At last the painters left and the house was quiet, for Mistress had been
in and placed Raggedy on the shelf with the other dolls.

"Tell us all about it, Raggedy dear!" the dolls cried.

"Oh I am so glad I fell in the paint!" cried Raggedy, after she had
hugged all the dolls, "For I have had the happiest time. The painter
took me home and told his Mamma how I happened to be covered with paint
and she was very sorry. She took a rag and wiped off my shoe-button eyes
and then I saw that she was a very pretty, sweet-faced lady and she got
some cleaner and wiped off most of the paint on my face.

[Illustration]

"But you know," Raggedy continued, "the paint had soaked through my rag
head and had made the cotton inside all sticky and soggy and I could not
think clearly. And my yarn hair was all matted with paint.

"So the kind lady took off my yarn hair and cut the stitches out of my
head, and took out all the painty cotton.

"It was a great relief, although it felt queer at first and my thoughts
seemed scattered.

"She left me in her work-basket that night and hung me out upon the
clothes-line the next morning when she had washed the last of the paint
off.

"And while I hung out on the clothes-line, what do you think?"