One December day, Curly-Tail, the dearest little dog in the world, jumped upon his Rocking Horse and rocked away, away, away.

He said, “I will go to Santa Claus’ work-shop, perhaps I will find our old Parrot.”

He rocked away all day, and when night came he found a little cave in the woods. He went in and curled up and fell asleep.

Next day he woke up early and cried,

He rocked away, away, away, again, and soon he said, “Some one is coming down the path, I hear the patter, patter of little feet.”

Then he set up a shout, for who should be coming to meet him but the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs?

They all set up a shout, crying,

Curly-Tail got down from the Rocking Horse and said, “I am going to Santa Claus’ work-shop and this Rocking Horse knows the way, who will go with me?”

“I will, I will, I will,” cried the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs in one breath, so Curly-Tail got on the Rocking Horse and rocked away, away, away, and the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs ran on behind.

“I see a light ahead,” shouted the first Little Darling Dog. “I see a light,” shouted the next, and the next.

They came to a little wee house in the woods.

Curly-Tail without waiting for an invitation rocked right in the open door, crying, “Hurrah for Mrs. Santa Claus! Here we are, the whole Curly-Tail family!”

Mrs. Santa Claus was so surprised she cried,

She tried to count the Little Darling Dogs, but they danced about her so fast, she never knew which ones she counted twice, and which ones she never counted at all!

Curly-Tail begged, “Please let us go into Santa Claus work-shop!”

Mrs. Santa Claus said,

She said Santa Claus was not at home, and she never let any one go in his work-shop.

Then the first Little Darling Dog sat down on the floor and began to grumble, and the next Little Darling Dog began to weep, and the next Little Darling Dog got a scowly face, and such a noise you never heard.

Only Curly-Tail kept good natured.

He rocked gently to and fro on his wonderful Rocking Horse and said, “You make as much noise as Daddy Do-Little when he is lonesome.”

Mrs. Santa Claus said, “Who is Daddy Do-Little?”

Curly-Tail replied,

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs said,

Mrs. Santa Claus said, “If the old fellow had a new coat, perhaps he would not be so lazy or grumble so much. Here is my work basket, and some cloth, go to work if you please.”

Mrs. Santa Claus opened a slide in the wall and disappeared!

“Ha, ha, ha,” cried the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs.

Curly-Tail cried, “Hurrah! hurrah, we will make Daddy Do-Little a new coat out of this cloth.”

My, how busy they were!

One Little Darling Dog got a tape measure and measured the cloth.

One Little Darling Dog got a pair of scissors and went, “snip, snip, snip.”

One Little Darling Dog began to unwind a spool of thread, and the other Little Darling Dogs sat around in groups threading needles!

Curly-Tail skipped about giving directions.

Soon they were all sewing on Daddy Do-Little’s new coat!

“Oh, oh, oh,” cried the Little Darling Dogs, as they pricked themselves on the needles.

Curly-Tail cried,

Then the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs began to sing a song and their needles flew faster and faster.

They would interrupt one another by shouting, “Who has the thimble? Who has the thread? Where is my needle?” and still the song sounded beautifully.

Curly-Tail cried,

Then they heard thump, bump, down the chimney fell six little brass buttons.

They sewed the brass buttons on the coat, and soon it was finished.

Then a voice cried,

They looked toward the chimney.

There, sure enough were little seats, and little tables. On each table was a plate with a pie smoking hot.

How they all enjoyed their lunch!

They cried out,

Mrs. Santa Claus opened the panel in the wall and went back into the house. She asked to see the coat, which they had tied up in a neat bundle.

The first Little Darling Dog began to untie the string which held the bundle, and the bundle hopped about in the strangest way.

Then the next Little Darling Dog said, “Let me untie it,” and the next one said, “I will untie it in a minute.”

At that very moment there, before their very noses, the bundle jumped out of the window and was gone!

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs thought their work was all lost and they began to weep and wail, but Curly-Tail said,

So, the Fourteen Little Darling Dogs all dried their eyes and went to the door.

Curly-Tail jumped on his Rocking Horse.

The Fourteen Little Darling Dogs rubbed their eyes for they saw fourteen Rocking Horses standing in a row.

They shouted,

Curly-Tail said,

When they came to Daddy Do-Little’s house in the woods they all set up a shout, for there he stood in the doorway with his new coat on!

He was happy you may be sure, and they all rocked round him on their wonderful Rocking Horses.