"Are you crazy?"
"Who's Beulah?" demanded Rafe, looking up from his gun and, Nan
thought, showing less surprise than the others.
"My Beulah doll," said Nan, too troubled now to care whether the
family laughed at her or not. "My Beautiful Beulah. Somebody's
played a trick "
"A doll!" shouted Rafe, and burst into a chatter of laughter.
"Mercy me, child!" repeated Aunt Kate. "I didn't know you had a
doll."
"Got a baby rattle, too, Sissy?" chuckled Rafe. "And a ring to
cut your teeth on? My, my!"
"Stop that, Rafe!"commanded his father, sternly, while Tom
flushed and glared angrily at his brother.
"I didn't know you had a doll, Nannie," said Mrs. Sherwood,
rather weakly. "Where'd you have it?"
"In my closet," choked Nan. "She's a great, big, beautiful
thing! I know somebody must be playing a joke on me "
"Nobody here, Nannie," said Uncle Henry, with decision. "You may
be sure of that." But he looked at Rafe sternly. That young man
thought it the better part of wisdom to say no more.
In broken sentences the girl told her innocent secret, and why
she had kept the doll hidden. Aunt Kate, after, all, seemed to
understand.
"My poor dear!" she crooned, patting Nan's hand between her hard
palms.
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