"Amid the wild excitement of the dolls, Arthur was not alone. He stood to one side watching a little doll that was lying under a tree and talking with some other little dolls standing near by.
"Its eyelids were wide-open, yet its eyes had an unnatural expression. For a long time he regarded her pityingly when he saw that the doll was blind. A strange manly-looking doll walked up to him, and, peering into his face, exclaimed:
"'Seeing you are a stranger, sir, in the village of Hide and Seek, and noting your apparent sympathy for the blind doll lying yonder under the tree, allow me to tell you the life story of her who has so touched your emotions. Arthur bowed politely and expressed a desire to hear what the strange doll might have to say. The little fellow continued:
"'Perhaps you have noticed by my long hair and studious demeanor that I am both a gentleman and a scholar; and right here let me say, I am the Village Poet. I can converse much more easily in verse than in prose; so if you will kindly listen to me for a moment, I will relate a little circumstance which occurred some time ago, and will tell you the plain, unvarnished truth about the blind doll.'
"Perhaps you have noticed by my long hair and studious demeanor that I am both a gentleman and a scholar."
"Resting for a moment, for he did not appear to be very strong, he breathed a long sigh as he began:
"'Once on a time a Baboon came across yon mountain crown.
He sailed down in a big balloon and landed near the town;
And seeing, as he walked along, this blind doll lying near,