Chicken Soup for the Little Souls (6 page)

Danny's father knelt down and hugged Danny hard. He said, “You did a very kind and special thing tonight, Son. I'm so proud of you.”

They didn't see the circus, but to Danny, it was the best night out with Dad ever.

The
Never-Forgotten
Doll

Story Adapted from
“A Doll for Great-Grandmother”
by Jacqueline Hickey

Story Adaptation by
Lisa McCourt

Illustrated by
Mary O'Keefe Young

“Ellie! What a surprise!” said Miss Maggie when she opened the door. She always said that, even though I came every day after school.

“I've just made cookies,” she said. “Will you help me eat a few?”

Miss Maggie was the best sitter I'd ever had, and I'd had a lot. Mom called her my adopted grandmother, but I didn't know you could adopt a person so old.

“Tell me a story from when you were little,” I begged Miss Maggie for the gazillionth time.

“Wonderful idea! What should the story be about today?” she asked between sips of hot cocoa.

I tried to think up a new story-starter. Miss Maggie's stories were the best. “I know!” I said. “Tell me about your favorite toy.”

Miss Maggie thought for a moment, then frowned. “I should warn you: This one isn't a happy story.”

“It's okay. Tell me,” I said.

“On my eighth birthday, I opened a present that I will never forget. She was the most beautiful doll I had ever seen. Her big blue eyes opened and closed on a real china face. She wore a fancy white dress with lace trim, and her long brown hair was tied back with a pink satin ribbon. Owning a doll like that was a dream come true for a poor farm girl like me. I knew my parents couldn't afford fine things. How much they must have loved me to have spent their hard-earned money on such a luxury!”

Miss Maggie got a misty look in her eyes. “Dolls back then were very fragile—their faces were made of the most delicate china. I still remember how magical it felt just to hold her. My mother lit the candles on my birthday cake and called me to the kitchen.

“I laid her down gently on the hallway table. But as I went to join my family for my birthday song, we heard the crash. I knew without looking that it was my precious doll! Her lacy dress had hung from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran to the hall, there was my doll, her face smashed to pieces. My mother tried to glue her up, but it couldn't be done. She was gone forever.”

I had never seen a look like that on Miss Maggie's face. I wrapped my arms around her neck and hugged her tight. The rest of the day we practiced my spelling words and played games, but I couldn't stop thinking about how unhappy Miss Maggie had looked remembering her broken doll.