Then Tinka handed her father the Sawdust Doll. The junk man turned her over and over in his hands, which were not very clean. Junk men cannot keep their hands clean when they work any more than the coal man can.
“Dear me!� thought the Sawdust Doll as she felt herself being turned over and over in the grimy hands of the junk man. “I hope he doesn’t soil my rose-colored silk dress any more than it is. But then I am going to have a new gingham one, anyhow. Oh, no! How can I have the new gingham dress if I stay here in this junk shop?� thought the Sawdust Doll.
You see, though Tinka made believe the Sawdust Doll was asleep, Dorothy’s pet was really awake, and knew what was going on. Though, of course, the Sawdust Doll would not move or speak as long as Tinka and her father were looking on.
“Yes,� said the junk man slowly, “this is almost new. And yet she was in a bag of rags. There must be some mistake.�
The junk man laid the Sawdust Doll on the table, and began thinking over in his mind the different houses he had called at that day to get bags of rags and bundles of papers. Tinka slowly came around from her side of the table, and gently picked up the Sawdust Doll again.
“She is still asleep,� whispered the little girl. “But I will sing to her once more.�
“Yes, sing, Tinka,� replied the junk man. “Sing to the Doll, and then we must put her away, for I shall take her back in the morning.�
“Take her back! Oh, Papa! Are you going to take away the new Doll I found in the rags?� and tears came into Tinka’s eyes.
“Yes, little daughter, she is not our Doll,� sadly answered the junk man. “I bought the rags, not the Doll. Some little girl owns her, and wants the Sawdust Doll as much as you do. It would not be right for us to keep her.�
Tinka said nothing for a moment. She just held the Sawdust Doll in her arms and looked at her, and she looked at the pretty rose-colored silk dress. And Tinka never saw the ice-cream spot on it. If she had seen it she would not have cared.