October 1, 2025 • 7 mins
In this enchanting tale, a doll gifted to a young girl on her birthday embarks on a heartfelt journey filled with adventures and missteps, all in a quest to earn the love of her new mother. Join her as she navigates the challenges of acceptance and belonging. - Summary by Emma Hatton
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter six of the Diary of a Birthday Doll by
Ethel Dow. This is a libery Box recording. All liberyvox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit liberybox dot org. Cheep cheep, see
you're back again, are you? You darlings? Just peep through
the window and see where I am. Where else but
Mamma Lou's arms. Ha ha, Now what do you think of that?
(00:24):
And I've been here for over fifteen minutes too, Oh,
but I'm happy. Are you angry at Mamma Lou yet?
Little sparrows? Please don't be See how happy she's made me.
And Teddy'll tell you how sweet she is. There's Teddy,
that handsome young bear in the stylish pink overcoat. Now, Teddy,
you know it's stylish. Never seen him before. He's my very,
(00:47):
very best friend. I hope Maud and gladdies haven't heard me. There.
Mamma Lou is hiding my face under her chin, just
the way I used to want her to. So I
can't see those cute little sparrows anymore to tell them
how happy I am. But I can tell myself over
and over again. I was afraid all last night that
I'd be put in that horrid box, wasn't I. Oh
(01:09):
what a joke. Instead of that, early this morning, Mamma Lou,
still in her nighty, came running into my room, picked
me up in her arms, and carried me off to
her own dear darling bed, oh so warm and comfy,
and lying there on her pillow close to her, she
told me the sweetest things, only teddy Bear is going
(01:31):
to know what they are, Only Teddy Bear. I'll tell
them tonight, when the girls are asleep and can't hear you,
poor little angel, She said, I've been so cruel to you,
so cruel. I don't see how you can forgive me,
but Mama says, maybe you will. I told Mama everything
last night. Oh how naughty I was to disobey her.
(01:52):
I'll never never chew gum again. And if I live
to be two million years old, and I'm never going
to scald anybody anymore, and I'll never be saucy to
nurse again. Mama just explained to me last night how
cruel and bad tempered I've been to scold you all
week for nothing, for nothing, you poor baby, she says,
(02:14):
It shows just as much cruelty to scold things that
don't understand as to scold things that do. And you
do understand. I'm sure you do, you poor darling. Oh
if I could only have talked at that moment. I've
been mean to Teddy Bear too, for no reason at all.
But I'm just going to change all around. But Dolly, honest,
(02:35):
I didn't mean to be so nasty. I was just
making believe half the time I really was how's your
poor poor leg? You angel? Does it pain you very much?
And Dolly, answer me just this once and I'll never
mention it anymore. Did it hurt you very much? Thursday?
You know when Mama asked me last night how I
(02:56):
would feel if she did it to me, and then
I just understood how how awfully cruel i'd ben. Oh, Dolly,
I'm so sorry and ashamed. It's just a week since
I've had you. In a mighty ugly week it's been
for you. But I'll make up to you for it,
Honor Bright, I will. You're going to stay with me
till I get real grown up, and I'll take such
(03:17):
care of you. And when I am an old old lady,
I'll play with you just as much as now. Poor Dolly,
you dare never have a bath, Mama says, the water
might open your bandages, and it's all my fault, aren't you? Sorry? Oh, dreadfully.
If i'd been one of those new fashioned spring dolls,
(03:38):
I'm sure i'd have jumped for joy. I haven't given
you a name yet, have I. Oh, I've been cruel
to you. Never mind, Dear, I'll make up for it.
I'll give you my mama's name, the prettiest name that
ever lived. You are, my dear darling daughter, Mary, Mary.
I repeated Mary, to be quite frank, I must say
(03:59):
it was a little disappointed. I would have preferred Rosamond
or Gwendolen, some rich, high sounding name like that. Mary
does seem to me so very plain. But of course
my mama knows best, and is a great compliment to
be named after my Grandma Ellis. Anyhow, Teddy told me,
when I was back in bed while Mamma Lou was
(04:20):
getting dressed and eating breakfast, that he had never heard
a prettier name than Mary, and Maud and Glattie's. Mamma
Lou woke them when she took me out of bed. Oh, didn't.
They look astonished and say it just suits me, so
I'm quite satisfied. Ted and the girls didn't speak while
I was out of the room, but when I got
(04:40):
back we got real chummy. Ted can be so very
polite when he wants to, and the girls are sweet.
Though it's naughty of me to wish it. I do
hope that Ted keeps on liking me best for time, anyhow,
till I get real used to being loved. Anyhow. Here
I am on Mamma Lu's lap, perfectly, per factly happy.
(05:01):
After breakfast, she washed my face so carefully without soap
and put the prettiest little flower nightie on me, my
poor sick child. She said, you have such beautiful eyes too,
and then she kissed my cheeks till Glottie's cried, you'll
be as white as a sheet soon. I do hope
she isn't jealous. Mama Lou has been very sweet to
(05:23):
Ted too, and I am so glad She smoothed his
velvet nose in the friendliest way just before she took
me on her lap and began to rock me. There's
a beautiful artificial plant on the windowsill with two gorgeous
red flowers here, my poor sick child, said Mama Lou
when she put it up there, And you must have flowers.
(05:44):
Glottie's and mad say that she uses the plant sometimes
as a centerpiece when she has big tea parties in winter.
Oh my dear Mama, how about last Tuesday's tea party
and the cough medicine? He put no more of that.
It's not nice of me to think of it. And oh,
Mamma Lou has promised me that I can sleep with
(06:04):
her every single night as soon as my bandage sticks tight.
Mamma lu just said to me, I do believe you're
going to be my favorite child, Mary. And then for
a second my heart stood still with delight. I think
it must have got patched up somehow in the night.
Then I remembered and cried out loud, No, Mamma Lu,
please don't say so. That's too much, and it wouldn't
(06:27):
be fair to Gladdy's and Maud and Ted. I don't
want anybody ever to feel as lonely as I have
felt on the account of my Mamma Lou. Please don't
forget about Maud and Gladdie's and Ted. I hope they
didn't hear her. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's
gonna love us all, all, all, that's what we like
to see, just such a pretty family scene. We are
(06:49):
sure that we were mistaken last Thursday, and that this
little girl before us is still the little girl we admire. Please,
young Lucy, don't forget us. Spring will soon be here,
and then we will sing for you, our sweetest, to
show our appreciation of any little favors. There's a cracker
on the table, see it, which we would thankfully accept.
(07:09):
Please don't forget us. The spring will soon be here,
you cute little sparrow. Modern gladdies are smiling at me
from the bed as I go rocking up and down,
up and down. Teddy is making the most comical jokes
at me. I'm so afraid i'll laugh out loud. My
mamma loves me. She's whispering so into my ear this
(07:31):
very second. Oh, everybody is just sweet, and I'm perfectly,
perfectly happy. End of chapter six. End of the Diary
of a Birthday Doll by Ethel Dow
Chapter six of the Diary of a Birthday Doll by
Ethel Dow. This is a libery Box recording. All liberyvox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit liberybox dot org. Cheep cheep, see
you're back again, are you? You darlings? Just peep through
the window and see where I am. Where else but
Mamma Lou's arms. Ha ha, Now what do you think of that?
(00:24):
And I've been here for over fifteen minutes too, Oh,
but I'm happy. Are you angry at Mamma Lou yet?
Little sparrows? Please don't be See how happy she's made me.
And Teddy'll tell you how sweet she is. There's Teddy,
that handsome young bear in the stylish pink overcoat. Now, Teddy,
you know it's stylish. Never seen him before. He's my very,
(00:47):
very best friend. I hope Maud and gladdies haven't heard me. There.
Mamma Lou is hiding my face under her chin, just
the way I used to want her to. So I
can't see those cute little sparrows anymore to tell them
how happy I am. But I can tell myself over
and over again. I was afraid all last night that
I'd be put in that horrid box, wasn't I. Oh
(01:09):
what a joke. Instead of that, early this morning, Mamma Lou,
still in her nighty, came running into my room, picked
me up in her arms, and carried me off to
her own dear darling bed, oh so warm and comfy,
and lying there on her pillow close to her, she
told me the sweetest things, only teddy Bear is going
(01:31):
to know what they are, Only Teddy Bear. I'll tell
them tonight, when the girls are asleep and can't hear you,
poor little angel, She said, I've been so cruel to you,
so cruel. I don't see how you can forgive me,
but Mama says, maybe you will. I told Mama everything
last night. Oh how naughty I was to disobey her.
(01:52):
I'll never never chew gum again. And if I live
to be two million years old, and I'm never going
to scald anybody anymore, and I'll never be saucy to
nurse again. Mama just explained to me last night how
cruel and bad tempered I've been to scold you all
week for nothing, for nothing, you poor baby, she says,
(02:14):
It shows just as much cruelty to scold things that
don't understand as to scold things that do. And you
do understand. I'm sure you do, you poor darling. Oh
if I could only have talked at that moment. I've
been mean to Teddy Bear too, for no reason at all.
But I'm just going to change all around. But Dolly, honest,
(02:35):
I didn't mean to be so nasty. I was just
making believe half the time I really was how's your
poor poor leg? You angel? Does it pain you very much?
And Dolly, answer me just this once and I'll never
mention it anymore. Did it hurt you very much? Thursday?
You know when Mama asked me last night how I
(02:56):
would feel if she did it to me, and then
I just understood how how awfully cruel i'd ben. Oh, Dolly,
I'm so sorry and ashamed. It's just a week since
I've had you. In a mighty ugly week it's been
for you. But I'll make up to you for it,
Honor Bright, I will. You're going to stay with me
till I get real grown up, and I'll take such
(03:17):
care of you. And when I am an old old lady,
I'll play with you just as much as now. Poor Dolly,
you dare never have a bath, Mama says, the water
might open your bandages, and it's all my fault, aren't you? Sorry? Oh, dreadfully.
If i'd been one of those new fashioned spring dolls,
(03:38):
I'm sure i'd have jumped for joy. I haven't given
you a name yet, have I. Oh, I've been cruel
to you. Never mind, Dear, I'll make up for it.
I'll give you my mama's name, the prettiest name that
ever lived. You are, my dear darling daughter, Mary, Mary.
I repeated Mary, to be quite frank, I must say
(03:59):
it was a little disappointed. I would have preferred Rosamond
or Gwendolen, some rich, high sounding name like that. Mary
does seem to me so very plain. But of course
my mama knows best, and is a great compliment to
be named after my Grandma Ellis. Anyhow, Teddy told me,
when I was back in bed while Mamma Lou was
(04:20):
getting dressed and eating breakfast, that he had never heard
a prettier name than Mary, and Maud and Glattie's. Mamma
Lou woke them when she took me out of bed. Oh, didn't.
They look astonished and say it just suits me, so
I'm quite satisfied. Ted and the girls didn't speak while
I was out of the room, but when I got
(04:40):
back we got real chummy. Ted can be so very
polite when he wants to, and the girls are sweet.
Though it's naughty of me to wish it. I do
hope that Ted keeps on liking me best for time, anyhow,
till I get real used to being loved. Anyhow. Here
I am on Mamma Lu's lap, perfectly, per factly happy.
(05:01):
After breakfast, she washed my face so carefully without soap
and put the prettiest little flower nightie on me, my
poor sick child. She said, you have such beautiful eyes too,
and then she kissed my cheeks till Glottie's cried, you'll
be as white as a sheet soon. I do hope
she isn't jealous. Mama Lou has been very sweet to
(05:23):
Ted too, and I am so glad She smoothed his
velvet nose in the friendliest way just before she took
me on her lap and began to rock me. There's
a beautiful artificial plant on the windowsill with two gorgeous
red flowers here, my poor sick child, said Mama Lou
when she put it up there, And you must have flowers.
(05:44):
Glottie's and mad say that she uses the plant sometimes
as a centerpiece when she has big tea parties in winter.
Oh my dear Mama, how about last Tuesday's tea party
and the cough medicine? He put no more of that.
It's not nice of me to think of it. And oh,
Mamma Lou has promised me that I can sleep with
(06:04):
her every single night as soon as my bandage sticks tight.
Mamma lu just said to me, I do believe you're
going to be my favorite child, Mary. And then for
a second my heart stood still with delight. I think
it must have got patched up somehow in the night.
Then I remembered and cried out loud, No, Mamma Lu,
please don't say so. That's too much, and it wouldn't
(06:27):
be fair to Gladdy's and Maud and Ted. I don't
want anybody ever to feel as lonely as I have
felt on the account of my Mamma Lou. Please don't
forget about Maud and Gladdie's and Ted. I hope they
didn't hear her. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's
gonna love us all, all, all, that's what we like
to see, just such a pretty family scene. We are
(06:49):
sure that we were mistaken last Thursday, and that this
little girl before us is still the little girl we admire. Please,
young Lucy, don't forget us. Spring will soon be here,
and then we will sing for you, our sweetest, to
show our appreciation of any little favors. There's a cracker
on the table, see it, which we would thankfully accept.
(07:09):
Please don't forget us. The spring will soon be here,
you cute little sparrow. Modern gladdies are smiling at me
from the bed as I go rocking up and down,
up and down. Teddy is making the most comical jokes
at me. I'm so afraid i'll laugh out loud. My
mamma loves me. She's whispering so into my ear this
(07:31):
very second. Oh, everybody is just sweet, and I'm perfectly,
perfectly happy. End of chapter six. End of the Diary
of a Birthday Doll by Ethel Dow
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