Temple Bailey

“ And now the fire in her seemed to light some fire in him. "It is not folly, but a woman cannot understand these things."
He could have said nothing worse. As I have said, Dorothea Dwight was of New England. In spite of the modishness of her blue-serge frock, in spite of the French twist to her hair and the silk-stockinged slenderness of her feet, she was the product of a civilization which sets women side by side with men mentally. The point of view of Otto von Puttkamer seemed to her as mediæval as the war which his country was waging. ”

“ Outside, the wet pavements, illumined by the street lamps, glimmered in a golden mist. Dorothea had not lighted the little shop. On an afternoon of rain there would be no customers. The toys were shadow shapes in the dusk. Dorothea dropped down on the stool which she had placed for Madame Papin's little feet.
"Madame," she said, "there was Waterloo, you know, and you hated the English——"
"They were our enemies."
"And now you hate the Germans."
"They are our enemies." ”

“ He took her hands in his and bent his face upon them, while all the little things which had been made in Germany stared at the man who had given to Germany the thing that, next to this woman who stood with her hands in his, he loved more than anything else in the whole wide world.
And now it was Madame Papin who broke the silence. She rose from her chair and touched Otto on the arm. He raised his head and looked down at her.
"Listen," she said with great earnestness; "listen, my friend. She will comfort you. She loves you. And where death is—there are no—enemies." ”

“ Dorothea said as Madame Papin opened her bag and brought forth her rosy treasures; "it will keep you busy until Christmas, madame."
"I want to be busy," said the little lady. "It is hard work which keeps the heart from aching. Dear Mees Dwight, there are four nephews fighting in France. I am afraid to look at the papers—I am—I am afraid."
And this was war which made women afraid! Dorothea's hand went across the counter to clasp that of the little old lady. And presently she said: "Dear Madame Papin, stay and have a cup of tea with me in my little office. ”

“ The memory of these things stopped the words which cried for expression. Dorothea was of New England, and prone to say the things which were on her mind. But the soft voice of the little man was again protesting: "Dear lady, surely we are not to quarrel."
"I don't want to quarrel," Dorothea told him, "but how can I help it when you defend this dreadful unnecessary thing? Why, every time I look at my toys I think: 'There won't be any more. There won't be any more lead soldiers or lovely dolls or white elephants.'"
Otto laid his hand on the head of the meek white beast. ”

“ And every one of these wonderful toys was "made in Germany."
Dorothea, coming in one dull September morning, surveyed her stock for the first time without a smile on her face.
In her hand she held a newspaper. She had read it on the trolley, and what she read had sickened her. For the paper told of the things which Germany was doing on the other side of the water, and which had nothing to do with dolls or tin tracks or lead soldiers. But they had to do with real soldiers and with big guns and with death and destruction. ”

“ She was so much of a child herself, in spite of the silver threads which shone faintly through her fair hair, and in spite of the tiny wrinkles which encroached on the pink-and-white of her complexion. ”

“ For Germany, it seemed, was at war with all the world, and Germany was to blame.
Since then her place had been known quite prominently as the Toy Shop. At least, it looked that way to Dorothea. It had always seemed to her before that the toys had welcomed her. To people without imagination, toys are inanimate things, but to Dorothea they were as alive as the people who bought them. She never sold a pussy-cat without hoping that it would get a good home ”

“ It tinkled out, quite consistently, a little tune from "The Magic Flute."
"There," said Madame Papin, "even the music is their music——"
"Herr von Puttkamer says," Dorothea stated, "that the music of his country, the literature, should show us that they would not fight for an unjust cause. He says that for this if for nothing else we should love Germany."
"Mon Dieu!" said the little lady from among the shadows. "Mon Dieu! Herr von Puttkamer is like the little lead soldiers, he was made in Germany. And when he speaks of love, he is thinking of you." ”

“ Dorothea said. "Oh, Madame Papin, I would never have believed that I could hate any one as I hate the Germans."
The little lady shrugged. "They are beasts," she said calmly. Then she leaned forward and looked straight into the eyes of the meek white elephant, upon whose dangling tag was blazoned forth the damning device—"Made in Germany."
"I hate you!" said little Madame Papin to the white elephant.
"'Yes, our hearts weep.'"
III
"All the things in my window this morning were made in America," Dorothea said. ”