep in their beds; all
except Raggedy Ann.
Raggedy lay there, her shoe-button eyes staring straight up at the
ceiling. Every once in a while Raggedy Ann ran her rag hand up
through her yarn hair. She was thinking.
When she had thought for a long, long