The wooden horse started rolling backward at this and knocked Henny over
upon his back, causing him to cry "Mama!" in his squeeky voice.
Uncle Clem, Raggedy Ann, and the tin soldier all held to the wooden
horse and managed to stop him just as he was backing out of the nursery
door towards the head of the stairs.
Then the dolls pulled the wooden horse back to the center of the room.
"It's funny" he said, "that I start moving backward or forward when I
try to frisk my tail!"
"I believe it is because you have stood so long upon the shelf without
moving," Raggedy Andy suggested. "Suppose you try moving forward!"
Uncle Clem, who was standing in front of the wooden horse, jumped to one
side so hastily his feet slipped out from under him, just as if he had
been sliding upon slippery ice.
[Illustration: The wooden horse rolled over Raggedy Ann's foot]
[Illustration: The wooden horse and the dolls]
The wooden horse did not start moving forward as Uncle Clem had
expected; instead, his silken tail frisked gaily up over his back.
"Whee! There, you frisked your tail!" cried all the dolls as joyfully as
if the wooden horse had done something truly wonderful.
"It's easy now!" said the wooden horse. "When I wish to go forward or
backward I'll try to frisk my tail and then I'll roll along on my shiny
wheels; then when I wish to frisk my tail I'll try to roll forward or
backward, like this!" But instead of rolling forward, the wooden horse
frisked his tail.
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