THE crate in which the Teddy bears had journeyed from their birthplace in the factory to the big department store to which they were consigned had at last arrived at its final destination and was being unpacked, much to the delight of its occupants. For, as everybody who has ever travelled much knows, it is uncomfortable enough to journey packed so tightly in tissue paper and excelsior that one cannot move even as much as a whisker. But to make the whole trip standing on one’s head is infinitely worse. And this had really happened to several of the Teddy bears.

But at last all their troubles and discomforts had come to an end. Deft hands carefully unpacked them. Their coats were brushed until they shone, their limbs, which of necessity had become more or less cramped, were carefully straightened, and their heads tilted at the most approved angle.

Some of them were dressed in delightful worsted sweaters and peaked toboggan caps, each having a long tassel that hung over at the side. And there were also the cutest woolen leggings to match.

Others were arrayed in little cotton overalls and a few in the most fascinating pajamas.

Most of them, however, wore only their own furry coats. And very fine indeed they looked after all the brushing and grooming.

Their toilets having been completed, they were carried out to Dept. A, where all the toys were displayed. And Dept. A was indeed one of the most important sections of the whole store. It occupied the central portion directly in front of the big glass doors, and its wares were temptingly displayed in several of the great windows.

In one of these had been built a roomy cage with white enameled bars, just such a cage as one sees at the zoo, only much handsomer. And in this the Teddy bears were placed, each one posed in a most life like and natural manner and made to look as inviting as possible.

Some were arranged to climb up the bars. Others were playing with balls and two jolly little white fellows, as much alike as two peas, were swinging from a hanging trapeze.

By the time all this was completed it was very late indeed. All the lights were lowered except those in the windows, and they seemed to shine brighter than ever by contrast with the surrounding darkness.

The window dresser gave one or two final touches to his work and hurried off grumbling that he would be very, very late for supper. The other clerks had already disappeared, the night watchman arrived with his dinner pail and everything was left tight and trim until morning.

For a long time everything was very quiet indeed; for you must know that well-regulated toys never come to life until living creatures are fast asleep. For they can then pursue their pranks and gambols to very much better advantage. But presently a kind of long sigh ran through Dept. A and in another moment a perfect babel of sounds arose and swelled upon the air.

There was the mooing of cows, the bleating of woolly sheep, the crying of baby dolls, the choo-choo of iron steam cars.

Suddenly the French walking doll, who had never been known to walk a step in the daytime unless she was wound up with a key, made a frantic spring from her box on the highest shelf, and landing lightly on her toes came dancing and pirouetting down the centre aisle. Lightly swaying from side to side, now this way, now that, onward she came. And then bedlam broke loose. The big auto that had stood patiently all day right in front of the middle door started up a fearful tooting of its Gabriel horn and dashing madly and wildly down a side aisle came very near upsetting the big Noah’s Ark, from whose door the occupants were streaming, led by Mr. Noah and his family. In one corner a whole regiment of leaden soldiers began to drill by companies.

“Company, Attention! Present Arms! Order Arms! Parade, Rest!”

The little lead captain’s voice rang out bravely. To be sure, it was somewhat husky, but then he might have somehow taken cold, for the weather was severe and Dept. A very badly heated at night.

It should have been a competitive drill, but after a little the lead soldiers became impatient. They all wished to manoeuvre at once. It grew impossible to hear any of the commands, although the captain shouted until he was red in the face. The confusion was terrible. Now a great growling of lions and tigers and trumpeting of elephants arose from the shelf where the big menagerie stood.

In vain the keeper rushed about wielding his long whip. But who cares a snap for a keeper when he is made of wood and only about six inches high? Not the animals, not they.

They would have torn each other to pieces had not their attention been suddenly attracted by the ascension of a big fire balloon that had been left over from Fourth of July and forgotten.

The balloon did very well, considering, until it reached the ceiling, where it stuck and caught fire. Here indeed was a serious situation. The balloon flamed furiously and the paper dolls, who were located close by, set up a terrible shrieking, which was promptly joined in by all the other toys.

Goodness only knows how the affair would have culminated, had not the iron hook and ladder company just then come dashing down the aisle, closely followed by the chemical engine and the lofty water tower.

It was the work of but a few seconds to set up the tall ladders, and every one of the fainting paper dolls was carried to a place of safety by the gallant cast-iron fire laddies.

To be sure, the paper dolls were many, many times taller than their brave rescuers, but then they were so light in weight that their greater height did not make the smallest particle of difference.

In the midst of all the hullabaloo the bears suddenly realized that they, too, were alive, and came swarming and scurrying out of their cage, which, fortunately for them, had been built without a top, tumbling over each other in their anxiety to be first in the scrimmage.

Their appearance tended somewhat to calm matters down, as all the other toys were anxious to meet the newcomers, and came crowding around, shaking hands in a very friendly way. All except the lead soldiers who were all in the guard house, having been ordered thither for insubordination.

The big woolly ram, with gilt horns, even went so far as to apologize for the absence of order, which indeed was putting it mildly. As for himself, he had remained quietly in his place, only giving vent occasionally to a vigorous “baa” in order to testify to his disapproval of the general rough house.

Indeed he was the oldest toy in the store, having been on exhibition for two successive Christmases, being too large and expensive to find a purchaser readily; but was always accorded the most prominent position in the show case, as he proudly informed the largest of the bears. Whereupon the bears tossed their heads, wondering what was the matter with their own position.

Just then one of the paper dolls, a bride, was found to be in an hysterical condition. The poor thing had just discovered that all her beautiful trousseau had been destroyed in the conflagration.

Restoratives were applied at once and it was proposed to take up a collection among the toys for her benefit. But at that critical moment a sound, high and shrill, smote upon the ears of all. It was the crowing of the mechanical cock whose duty it was to inform the others of the approaching dawn.

In an instant all was quiet and every one in his place. Only the toboggan cap of one of the bears, pulled off in the struggle, lay on the floor, where it was picked up next morning by the floorwalker, who arrived first on the scene, and who ever after regarded the night watchman with suspicion.

And the queerest part of the whole story is that the night watchman never heard a single sound during the whole performance.