"Do I! I just love it; but father had to sell my skates because he had no money to buy food with." Dorothy sat down again on the bench and undid the straps, letting one of the skates fall on the ground in her hurry.
"You put these skates on just as fast as you can, and then you take as long a skate as you want to; I'll sit here and watch you."
When the little girl came back, flushed and smiling, Dorothy said: "Would you like my old skates? They're not very nice, because one of the straps is gone, and they are dingy and rusty, but perhaps your father could put on a new strap."
The little girl smiled such a glad little smile. "Well, I just guess I would!" she answered quickly. "You're awfully good to me," and she looked at Dorothy with such a grateful little face that Dorothy answered, "Let's go home right away and get them."
[RAT-A-TAT-TAT, RAT-A-TAT-TAT]
"Look! there go the soldiers," cried Mazie, leaning out of the nursery window. "Jamie, come quick and see the real soldiers."
Her little brother left his toy warriors and ran to the window. "Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat!" went the drums as the troops swung forward in a long line, the gay flags flying in the breeze.
"Why, there's Harold Gray's papa!" said Mazie. "There he is, Jamie, on that beautiful black horse."
The little boy clapped his hands. "Hurray!" he shouted; "I wish my papa was a soldier."