For years and years the beautiful shell had been upon the floor in Gran'ma's front room. It was a large shell with many points upon it. These were coarse and rough, but the shell was most beautiful inside.
Marcella had seen the shell time and time again and often admired its lovely coloring, which could be seen when one looked inside the shell.
So one day, Gran'ma gave the beautiful shell to Marcella to have for her very own, up in the nursery.
"It will be nice to place before the nursery door so the wind will not blow the door to and pinch anyone's fingers!" Gran'ma laughed.
So Marcella brought the shell home and placed it in front of the nursery door. Here the dolls saw it that night, when all the house was still, and stood about it wondering what kind of toy it might be.
"It seems to be nearly all mouth!" said Henny, the Dutch doll. "Perhaps it can talk."
"It has teeth!" the French doll pointed out. "It may bite!"
"I do not believe it will bite," Raggedy Andy mused, as he got down upon his hands and knees and looked up into the shell. "Marcella would not have it up here if it would bite!" And, saying this, Raggedy Andy put his rag arm into the lovely shell's mouth.
"It doesn't bite! I knew it wouldn't!" he cried. "Just feel how smooth it is inside!"