ich
her mother had given her for Christmas, she placed the two beauties on
the hearth-rug, one on each side of the corn-cob, just to see the
difference. This seemed to make Peter very cross. He tried his best
to snatch away the old doll, but Rudolf, to tease him, held him off
with one hand while with the other he seized the poor creature by her
long braids and swung her slowly over the fire.

"Wouldn't it be fun, Ann," said he, "to see how quick she'd burn?"

"Oh, you mustn't, Rudolf," Ann cried, "Aunt Jane mightn't like it. I
shouldn't be surprised if she'd punish you."

At that Rudolf lowered the old doll almost into the blaze, and she
would most certainly have burned up, she was so very dry and crackly,
if at that very moment Aunt Jane had not come into the room and
snatched her out of his hand. Rudolf never remembered to have seen
Aunt Jane so vexed before. Her blue eyes flashed, and her cheeks were
quite pink under her silver-colored hair. He expected she would
scold, but she didn't, she only said--"Oh, Rudolf!" in a rather
unpleasant way, and then, after she had carefully restored the
corn-cob doll to her wrappings, she knelt down and began to gather up
the old toys which the children had scattered over the hearth-rug. Ann
and Rudolf helped her, and Peter who, though a very mischievous little
boy, was always honest, confessed that he had been the one to open the
old cupboard and take out the box. He seemed to feel rather
uncomfortable about it, and after the things had been put away, he
climbed upon Aunt Jane's lap and hid his head upon her shoulder.
"Never mind, Peter, dear," she said, holding him very tight, "I always
meant to show you my old toys some day. I dare say you children think
it strange that I have kept such shabby things so long, but when I was
a little girl I did not have such beautiful toys as you have now, and
the few I had I loved very dearly."

"Was this your nursery, Aunt Jane," Ann asked.

"Yes, dear. I slept all alone in the big bed, and I kept my toys
always in the old cupboard. I spent many and many an hour curled up on
that window-seat, playing with my doll. Yes, I did have others, Ann,
but I think I loved the corn-cob doll best of all, perhaps because she
was the least beautiful."

"Didn't you have any little boys to play with?" Rudolf asked. "Other
boys beside father and Uncle Jim, I mean."

"There was one little boy who came sometimes," Aunt Jane said. "He
lived in the nearest