Raggedy Ann And The Washing

: Raggedy Ann Stories

"Why, Dinah! How could you!"



Mamma looked out of the window and saw Marcella run up to Dinah and take

something out of her hand and then put her head in her arm and commence

crying.



"What is the trouble, Dear?" Mamma asked, as she came out the door and

knelt beside the little figure shaking with sobs.



Marcella held out Raggedy Ann. But such a comical looking Raggedy Ann!
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Mamma had to smile in spite of her sympathy, for Raggedy Ann looked

ridiculous!



Dinah's big eyes rolled out in a troubled manner, for Marcella had

snatched Raggedy Ann from Dinah's hand as she cried, "Why, Dinah! How

could you?"



Dinah could not quite understand and, as she dearly loved Marcella, she

was troubled.



Raggedy Ann was not in the least downhearted and while she felt she must

look very funny she continued to smile, but with a more expansive smile

than ever before.



Raggedy Ann knew just how it all happened and her remaining shoe-button

eye twinkled.



She remembered that morning when Marcella came to the nursery to take

the nighties from the dolls and dress them she had been cross.



Raggedy Ann thought at the time "Perhaps she had climbed out of bed

backwards!" For Marcella complained to each doll as she dressed them.



And when it came Raggedy's time to be dressed, Marcella was very cross

for she had scratched her finger on a pin when dressing the French doll.



So, when Marcella heard the little girl next door calling to her, she

ran out of the nursery and gave Raggedy Ann a toss from her as she ran.



Now it happened Raggedy lit in the clothes hamper and there she lay all

doubled up in a knot.



A few minutes afterwards Dinah came through the hall with an armful of

clothes and piled them in the hamper on top of Raggedy Ann.



Then Dinah carried the hamper out in back of the house where she did the

washing.



Dinah dumped all the clothes into the boiler and poured water on them.



The boiler was then placed upon the stove.



When the water began to get warm, Raggedy Ann wiggled around and climbed

up amongst the clothes to the top of the boiler to peek out. There was

too much steam and she could see nothing. For that matter, Dinah could

not see Raggedy Ann, either, on account of the steam.



So Dinah, using an old broom handle, stirred the clothes in the boiler

and the clothes and Raggedy Ann were stirred and whirled around until

all were thoroughly boiled.



When Dinah took the clothes a piece at a time from the boiler and

scrubbed them, she finally came upon Raggedy Ann.



Now Dinah did not know but that Marcella had placed Raggedy in the

clothes hamper to be washed, so she soaped Raggedy well and scrubbed her

up and down over the rough wash-board.






Two buttons from the back of Raggedy's dress came off and one of

Raggedy Ann's shoe-button eyes was loosened as Dinah gave her face a

final scrub.






Then Dinah put Raggedy Ann's feet in the wringer and turned the crank.

It was hard work getting Raggedy through the wringer, but Dinah was very

strong. And of course it happened! Raggedy Ann came through as flat as a

pancake.



It was just then, that Marcella returned and saw Raggedy.



"Why, Dinah! How could you!" Marcella had sobbed as she snatched the

flattened Raggedy Ann from the bewildered Dinah's hand.



Mamma patted Marcella's hand and soon coaxed her to quit sobbing.



When Dinah explained that the first she knew of Raggedy being in the

wash was when she took her from the boiler, Marcella began crying again.



"It was all my fault, Mamma!" she cried. "I remember now that I threw

dear old Raggedy Ann from me as I ran out the door and she must have

fallen in the clothes hamper! Oh dear! Oh dear!" and she hugged Raggedy

Ann tight.



Mamma did not tell Marcella that she had been cross and naughty for she

knew Marcella felt very sorry. Instead Mamma put her arms around her and

said,



"Just see how Raggedy Ann takes it! She doesn't seem to be unhappy!"



And when Marcella brushed her tears away and looked at Raggedy Ann, flat

as a pancake and with a cheery smile upon her painted face, she had to

laugh. And Mamma and Dinah had to laugh, too, for Raggedy Ann's smile

was almost twice as broad as it had been before.



"Just let me hang Miss Raggedy on the line in the bright sunshine for

half an hour," said Dinah, "and you won't know her when she comes off!"



So Raggedy Ann was pinned to the clothes-line, out in the bright

sunshine, where she swayed and twisted in the breeze and listened to the

chatter of the robins in a nearby tree.






Every once in a while Dinah went out and rolled and patted Raggedy until

her cotton stuffing was soft and dry and fluffy and her head and arms

and legs were nice and round again.



Then she took Raggedy Ann into the house and showed Marcella and Mamma

how clean and sweet she was.



Marcella took Raggedy Ann right up to the nursery and told all the dolls

just what had happened and how sorry she was that she had been so cross

and peevish when she dressed them. And while the dolls said never a word

they looked at their little mistress with love in their eyes as she sat

in the little red rocking chair and held Raggedy Ann tightly in her

arms.



And Raggedy Ann's remaining shoe-button eye looked up at her little

mistress in rather a saucy manner, but upon her face was the same old

smile of happiness, good humor and love.



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