“The Woolly Dog is the best toy of all,” went on Mrs. Clark, who kept the little store. “The agent said I could sell him for a good sum and make money on him. Certainly he is a fine toy and I did not have to pay very much, and, since I gave him a bath and cleaned him, he looks good enough to be in a rich store.
“But, oh dear! I don’t know! If I don’t sell something soon I don’t know where I’m going to make up the rent money! Oh, this is a hard world!”
Poor Mrs. Clark sat down on a stool behind the counter and waited for customers to come in. But there was little buying that day. Christmas had passed, and though she had done pretty well in trade around the holidays, now but few children, or grown-ups, either, came in to spend their money. Perhaps they had spent it all for Christmas gifts.
“If I could only sell the Woolly Dog!” sighed Mrs. Clark again, and she wiped some tears from her eyes, for she was very sad and in trouble.
“I wish I could help her,” thought the Woolly Dog to himself. He did not dare speak out loud, though he could talk in toy language when no real persons were near by. “Yes, I wish I could help her, but I can’t go out and sell myself, or I would. This isn’t the kind of a store where rich customers will come.”
The Woolly Dog looked around at the poor toys on the same shelf with him. He was the most expensive of the lot.
As Mrs. Clark had said, some time ago, when she bought her little stock of toys from an agent, he had offered her this Woolly Dog.
“It’s a sample, Mrs. Clark,” said the man. “I have carried him around in my satchel for a long time, and his white wool is rather dirty. But he isn’t broken, and if you were to wash him with soap and water he’d be as clean as a whistle.”
“Speaking of whistles,” said Mrs. Clark, “the last ones I got from you didn’t whistle loud enough, some boys said. They brought them back and I had to return them their pennies.”
“Well, I have some louder whistles now,” went on the agent. “And I’ll allow you for the ones that didn’t sell. But what about this Woolly Dog? I’ll let you have him cheap. You can wash him, put him in the window, and I’m sure you’ll sell him. You should ask a good price, too, for this is one of the most expensive toys on the market.”