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"
I am Miss Cuttenclip," was the reply. "Won't you come in?"
She held the door open while they all entered a pretty sitting-room that
was littered with all sorts of paper--some stiff, some thin, and some
tissue. The sheets and scraps were of all colors. Upon a table were
paints and brushes, while several pair of scissors, of different sizes, were
lying about.
"
Sit down, please," said Miss Cuttenclip, clearing the paper scraps off
some of the chairs. "It is so long since I have had any visitors that I am
not properly prepared to receive them. But I'm sure you will pardon my
untidy room, for this is my workshop."
"
"
Do you make all the paper dolls?" inquired Dorothy.
Yes; I cut them out with my scissors, and paint the faces and some of
the costumes. It is very pleasant work, and I am happy making my
paper village grow."
"
"
But how do the paper dolls happen to be alive?" asked Aunt Em.
The first dolls I made were not alive," said Miss Cuttenclip. "I used to
live near the castle of a great Sorceress named Glinda the Good, and she
saw my dolls and said they were very pretty. I told her I thought I would
like them better if they were alive, and the next day the Sorceress
brought me a lot of magic paper. 'This is live paper,' she said, 'and all
the dolls you cut out of it will be alive, and able to think and to talk.
When you have used it all up, come to me and I will give you more.'
"
"
Of course I was delighted with this present," continued Miss Cuttenclip,
and at once set to work and made several paper dolls, which, as soon as
they were cut out, began to walk around and talk to me. But they were
so thin that I found that any breeze would blow them over and scatter
them dreadfully; so Glinda found this lonely place for me, where few
people ever come. She built the wall to keep any wind from blowing away
my people, and told me I could build a paper village here and be its
Queen. That is why I came here and settled down to work and started
the village you now see. It was many years ago that I built the first
houses, and I've kept pretty busy and made my village grow finely; and I
need not tell you that I am very happy in my work."
"
Many years ago!" exclaimed Aunt Em. "Why, how old are you, child?"
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