Raggedy Ann Stories

by Johnny Gruelle

  RAGGEDY ANN AND THE WASHING

  "Why, Dinah! How could you!"

  Mamma looked out of the window and saw Marcella run up to Dinah and takesomething out of her hand and then put her head in her arm and commencecrying.

  "What is the trouble, Dear?" Mamma asked, as she came out the door andknelt beside the little figure shaking with sobs.

  Marcella held out Raggedy Ann. But such a comical looking Raggedy Ann!

  Mamma had to smile in spite of her sympathy, for Raggedy Ann lookedridiculous!

  Dinah's big eyes rolled out in a troubled manner, for Marcella hadsnatched Raggedy Ann from Dinah's hand as she cried, "Why, Dinah! Howcould you?"

  Dinah could not quite understand and, as she dearly loved Marcella, shewas troubled.

  Raggedy Ann was not in the least downhearted and while she felt she mustlook very funny she continued to smile, but with a more expansive smilethan ever before.

  Raggedy Ann knew just how it all happened and her remaining shoe-buttoneye twinkled.

  She remembered that morning when Marcella came to the nursery to takethe nighties from the dolls and dress them she had been cross.

  Raggedy Ann thought at the time "Perhaps she had climbed out of bedbackwards!" For Marcella complained to each doll as she dressed them.

  And when it came Raggedy's time to be dressed, Marcella was very crossfor she had scratched her finger on a pin when dressing the French doll.

  So, when Marcella heard the little girl next door calling to her, sheran out of the nursery and gave Raggedy Ann a toss from her as she ran.

  Now it happened Raggedy lit in the clothes hamper and there she lay alldoubled up in a knot.

  A few minutes afterwards Dinah came through the hall with an armful ofclothes and piled them in the hamper on top of Raggedy Ann.

  Then Dinah carried the hamper out in back of the house where she did thewashing.

  Dinah dumped all the clothes into the boiler and poured water on them.

  The boiler was then placed upon the stove.

  When the water began to get warm, Raggedy Ann wiggled around and climbedup amongst the clothes to the top of the boiler to peek out. There wastoo much steam and she could see nothing. For that matter, Dinah couldnot see Raggedy Ann, either, on account of the steam.

  So Dinah, using an old broom handle, stirred the clothes in the boilerand the clothes and Raggedy Ann were stirred and whirled around untilall were thoroughly boiled.

  When Dinah took the clothes a piece at a time from the boiler andscrubbed them, she finally came upon Raggedy Ann.

  Now Dinah did not know but that Marcella had placed Raggedy in theclothes hamper to be washed, so she soaped Raggedy well and scrubbed herup and down over the rough wash-board.

  Two buttons from the back of Raggedy's dress came off and one ofRaggedy Ann's shoe-button eyes was loosened as Dinah gave her face afinal scrub.

  Then Dinah put Raggedy Ann's feet in the wringer and turned the crank.It was hard work getting Raggedy through the wringer, but Dinah was verystrong. And of course it happened! Raggedy Ann came through as flat as apancake.

  It was just then, that Marcella returned and saw Raggedy.

  "Why, Dinah! How could you!" Marcella had sobbed as she snatched theflattened Raggedy Ann from the bewildered Dinah's hand.

  Mamma patted Marcella's hand and soon coaxed her to quit sobbing.

  When Dinah explained that the first she knew of Raggedy being in thewash was when she took her from the boiler, Marcella began crying again.

  "It was all my fault, Mamma!" she cried. "I remember now that I threwdear old Raggedy Ann from me as I ran out the door and she must havefallen in the clothes hamper! Oh dear! Oh dear!" and she hugged RaggedyAnn tight.

  Mamma did not tell Marcella that she had been cross and naughty for sheknew Marcella felt very sorry. Instead Mamma put her arms around her andsaid,

  "Just see how Raggedy Ann takes it! She doesn't seem to be unhappy!"

  And when Marcella brushed her tears away and looked at Raggedy Ann, flatas a pancake and with a cheery smile upon her painted face, she had tolaugh. And Mamma and Dinah had to laugh, too, for Raggedy Ann's smilewas almost twice as broad as it had been before.

  "Just let me hang Miss Raggedy on the line in the bright sunshine forhalf an hour," said Dinah, "and you won't know her when she comes off!"

  So Raggedy Ann was pinned to the clothes-line, out in the brightsunshine, where she swayed and twisted in the breeze and listened to thechatter of the robins in a nearby tree.

  Every once in a while Dinah went out and rolled and patted Raggedy untilher cotton stuffing was soft and dry and fluffy and her head and armsand legs were nice and round again.

  Then she took Raggedy Ann into the house and showed Marcella and Mammahow clean and sweet she was.

  Marcella took Raggedy Ann right up to the nursery and told all the dollsjust what had happened and how sorry she was that she had been so crossand peevish when she dressed them. And while the dolls said never a wordthey looked at their little mistress with love in their eyes as she satin the little red rocking chair and held Raggedy Ann tightly in herarms.

  And Raggedy Ann's remaining shoe-button eye looked up at her littlemistress in rather a saucy manner, but upon her face was the same oldsmile of happiness, good humor and love.