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“Oh my patience, this is worse than tumbling about in a mail-bag,” groaned Dora, after hours of great suffering, for Clara treated the poor dolls as if they had no feeling.

She amused herself with knocking their heads together, shutting them in the window with their poor legs hanging out, swinging them by one arm, and drawing lines with a pencil all over their faces till they looked as if tattooed by savages. Even brave Flora was worn out and longed for rest, finding her only comfort in saying, “I told you so,” when Clara banged them about, or dropped them on the dusty floor to be trampled on by passing feet.

There they were left, and would have been swept away if a little dog had not found them as the passengers were leaving the car and carried them after his master, trotting soberly along with the bundle in his mouth, for fortunately Clara had put them into the paper before she left them, so they were still together in the trials of the journey.

“Hullo, Jip, what have you got?” asked the young man as the little dog jumped up on the carriage seat and laid his load on his master’s knee, panting and wagging his tail as if he had done something to be praised for.

“Dolls, I declare! What can a bachelor do with the poor things? Wonder who Maria Plum is? Midge will like a look at them before we send them along;” and into the young man’s pocket they went, trembling with fear of the dog, but very grateful for being rescued from destruction.

Jip kept his eye on them, and gave an occasional poke with his cold nose to be sure they were there as they drove through the bustling streets of New York to a great house with an inscription over the door.

“I do hope Midge will be a nicer girl than Clara. Children ought to be taught to be kind to dumb dolls as well as dumb animals,” said Dora, as the young man ran up the steps and hurried along a wide hall.

“I almost wish we were at home with our own kind little mothers,” began Flo, for even her spirits were depressed by bad treatment, but just then a door opened and she cried out in amazement, “Bless my heart, this man has more children than even Mr. Poppleheimer!”

She might well think so, for all down both sides of the long room stood little white beds with a small pale face on every pillow. All the eyes that were open brightened when Jip and his master came in, and several thin hands were outstretched to meet them.

“I’ve been good, Doctor, let me pat him first,” cried one childish voice.

“Did you bring me a flower, please?” asked another feeble one.

“I know he’s got something nice for us, I see a bundle in his pocket,” and a little fellow who sat up among his pillows gave a joyful cough as he could not shout.

“Two dollies for Midge to play with. Jip found them, but I think the little girl they are going to will lend them for a few days. We shall not need them longer I’m afraid,” added the young man to a rosy faced nurse who came along with a bottle in her hand.

“Dear no, the poor child is very low to-day. But she will love to look at the babies if she isn’t strong enough to hold ’em,” said the woman, leading the way to a corner where the palest of all the pale faces lay smiling on the pillow, and the thinnest of the thin hands were feebly put up to greet the Doctor.

“So nice!” she whispered when the dolls were laid beside her, while Jip proudly beat his tail on the floor to let her know that she owed the welcome gift to him.

For an hour Flo and Do lay on the arm of poor Midge who never moved except to touch them now and then with a tender little finger, or to kiss them softly, saying, “Dear babies, it is very nice not to be all alone. Are you comfy, darlings?” till she fell asleep still smiling.