what it says!" he
explained.

So the dolls lay down, placing themselves flat upon the floor directly
in front of the shell and where they could see and admire its beautiful
coloring.

Now the dolls could be very, very quiet when they really wished to be,
and it was easy for them to hear the faint whispering of the shell.

This is the story the shell told the dolls in the nursery that night:

"A long, long time ago, I lived upon the yellow sand, deep down beneath
the blue, blue waters of the ocean. Pretty silken sea weeds grew around
my home and reached their waving branches up, up towards the top of the
water.

[Illustration: Everyone listens]

"Through the pretty sea weeds, fishes of pretty colors and shapes darted
here and there, playing at their games.

"It was still and quiet 'way down where I lived, for even if the ocean
roared and pounded itself into an angry mass of tumbling waves up above,
this never disturbed the calm waters down where I lived.

"Many times, little fishes or other tiny sea people came and hid within
my pretty house when they were being pursued by larger sea creatures.
And it always made me very happy to give them this protection.

"They would stay inside until I whispered that the larger creature had
gone, then they would leave me and return to their play.

"Pretty little sea horses with slender, curving bodies often went
sailing above me, or would come to rest upon my back. It was nice to lie
and watch the tiny things curl their little tails about the sea weed and
talk together, for the sea horses like one another and are gentle and
kind to each other, sharing their food happily and smoothing their
little ones with their cunning noses.

"But one day a diver leaped over the side of a boat and came swimming
head-first down, down to where I lay. My! How the tiny sea creatures
scurried to hide from him. He took me within his hand and, giving his
feet a thump upon the yellow sand, rose with me to the surface.

"He poured the water from me, and out came all the little creatures who
had been hiding there!"

Raggedy Andy wiggled upon the floor, he was so interested.

"Did the tiny creatures get back into the water safely?" he asked the
beautiful shell.

"Oh, yes!" the shell whispered in reply. "The man held me over the side
of the boat, so the tiny creatures went safely back into the water!"

"I am so glad!" Raggedy Andy said, with a sigh of relief. "He must have
been a kindly man!