Why, were those tears she saw, or was it only the light shining upon the little lady's gla.s.s eyes? Gla.s.s eyes shine very easily, it is true.

Still, supposing she _were_ crying and wanted to be comforted? She would ask her.

"You are not crying, dear, are you?" said the little girl.

The little Marionette gave a great sigh.

"Perhaps," she replied gently.

"What is it about?" asked the little girl with much sympathy.

Then all at once she understood.

"I believe," she exclaimed, "you have been telling me a story about yourself! It all happened to you to-day, while I was away, didn't it?"

The little lady rubbed two tiny wax hands across her two gla.s.s eyes.

"You have guessed rightly," she said in a little faltering voice.

"Oh, I am sorry!" said her little friend with great sympathy. "I have been out all the afternoon, so I never heard Auntie say she was going to send you and your partner away from each other. And fancy his going away and leaving you as he did! You poor little thing, how I _wish_ I could do something to make you happier!"

Molly thought a moment. "I know!" she exclaimed; "you shall belong to me, my dear. I shall ask Auntie to give you to me, and you shall be my very own dolly!"

"Come with me, darling," she continued, hugging the little Marionette tightly, "and I will sing you to sleep in Auntie's big rocking-chair. I will make up a nice song all by myself and all about you. You will see then how much I love you, and you won't cry any more. When you wake up you will feel happier again."

And going into the room at the back of the shop, she drew a rocking-chair near the cheerful blaze of the bright fire and sat down, still clasping the little Marionette in her arms.

At first she rocked to and fro silently, and with a thoughtful expression. Presently she gave a sudden jerk to the rocking-chair, and sung in a shrill sweet voice, and with some energy--

"Lulla_by_, little dolly, lulla_by_, lulla_by_, Your poor nose is broken, your eyes are awry, But I'll love you and kiss you, so you must just try Not to cry, little dolly,--lulla_by_, lulla_by_."

"Lullaby," she said more gently, and kissed her fondly. Then she began afresh, but more softly and soothingly--

"Lulla_by_, little dolly, lulla_by_, lulla_by_, You know you are ugly and rather a guy, But my arms are around you, so why should you sigh?

Just you sleep, little dolly,--lulla_by_, lulla_by_."

"Lullaby," she whispered, and kissed her again very tenderly.

"This is not poetry, only rhyme, and not very flattering rhyme either,"

murmured the little Marionette. "But if it is not poetry it is love....

And it brings comfort to my sore heart, which the reasoning, and the doctoring, and the jesting could not do...."

She whispered something more, but very weakly. Her power of talking to a Mortal had all but left her, and the child had to put her head quite close to the little lady so as to be able to catch what she said.

"Let me always stay with you," the little Marionette just managed to whisper.

"Always, dear," said her little friend.

And then the little lady fell asleep quite happily. That at least was what the little girl thought. And if _she_ thought so _we_ might as well think the same.

"You want me to give you that little Marionette?" said the owner of the toy-shop to the little girl that same evening. "Very well, Molly, you shall have her."

"Oh, thank you, Auntie!" replied her little niece with much grat.i.tude.

"There is not very much to thank me for," remarked her aunt. "She is not worth anything now. I can't imagine," she added, "how it is that she has got so knocked about."

Now the little girl had no need to imagine it, for she knew. But she kept her knowledge to herself, fearing that if she told her Aunt what had happened she would be laughed at as a fanciful child.

But we should not have laughed at her,--should we? There would have been no fancy at out the matter for us. For _we_ know that the Toy World is a very real World indeed!

HIGH SCHOOL BOY'S VACATION SERIES

By H. Irving Hanc.o.c.k

"Give us more d.i.c.k Prescott books!"

This has been the burden of the cry from young readers of the country over. Almost numberless letters have been received by the publishers, making this eager demand; for d.i.c.k Prescott, Dave Darrin, Tom Reade, and the other members of d.i.c.k & Co. are the most popular high school boys in the land. Boys will alternately thrill and chuckle when reading these splendid narratives.

1 THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' CANOE CLUB; Or, d.i.c.k & Co.'s Rivals on Lake Pleasant.

2 THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS IN SUMMER CAMP; Or, The d.i.c.k Prescott Six Training for the Gridley Eleven.

3 THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' FISHING TRIP; Or, d.i.c.k & Co. in the Wilderness.

4 THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' TRAINING HIKE; Or, d.i.c.k & Co. Making Themselves "Hard as Nails."

THE CIRCUS BOYS SERIES

By Edgar B. P. Darlington

Mr. Darlington's books breathe forth every phase of an intensely interesting and exciting life.

1 THE CIRCUS BOYS ON THE FLYING RINGS; Or, Making the Start in the Sawdust Life.

2 THE CIRCUS BOYS ACROSS THE CONTINENT; Or, Winning New Laurels on the Tanbark.

3 THE CIRCUS BOYS IN DIXIE LAND; Or, Winning the Plaudits of the Sunny South.

4 THE CIRCUS BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI; Or, Afloat with the Big Show on the Big River.