Page:The Princess of Cozytown.pdf/27

 wailed Princess Poppsy dropping down beside her. "I've killed her!" In vain they rubbed the French doll's hands and shook her violently up and down. Stiff and stark she remained, her big blue eyes staring vacantly up at the sky.

Of course the French doll was dead—as stiff and stupid as a doll in a toy store—and you all know how stupid that is. No dolly is really alive until she belongs to some little girl who believes in her. When Princess Poppsy called her a toy, of course she toppled over, and nothing could bring her to life again. They worked over her a long time, then the Pink Rabbit and the Captain carried her sadly into her home, all the Cozytown folk following after.

No, not all—Princess Poppsy herself remained behind. And then, that thing that began with "G"—the thing the owl had warned all the Cozytown folk of—came stalking up to the wall and looked over. No one was in sight, and with a chuckle, a most wicked chuckle, he stepped clean over the wall and strode up to the Princess. It was a Giant!

The Princess screamed but nobody heard her, and the next minute this Giant, this most horrible Giant, had tucked her under his arm, and made off with steps at least a mile long.

The minute that he had touched her the town clock began tolling furiously and two hands upon its face flew round and round as if to make up for the time they had pointed to 3:00. Out rushed the pink rabbit—out tumbled the knitted gentleman—the Dutch dolls—their hands pressed to their bosoms—out, I say, rushed everybody. The owl, ruffled and angry, scolded the whole company roundly for deserting the Princess. The wooden soldiers ran madly to and fro trying to find her, but all they could find were the giant footsteps of the wretch who had carried her off. Such a wailing and weeping and searching time you never have seen. Dinah cried until she was perfectly limp. As for the Dutch dolls, the paint was worn off their faces entirely by their salt tears.

"This won't help matters!" said one of the Teddy bears