like this have been written.

As the toys were taken out of the box they were placed on the shelves in
Mr. Mugg's store. This was in a back room, for the toys had yet to be
sorted and looked over, to make sure each one was all right, before
they were put in the front part of the store to be sold.

Mr. Mugg had a larger and finer store than the one before the fire, when
the China Cat had so nearly been melted by the great heat. And, having a
larger store, Mr. Mugg bought larger Christmas playthings, such as the
Stuffed Elephant.

Finally all the new toys were taken from the box and placed around on
the shelves. While Angelina and Geraldine had been doing this, their
father was in the front part of the store, waiting on customers. After a
bit, when it grew dark outside, and the lights were lit inside the
store, Mr. Mugg locked the front door and came back into the rear room.

"I think we have worked enough for to-day," the toy man told his
daughters. "We will wait until to-morrow before looking over the new
things and marking prices on them. I am tired and want to go to bed."

"Good!" thought the Stuffed Elephant. "That is, I'm not glad Mr. Mugg is
tired," he went on, in his thoughts; "but I'm glad he is going to bed so
I can move about and talk to some of my toy friends. It's been no fun to
be shut up in that box ever since I came from the shop of Santa Claus."

A little later the store was in darkness, except for a small light
burning near the safe, so the passing policeman could look and see that
no burglars were breaking into it.

"Hello, everybody!" suddenly called the Stuffed Elephant, waving his
trunk around in the air. "How are you all?"

"Who is that speaking?" asked a Nodding Donkey, a toy whose head kept
moving all the while, as it was fastened on a pivot.

"A new chap--a Stuffed Elephant," answered a Jumping Jack, who wore a
blue and yellow cap.

"A Stuffed Elephant! Let me see him! I never heard of such a creature!"
brayed the Nodding Donkey, and he slid along the shelf to get a better
view.

For it was the mystic hour when the Make Believe toys could pretend to
be alive--when they could move about and talk.

"Here I am, right over here!" trumpeted the Stuffed Elephant, and if
Miss Geraldine and Miss Angelina, or even Mr. Mugg, could have heard him
they would have been very much surprised.

"Oh, you have two tails!" cried the Nodding Donkey.

"No, only one," said the Stuffed Elephant. "The oth