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For Archie was there, and his sister Elsie, and Mr. and Mrs. Dunn and the servants–a room full of people–and of course the Elephant had to remain quiet.

“Look at my new Dollie!” called Elsie to Archie, and it is a good thing the little boy had something else to look at, or he might have kept on squeezing the Elephant until he was out of shape.

“Yes, your Dollie is nice, but I like my Elephant better,” said Archie.

“Elephants is for boys an’ Dollies is for girls; isn’t they, Daddy?” asked Elsie.

“I guess that’s right,” replied Mr. Dunn. “But get dressed now, children, and have breakfast. Then you may play with your toys.”

Archie and Elsie were so excited over Christmas that they did not want to stop to dress, or even eat. But they managed to get some clothes on, eat a little, and then they started again to play with the many presents Santa Claus had brought them.

About ten o’clock Elsie, looking out of the window across the snow-covered yard, gave a squeal of delight and cried:

“Oh, here comes Mirabell, and she has her Lamb on Wheels! Oh, now we can have fun, and I can show her my new Doll!”

“Is anybody else coming?” asked Archie. “I want to show somebody my Stuffed Elephant.”

Elsie looked again, before running to the door to welcome her little caller.

“Yes,” went on Archie’s sister, “I see Joe, and he has his Nodding Donkey!”

“That’s good!” laughed Archie.

Into the house came Mirabell, who carried a Lamb on Wheels, which had been given her as a present some time before.

“Course this isn’t for Christmas,” said the little girl. “I didn’t bring out my Christmas presents ‘ceptin’ this,” and she showed on her finger a gold ring that Santa Claus had left.

“And I got a steam engine, only I couldn’t bring it over,” said Joe, who used to be lame but who was better now. “So I just brought my old Nodding Donkey,” he added. “He was in the hospital once, as I was, and Mr. Mugg mended his broken leg.”

At the mention of the name “Mr. Mugg” the Stuffed Elephant began to listen more carefully. If he had dared he would have flapped his big ears, but that was not allowed.

“I wonder,” thought the Elephant, “if he means the same Mr. Mugg of the toy store where I came from? I wish the children would go out of the room a minute until I could speak to the Nodding Donkey and the Lamb on Wheels.”

But the children were having too much fun to leave the room. Mirabell with her Lamb and Joe with his Donkey looked at the presents Santa Claus had brought for Elsie and Archie. Then there came a ring at the door bell, and in came a boy named Sidney, with a Calico Clown, and a girl named Dorothy with a Sawdust Doll. These toys were not new Christmas presents, for Dorothy and Sidney had brought only their old toys, since it was snowing again.

The Stuffed Elephant was getting excited. He had heard these other toys spoken of by his friends in Mr. Mugg’s store, and wanted to talk to them. But while the children were in the room he dared not say a word.

At last, however, Mrs. Dunn invited the little callers out to the dining room to have some milk and cake, and out they rushed, leaving the toys in the middle of the floor.

“Ah, at last we are alone!” said the Elephant. “Please tell me, Mr. Nodding Donkey,” he said, “were you ever in Mr. Mugg’s store?”

“I came from there,” was the answer.

“So did I!” joyfully exclaimed the Elephant.

“I don’t remember seeing you there,” the Nodding Donkey said, swaying his head up and down.

“I was one of the very newest toys,” went on the Elephant. “I suppose you were there last year, or the one before.”

“Yes,” said the Donkey, “it was some time ago, and I have had many adventures. Tell me, did you ever have a broken leg?”