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.

[Illustration]

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.

[Illustration]

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!”