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The Surprise Book

Chapter 17: CONCLUSION The Last Leaf of the Surprise Book
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About This Book

A little girl assembles a handmade scrapbook of folded pockets, each sealed with a surprise to be opened on a specified month; that gift frames a year of short episodes featuring Marjorie, Dotty, and their friends. Each chapter presents a self-contained scene tied to a calendar moment — holidays, pranks, small domestic adventures, and moments of generosity — portraying children’s play, imagination, problem-solving, and everyday interactions as they celebrate, learn, and care for one another across the seasons.


CONCLUSION
The Last Leaf of the Surprise Book

The last leaf of Marjorie’s Surprise Book was very, very thin. It did not make Marjorie poke and feel and wonder what was inside its pocket. It was marked to open at the Christmas tree. So the first thing that she did was to pull its Christmas seals off and read what was written inside:

“I hope you will always be happy—
As happy as you can be,
As happy as all the happy times
That you have shared with me.”

“I made that up,” said Dotty, proudly. “I did it all myself.” Really, I think that Marjorie’s Surprise Book belonged to both little girls, don’t you? But which one do you suppose liked it best? Was it Marjorie or was it Dotty? What do you think? For myself, I think it was the one who made it and gave it and thought it and planned it all. So, maybe, there is somebody that you love to whom, you, too, would like to give a Surprise Book like this of Marjorie’s.

And because I myself love all you children, I am giving you the story of a Surprise Book right here—now!