o keep Big Mary's hands warm in cold weather.
At first little Marian loved to dress Big Mary in all these
pretty things, and she would put on first the warm red dress, and
then the thin white one, and then the one of blue silk with the
beautiful lace. And she would raise the big parasol and put it
over Big Mary's head. But she hardly ever gave Big Mary the
little white muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_
best. Little Marian's own mamma had said so.
But when Marian's birthday came, grandma gave her a doll's trunk,
and after that the days were not so pleasant for Big Mary. It was
so much fun to pack the trunk that little Marian often took off
all the clothes Big Mary had on to put them away in the trunk.
Many a time poor Big Mary had to sit for hours all undressed, and
she would shiver and shake, until at last one time when little
Marian had left her lying all night on the floor without any
clothes on, she took a dreadful cold and became very ill.
Then little Marian was very sorry for what she had done, and she
put Big Mary to bed and sent for Dr. Prince. When the doctor came
he looked at Big Mary's tongue, and felt her pulse. And then he
shook his head and looked very grave. He said that Big Mary must
take some medicine every day, and must sit out in the fresh air,
and always wear her best clothes all the time; for she was a very
sick doll indeed.
So little Marian dressed Big Mary in the blue silk trimmed with
lace, because that was her very best dress, and she raised the
pink parasol and put it over her head and she gave Big Mary the
white muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_ best. Then
she carried Big Mary out to the gray rock in the back yard where
the nasturtiums grow, to sit in the fresh air all day long.
Now little Miss Freckle Frog lived under the big rock. She was
ugly, as all frogs are, but she loved pretty things, perhaps
because she was not pretty herself. But although she was not
pretty, she was a kind-hearted little body, and all her friends
liked her.
[Illustration]
Every day when Big Mary sat in the sunshine, Freckle Frog crept
out from under the rock, and hid in the grass, and watched her.
She thought Big Mary was wonderful, but she thought that the blue
silk dress and the pink parasol were more wonderful still, and
the little soft muff,--that was the most wonderful of all! And
poor little Freckle Frog wished that she had a blue silk dress
with lace, and a pink par
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