"
"I know, they're great. I got Edwin one on his birthday.
But I thought I'd get him a train this time. I told him
Santa Claus was going to bring him something altogether
new this time. Edwin, of course, believes in Santa Claus
absolutely. Say, look at this locomotive, would you? It
has a spring coiled up inside the fire box."
"Wind her up," said Brown with great interest. "Let's
see her go."
"All right," said Jones. "Just pile up two or three plates
or something to lean the end of the rails on. There,
notice the way it buzzes before it starts. Isn't that a
great thing for a kid, eh?"
"Yes," said Brown. "And say, see this little string to
pull the whistle! By Gad, it toots, eh? Just like real?"
"Now then, Brown," Jones went on, "you hitch on those
cars and I'll start her. I'll be engineer, eh!"
Half an hour later Brown and Jones were still playing
trains on the dining-room table.
But their wives upstairs in the drawing-room hardly
noticed their absence. They were too much interested.
"Oh, I think it's perfectly sweet," said Mrs. Brown.
"Just the loveliest doll I've seen in years. I must get
one like it for Ulvina. Won't Clarisse be perfectly
enchanted?"
"Yes," answered Mrs.
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