Produced by Distributed Proofreaders
BY Clara Ingram Judson
ILLUSTRATED BY Frances White
Her little fists were clinched and even her perky plaid hair ribbon seemedto show amazement
"Here's one that's me!" exclaimed Mary Jane suddenly
She sat down on the biggest rock close by the edge of the creek
There's no need to tell of all the good times at that party
Mary Jane stood on the curbstone and stared into the middle of the street.Her face was white with fright and the tears which had not as yet come wereclose to her big blue eyes. Her little fists were clinched and even herperky plaid hair ribbon seemed to show amazement.
And wasn't it enough to make any little girl stare? Her big, beautifuldoll, the one that came at Christmas time, lay crushed and broken in themiddle of the street! Its glossy brown hair matted in the dust; its daintypink dress torn and dirty and its great brown eyes crushed to powder!
For a full minute Mary Jane stared at the wreck that had been her doll.
Then she turned and ran screaming toward the house.
Mrs. Merrill heard her and met her at the front steps.
"Mary Jane! Dear child!" she cried, "what is the matter? Tell mother whathas happened!"
"My doll! My beautifulest doll!" sobbed Mary Jane, "my Marie Georgianna isall run over!"
"Surely not, surely not, Mary Jane," said her mother as she picked up thelittle girl and sat down, with her on her lap, on the porch steps, "dollsdon't get run over."
"My doll did," said Mary Jane positively, "see?"
Mrs. Merrill looked out into the street and there, sure enough, was thewreck of the doll.
"Tell me how it happened, dear," said Mrs. Merrill and she gathered herlittle girl tighter in her arms as she spoke for she knew that if a dollhad been run over, Mary Jane herself had not missed an accident by so verymuch for the doll and the little girl were always close together.
Mary Jane wiped her eyes on her mother's handkerchief, snugged cozily inthe comfortable arms and told her story.
"I was going over to play with Junior like you said I could," she began(Junior was the little neighbor boy who lived across the street in the bigwhite house), "and just as I got into the middle of the street I heard abig, big noisy 'toot-t-t-t-t' way down by Fifth Street—and you know,mother" (and here Mary Jane sat up straight) "that you always told me if anautomobile was as far awa