Dorothy ran to her play-room and took down all her dolls and toys to have a real good time. She decided to play house, so she said, “Now I’m going to be Mrs. Fussy.”
She gazed earnestly at her dolls and sighed, “Dear, dear, what shall I do! Cook has left without a moment’s notice—the third this month. It is really ’raging.”
Suddenly all the dolls jumped up and began to roll up their sleeves.
“We’ll help,” they cried, and Dorothy was so surprised that she could not speak for a minute.
“I’m glad you are so willing,” said the little girl at last. “Suppose you go into the kitchen and cook the dinner, Dinah.”
“Yeth, ma’am,” replied Dinah with a sweeping bow and hurriedly left the room.
“Susan Ida may go into the laundry and iron, while you, Kathleen, had better dust the hall.”
“What shall I do?” asked Jessop with his usual grin, and his little mistress told him to make himself generally useful.
When they had gone to do their work Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I think I’ll rest a minute.” She took out her Mother Goose and was so very much interested in Little Bo-Peep that she did not notice anything going on around her. But when she raised her eyes from her book she was surprised to find herself quite alone.
“Why, where are all my toys?” exclaimed Dorothy. “I sent the dolls to work, but those naughty toys had no business to leave this room.”