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+<h1 align="center">The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Surprising Adventures of the Magical
+Monarch of Mo and His People, by L. Frank Baum, Illustrated by Frank Ver
+Beck</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People</p>
+<p>Author: L. Frank Baum</p>
+<p>Release Date: July 10, 2005  [eBook #16259]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO AND HIS PEOPLE***</p>
+<br><br><center><h3>E-text prepared by Michael Gray (Lost_Gamer@comcast.net)</h3></center><br><br>
+<hr noshade>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p align="center"><span class="b1">The Suprising Adventures of</span><br><br><span class="b3">The
+Magical Monarch of Mo</span><br><br><span class="b1">And His People</span><br><br><span class="b2">by
+L. FRANK BAUM</span><br><br><span class="b1"><i><b>W</b>ith pictures by Frank Ver
+Beck</i>
+<br><br><br>
+1903</span><br><br><br><br><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="The Magical Monarch of
+Mo"><br><br><br><br><span class="b1"><b>To the Comrade of my<br><br>boyhood days<br><br>Dr. Henry Clay
+Baum</b></span></p><br><p><img src="images/toread.jpg" alt="To the Reader" align="left"><b><span
+class="b3">T</span>HIS</b> book has been written for children. I have no shame in acknowledging that
+I, who wrote it, am also a child; for since I can remember my eyes have always grown big at tales of
+the marvelous, and my heart is still accustomed to go pit-a-pat when I read of impossible adventures.
+It is the nature of children to scorn realities, which crowd into their lives all too quickly with
+advancing years. Childhood is the time for fables, for dreams, for joy.<br><br>These stories are not
+true; they could no be true and be so marvelous. No one is expected to believe them; they were meant
+to excite laughter and to gladden the heart.<br><br>Perhaps some of those big, grown-up people will
+poke fun of us&mdash;at you for reading these nonsense tales of the Magical Monarch, and at me for
+writing them. Never mind. Many of the big folk are still children&mdash;even as you and I. We cannot
+measure a child by a standard of size or age. The big folk who are children will be our comrades; the
+others we need not consider at all, for they are self-exiled from our domain.</p><p
+align="right"><font size="+1">L. FRANK BAUM.</font></p><p><font size="-1">June, 1903.</font></p><p
+align="center"><img src="images/book.jpg" alt="The reader and the book"></p><br><br><br>
+
+<table width="100%"><tr><th align="center"><img src="images/cont.jpg" alt="Contents"><th>&nbsp;<tr><th
+align="center" width="100%">THE FIRST SURPRISE<th rowspan="42"><img src="images/doncon.jpg" alt="The
+Wise Donkey"><tr><th><a href="#chapter1">The Beautiful Valley of Mo</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE
+SECOND SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter2">The Strange Adventures of the King's
+Head</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE THIRD SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter3">The Tramp Dog and the
+Monarch's Lost Temper</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE FOURTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter4">The
+Peculiar Pains of Fruit Cake Island</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE FIFTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a
+href="#chapter5">The Monarch Celebrates His Birthday</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE SIXTH
+SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter6">King Scowleyow and His Cast-Iron Man</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE
+SEVENTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter7">Timtom and the Princess
+Pattycake</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE EIGHTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter8">The Bravery of
+Prince Jollikin</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE NINTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter9">The Wizard and
+the Princess</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE TENTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter10">The Duchess
+Bredenbutta's Visit to Turvyland</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE ELEVENTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a
+href="#chapter11">Prince Fiddlecumdoo and the Giant</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE TWELFTH
+SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter12">The Land of the Civilized Monkeys</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE
+THIRTEENTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter13">The Stolen Plum-Pudding</a><tr><th>&nbsp;<tr><th>THE
+FOURTEENTH SURPRISE<tr><th><a href="#chapter14">The Punishment of the Purple
+Dragon</a></table><br><br><br><br>
+
+<table width="100%" border="0"><tr><th width="100%" align="center" class="b1"><i>The First
+Surprise</i><br><br>THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY<br>OF MO<th><a name="chapter1"><img src="images/hattre.jpg"
+alt="The Hat Tree" align="right"></a></table><p><img src="images/idesay.jpg" alt="I dare say"> there
+are several questions you would like to ask at the very beginning of this history. First: Who is the
+Monarch of Mo? And why is he called the Magical Monarch? And where <i>is</i> Mo, anyhow? And why have
+you never heard of it before? And can it be reached by a railroad or a trolley-car, or must one walk
+all the way?<br><br>These questions I realize should be answered before we (that "we" means you and
+the book) can settle down for a comfortable reading of all the wonders and astonishing adventures I
+shall endeavor faithfully to relate.<br><br>In the first place, the Monarch of Mo is a very pleasant
+personage holding the rank of King. He is not very tall, nor is he very short; he is midway between
+fat and lean; he is delightfully jolly when he is not sad, and seldom sad if he can possibly be jolly.
+How old he may be I have never dared to inquire; but when we realize that he is destined to live as
+long as the Valley of Mo exists we may reasonably suppose the Monarch of Mo is exactly as old as his
+native land. And no one in Mo has ever reckoned up the years to see how many they have been. So we
+will just say that the Monarch of Mo and the Valley of Mo are each a part of the other, and can not be
+separated.<br><br>He is not called the Magical Monarch because he deals in magic&mdash;for he doesn't
+deal in magic. But he leads such a queer life in such a queer country that his history will surely
+seem magical to us who inhabit the civilized places of the world and think that anything we can not
+find a reason for must be due to magic. The life of the Monarch of Mo seems simple enough to him, you
+may be sure, for he knows no other existence. And our ways of living, could he know of them, would
+doubtless astonish him greatly.<br><br>The land of Mo, which is ruled by the King we call the Magical
+Monarch, is often spoken of as the "Beautiful Valley." If they would only put it on the maps of our
+geographies and paint it pink or light green, and print a big round dot where the King's castle
+stands, it would be easy enough to point out to you its exact location. But I can not find the Valley
+of Mo in any geography I have examined; so I suspect the men who made these instructive books really
+know nothing about Mo, else it would surely be on the maps.<br><br>Of one thing I am certain: that no
+other country included in the maps is so altogether delightful as the Beautiful Valley of
+Mo.<br><br>The sun shines all the time, and its rays are perfumed. The people who live in the Valley
+do not sleep, because there is no night. Everything they can possibly need grows on the trees, so they
+have no use for money at all, and that saves them a deal of worry.<br><br>There are no poor people in
+this quaint Valley. When a person desires a new hat he waits till one is ripe, and then picks it and
+wears it without asking anybody's permission. If a lady wishes a new ring, she examines carefully
+those upon the ring-tree, and when she finds one that fits her finger she picks it and wears it upon
+her hand. In this way they procure all they desire.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/ring.jpg"
+alt="&quot;When she finds one that fits her hand she picks it and wears it.&quot;"></p><p>There are
+two rivers in the Land of Mo, one of which flows milk of a very rich quality. Some of the islands in
+Milk River are made of excellent cheese, and the people are welcome to spade up this cheese whenever
+they wish to eat it. In the little pools near the bank, where the current does not flow swiftly,
+delicious cream rises to the top of the milk, and instead of water-lilies great strawberry leaves grow
+upon the surface, and the ripe, red berries lie dipping their noses into the cream, as if inviting you
+to come and eat them. The sand that forms the river bank is pure white sugar, and all kinds of candies
+and bonbons grow thick on the low bushes, so that any one may pluck them easily.<br><br>These are only
+a few of the remarkable things that exist in the Beautiful Valley.<br><br>The people are merry, light-
+hearted folk, who live in beautiful houses of pure crystal, where they can rest themselves and play
+their games and go in when it rains. For it rains in Mo as it does everywhere else, only it rains
+lemonade; and the lightning in the sky resembles the most beautiful fireworks; and the thunder is
+usually a chorus from the opera of Tannhauser.<br><br>No one ever dies in this Valley, and the people
+are always young and beautiful. There is the King and a Queen, besides several princes and princesses.
+But it is not much use being a prince in Mo, because the King can not die; therefore a prince is a
+prince to the end of his days, and his days never end.<br><br>Strange things occur in this strange
+land, as you may imagine; and while I relate some of these you will learn more of the peculiar
+features of the Beautiful Valley.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/mo.jpg" alt="A person in
+Mo"><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter2"><i>The Second Surprise</i></a><br>THE STRANGE
+ADVENTURES OF THE<br>KING'S HEAD</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/pdrag1.jpg" alt="The Purple
+Dragon"><br><span class="b2">THE STRANGE ADVENTURES<br>OF THE KING'S
+HEAD</span></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">A</span> GOOD</b> many years ago, the Magical Monarch of
+Mo became annoyed by the Purple Dragon, which came down from the mountains and ate up a patch of his
+best chocolate caramels just as they were getting ripe.<br><br>So the King went out to the sword-tree
+and picked a long, sharp sword, and tied it to his belt and went away to the mountains to fight the
+Purple Dragon.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/dragfi.jpg" alt="&quot;The King had a terrible
+fight with the Purple Dragon.&quot;"><p>The people all applauded him, saying one to
+another:<br><br>"Our King is a good King. He will destroy this naughty Purple Dragon and we shall be
+able to eat the caramels ourselves."<br><br>But the Dragon was not alone naughty; it was big, and
+fierce, and strong, and did not want to be destroyed at all.<br><br>Therefore the King had a terrible
+fight with the Purple Dragon and cut it with his sword in several places, so that the raspberry juice
+which ran in its veins squirted all over the ground.<br><br>It is always difficult to kill Dragons.
+They are by nature thick-skinned and tough, as doubtless every one has heard. Besides, you must not
+forget that this was a Purple Dragon, and all scientists who have studied deeply the character of
+Dragons say those of a purple color at the most disagreeable to fight with. So all the King's cutting
+and slashing had no effect upon the monster other than to make him angry. Forgetful of the respect due
+to a crowned King, the wicked Dragon presently opening wide its jaws and bit his Majesty's head clean
+off his body. Then he swallowed it.<br><br>Of course the King realized it was useless to continue to
+fight after that, for he could not see where the Dragon was. SO he turned and tried to find his way
+back to his people. But at every other step he would bump into a tree, which made the naughty Dragon
+laugh at him. Furthermore, he could not tell in which direction he was going, which is an unpleasant
+feeling under any circumstances.<br><br>At last some of the people came to see if the King had
+succeeded in destroying the Dragon, and found their monarch running around in a circle, bumping into
+trees and rocks, but not getting a step nearer home. So they took his hand and led him back to the
+palace, where every one was filled with sorrow at the sad sight of the headless King. Indeed, his
+devoted subjects, for the first time in their lives, came as near to weeping as an inhabitant of the
+Valley of Mo can.<br><br>"Never mind," said the King, cheerfully; "I can get along very well without a
+head; and, as a matter of fact, the loss has its advantages. I shall not be obliged to brush my hair,
+or clean my teeth, or wash my ears. So do not grieve, I beg of you, but be happy and joyful as you
+were before." Which showed the King had a good heart; and, after all, a good heart is better than a
+head, any say.<br><br>The people, hearing him speak out of his neck (for he had no mouth), immediately
+began to laugh, which in a short time led to their being as happy as ever.<br><br>But the Queen was
+not contented.<br><br>"My love," she said to him, "I can not kiss you any more, and that will break my
+heart."<br><br>Thereupon the King sent word throughout the Valley that any one who could procure for
+him a new head should wed one of the princesses.<br><br><img src="images/cesses.jpg" align="right"
+alt="The princesses">The princesses were all exceedingly pretty girls, and so it was not long before
+one man made a very nice head out of candy and brought it to the King. It did not look exactly like
+the old head, but the efface was very sweet, nevertheless; so the King put it on and the Queen kissed
+it at once with much satisfaction.<br><br>The young man had put a pair of glass eyes in the head, with
+which the King could see very well after he got used to them.<br><br>According to the royal promise,
+the young man was now called into the palace and asked to take his pick of the princesses. There were
+all so sweet and lady-like that he had some trouble in making a choice; but at last he took the
+biggest, thinking that he would thus secure the greatest reward, and they were married amid great
+rejoicing.<br><br>But, a few days afterward, the King was caught out in a rainstorm, and before he
+could get home his new head had melted in the great shower of lemonade that fell. Only the glass eyes
+were left, and these he put in his pocket and went sorrowfully to tell the Queen of his new
+misfortune.<br><br><img src="images/headod.jpg" align="left" alt="The head of dough">Then another
+young man who wanted to marry a princess made the King a head out of dough, sticking in it the glass
+eyes; and the King tried it on and found that it fitted very well. So the young man was given the next
+biggest princess.<br><br>But the following day the sun chance to shine extremely hot, and when the
+King walked out it baked his dough head into bread, at which the monarch felt very light-headed. And
+when the birds saw the bread they flew down from the trees, perched upon the King's shoulder and
+quickly ate up his new head. All but the glass eyes.<img src="images/batkdh.jpg" align="right"
+alt="The birds ate the King's dough head"><br><br>Again the good King was forced to go home to the
+Queen without a head, and the lady firmly declared that this time her husband must have a head
+warranted to last at least as long as the honeymoon of the young man who made it; which was not at all
+unreasonable under the circumstances.<br><br>So a request was sent to all loyal subjects throughout
+the Valley asking them to find a head for their King that was neat and substantial.<br><br>In the
+meantime the King had a rather hard time of it. When he wished to go any place he was obliged to hold
+out in front of him, between his thumbs and fingers, the glass eyes, that they might guide his
+footsteps. This, as you may imagine, made his Majesty look rather undignified, and dignity is very
+important to every royal personage.<br><br>At last a wood-chopper in the mountains made a head out of
+wood and sent it to the King. It was neatly carved, besides being solid and durable; moreover, it
+fitted the monarch's neck to the T. So the King rummaged in his pocket and found the glass eyes, and
+when these were put in the new head the King announced his satisfaction.<br><br>There was only one
+drawback&mdash;he couldn't smile, as the wooden face was too stiff; and it was funny to hear his
+Majesty laughing heartily while his face maintained a solemn expression. But the glass eyes twinkled
+merrily and every one knew that he was the same kind-hearted monarch of old, although he had become,
+of necessity, rather hard-headed.<br><br>Then the King sent word to the wood-chopper to come to the
+palace and take his pick of the princesses, and preparations were at once begun for the
+wedding.<br><br>But the wood-chopper, on his way to the court, unfortunately passed by the dwelling of
+the Purple Dragon and stopped to speak to the monster.<br><br>Now it seems that when the Dragon had
+swallowed the King's head, the unusual meal made the beast ill. It was more accustomed to berries and
+caramels for dinner than to heads, and the sharp points of the King's crown (which was firmly fastened
+to the head) pricked the Dragon's stomach and made the creature miserable. After a few days of
+suffering the Dragon disgorged the head, and, not knowing what else to do with it, locked it up in a
+cupboard and put the key in its pocket.<br><br>When the Dragon met the wood-chopper and learned he had
+made a new head for the King, and as a reward was to wed one of the princesses, the monster became
+very angry. It resolved to do a wicked thing; which will not surprise you when you remember the
+beast's purple color.<br><br>"Step into my parlor and rest yourself," said the Dragon, politely.
+Wicked people are most polite when they mean mischief.<br><br>"Thank you, I'll stop for a few
+minutes," replied the wood-chopper; "but I can not stay long, as I am expected at court."<br><br>When
+he had entered the parlor the Dragon suddenly opened its mouth and snapped off the poor wood-chopper's
+head. Being warned by experience, however, it did not swallow the head, but placed it in the cupboard.
+Then the Dragon took from a shelf the King's head and glued it on the wood-chopper's
+neck.<br><br>"Now," said the beast, with a cruel laugh, "you are the King! Go home and claim your wife
+and your kingdom."<br><br>The poor wood-chopper was much amazed; for at first he did not really know
+which he was, the King or the wood-chopper.<br><br>He looked in the mirror and, seeing the King, made
+a low bow. Then the King's head thought: "Who am I bowing to? There is no one greater than the King!"
+And so at once there began a conflict between the wood-chopper's heart and the King's head.<br><br>The
+Dragon was mightily pleased at the result of its wicked stratagem, and having pushed the bewildered
+wood-chopper out of the castle, immediately sent him on his way to the court.<br><br>When the poor man
+neared the town the people ran out and said: "Why, this is the King come back again. All hail, your
+Majesty!"<br><br>"All nonsense!" returned the wood-chopper. "I am only a poor man with the King's head
+on my shoulders. You can easily see it isn't mine, for it's crooked; the Dragon didn't glue it on
+straight."<br><br>"Where, then, is your own head?" they asked.<br><br>"Locked up in the Dragon's
+cupboard," replied the poor fellow, beginning to weep.<br><br>"Here," cried the King's head; "stop
+this. You mustn't cry out of my eyes! The King never weeps."<br><br>"I beg pardon, your Majesty," said
+the wood-chopper, meekly, "I'll not do it again."<br><br>"Well, see that you don't," returned the head
+more cheerfully.<br><br>The people were greatly amazed at this, and took the wood-chopper to the
+palace, where all was soon explained.<br><br>When the Queen saw the King's head she immediately kissed
+it; but the King rebuked her, saying she must kiss only him.<br><br>"But it is your head," said the
+poor Queen.<br><br>"Probably it is," replied the King; "but it is on another man. You must confine
+yourself to kissing my wooden head."<br><br>"I'm sorry," sighed the Queen, "for I like to kiss the
+real head best."<br><br>"And so you shall," said the King's head; "I don't approve your kissing that
+wooden head at all."<br><br><img src="images/heads.jpg" align="right" alt="&quot;The poor lady looked
+from one head to another in perplexity&quot;">The poor lady looked from one to the other in
+perplexity. Finally a happy thought occurred to her.<br><br>"Why don't you trade heads?" she
+asked.<br><br>"Just the thing!" cried the King; and, the wood-chopper consenting, the exchange was
+made, and the Monarch of Mo found himself in possession of his own head again, whereat he was so
+greatly pleased that he laughed long and merrily.<br><br>The wood-chopper, however, did not even
+smile. He couldn't because of the wooden face. The head he had made for the King he now was compelled
+to wear himself.<br><br>"Bring hither the princesses," commanded the King. "This good man shall choose
+his bride at once, for he has restored to me my own head."<br><br>But when the princesses arrived and
+saw that the wood-chopper had a wooden head, they each and all refused to marry him, and begged so
+hard to escape that the King was in a quandary.<br><br>"I promised him one of my daughters," he
+argued, "and a King never breaks his word."<br><br>"But he hadn't a wooden head then," explained one
+of the girls.<br><br>The King realized the truth of this. Indeed, when he came to look carefully at
+the wooden head, he did not blame his daughters for not wishing to marry it. Should he force one of
+them to consent, it was not unlikely she would call her husband a blockhead&mdash;a term almost
+certain to cause trouble in any family.<br><br>After giving the matter deep thought, the King resolved
+to go to the Purple Dragon and oblige it to give up the wood-chopper's head.<br><br>So all the
+fighting men in the kingdom were got together, and, having picked ripe swords off the sword-trees,
+they marched in a great body to the Dragon's castle.<br><br>Now the Purple Dragon realized that if it
+attempted to fight all this army, it would perhaps be cut to pieces; so it retired within its castle
+and refused to come out.<br><br>The wood-chopper was a brave man.<br><br>"I'll go in and fight the
+Dragon alone," he said; and in he went. By this time the Dragon was both frightened and angry, and the
+moment it saw the man it rushed forward and made a snap at his head.<br><br>The wooden head came off
+at once, and the Dragon's long, sharp teeth got stuck in the wood and would not come out again; so the
+monster was unable to do anything but flop its tail and groan.<br><br>The wood-chopper now ran to the
+cupboard, took out his head and placed it upon his shoulders where it belonged. Then he proudly walked
+out of the castle and was greeted with loud shouts by the army, which carried him back in triumph to
+the King's palace.<br><br>And, now that he wore his own head again, one of the prettiest of the young
+princesses willingly agreed to marry him; so the wedding ceremony was performed amidst great
+rejoicing.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/marryw.jpg" alt="The wood-chopper marries a
+princess"><br><br><img src="images/pdrag2.jpg" alt="The Purple Dragon"></p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter3"><i>The Third Surprise</i></a><br>THE TRAMP DOG
+AND<br>THE MONARCH'S LOST TEMPER</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/dog.jpg" alt="The Monarch
+walking with and like a dog"><br><span class="b2">THE TRAMP DOG AND THE<br>MONARCH'S LAST
+TEMPER</span></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">O</span>NE</b> day the Monarch of Mo, having nothing
+better to do, resolved to go hunting blackberries among the bushes that grew at the foot of the
+mountains.<br><br>So he put on an old crown that would not get tarnished if it rained, and, having
+found a tin pail in the pantry, started off without telling any one where he was going.<br><br>For
+some distance the path was a nice, smooth taffy, that was very agreeable to walk on; but as he got
+nearer the mountains the ground became gravelly, the stones being jackson-balls and gum-drops; so that
+his boots, which were a little green when he picked them, began to hurt his feet.<br><br>But the King
+was not easily discouraged, and kept on until he found the blackberry bushes, when he immediately
+began to fill his pail, the berries being remarkably big and sweet.<br><br>While thus occupied he
+heard a sound of footsteps coming down the mountain side, and presently a little dog ran out from the
+bushes and trotted up to him.<br><br>Now there were no dogs at all in Mo, and the King had never seen
+a creature like this before; therefore he was greatly surprised, and said:<br><br>"What are you, and
+where do you come from?"<br><br>The dog also was surprised at this question, and looked suspiciously
+at the King's tin pail; for many times wicked boys had tied such a pail to the end of his tail. In
+fact, that was the reason he had run away from home and found his way, by accident, to the Valley of
+Mo.<br><br>"My name is Prince," replied the gravely; "and I have come from a country beyond the
+mountains and the desert."<br><br>"Indeed! are you in truth a prince?" exclaimed the monarch; "then
+you will be welcome in my kingdom, where we always treat nobility with proper respect. But why do you
+have four feet?"<br><br>"Because six would be too many," replied the dog.<br><br>"But I have only
+two," said the King.<br><br>"I am sorry," said the dog, who was something of a wag, "because where I
+come from it is more fashionable to walk on four feet."<br><br>"I like to be in the fashion," remarked
+the King, thoughtfully; "but what am I to do, having only two legs?"<br><br>"Why, I suppose you could
+walk on your hands and feet," returned the dog with a laugh.<br><br>"So I will," said the King, being
+pleased with the idea; "and you shall come to the palace with me and teach me all the fashions of the
+country from whence you came."<br><br>The King got down on his hands and knees, and was delighted to
+find he could get along in this way very nicely.<br><br>"How am I to carry my pail?" he
+asked.<br><br>"In your mouth, of course," replied the dog. This suggestion seeming a happy one, the
+King took the pail in his mouth and they started back toward the palace. But when his Majesty came to
+the gum-drops and jackson-balls they hurt his hands and knees, so that he groaned aloud. But the dog
+only laughed. Finally they reached a place where it was quite muddy. Of course the mud was only jelly,
+but it hadn't dried up since the last rain. The dog jumped over the place nimbly enough, but when the
+King tried to do likewise he failed, and came down into the jelly with both hands and knees, and stuck
+fast.<br><br><img src="images/spill.jpg" align="left" alt="The Monarch spills his berries">Now the
+monarch had a very good temper, which he carried in his vest pocket; but as he passed over the gum-
+drop pebbles on his hands and knees this temper dropped out of his pocket, and, having lost it, he
+became very angry at the dog for getting him into such a scrape.<br><br><img src="images/kchase.jpg"
+align="right" alt="The Monarch chases the dog">So he began to scold, and when he opened his mouth the
+pail dropped out and the berries were all spilled. This made the dog laugh more than ever, at which
+the King pulled himself out of the jelly, jumped to his feet, and began to chase the dog as fast as he
+could. Finally the dog climbed a tall tree where the King could not reach him, and when safe among the
+branches he looked down and said: "See how foolish a man becomes who tries to be in fashion rather
+than live as nature intended he should! You can no more be a dog than I can be a king; so hereafter,
+if you are wise, you will be content to walk on two legs."<br><br>"There is much truth in what you
+say," replied the Monarch of Mo. "Come with me to the palace, and you shall be forgiven; indeed, we
+shall have a fine feast in honor of your arrival."<br><br>So the dog climbed down from the tree and
+followed the King to the palace, where all the courtiers were astonished to see so queer an animal,
+and made a great favorite of him.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/ascour.jpg" alt="&quot;All the
+courtiers were astonished to see so queer an animal.&quot;"></p><p>After dinner the King invited the
+dog to take a walk around the grounds of the royal mansion, and they started out merrily enough. But
+the King's boots had begun to hurt him again; for, as they did not fit, being picked green, they had
+rubbed his toes until he had corns on them. So when they reached the porch in front of the palace the
+King asked:<br><br>"My friend, what is good for corns?"<br><br>"Tight boots," replied the dog,
+laughing; "but they are not very good for your feet."<br><br>Now the King, not yet having found his
+lost temper, became exceedingly angry at this poor jest; so he rushed at the dog and gave it a
+tremendous kick.<br><br>Up into the air like a ball flew the dog, while the King, having hurt his toe
+by the kick, sat down on the door-step and nursed his foot while he watched the dog go farther and
+farther up, until it seemed like a tiny speck against the blue of the sky.<br><br>"I must have kicked
+harder than I thought," said the King, ruefully; "there he goes, out of sight, and I shall never see
+him again!"<br><br>He now limped away into the back garden, where he picked a new pair of boots that
+would not hurt his feet; and while he was gone the dog began to fall down again. Of course he fell
+faster than he went up, and finally landed with a crash exactly on the King's door-step. But so great
+was the force of the fall and so hard the door-step that the poor dog was flattened out like a
+pancake, and could not move a bit.<br><br>When the King came back he said:<br><br>"Hullo! some kind
+friend has brought me a new door-mat as a present," and he leaned down and stroked the soft hair with
+much pleasure. Then he wiped his feet on the new mat and went into the palace to tell the
+Queen.<br><br><img src="images/dogrug.jpg" align="left" alt="The Queen looks at the door-mat">When her
+Majesty saw the nice, soft door-mat she declared it was too good to be left outside; so she brought it
+into the parlor and put it on the floor before the fire-place.<br><br>The good King was sorry he had
+treated the dog so harshly, and for fear he might do some other dreadful thing he went back to the
+place where he had lost his temper and searched until he found it again, when he put it carefully away
+in his pocket where it would stay.<br><br>Then he returned to the palace an entered the parlor; but as
+he passed the mat, his new boots were so clumsy, he stumbled against the edge and pushed the mat
+together into a roll.<br><br>Immediately the dog gave a bark, got upon its legs and
+said:<br><br>"Well, this is better! Now I can breathe again, but while I was so flat I could not draw
+a single breath."</p><p align="center"><img src="images/better.jpg" alt="&quot;Well this is
+better!&quot;"><p>The monarch and his Queen were much surprised to find that what they had taken for a
+mat was only the dog, that had fallen so flat on their door-step; but they could not forbear laughing
+at his queer appearance. For, as the King had kicked the mat on the edge, the dog was more than six
+feet long, and no bigger around than a lead-pencil; which brought its font legs so far from its rear
+legs that it could scarcely turn around in the room without getting tangled up.<br><br>"But it is
+better than being a door-mat," said the dog; and the King and Queen agreed with him in
+this.<br><br>Then the King went away to tell the people he had found the dog again, and when he left
+the palace he slammed the front door behind him. The dog had started to follow the King out, so when
+the front door slammed it hit the poor animal so sharp a blow on the nose that it pushed his body
+together again; and, lo and behold! there was the dog in his natural shape, just as he was before the
+King kicked him.<br><br>After this the dog and the King agreed very well; for the King was careful not
+to kick, since he had recovered his temper, and the dog took care not to say anything that would
+provoke the King to anger.<br><br>And one day the dog saved the Kingdom and all the Valley of Mo from
+destruction, as I shall tell you another time.</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter4"><i>The Fourth Surprise</i></a><br>THE PECULIAR PAINS
+OF<br>FRUITCAKE ISLAND</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/chap4.jpg" alt="The Monarch and
+Prince Zingle at the hole"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">P</span>RINCE ZINGLE</b>, who was the
+eldest of all the princes of the Valley of Mo, at one time became much irritated because the King, his
+father, would not allow him to milk the cow with the golden horns. This cow was a great favorite with
+the King, because she gave as large a quantity of ice-cream at a milking as an ordinary cow does of
+milk, and in the warm days this was an agreeable luxury. The King liked to keep the cow with the
+golden horns for his own use and that of the Queen; so Prince Zingle thought he was being abused,
+having a great fondness for ice-cream himself.<br><br>To be sure, there was the great fountain of ice-
+cream soda-water playing constantly in the courtyard, which was free to every one; but the Prince
+longed for what he could not have.<br><br>Therefore, being filled with anger against his father, the
+King, he wandered away until he chanced to come near to the castle of the Purple Dragon.<br><br><img
+src="images/pdrag3.jpg" align="left" alt="The Purple Dragon">When the wicked monster saw the Prince,
+it decided that here was a splendid opportunity to make mischief; so it said, politely:<br><br>"Good
+morning, King Zingle."<br><br>"I am not a king&mdash;I am only a prince," replied
+Zingle.<br><br>"What! not a king?" exclaimed the Dragon, as if surprised; "that is too bad."<br><br>"I
+can never be a king while my father lives," continued the Prince, "and it is impossible for him to
+die. So what can I do?"<br><br>"Since you ask my advice, I will tell you," answered the naughty
+Dragon. "Down near Rootbeer River, where the peanut trees grow, is a very deep hole in the ground. You
+must get the King to go and look into this hole, and while he is leaning over the edge, push him in.
+Of course, he will not die, for that, as you say, is impossible; but no one will know where to find
+him. So, your father being out of the way, you will be king in his place."<br><br>"That is surely good
+advice," said the Prince, "and I will go and do it at once. Then the cow with the golden horns will be
+mine, and I shall become the Monarch of Mo."<br><br>The Prince turned to go back to the palace, and as
+soon as he was out of sight, the horrid Dragon laughed to think what a fool it had made of the
+boy.<br><br>When Zingle saw his father he called him aside and said:<br><br>"Your Majesty, I have
+discovered something very funny at the bottom of the hole near the peanut trees. Come and see what it
+is."<br><br>So the King went with the Prince, without suspecting his evil design, and while he leaned
+over the hole the Prince gave him a sudden push. The next moment down fell the Monarch of Mo&mdash;way
+to the bottom!<br><br><img src="images/cow.jpg" align="left" alt="The Ice Cream Cow">Then Prince
+Zingle went back to the palace and began to milk the cow with the golden horns.<br><br>Now when the
+King found himself at the bottom of the hole he at first did not know what to do; so he sat down and
+thought about it. Presently a happy idea came into his head. He knew if only he was at the other end
+of the hole, he would be at the top instead of the bottom, and could make his escape. So the King took
+hold of the hole, and exerting all his strength, turned the hole upside down. Being now at the top he
+stepped upon the ground and walked back to the palace, where he caught Prince Zingle milking the cow
+with the golden horns.<br><br>"Oh, ho!" he said, "you wish to be King, do you? Well, we'll see about
+that!" Then he took the naughty Prince by the ear and led him into the palace, where he locked him up
+in a room from which he could not escape.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/byear.jpg"
+alt="&quot;He took the naughty Prince by the ear and led him into the Palace&quot;"></p><p>The King
+now sat himself down in an easy chair and began to think on how he could best punish the Prince, but
+after an hour of deep thought he was unable to decide on anything that seemed a sufficient
+chastisement for so great an offense.<br><br>At last he resolved to consult the Wise
+Donkey.<br><br>The Wise Donkey lived in a pretty little house away at the end of the Valley, for he
+didn't like to mix with the gay life at the court. He had not always been wise, but at one time was a
+very stupid donkey indeed, and he acquired his wisdom in this way.<br><br><img src="images/wised.jpg"
+align="left" alt="The donkey eating all the school-books">One Friday afternoon, just as school was
+letting out, the stupid donkey strayed into the school-house, and the teachers and scholars were all
+so anxious to get home that they never noticed the donkey, but locked him up in the school-house and
+went away without knowing he was there.<br><br>No one came into the building from Friday afternoon
+until Monday morning; so the donkey got very hungry, and certainly would have starved had he not
+chanced to taste of a geography that was sticking out from one of the desks.  The hungry donkey
+decided it was not so very bad, so he ate it all up. Then he ate an arithmetic, an algebra, and two
+first readers. After that he lay down and went to sleep; but becoming hungry again he awoke and
+commenced on the school library, which he completely devoured. This library comprised all the solid
+and substantial wisdom in the Valley of Mo, and when the janitor opened the school-house door on
+Monday morning, all the books of learning in the whole land had been eaten up by the stupid
+donkey.<br><br>You can readily understand that after he had digested all this knowledge he became very
+wise, and thereafter the King and the people often consulted the Wise Donkey when their own
+intelligence was at fault.<br><br>So now the monarch went to the donkey's house and told him of the
+Prince's wickedness, asking how he could best punish him.<br><br>The Wise Donkey thought about the
+matter for a moment and then replied:<br><br>"I do not know a worse punishment than a pain in the
+stomach. Among the books I ate in the school-house was a trigonometry, and before I had digested it I
+suffered very severe pains indeed."<br><br>"But I can not feed the Prince a trigonometry," returned
+the King. "You ate the last one yourself."<br><br>"True," answered the donkey; "but there are other
+things that cause pain in the stomach. You know there is a certain island in Rootbeer River that is
+made of fruit cake of a very rich quality. I advise you to put the Prince on this island and allow him
+nothing to eat except the fruit cake. Presently he will have violent pains in his stomach and will be
+punished as greatly as you could desire."<br><br>The King was well pleased with this plan, and having
+thanked the donkey for his wise advice hurried back to the palace.<br><br>Prince Zingle was now
+brought from his room and rowed in a boat to the Fruit Cake Island in Rootbeer River, where he was
+left without any way to escape. He knew how to swim, to be sure, but it was forbidden by law to swim
+in the Rootbeer, as many people came to this river to drink.<br><br>"You shall stay here," said the
+King, sternly, "until you are sorry for your wickedness; and you shall have nothing to eat but fruit
+cake."<br><br>The Prince laughed, because he thought the punishment was no punishment at all. When the
+King had rowed away in the boat and Zingle was left alone, he said to himself:<br><br>"Why, this is
+delightful! I shall have a jolly time here, and can eat all the cake I want, without any one scolding
+me for being greedy."<br><br>He broke off a large piece of the island where the raisins and citron
+were thickest, and commenced to eat it. But after a time he became tired of eating nothing but fruit
+cake, and longed for something to go with it. But the island did not contain a single thing except the
+cake of which it was composed.<br><br>Presently Prince Zingle began to have a pain inside him. He paid
+no attention to it at first, thinking it would pass away; but instead it grew more severe, so that he
+began to cry out; but no one heard him.<br><br><img src="images/fcpain.jpg" align="left" alt="Prince
+Zingle has great stomach pains">The pain steadily increased, and the Prince wept and rolled on the
+ground and began to feel exceeding sorry he had been so wicked. Finally he seized the telephone, which
+was connected with the palace, and called up the King.<br><br>"Hullo!" said the King's voice, in
+reply; "what's wanted?"<br><br>"I have a terrible pain," said the Prince, with a groan, "and I'm very
+sorry indeed that I pushed your Majesty down the hole. If you'll only take me off this dreadful island
+I'll be the best prince in all the Valley from this time forth!"<br><br>So the King sent the boat and
+had the Prince brought back to the palace, where he forgave his naughty actions. Being a kind parent
+he next fed his suffering son a blossom from a medicine tree, which quickly relieved his pain and led
+him to appreciate the pleasure of repentance.</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter5"><i>The Fifth Surprise</i></a><br>THE MONARCH
+CELEBRATES<br>HIS BIRTHDAY</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/birthd.jpg" alt="Looking up the
+King's birthday"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">T</span>HERE</b> were great festivities in the
+Valley of Mo when the King had a birthday. The jolly monarch was born so many years ago that so every
+one had forgotten the date. One of the Wise Men said the King was born in February; another declared
+it was in May, and a third figured the great event happened in October. So the King issued a royal
+decree that he should have three birthdays every year, in order to be on the safe side; and whenever
+he happened to think of it he put in an odd birthday or two for luck. The King's birthdays came to be
+regarded as very joyful events, for on these occasions festivities of unusual magnificence were held,
+and everybody in the kingdom was invited to participate.<br><br>On one occasion the King, suddenly
+recollecting he had not celebrated his birthday for several weeks, announced a royal festival on a
+most elaborate scale. The cream-puff crop was an unusually large one, and the bushes were hanging full
+of the delicious ripe puffs, which were highly prized by the people of Mo.<br><br>So all the maidens
+got out their best dresses and brightest ribbons, and the young men carefully brushed their hair and
+polished their boots, and soon the streets leading to the palace were thronged with gay merry-
+makers.<br><br>When the guests were all assembled a grand feast was served, in which the newly-picked
+cream puffs were an important item.<br><br><img src="images/bcask.jpg" alt="The ruby casket was
+brought" align="left">Then the King stood up at the head of the table and ordered his ruby casket to
+be brought him, and when the people heard this they at once became quiet and attentive, for the Ruby
+Casket was one of the most curious things in the Valley. It was given the King many years before by
+the sorceress, Maetta, and whenever it was opened something was found in it that no living person had
+seen before.<br><br>So the people, and even the King himself, always watched the opening of the Ruby
+Casket with much curiosity, for they never knew what would be disclosed.<br><br>The King placed the
+casket on a small table before him, and then, after a solemn look at the expectant faces, he said,
+slowly:<br><br>"Giggle-gaggle-goo!" which was the magic word that opened the box.<br><br>At once the
+lid flew back, and the King peered within and exclaimed: "Ha!"<br><br>This made the guests more
+excited than before, for they did not know what he was saying "ha!" about; and they held their breaths
+when the King put his thumb and finger into the box and drew out a little wooden man about as big as
+my finger. He wore a blue jacket and a red cap and held a little brass horn in his hand.<br><br>The
+King stood the wooden man upon the table and then reached within the box and brought out another
+wooden man, dressed just the same as the other, and also holding a horn in his hand. This the King
+stood beside the first wooden man, and then took out another, and another, until ten little wooden men
+were standing in a row on the table, holding drums, and cymbals, and horns in their small, stiff
+hands.<br><br>"I declare," said the King, when he had stood them all up, "it's a little German band.
+But what a shame it is they can not play."<br><br>No sooner had the King uttered the word "play" than
+every little wooden man put his horn to his mouth, or beat his drum, or clashed his cymbal; and
+immediately they began to play such delicious music that all the people were delighted, and even the
+King clapped his hands in applause.<br><br>Just then from out the casket leaped a tiny Baby Elephant,
+about as large as a mouse, and began capering about on its toes. It was dressed in short, fluffy
+skirts, like those worn by a ballet-dancer, and it danced so funnily that all who saw it roared with
+laughter.<br><br><img src="images/casket.jpg" alt="The animals perform" align="left">When the elephant
+stopped to rest, two pretty Green Frogs sprang from the casket and began to play leapfrog before the
+astonished guests, who had never before seen such a thing as a frog. The little green strangers jumped
+over each other quick as a flash, and finally one of them jumped down the other's throat. Then, as the
+Baby Elephant opened his mouth to yawn, the remaining frog jumped down the elephant's
+throat.<br><br>The audience was so much amused at this feat that the Baby Elephant thought he would
+see what he could do to please them; so he stood on his head and gave a great jump, and disappeared
+down his own throat, leaving the musicians to play by themselves.<br><br>Then all the young men caught
+the girls about their waists and began spinning around in a pretty dance of their own, and the fun
+continued until they were tired out.<br><br>The King thanked the tiny wooden musicians and put them
+back in the Ruby Casket. He did not offer to take up a collection for them, there being no money of
+any kind in the Valley of Mo. The casket was then carried back to the royal treasury, where it was
+guarded with much care when not in use.<br><br>Just then a young man approached the King, asking
+permission for the people to skate on the Crystal Lake, and his Majesty graciously
+consented.<br><br>As it was never cold in the Kingdom of Mo there was, of course, no ice for skating.
+But the Crystal Lake was composed of sugar-syrup, and the sun had candied the surface of the lake, so
+it had become solid enough to skate on, and was, moreover, as smooth as glass.<br><br>It was not often
+the King allowed skating there, for he feared some one might break through the crust; but as it was
+his birthday he could refuse the people nothing. So presently hundreds of the boys and girls were
+skating swiftly on the Crystal Lake and having rare sport; for it was just as good as ice, without
+being cold or damp.<br><br>In the center there was one place where the crust was quite thin, and just
+as the merriment was at its height, crack! went the ice&mdash;or candy, rather&mdash;and down into the
+sugar-syrup sank the Princess Truella, and the Prince Jollikin, and the King's royal chamberlain,
+Nuphsed.<br><br>Down and down they went until they reached the bottom of the lake; and there they
+stood, stuck fast in the syrup and unable to move a bit, while all the people gathered on the shore to
+look at them, the lake being as clear as the clearest water.<br><br>Of course, this calamity put an
+end to further skating, and the King rushed around asking every one how he could get his daughter and
+his son and his royal chamberlain out of the mass. But no one could tell him.<br><br><img
+src="images/condon.jpg" alt="&quot;The King consulted the Wise Donkey&quot;" align="left">Finally the
+King consulted the Wise Donkey; and after he had thought the matter over and consulted his learning,
+the donkey advised his Majesty to fish for them.<br><br>"Fish!" exclaimed the King; "how can we do
+that?"<br><br>"Take a fish-line and put a sinker on it, to make it sink through the syrup. Then bait
+the end of the line with the thing that each one of them likes best. In that way you can catch hold of
+them and draw them out of the lake."<br><br>"Well," said the King, "I'll try it, for of course you
+know what you are talking about."<br><br>"Have you ever eaten a geography?" demanded the Wise
+Donkey.<br><br>"No," said the King.<br><br>"Well, I have," declared the donkey, haughtily; "and what I
+don't know about lakes and such things isn't in the geography."<br><br>So the King went back to the
+Crystal Lake and got a strong fish-line, which he tied to the end of a long pole. Then he put a sinker
+on the end of the line and was ready for the bait.<br><br>"What does the Princess Truella like best?"
+he asked the Queen.<br><br>"I'm sure I do not know," replied the royal lady; "but you might try her
+with a kiss."<br><br>So one of the nicest young men sent a kiss to the Princess, and the King tied it
+to the end of the line and put it in the lake. The sinker carried it down through the sugar-syrup
+until the kiss was just before the sweet, red lips of the pretty Princess. She took the kiss at once,
+as the Queen had guessed, and the King pulled up the line, with the Princess at the end of it, until
+he finally landed her on the shore.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/puline.jpg" alt="&quot;The
+King pulled up the line, with the Princess at the end of it&quot;"></p><p>Then all the people shouted
+for joy and the Queen took the Princess Truella home to change her clothes, for they were very
+sticky.<br><br>"What does the Prince Jollikin like best?" asked the King.<br><br>"A laugh!" replied a
+dozen at once, for every one knew the Prince's failing.<br><br><img src="images/pdrawn.jpg" alt="The
+Prince was quickly drawn up" align="left"><img src="images/sticky.jpg" alt="Prince Jollikin with
+sticky clothes" align="right">Then one of the girls laughed quite hard, and the King tied it to the
+end of the line and dropped it into the lake. The Prince caught the laugh at once, and was quickly
+drawn from the syrup and likewise sent home to change his clothes.<br><br>Then the King looked around
+on the people and asked:<br><br>"What does the Chamberlain Nuphsed like best?"<br><br>But they were
+all silent, for Nuphsed liked so many things it was difficult to say which he liked best. So again the
+King was obliged to go to the Wise Donkey, in order to find out how he should bait the line to catch
+the royal chamberlain.<br><br>The Wise Donkey happened to be busy that day over his own affairs and
+was annoyed at being consulted so frequently without receiving anything in return for his wisdom. But
+he pretended to consider the matter, as was his wont, and said:<br><br>"I believe the royal
+chamberlain is fond of apples. Try to catch him with a red apple."<br><br>At this the King and his
+people hunted all over the kingdom, and at last found a tree with one solitary red apple growing on a
+little branch nearly at the top. But unfortunately some one had sawed off the trunk of the tree, close
+up to the branches, and had carried it away and chopped it up for kindling wood. For this reason there
+was no way to climb the tree to secure the apple.<br><br>While the King and the people were
+considering how they might get into the tree, Prince Thinkabit came up to them and asked what they
+wanted.<br><br>"We want the apple," replied the King, "but some one has cut away the tree trunk, so
+that we can not climb up."<br><br>Prince Thinkabit rubbed the top of his head a minute, to get his
+brain into good working order. It was a habit he had acquired. Then he walked to the bank of the
+river, which was near, and whistled three times. Immediately a school of fishes swam up to him, and
+one of the biggest cried out:<br><br>"Good afternoon, Prince Thinkabit; what can we do for
+you?"<br><br>"I wish to borrow a flying fish for a few minutes," replied the Prince.<br><br>Scarcely
+had he spoken when a fish flew out of the river and perched upon his shoulder. Then he walked up to
+the tree and said to the fish: "Get me the apple."<br><br>The flying fish at once flew into the tree
+and bit off the stem of the apple, which fell down and hit the King on the nose, for, unfortunately,
+he was standing exactly under it. Then the Prince thanked the flying fish and sent it back to the
+river, and the King, having first put a plaster over his nose, took the apple and started for the
+Crystal Lake, followed by all his people.<br><br>But when the apple was fastened to the fish-line and
+let down through the syrup to the royal chamberlain, Nuphsed refused to touch it.<br><br>"He doesn't
+like it," said the King, with a sigh; and he went again to the Wise Donkey.<br><br>"Didn't he want the
+apple?" asked the donkey, as if surprised. But you must know he was not surprised at all, as he had
+planned to get the apple for himself.<br><br>"No, indeed," replied the King. "We had an awful job to
+find the apple, too."<br><br>"Where is it?" inquired the donkey.<br><br>"Here," said the King, taking
+it out of his pocket.<br><br>The donkey took the apple, looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, and
+then ate it up and smacked his lips, for he was especially fond of red apples.<br><br>"What shall we
+do now?" asked the King.<br><br>"I believe the thing Nuphsed likes best is a kind word. Bait the line
+with that, and you may catch him."<br><br>So the King went again to the lake, and having put a kind
+word on the fish-line quickly succeeded in bringing the royal chamberlain to the shore in safety. You
+can well imagine poor Nuphsed was glad enough to be on dry land after his long immersion in the sugar-
+syrup.<br><br>And now that all had been rescued from the Crystal Lake, the King put a rope around the
+broken crust and stuck up a sign that said "Danger!" so that no one else would fall in.<br><br>After
+that the festivities began again, and as there were no further accidents the King's birthday ended
+very happily.</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter6"><i>The Sixth Surprise</i></a><br>KING SCOWLEYOW AND
+HIS<br>CAST-IRON MAN</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/cman.jpg" alt="The Cast-iron
+Man"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">A</span>CROSS</b> the mountains at the north of the Valley of
+Mo there reigned a wicked King named Scowleyow, whose people lived in caves and mines and dug iron and
+tin out of the rocks and melted them into bars. These bars they then carried away and sold for
+money.<br><br>King Scowleyow hated the Monarch of Mo and all his people, because they lived so happily
+and cared nothing for money; and he would have sent his army into the Valley to destroy the merry
+people who dwelt there had he not been afraid of the sharp swords that grew on their trees, which they
+knew so well how to use against their foes.<br><br>So King Scowleyow pondered for a long time how to
+destroy the Valley of Mo without getting hurt himself; and at last he hit on a plan he believed would
+succeed.<br><br>He put all his mechanics to work and built a great man out of cast-iron, with
+machinery inside of him. When he was wound up the Cast-iron Man could roar, and roll his eyes, and
+gnash his teeth and march across the Valley, crushing trees and houses to the earth as he went. For
+the Cast-iron Man was as tall as a church and as heavy as iron could make him, and each of his feet
+was as big as a barn.<br><br><img src="images/scowl.jpg" alt="The Wicked King Scowleyow"
+align="left">It took a long time to build this man, as you may suppose; but King Scowleyow was so
+determined to ruin the pretty Valley of Mo that he made his men work night and day, and at last the
+Cast-iron Man was ready to be wound up and sent on his journey of destruction.<br><br>They stood him
+on the top of the mountain, with his face toward the Beautiful Valley, and began to wind him up. It
+took a hundred men a whole week to do this; but at last he was tightly wound, and the wicked King
+Scowleyow stood ready to touch the spring that made him go.<br><br>"One&mdash;two&mdash;three!" said
+the King, and touched the spring with his ringer.<br><br>The Cast-iron Man gave so terrible a roar
+that he even frightened the men who had made him; and then he rolled his eyes till they flashed fire,
+and gnashed his teeth till the noise sounded like thunder.<br><br>The next minute he raised one great
+foot and stepped forward, crushing fifty trees that stood in his path, and then away he went, striding
+down the mountain, destroying everything that stood in his way, and nearing with every step the
+Beautiful Valley of Mo.<br><br>The King and his people were having a game of ball that day, and the
+dog was acting as umpire. Suddenly, just as Prince Jollikin had made a home run and everybody was
+applauding him, a terrible roaring noise sounded in their ears, and they heard a great crashing of
+trees on the mountain side and saw a monstrous man approaching the Valley.<br><br><img
+src="images/fright.jpg" alt="&quot;The people were so frightened&quot;" align="left">The people were
+so frightened they stood perfectly still, being unable to move through surprise and terror; but the
+dog ran with all his might toward the mountain to see what was the matter. Just as the dog reached the
+foot of the mountain the Cast-iron Man came tramping along and stepped into the Valley, where he
+ruined in one instant a large bed of lady-fingers and a whole patch of ripe pumpkin pies. Indeed, the
+entire Valley would soon have been destroyed had not the Cast-iron Man stubbed his toe against the dog
+and fallen flat on his face, where he lay roaring and gnashing his teeth, but unable to do any further
+harm.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/roar.jpg" alt="&quot;The Cast-iron Man lay roaring and
+gnashing his teeth.&quot;"></p><p>Presently the King and his people recovered from their fright and
+gathered around their prostrate foe, marveling at his great size and strength.<br><br>"Had you not
+tripped him up," said the King to the dog, "this giant would certainly have destroyed my kingdom. Who
+do you suppose was so wicked as to send this monster to crush us?"<br><br>"It must have been King
+Scowleyow," declared the dog, "for no one else would care to harm you, and the giant came from the
+direction of the wicked King's country."<br><br>"Yes," replied the monarch, thoughtfully, "it must
+indeed have been Scowleyow; and it was a very unkind act, for we never harmed him in any way. But what
+shall we do with this great man? If he is left here he will scare all the children with his roarings,
+and none of the ladies will care to walk near this end of the Valley. He is so heavy that not all of
+us together could lift him, and even if we succeeded we have no place to put him where he would be out
+of the way."<br><br>This was indeed true; so all the people sat down in a circle around the Cast-iron
+Man and thought upon the matter intently for the space of an hour.<br><br>Then the monarch asked,
+solemnly, as became the importance of the occasion:<br><br>"Has any one thought of a way to get rid of
+him?"<br><br>The people shook their heads gravely and thought deeply for another hour. At the end of
+that time the dog suddenly laughed, and called out in a voice so loud that it startled them:<br><br>"I
+have thought of a way!"<br><br>"Good!" exclaimed the King. "Let us hear your plan."<br><br>"You see,"
+explained the dog, "the Cast-iron Man is now lying on his face. If we could only roll him over on to
+his back, and then raise him to his feet again, he would be turned around, and would march straight
+back to where he came from, and do us no further harm."<br><br>"That is a capital idea," replied the
+King. "But how can we roll him over, or make him stand up?"<br><br>That puzzled them all for a while,
+but by and by Prince Thinkabit, who was a very clever young man, announced his readiness to undertake
+the job.<br><br>"First, bring me a feather," commanded the Prince.<br><br>The royal chamberlain hunted
+around and soon found for him a long, fluffy feather. Taking this in his hand the Prince approached
+the Cast-iron Man and tickled him under the left arm with the end of the feather.<br><br>"Ouch!" said
+the Cast-iron Man, giving a jump and rolling completely over, so that he lay on his back.<br><br><img
+src="images/pthink.jpg" alt="Prince Thinkabit" align="right">"Hurrah!" cried the people, clapping
+their hands with joy at this successful stratagem; "the Prince is a very wise Prince,
+indeed!"<br><br>Prince Thinkabit took off his hat and bowed politely to them in return for the
+compliment. Then he said:<br><br>"Bring me a pin."<br><br>So Nuphsed brought him a pin with a very
+sharp point, and the Prince took it and walked up to the Cast-iron Man, and gave him a sharp prod in
+the back with the point of the pin.<br><br>"Ouch!" again yelled the Cast-iron Man, giving at the same
+time such a great jump that he leaped square on his feet. But now, to their joy, they saw he was
+facing the mountains instead of the Valley.<br><br>As soon as the Cast-iron Man stood up the machinery
+began to work again, and he marched with great steps up the mountain side and over into the kingdom of
+the wicked Scowleyow, where he crushed the King and all his people, and laid waste the land wherever
+he went.<br><br>And that was their punishment for being envious of the good people of Mo.<br><br>As to
+the fate of the Cast-iron Man, he was wound up so tightly that he kept walking straight on until he
+reached the sea, where he stepped into the water, went down to the bottom, and stuck fast in the
+mud.<br><br>And I have no doubt he is there to this day.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/cman2.jpg" alt="The fate of the Cast-iron Man"></p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter7"><i>The Seventh Surprise</i></a><br>TIMTOM AND THE
+PRINCESS<br>PATTYCAKE</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/timpat.jpg" alt="Timtom and the
+Princess Pattycake"><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">N</span>OW</b> of all the monarch's daughters the
+most beautiful by far was the Princess Pattycake. The deep blue of her eyes made even the sky envious,
+and the moss roses blushed when they saw the delicate bloom on her cheeks. The long strands of her
+silken hair were brighter than sunbeams, while her ears were like two tiny pink shells from the
+seashore. Indeed, there was nothing in all the Valley so dainty and pretty as Princess Pattycake, and
+many young men would have loved her had they dared. But, alas! the Princess had a most terrible
+temper, and never was pleased with anything; so the young men, and even the old ones, were afraid to
+come near her.<br><br>She scolded from morning till night; she stamped her pretty foot with rage when
+any one spoke to her; and if ever her brothers tried to reason with her she boxed their ears so
+soundly that they were glad to let her alone. Even the good Queen could not love Pattycake as she did
+her other children, and the King often sighed when he thought of the ugly disposition of his beautiful
+daughter. Of course no one cared very much for her society, and she sat in her room all day long,
+refusing to join the others in their sports and games, and becoming more moody and bad-tempered the
+older she grew.<br><br><img src="images/picpea.jpg" alt="Timtom with the pickled peaches"
+align="left">One day a young man came to the court to bring pickled peaches to his Majesty, the King.
+The youth's name was Timtom, and he lived so far away and came so seldom to court that never before
+had he seen the Princess Pattycake.<br><br>When he looked into her sweet, blue eyes he loved her at
+once for her beauty, and being both brave and bold he went directly to the King and asked for
+Pattycake's hand in marriage.<br><br>His Majesty was naturally surprised at so strange a request; so
+he said to the young man:<br><br>"What does the Princess say? Does she love you?"<br><br>"I do not
+know," replied Timtom, "for I have never spoken with her."<br><br>"Well," said the King, much amazed
+at the ignorance and temerity of the youth, "go and speak to my daughter about the matter, and then
+come and tell me what she replies."<br><br>Timtom went at once to the room where Princess Pattycake
+was moodily sitting, and said, boldly:<br><br>"I should like to marry you."<br><br>"What!" screamed
+the Princess, in a great rage; "marry me! Go away this instant, you impudent boy, or I shall throw my
+shoe at your head!"<br><br>Timtom was both surprised and shocked at this outburst, but he realized
+that the Princess had a remarkably bad temper. Still he was not moved from his purpose, for she was so
+pretty he decided not to abandon the attempt to win her.<br><br>"Do not be angry, for I love you," he
+pleaded, looking bravely into Pattycake's blue eyes.<br><br>"Love me?" echoed the surprised Princess;
+"that is not possible! Every one else hates me."<br><br>"They do not hate you," ventured Timtom; "it
+is your temper they hate."<br><br>"But my temper and I are one," answered the Princess, harshly, as
+she stamped her foot.<br><br>"Surely that is not so," returned the young man, "for certainly I love
+you, while your temper I do not like a bit. Don't you think you could love me?"<br><br>"Perhaps I
+might, if you could cure my bad temper; but my temper will not allow me to love any one. In fact, I
+believe that unless you go away at once I shall be obliged to box your ears!"<br><br>There seemed to
+be no help for her, so Timtom left the room sadly, and going to the King, told him what she had
+said.<br><br>"Then that is the end of the matter," declared the King, "for no one can cure Pattycake
+of her bad temper."<br><br>"I am resolved to try, nevertheless," replied Timtom, "and, if I succeed,
+you must give me the Princess in marriage."<br><br>"I will, and my blessing into the bargain,"
+answered the King, heartily.<br><br>Then Timtom left the court, and went back to his father's house,
+where he thought on the problem for a week and a day. At the end of that time he was no nearer solving
+it than he was before; but his mother, who had noticed that her boy was in trouble, now came to him to
+ask the cause of his sad looks. Timtom told her all about the Princess Pattycake, and of his love for
+her, and the evil temper that would not be cured.<br><br>His mother gave him her sympathy, and after
+some thought, said to him: "You must go to the sorceress Ma�tta and ask her assistance. She is a good
+lady, and a friend to all the King's family. I am quite sure she will aid you, if only you can find
+your way to the castle in which she lives."<br><br>"Where is this castle?" asked Timtom, brightening
+up.<br><br>"Away to the south, in the midst of a thick wood," answered his mother.<br><br>"Then," said
+he, sturdily, "if this castle exists, I will surely find it, for to win Pattycake is my only hope of
+happiness."<br><br>The next day he set out on his journey, filled with the hope of finding Ma�tta's
+castle and securing her assistance.<br><br>Before he had gone very far a snow-storm began to rage.
+Now, the snow-storms in Mo are different from ours, for the snow is popcorn, and on this day it fell
+so thick and fast that poor Timtom had much difficulty in wading through it. He was obliged to stop
+frequently to rest, and ate a great deal of the popcorn that cumbered his path, for it was nicely
+buttered and salted.<br><br>Finally, to his joy, it stopped snowing, and then he was able to walk
+along easily until he came to the River of Needles.<br><br>When he looked on this river he was nearly
+discouraged, and could not think of a way to get across; for instead of water the river flowed a
+perfect stream of sharp, glittering needles.<br><br>Sitting down on the bank, he was wondering what he
+should do when to his astonishment a small but sharp and disagreeable voice said to him:<br><br>"Where
+are you going, stranger?"<br><br>Timtom looked down between his feet and saw a black spider, which sat
+on a blade of grass and watched him curiously.<br><br>"I am on my way to visit the sorceress Ma�tta,"
+replied Timtom; "But I can not get across the River of Needles."<br><br>"They are very sharp, and
+would make a thousand holes through you in an instant," remarked the spider, thoughtfully. "But
+perhaps I can help you. If you are willing to grant me a favor in return, I will gladly build a
+bridge, so you may cross the river in safety."<br><br>"What is the favor?" he asked.<br><br>"I have
+lost an eye, and you must ask the sorceress to give me a new one, for I can see but half as well as I
+could before."<br><br>"I will gladly do this for you," said Timtom.<br><br>"Very well; then I will
+build you a bridge," promised the spider; "but if you have not the eye with you when you return I
+shall destroy the bridge, and you will never be able to get home again."<br><br>The young man agreed
+to this, for he was anxious to proceed. So the spider threw a web across the river, and then another,
+and another, until it had made a bridge of spider-web strong enough for Timtom to cross
+over.<br><br>It bent and swayed when his weight was on the slender bridge, but it did not break, and
+after he was safe across he thanked the spider and renewed his promise to bring back the eye. Then he
+hurried away on his journey, for he had lost much time at the river.<br><br>But, to his dismay, the
+young man shortly came to a deep gulf, that barred his way as completely as had the River of Needles.
+He peered down into it and saw it had no bottom, but opened away off at the other side of the world.
+Here was an obstacle which might well dishearten the boldest traveler, and Timtom was so grieved that
+he sat down on the brink and wept tears of disappointment.<br><br>"What is troubling you?" asked a
+soft voice in his ear.<br><br>Turning his head the youth saw a beautiful white bird sitting beside
+him.<br><br>"I wish to visit the castle of the sorceress Ma�tta on very important business," he
+replied, "but I can not get over the gulf."<br><br>"I could carry you over with ease," said the bird,
+"and shall gladly do so if, in return, you promise to grant me one favor."<br><br>"What is the favor?"
+inquired Timtom.<br><br>"I have forgotten my song, through having a sore throat for a long time,"
+replied the bird. "So, try as I may, I can not sing a single note. If you will agree to bring me a new
+song from the sorceress I will take you over the gulf, and bring you back when you return. But unless
+you bring the song I shall not carry you over again."<br><br>Timtom joyfully agreed to this bargain,
+and then, sitting on the bird's neck, he was borne safely across the deep gulf.<br><br>After
+continuing his journey for an hour without further interruption he saw before him the edge of a great
+wood, and knew that in the midst of this forest of trees was the castle of Ma�tta.<br><br>He thought
+then that his difficulties were all over, and tramped bravely on until he reached the wood. What, now,
+was the youth's horror on discovering on one side of his path a great lion, crouched ready to spring
+on any one who ventured to enter the wood, while on the other side was a monstrous tiger, likewise
+prepared to attack any intruder. The fierce beasts were growling terribly, and their eyes glowed like
+balls of fire.<br><br>Timtom gladly would have turned back had such a thing been possible, for his
+heart was full of fear. But he remembered that without the bird's song and the spider's eye he could
+never reach home again. He also thought of the pretty face of Princess Pattycake, and this gave him
+courage. Resolving to perish, if need be, rather than fail in his adventure, the youth stepped boldly
+forward, and when he approached the snarling guardians of the forest he gave one bound and dashed into
+the wood.<br><br>At the same moment the lion leaped at him from one side and the tiger from the other,
+and no doubt they would have devoured him had not Timtom's foot slipped just then and thrown him flat
+on the ground. The lion and the tiger therefore met in mid air, and each one thinking it had hold of
+Timtom, tried to tear him to pieces, with the result that in a few moments they had devoured each
+other instead of him.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/litig.jpg" alt="The lion and tiger meeting
+in mid air"></p><p>The youth now strode rapidly through the wood, and was getting along famously when
+he came to a high wall of jasper that completely blocked his way. It was smooth as glass, and Timtom
+saw no way of climbing over it.<br><br><img src="images/timrab.jpg" align="left" alt="Timetom meets
+the rabbit">While he stood wondering how he might overcome this new obstacle a gray rabbit hopped out
+from the bushes and asked:<br><br>"Where do you wish to go, stranger?"<br><br>"To the castle of the
+sorceress Ma�tta," answered Timtom.<br><br>"Well, perhaps I can assist you," said the rabbit. "I need
+a new tail badly, for my old one is merely a stump, and no use at all in fly-time. If you will be kind
+enough to get me a new tail from the sorceress Ma�tta&mdash;a long, nice, bushy tail&mdash;I will dig
+under the wall, and so make a passage for you to the other side."<br><br>"I shall be pleased to return
+the favor by bringing you the tail," declared Timtom, eagerly.<br><br>"Very well; then you shall see
+how fast I can work," returned the rabbit. Immediately it began digging away with its little paws, and
+in a very short time had made a hole large enough for Timtom to crawl under the wall.<br><br>"If you
+do not bring the tail," said the rabbit, in a warning voice, "I shall fill up the hole again, so that
+you will be unable to get back."<br><br>"Oh, I shall bring the tail, never fear," answered the youth,
+and hurried away toward the castle of Ma�tta, which was now visible through the trees.<br><br>The
+castle was built of pure, white marble, and was very big and beautiful. It stood in a lovely garden
+filled with blue roses and pink buttercups, where fountains of gold spouted showers of diamonds, and
+rubies, and emeralds, and amethysts, all of which sparkled in the sun so gorgeously that it made
+Timtom's eyes ache just to look at them.<br><br>However, he had not come to admire these things,
+gorgeous and beautiful though they were, but to win the Princess Pattycake; so he walked to the
+entrance of the castle, and seeing no one about, entered the great door-way and passed
+through.<br><br>He found himself in a passage-way covered with mother-of-pearl, where many electric
+lights were hidden in shells of most exquisite tintings. At the other end of the passage was a door
+studded with costly gems.<br><br>Timtom walked up to this door and knocked on it. Immediately it swung
+open, and the youth found himself in a chamber entirely covered with diamonds. In the center was a
+large diamond throne, and on this sat Ma�tta, clothed in a pure white gown, with a crown of diamonds
+on her brow and in her hand a golden scepter tipped with one enormous diamond that glowed like a ball
+of fire. Above the throne was a diamond-covered chandelier, with hundreds of electric lights, and
+these made the Grand Chamber of Diamonds glitter so brightly that Timtom was nearly blinded, and had
+to shade his eyes with his hand.<br><br>But after a few moments he grew accustomed to the brightness
+and advancing to the throne fell on his knees before the sorceress and begged her earnestly to grant
+him her assistance.<br><br><img src="images/maetta.jpg" alt="The Sorceress Ma�tta" align="left">Ma�tta
+was the most beautiful woman in all the world, but she was likewise gracious and kind. So she smiled
+sweetly on the youth, bidding him, in a voice like a silver bell, to arise from his knees and sit
+before her. Timtom obeyed and looked around for a chair, but could see none in the room. The lady made
+a motion with her scepter and instantly at his side appeared a splendid diamond chair, in which the
+young man seated himself, finding it remarkably comfortable.<br><br>"Tell me what you desire," said
+the sorceress, in her sweet voice.<br><br>"I love the Princess Pattycake," replied Timtom, without
+hesitation. "But she has so evil a disposition that she has refused to marry me unless I am able to
+cure her of her bad temper, which not only makes her miserable but ruins the pleasure of every one
+about her. So, knowing your power and the kindness of your heart, I have been bold enough to seek your
+castle, that I might crave your assistance, without which I can not hope to accomplish my
+purpose."<br><br>Ma�tta waved her scepter thrice above her head, and a golden pill dropped at Timtom's
+feet.<br><br>"Your request is granted," she said. "If you can induce the Princess to swallow this pill
+her evil temper will disappear, and I know she will love you dearly for having cured her. Take great
+care of it, for if it should be lost I can not give you another. Do you wish me to grant any other
+request before you return to the court?"<br><br>Then Timtom remembered the rabbit, and the bird, and
+the spider, and told Ma�tta how he had promised to bring back a gift for each of them.<br><br>So the
+kind sorceress gave him a nice, bushy tail for the rabbit, and a very pretty song for the bird, and a
+new, bright eye for the spider. These Timtom put in a little red box and placed the box carefully in
+his pocket. But the golden pill he tied into the corner of his handkerchief, for that was more
+precious than the rest.<br><br>Having thanked the generous lady for her kindness and respectfully
+kissed the white hand she held out to him, Timtom left the Chamber of Diamonds and was soon proceeding
+joyfully on his homeward way.<br><br>In a short time he reached the wall of jasper, but the rabbit was
+not to be seen. So, while he awaited its coming, he lay down to rest, and being tired by the long
+journey was soon fast asleep. And while he slept a Sly Fox stole out from the wood and discovered
+Timtom lying on the ground.<br><br>"Oh, ho!" said the Sly Fox to himself, "this young man has been to
+visit the sorceress, and I'll warrant he has some fine gift from her in that little red box I see
+sticking out from his pocket. I must try to steal that box and see what is in it!"<br><br><img
+src="images/slyfox.jpg" alt="The Sly Fox takes the red box" align="right">Then, while the youth
+slumbered, unconscious of danger, the Sly Fox carefully drew the little red box from his pocket, and,
+taking it in his mouth, ran off into the woods with it.<br><br>Soon after this the rabbit came back,
+and when it saw Timtom lying asleep it awakened him and asked:<br><br>"Where is my new
+tail?"<br><br>"Oh, I have brought you a fine one," replied Timtom, with a smile. "It is in this little
+red box." But when he searched for the box he discovered it had been stolen.<br><br>So great was his
+distress at the loss that the gray rabbit was sorry for him.<br><br>"I shall never be able to get home
+again," he  moaned, weeping tears of despair, "for all the gifts Ma�tta gave me are now lost
+forever!"<br><br>"Never mind," said the rabbit, "I shall allow you to go under the wall without giving
+me the tail, for I know you tried to keep your promise. I suppose I can make this stubby tail do a
+while longer, since it is the only one I ever possessed. But beware when you come to the bird and the
+spider, for they will not be so kind to you as I am. The bird has no heart at all, and the spider's
+heart is hard as a stone. Still I advise you to keep up your courage, for if you are brave and
+fearless you may succeed in getting home, after all. If you can not cross the gulf and the River of
+Needles, you are welcome to come back and live with me."<br><br>Hearing this, Timtom dried his eyes
+and thanked the kind rabbit, after which he crawled under the wall and resumed his journey. He became
+more cheerful as he trudged along, for the golden pill was still safe in the corner of his
+handkerchief.<br><br>When he came to the white bird and began to explain how it was he had lost the
+song and could not keep his promise, the bird became very angry and refused to listen to his excuses.
+Nor could he induce it to carry him again across the gulf.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/bkeepw.jpg" alt="&quot;I shall keep by word&quot; declared the bird, stiffly"></p><p>"I
+shall keep my word," declared the bird, stiffly; "for I warned you that if you returned without the
+song I should refuse to assist you further."<br><br>Poor Timtom was at his wits' end to know what to
+do; so he sat down near the brink of the gulf and twirled his thumbs and tried to keep up his courage
+and think of some plan, while the white bird strutted around in a cold and stately manner.<br><br>Now
+it seems that just about this time the Sly Fox reached his den and opened the little red box to see
+what was in it. The spider's eye, being small, rolled out into the moss and was lost. The fox thought
+he would put the bushy tail on himself and see if it would not add to his beauty, and while he did
+this the song escaped from the box and was blown by the wind directly to the spot where Timtom was
+sitting beside the gulf.<br><br>He happened to hear the song coming, so he took off his hat and caught
+it, after which he called to the bird that he had found the song again.<br><br>"Then I shall keep my
+promise," said the bird. "First, however, let me try the song and see if it is suited to my
+voice."<br><br>So he tried the song and liked it fairly well.<br><br>"It sounds something like a comic
+opera," said the bird, "but, after all, it will serve my purpose very nicely."<br><br>A minute later
+Timtom rejoiced to find himself on the other side of the gulf, and so much nearer home. But when he
+came to the River of Needles there was more trouble in store for him, for the spider became so angry
+at the loss of its eye that it tore down the spider-web bridge, and refused to build
+another.<br><br>This was indeed discouraging to the traveler, and he sat down beside the river and
+looked longingly at the farther shore. The spider paid no attention to him, but curled up and went to
+sleep, and the needles looked at him curiously out of their small eyes as they flowed by in an endless
+stream.<br><br>After a time a wren came flying along, and when it noticed the look of despair on
+Timtom's face the little creature perched on his shoulder and asked:<br><br>"What is your trouble,
+young man?"<br><br>Timtom related his adventures to the sympathetic wren, and when he came to the loss
+of the spider's eye and the refusal of the spiteful creature to allow him to cross the bridge, the
+wren exclaimed, with every appearance of surprise:<br><br>"A spider's eye, did you say? Why, I believe
+that is what I have here in my claw!"<br><br>"Where?" cried Timtom, eagerly.<br><br>The wren hopped
+into his lap, and carefully opening one of its tiny claws disclosed the identical spider's eye which
+Ma�tta had given him.<br><br>"That is wonderful!" exclaimed Timtom, in amazement. "But where did you
+get it?"<br><br>"I found it in the wood, hidden in the moss near the den of the Sly Fox. It is so
+bright and sparkling I thought I would take it home for my children to play with. But now, as you seem
+to want it so badly, I shall have much pleasure in restoring it to you."<br><br><img
+src="images/spider.jpg" align="right" alt="Timtom crosses the spider's bridge">Timtom thanked the
+little wren most gratefully, and called to the spider to come and get its eye. When the spider tried
+the eye, and found that it fitted perfectly and was even brighter than the old one, it became very
+polite to the young man, and soon built the bridge again.<br><br>Having passed over the glittering
+needles in safety Timtom pushed forward on his way, being urged to haste by the delays he had
+suffered. When he reached the place where he had encountered the snow-storm, he found the birds had
+eaten all the pop-corn, so he was able to proceed without interruption.<br><br>At last he reached the
+Monarch of Mo's palace and demanded an audience with the Princess Pattycake. But the young lady, being
+in an especially bad temper that day, positively refused to see him.<br><br>Having overcome so many
+obstacles, Timtom did not intend to be thwarted by a sulky girl, so he walked boldly to the room where
+the Princess sat alone, every one being afraid to go near her.<br><br>"Good day, my dear Pattycake,"
+he said pleasantly; "I have come to cure your bad temper."<br><br>"I do not want to be cured!" cried
+the Princess, angrily. "Go away at once, or I shall hurt you!"<br><br>"I shall not go away until you
+have promised to marry me," replied Timtom, firmly.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/shoe.jpg"
+alt="&quot;Pattycake began to scream with rage and threw her shoe straight at his
+head.&quot;"></p><p>At this Pattycake began to scream with rage, and threw her shoe straight at his
+head. Timtom dodged the shoe and paid no attention to the naughty action, but continued to look at the
+pretty Princess smilingly. Seeing this, Pattycake rushed forward and seizing him by his hair began to
+pull with all her strength. At the same time she opened her mouth to scream, and while it was open
+Timtom threw the golden pill down her throat.<br><br>Immediately the Princess released his hair and
+sank at his feet sobbing and trembling, while she covered her pretty face with her hands to hide her
+blushes and shame.<br><br>Timtom tenderly patted her bowed head, and tried to comfort her,
+saying:<br><br>"Do not weep, sweetheart; for the bad temper has left you at last, and now every one
+will love you dearly."<br><br>"Can you forgive me for having been so naughty?" asked Pattycake,
+looking up at him pleadingly from her sweet blue eyes.<br><br>"I have forgiven you already," answered
+Timtom, promptly; "for it was not you, but the temper, that made you so naughty."<br><br>The Princess
+Pattycake dried her tears and kissed Timtom, promising to marry him; and together they went to seek
+the King and Queen. Those good people were greatly delighted at the change in their daughter, and
+consented at once to the betrothal.<br><br>A week later there was a great feast in the Valley of Mo,
+and much rejoicing among the people, for it was the wedding-day of Timtom and the Princess
+Pattycake.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/timkis.jpg" alt="Timtom kissing Princess
+Pattycake"><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter8"><i>The Eighth Surprise</i></a><br>THE<br> BRAVERY OF
+PRINCE JOLLIKIN<br><img src="images/sharps.jpg" alt="The King asks about the sharpness of Prince
+Jollikin's sword"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">T</span>HERE</b> is no country so delightful but
+that it suffers some disadvantages, and so it was with the Valley of Mo. At times the good people were
+obliged to leave their games and sports to defend themselves against a foe or some threatened
+disaster. But there was one danger they never suspected, which at last came upon them very
+suddenly.<br><br>Away at the eastern end of the Valley was a rough plain, composed entirely of loaf
+sugar covered with boulders of rock candy which were piled up in great masses reaching nearly to the
+foot of the mountains, containing many caves and recesses.<br><br>The people seldom came here, as
+there was nothing to tempt them, the rock candy being very hard and difficult to walk on.<br><br>In
+one of the great hollows formed by the rock candy lived a monstrous Gigaboo, completely shut in by the
+walls of its cavern. It had been growing and growing for so many years that it had attained an
+enormous size.<br><br>For fear you may not know what a Gigaboo is I shall describe this one. Its body
+was round, like that of a turtle, and on its back was a thick shell. From the center of the body rose
+a long neck, much like that of a goose, with a most horrible looking head perched on the top of it.
+This head was round as a ball, and had four mouths on the sides of it and seven eyes set in a circle
+and projecting several inches from the head. The Gigaboo walked on ten short but thick legs, and in
+front of its body were two long arms, tipped with claws like those of a lobster. So sharp and strong
+were these claws that the creature could pinch a tree in two easily. Its eyes were remarkably bright
+and glittering, one being red in color, another green, and the others yellow, blue, black, purple and
+crimson.<br><br>It was a dreadful monster to see&mdash;only no one had yet seen it, for it had grown
+up in the confinement of its cave.<br><br>But one day the Gigaboo became so big and strong that in
+turning around it broke down the walls of the cavern, and finding itself at liberty, the monster
+walked out into the lovely Valley of Mo to see how much evil it could do.<br><br>The first thing the
+Gigaboo came to was a large orchard of preserved apricots, and after eating a great quantity of the
+preserves it wilfully cut off the trees with its sharp claws and utterly ruined them. Why the Gigaboo
+should have done this I can not tell; but scientists say these creatures are by nature destructive,
+and love to ruin everything they come across.<br><br><img src="images/terror.jpg" align="left" alt="A
+person running in terror">One of the people, being in the neighborhood, came on the monster and
+witnessed its terrible deeds; whereupon he ran in great terror to tell the King that the Gigaboo was
+on them and ready to destroy the entire valley. Although no one had ever before seen a Gigaboo, or
+even heard of one, the news was so serious that in a short time the King and many of his people came
+to the place where the monster was, all having hastily armed themselves with swords and
+spears.<br><br>But when they saw the Gigaboo they were afraid, and stood gazing at it in alarm,
+without knowing what to do or how to attack it.<br><br>"Who among us can hope to conquer this great
+beast?" asked the King, in dismay. "Yet something must be done, or soon we shall not have a tree left
+standing in all the Valley of Mo." The people looked at one another in a frightened way, but no one
+volunteered his services or offered to advise the monarch what to do.<br><br>At length Prince
+Jollikin, who had been watching the monster earnestly, stepped forward and offered to fight the
+Gigaboo alone.<br><br>"In a matter of this kind," said he, "one man is as good as a dozen. So you will
+all stand back while I see where the beast can best be attacked."<br><br>"Is your sword sharp?" asked
+his father, the King, anxiously.<br><br>"It was the sharpest on the tree," replied the Prince. "If I
+fail to kill the monster, at least it can not kill me, although it may cause me some annoyance. At any
+rate, our trees must be saved, so I will do the best I can."<br><br>With this manly speech he walked
+straight toward the Gigaboo, which, when it saw him approaching, raised and lowered its long neck and
+twirled its head around, so that all the seven eyes might get a glimpse of its enemy.</p><p
+align="center"><img src="images/togig.jpg" alt="&quot;He walked straight towards the
+Gigaboo&quot;"></p><p>Now you must remember, when you read what follows, that no inhabitant of the
+Valley of Mo can ever be killed by anything. If one is cut to pieces, the pieces still live; and,
+although this seems strange, you will find, if you ever go to this queer Valley, that it is true.
+Perhaps it was the knowledge of this fact that made Prince Jollikin so courageous.<br><br>"If I can
+but manage to cut off that horrible head with my sword," thought he, "the beast will surely
+die."<br><br>So the Prince rushed forward and made a powerful stroke at its neck; but the blow fell
+short, and cut off, instead, one of the Gigaboo's ten legs. Quick as lightning the monster put out a
+claw and nipped the Prince's arm which held the sword, cutting it from its body. As the sword fell the
+Prince caught it in his other hand and struck again; but the blow fell on the beast's shell, and did
+no harm.<br><br>The Gigaboo, now very angry, at once nipped off the Prince's left arm with one of its
+claws, and his head with the other. The arm fell on the ground and the head rolled down a little hill
+behind some bonbon bushes. The Prince, having lost both arms, and his head as well, now abandoned the
+fight and turned to run, knowing it would be folly to resist the monster further. But the Gigaboo gave
+chase, and so swiftly did its nine legs carry it that soon it overtook the Prince and nipped off both
+his legs.<br><br>Then, its seven eyes flashing with anger, the Gigaboo turned toward the rest of the
+people, as if seeking a new enemy; but the brave Men of Mo, seeing the sad plight of their Prince and
+being afraid of the awful nippers on the beast's claws, decided to run away; which they did, uttering
+as they went loud cries of terror.<br><br>But had they looked back they might not have gone so fast
+nor so far; for when the Gigaboo heard their cries it, in turn, became frightened, having been
+accustomed all its life to silence; so that it rushed back to its cavern of rock candy and hid itself
+among the boulders.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/gighid.jpg" alt="The Gigaboo hiding inside
+the boulders"></p><p>When Prince Jollikin's head stopped rolling, he opened his eyes and looked about
+him, but could see no one; for the people and the Gigaboo had now gone. So, being unable to move, he
+decided to lie quiet for a time, and this was not a pleasant thing for an active young man like the
+Prince to do. To be sure, he could wiggle his ears a bit, and wink his eyes; but that was the extent
+of his powers. After a few minutes, because he had a cheerful disposition and wished to keep himself
+amused, he began to whistle a popular song; and then, becoming interested in the tune, he whistled it
+over again with variations.<br><br>The Prince's left leg, lying a short distance away, heard his
+whistle, and, recognizing the variations, at once ran up to the head.<br><br>"Well," said the Prince,
+"here is a part of me, at any rate. I wonder where the rest of me can be."<br><br>Just then, hearing
+the sound of his voice, the right leg ran up to the head. "Where is my body?" asked the Prince.  But
+the legs did not know.<br><br>"Pick up my head and place it on top of my legs," continued the Prince;
+"then, with my eyes and your feet, we can hunt around until we find the rest of me."<br><br><img
+src="images/pjol.jpg" align="left" alt="Jollikin with just a head and legs">Obeying this command, the
+legs took the head and started off; and perhaps you can imagine how funny the Prince's head looked
+perched on his legs, with neither body nor arms.<br><br>After a careful search they found the body
+lying upon the ground at the foot of a shrimp-salad tree. But nothing more could be done without the
+arms; so they next searched for those, and, having discovered them, the legs kicked them to where the
+body lay.<br><br>The arms now took the head from the legs and put the legs on the body where they
+belonged. Then the right arm stuck the left arm in its place, after which the left arm picked up the
+right arm and placed it also where it belonged. Then all that remained was for the Prince to place his
+head on his shoulders, and there he was&mdash;as good as new!<br><br>He picked up his sword, and was
+feeling himself all over to see if he was put together right, when he chanced to look up and saw the
+Gigaboo again coming toward him. The beast had recovered from its fright, and, tempted by its former
+success, again ventured forth.<br><br>But Prince Jollikin did not intend to be cut to pieces a second
+time. He quickly climbed a tree and hid himself among the branches.<br><br>Presently the Gigaboo came
+to the tree and reached its head up to eat a cranberry tart. Quick as a flash the Prince swung his
+sword downward, and so true was his stroke that he cut off the monster's head with ease.<br><br>Then
+the Gigaboo rolled over on its back and died, for wild and ferocious beasts may be killed in Mo as
+well as in other parts of the world. Having vanquished his enemy, Prince Jollikin climbed down from
+the tree and went to tell the people that the Gigaboo was dead.<br><br>When they heard this joyful
+news they gave their Prince three cheers, and loved him better than ever for his bravery. The King was
+so pleased that he presented his son with a tin badge, set with diamonds, on the back of which was
+engraved the picture of a Gigaboo.<br><br>Although Prince Jollikin was glad to be the hero of his
+nation, and enjoyed the triumph of having been able to conquer his ferocious enemy, he did not escape
+some inconvenience. For, as the result of his adventure, he found himself very stiff in the joints for
+several days after his fight with the Gigaboo.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/gigbad.jpg"
+alt="The badge given to Jollikin"></p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter9"><i>The Ninth Surprise</i></a><br>THE WIZARD AND
+THE<br>PRINCESS<br><img src="images/wiz2.jpg" alt="The Wizard"></p><br><br><p><b><span
+class="b3">W</span>ITHIN</b> the depths of the mountains which bordered the Valley of Mo to the east
+lived a Wicked Wizard in a cavern of rubies. It was many, many feet below the surface of the earth and
+cut off entirely from the rest of the world, save for one passage which led through dangerous caves
+and tunnels to the top of the highest mountain. So that, in order to get out of his cavern, the Wizard
+was obliged to come to this mountain top, and from there descend to the outside world.<br><br><img
+src="images/wiz1.jpg" align="left" alt="The Wizard">The Wizard lived all alone; but he did not mind
+that, for his thoughts were always on his books and studies, and he seldom showed himself on the
+surface of the earth. But when he did go out every one laughed at him; for this powerful magician was
+no taller than my knee, and was very old and wrinkled, so that he looked comical indeed beside an
+ordinary man.<br><br>The Wizard was nearly as sensitive as he was wicked, and was sorry he had not
+grown as big as other people; so the laughter that always greeted him made him angry.<br><br>At last
+he determined to find some magical compound that would make him grow bigger. He shut himself up in his
+cave and searched diligently amongst his books until, finally, he found a formula recommended by some
+dead and gone magician as sure to make any one grow a foot each day so long as the dose was taken.
+Most of the ingredients were quite easy to procure, being such as spiders' livers, kerosene oil and
+the teeth of canary birds, mixed together in a boiling caldron. But the last item of the recipe was so
+unusual that it made the Wizard scratch his head in perplexity.<br><br>It was the big toe of a young
+and beautiful princess.<br><br>The Wizard thought on the matter for three days, but nowhere could he
+think of a young and beautiful princess who would willingly part with her big toe&mdash;even that he
+might grow to be as big as he wished.<br><br>Then, as such a thing was not to be come by honestly, the
+Wicked Wizard resolved to steal it. So he went through all the caves and passages until he came to the
+mountain-top. Standing on the point of a rock he placed one hand on his chin and the other on the back
+of his neck, and then recited the following magical incantation:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I wish to
+go<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To steal the big toe<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of a princess I know,
+<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In order to grow<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Quite big. And so<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>I'll change, to a crow!"</i><br><br><img src="images/wiz3.jpg" align="left" alt="The Wizard as
+a crow">No sooner had he spoken the words than he changed into a Black Crow, and flew away into the
+Valley of Mo, where he hid himself in a tall tree that grew near the King's palace.<br><br>That
+morning, as the Princess Truella was lying late in bed, with one of her dainty pink feet sticking out
+from under the covers, in through the window fluttered a Black Crow, which picked off her big toe and
+immediately flew away with it.<br><br>The Princess awoke with a scream and was horrified to find her
+beautiful foot ruined by the loss of her biggest toe. When the King and Queen and the Princes and
+Princesses, having heard her outcry, came running in to see what was the matter, they were each and
+all very indignant at the theft.<br><br>But, search as they might, nowhere could they find the
+audacious Black Crow, nor the Princess' big toe, and the whole court was in despair.<br><br>Finally
+Timtom, who was now a Prince, suggested that Truella seek assistance from the kind sorceress Ma�tta,
+who had helped him out of his own difficulties. The Princess thought well of this idea, and determined
+to undertake a journey to the castle.<br><br>She whistled for her favorite Stork, and soon the great
+bird came to her side. It was pure white, and of an extraordinary size. When the Stork had been
+saddled the Princess kissed her father and mother good by and seated herself on the bird's back, when
+it instantly rose into the air and flew away toward the castle of Ma�tta.<br><br>Traveling in this
+pleasant way, high in the air, the Princess crossed the River of Needles and the deep gulf and the
+dangerous wood, and at last was set down safe at the castle gates.<br><br>Ma�tta welcomed the pretty
+Princess very cordially and, on being told of her misfortune, at once agreed to assist her. So the
+sorceress consulted her Oracle, which told her truly anything she wanted to know, and then said to the
+Princess:<br><br>"Your toe is in the possession of the Wicked Wizard who lives in the ruby cave under
+the mountains. In order to recover it you must go yourself to seek it; but I warn you that the Wizard
+will put every obstacle in your path to prevent your finding the toe and taking it from
+him."<br><br>"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Truella, "I am afraid I shall never be able to get my toe from such
+a horrid man."<br><br>"Have courage, and trust in me," returned Ma�tta, "for I believe my powers are
+stronger than his. I shall now furnish you the weapons you must use to overcome him. Here is a magic
+umbrella, and in this basket which you must carry on your arm, you will find a lump of putty, an iron
+ball, a mirror, a package of chewing-gum and a magic veil, all of which will be very useful. Here,
+also, is a winged dagger, with which you must protect yourself if the Wizard attempts to harm you.
+With these enchanted weapons and a brave heart I believe you will succeed. So kiss me, my child, and
+start on your journey."<br><br>Truella thanked the kind sorceress, and mounting the saddle of her
+Stork flew away toward the high mountain in which dwelt the Wicked Wizard.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/tstork.jpg" alt="&quot;Truella mounted her Stork and flew away toward the high
+mountain.&quot;"></p><p>But the naughty man, by means of his black magic, saw her coming, and sent
+such a fierce wind to blow against her that it prevented the Stork from making any headway through the
+air. Therefore, in spite of his huge wings and remarkable strength, the brave bird was unable to get
+an inch nearer the mountain.<br><br>When Truella saw this she put up the umbrella and held it in front
+of the Stork; whereupon, being shielded from the wind, he flew easily to the mountain.<br><br>The
+Princess now dismounted and, looking into the hole at the top of the mountain, discovered a flight of
+stairs leading downward.<br><br><img src="images/bdowns.jpg" align="right" alt="The Princess walked
+boldly down the steps">Taking her basket on her arm, as she had been directed, Truella walked boldly
+down the steps until she came to a door. But then she shrank back in affright, for before the door was
+coiled a great serpent, not quite a mile long and fully as large around as a stick of wood. The girl
+knew she must manage in some way to overcome this terrible creature, so when the serpent opened its
+mouth and raised its head to bite her, she reached within the basket, and finding the lump of putty,
+threw it quickly into the serpent's mouth. The creature snapped its jaws together so suddenly that its
+teeth stuck fast in the putty, and this made it so furious that it wriggled around until it had tied
+itself into a hard knot, and could wriggle no longer.<br><br>Seeing there was no further danger, the
+Princess passed the door and entered a large cave, which was but dimly lighted. While she paused to
+allow her eyes to become accustomed to the darkness, so she might see her way, a faint rustling sound
+reached her ears, and a moment later there came toward her a hideous old woman, lean and bent, with
+wrinkled face and piercing black eyes. She had only one tooth, but that was of enormous size, being
+nearly as large as the tusk of an elephant; and it curved out of her mouth and down under her chin,
+where it ended in a very sharp point. Her finger-nails were a foot long, and they, also, were very
+sharp and strong.<br><br>"What are you doing here?" asked the old woman, in a harsh voice, while she
+moved her horrible fingers, as if about to scratch out Truella's eyes.<br><br>"I came to see the
+Wizard," said the Princess, calmly, "and if you will allow me to pass I shall give you, in return for
+the favor, some delicious chewing-gum."<br><br>"Chewing-gum!" croaked the old woman, "what is
+that?"<br><br>"It is a dainty of which all ladies are very fond," replied Truella, taking the packet
+from her basket. "This is it."<br><br>The old woman hesitated a moment, and then said:<br><br>"Well,
+I'll try the chewing-gum and see what it is like; there will be plenty of time to scratch out your
+eyes afterwards."<br><br>She placed the gum in her mouth and tried to chew it, but when she shut her
+jaws together the great tusk went straight through her neck and came out at the back. The old hag gave
+a scream and put up her hands to pull out the tusk again, but so great was her excitement that in her
+haste she scratched out both her own eyes, and could no longer see where the Princess was
+standing.<br><br>So Truella ran through the cave and came to, a door, on which she knocked. Instantly
+it flew open, and before her she saw another cave, this time brightly lighted, but filled with knives
+and daggers, which were flying about in every direction. To enter this cave was impossible, for the
+Princess saw she would immediately be pierced by dozens of the sharp daggers. So she hesitated for a
+time, not knowing how to proceed; but, chancing to remember her basket, she took from it the iron
+ball, which she tossed into the center of the Cave of Daggers. At once the dangerous weapons began to
+strike against the ball, and as soon as they touched it they were broken and fell to the floor. In a
+short time every one of the knives and daggers had been spoiled by contact with the iron ball, and
+Truella passed safely through the cave and came to another long stairway leading downward. At the
+bottom of this she reached the third cave, and came upon a horrible monster.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/flydag.jpg" alt="The flying daggers"></p><p>It had the body of a zebra, the legs of a
+rhinoceros, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bull dog, and three corrugated tails. This monster at
+once began to growl and run toward her, showing its terrible teeth and lashing its three tails. The
+Princess snatched the mirror from her basket and, as the creature came near her, she held the
+glittering surface before its eyes. It gave one look into the mirror and fell lifeless at her feet,
+being frightened to death by its own reflection in the mirror.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/deadb.jpg" alt="The dead beast"></p><p>Truella now walked through several more caves and
+descended a long flight of stairs, which brought her to another door, on which was a sign that
+read:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A. WIZARD, Esq.,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Office
+hours:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From 10:45 until<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a quarter to 11."<br><br>The
+Princess, knowing that she had now reached the den of the Wizard who had
+stolen her big toe, knocked boldly on the door.<br><br>"Come in!" called a voice.<br><br>Truella
+obeyed, and found herself in a large cave, the walls of which were lined with rubies. In each of the
+four corners were big electric lights, and these, shining upon the rubies, filled the cave with a deep
+red glow. The Wizard himself sat at his desk in one of the corners, and when the Princess entered he
+looked up and exclaimed:<br><br>"What! Is it you? Really, I did not expect to see you. How did you
+manage to pass the guards I placed within the caves and passageways to prevent your coming
+here?"<br><br>"Oh, that was not difficult," answered Truella, "for you must know I am protected by a
+power stronger than your own."<br><br>The Wizard was much annoyed at this reply, for he knew it was
+true, and that only by cunning could he hope to oppose the pretty Princess. Still, he was resolved not
+to give up the big toe unless obliged to, for it was necessary to complete the magic
+compound.<br><br>"What do you want?" he asked, after a moment's thought.<br><br>"I want the toe you
+stole from me while I was asleep."<br><br>The Wizard knew it was useless to deny the theft, so he
+replied:<br><br>"Very well; take a chair, and I will see if I can find it."<br><br>But Truella feared
+the little man was deceiving her; so when he turned his back she took the magic veil from her basket
+and threw it over her head. Immediately it began unfolding until it covered her completely, from head
+to foot.<br><br>The Wizard walked over to a cupboard, which he opened; and, while pretending to search
+for the toe, he suddenly turned on a big faucet that was concealed under a shelf. At once the thunder
+rolled, the lightning flashed, and from the arched ceiling of the cavern drops of fire began to fall,
+coming thicker and thicker until a perfect shower of burning drops filled the room.<br><br>These fell
+hissing upon Truella's veil, but could not penetrate it, for they all bounded off and were scattered
+upon the rocky floor, where they soon burned themselves out. Seeing this the Wizard gave a sigh of
+disappointment and turned off the faucet, when the fire-drops ceased to fall.<br><br>"Please excuse
+this little interruption," he said, as if he had not been the cause of it himself. "I'll find the toe
+in a few minutes. I must have mislaid it somewhere."<br><br>But Truella suspected he was up to more
+mischief, and was on her guard. She saw him stealthily press a button, and in the same instant a deep
+gulf opened in the floor of the cave, half way between the Princess and the Wizard.<br><br>Truella did
+not know what this meant, at first, unless it was to prevent her getting across the room to where her
+toe was; but soon she noticed that the gulf was moving toward her, slowly, but steadily; and, as it
+extended across the cave from wall to wall, it would in time be sure to reach the spot where she
+stood, when she would, of course, fall into it.<br><br>When she saw her danger the Princess became
+frightened, and tried to escape through the door by which she had entered; but to her dismay she found
+it locked. Then she turned to look at the Wizard. The little man had perched himself upon a high
+stool, and was carelessly swinging his feet and laughing with glee at Truella's awful peril. He
+thought that at last he had certainly found a way to destroy her. The poor Princess again looked into
+the gulf, which was gradually getting nearer and nearer; and she shuddered at its vast
+depths.<br><br>A cold wind began to sweep up from the abyss, and she heard mocking laughter and savage
+growls from below, as if evil spirits were eagerly waiting to seize her.<br><br>Just as she was giving
+way to despair, and the gulf had crept very close to her feet, Truella thought of her winged dagger.
+She drew it from her bosom and, pointing it toward her enemy, said:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Save
+me from the Wizard's art&mdash;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fly until you reach his heart.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+Foil his power and set me free,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is my command to thee!"<br><br>In a
+flash the dagger flew from her hand and struck the Wizard full on
+his breast. With a loud cry he fell forward into the gulf, which in the same instant closed up with a
+crash. Then, when the rocks about her had ceased trembling from the shock, the door swung open,
+leaving the Princess at liberty to go where she pleased.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/wiz4.jpg" alt="The wizard fell into the gulf"></p><p>She now searched the Wizard's
+cupboard until she found her toe, which had been safely hidden in a little ivory box. Truella stopped
+only long enough to put on her toe, and then she ran through the caves and up the stairways until she
+reached the top of the mountain again.<br><br>There she found her Stork patiently awaiting her and,
+having seated herself on its back, she rode safely and triumphantly back to her father's
+palace.<br><br>The King and Queen were delighted when she recounted to them the success of her
+adventure, but they shuddered when they learned of the fearful dangers their sweet little daughter had
+encountered.<br><br>"It seems to me," said the good Queen, "that a big toe is scarcely worth all the
+trouble you have had in recovering it."<br><br>"Perhaps not," replied the Princess, thoughtfully; "but
+a big toe is very handy to have when you wish to dance; and, after all, I succeeded in destroying the
+Wicked Wizard, which surely repays me for the trials I have been forced to
+undergo."</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter10"><i>The Tenth Surprise</i></a><br>THE DUCHESS
+BREDENBUTTA'S VISIT<br>TO TURVYLAND</p><br><p align="center" class="b2"><img src="images/duch.jpg"
+alt="The Duchess in her boat"><br>DUCHESS BREDENBUTTA'S<br>VISIT TO TURVYLAND</p><br><br><p><b><span
+class="b3">T</span>HE</b> Duchess Bredenbutta was forty-seventh cousin to the Monarch of Mo and great-
+grandniece to the Queen; so you can readily see she was nearly related to the Princess Pattycake and
+had blue blood in her veins. She lived in a pretty house on the banks of Rootbeer River, and one of
+her favorite amusements was to row on the river in her boat, which, although rather small, was light
+as a cork.<br><br>One day, as usual, the Duchess went for a row on the river, expecting to return home
+in about an hour; but after floating a long distance down the stream she fell asleep in the boat and
+did not awake until she felt a sudden shock.<br><br>Then, sitting up and looking about her, she found,
+to her alarm, that the boat had drifted to the end of the Land of Mo, and was in the rapids leading to
+the Great Hole in the ground where the river disappeared from view. Becoming very much frightened,
+Bredenbutta looked for the oars of her boat, that she might row to the bank; but soon she discovered
+that the oars had fallen overboard and were lost, leaving her without any means of saving
+herself.<br><br>The poor Duchess now began to cry out; but no one heard her. Gradually the boat came
+nearer and nearer to the Great Hole, now bumping against the rocks and now spinning around with the
+current, until at last it paused for an instant on the very brink of the chasm down which the river
+fell.<br><br>The girl seized the sides of the boat in a firm grasp, and the next moment it plunged
+headlong into the Hole.<br><br>After the shock was over Bredenbutta wiped the moisture from her eyes
+and looked to see where she was, and what had become of her. She found that she had landed in a very
+remarkable country, and for a time could do nothing but gaze in wonder on the strange sights that met
+her view.<br><br><img src="images/turvyl.jpg" align="right" alt="Turvyland">The trees were all growing
+on their top branches, with their roots high in the air; and the houses rested on the tops of their
+chimneys, the smoke going into the ground, and the doorsteps being at the tops of the buildings. A
+rabbit was flying around in the air, and a flock of skylarks walked on the ground, as if they belonged
+there.<br><br>Bredenbutta rubbed her eyes, for at first the girl thought she must be dreaming; but
+when she looked again everything was in the same unnatural position.<br><br><img src="images/wept.jpg"
+align="left" alt="He wept real tears when he was pleased">To add to her amazement she now saw a queer
+creature coming toward her. She might have taken him for a young man, only ho was just the reverse of
+any young man Bredenbutta had ever seen. He stood upon his hands, which were clad in boots, and used
+his feet as we use our hands, seeming to be very handy with his toes. His teeth were in his ears, and
+he ate with them and heard with his mouth. He also smelled with his eyes and saw out of his
+nose&mdash;which was all very curious. When he walked he ran, and when he ran he stood still. He spoke
+when he was silent and remained dumb when he had anything to say. In addition to this, he wept real
+tears when he was pleased, and laughed merrily whenever anything grieved him.<br><br>It was no wonder
+the Duchess Bredenbutta stared in surprise when such an odd creature came up to her backward and
+looked at her solemnly from his pug nose.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/stared.jpg"
+alt="&quot;No wonder the Duchess Bredenbutta stared in surprise.&quot;"></p><p>"Who are you?" asked
+Bredenbutta, as soon as she could find breath to speak.<br><br>The young man kept quiet and answered:
+"My name is Upsydoun."<br><br>"I think you are," laughed Bredenbutta.<br><br>"You think I am what?"
+demanded the young man, the voice coming from his ear.<br><br>"Up-side-down," she replied.<br><br>At
+this retort the tears rolled down his cheeks with joy.<br><br>"Why, it is <i>you</i> who are up-side-
+down," he said; "how in the world did you get up here?"<br><br>"Down here, you mean," corrected the
+Duchess, with dignity.<br><br>"I mean nothing of the kind," he said, silently, while his nose twinkled
+with amusement; "this country is up, and not down."<br><br>"What country is it?" inquired Bredenbutta,
+much perplexed by such an absurd statement.<br><br>"Why, Turvyland, to be sure," was the
+answer.<br><br>"Oh!" sighed Bredenbutta; but she was no wiser than before.<br><br>"Now you are here,"
+said Upsydoun, "you may come home with me and eat some dinner."<br><br>"I shall be very glad to,"
+answered the Duchess, who was really hungry. "Where do you live?"<br><br>"Over there," replied
+Upsydoun, pointing to the south; "so stay where you are and follow me." Then he walked away on his
+hands in exactly the opposite direction from that he had indicated.<br><br>Bredenbutta followed him,
+and shortly after encountered several other people, of just the same queer appearance as her
+conductor. They looked out of their noses at her in great surprise, and, without speaking, asked
+Upsydoun who she was.<br><br>"The Duchess Bredenbutta," he silently answered, "I found her where the
+Rootbeer River bubbles up. Isn't she a queer-looking creature?"<br><br>"She is, indeed," they all
+answered, in a still chorus, and then they followed the girl out of curiosity, as boys follow a band
+or a dancing bear. When they reached the house of Upsydoun more than a hundred inhabitants of
+Turvyland were at Bredenbutta's heels and Upsydoun's thumbs.<br><br>She was welcomed very kindly,
+however, and the young man's mother kissed the Duchess with her left ear, an act which was considered
+a special mark of favor in Turvyland,<br><br>"Would you like to stand up and rest yourself until
+dinner-time?" asked the lady when the girl had entered the parlor.<br><br>"No, thank you," replied
+Bredenbutta, who was very tired. Being ignorant of their customs she did not know these people usually
+stood up when they slept or rested. Her answer seemed to satisfy Upsydoun's mother, who thought when
+she said "no" she meant "yes."<br><br>"You really don't look equal to lying down," she remarked,
+pleasantly; "so you may stand until I call you to dinner, which will be in a long time." Then she
+excused herself and walked backward out of the window, which Bredenbutta noticed they all used instead
+of doors.<br><br>"Dear me," said the Duchess, when she was left alone; "I am sure I shall never be
+able to understand these strange people. But I mean to sit down, anyway, and if it really is a long
+time before dinner, I shall probably starve in the meantime."<br><br>She had not rested more than a
+few minutes, however, before the lady again put her foot through the window, and waving it invitingly
+toward her exclaimed: "Go away to dinner."<br><br>"Go away!" replied the Duchess in dismay; "where
+shall I go to?"<br><br>"Why, to me, of course," answered Upsydoun's mother, dumbly; but she winked her
+nose thoughtfully, as if she scarcely knew how to converse with her strange visitor. Surely
+Bredenbutta ought to know that when they said "go" in Turvyland, they meant "come."<br><br>In spite of
+her uncertainty, she followed her hostess, and when they entered the dining-room the Duchess was
+shocked to see all the family stand on their heads on the chairs and pick up their knives and forks
+with their toes. She was more horrified, however, when they began to eat; for, contrary to all custom,
+these people placed their food in their ears. And they did it so calmly that she did not even
+remonstrate, remembering it must be their habit to eat in this way.<br><br>She, herself, sat down in
+her chair in a proper manner, and began to eat with the fork in her hand; and when the people of
+Turvyland saw this, they all shed tears of merriment.<br><br><img src="images/footip.jpg"
+align="right" alt="The child caught its foot in its pocket">Just then the youngest child of the family
+began laughing, and the mother rushed to it as fast as her hands could carry her, to see what was the
+matter. But the child had only put its foot into its pocket and could not get it out again. The mother
+soon managed to get it free, and then the child stopped laughing and began weeping as happily as any
+of the others.<br><br>Bredenbutta was greatly bewildered at all this, but she ate heartily,
+nevertheless, and after having begged her in vain to stand on her head, as they did, the family let
+her alone, being surprised to see how well she could use her hands. After dinner Upsydoun's sister
+played on the piano with her toes, while the others indulged in a dance, whirling around on their
+thumbs in a manner truly marvelous, and seeming, by their tears, to enjoy themselves very
+much.<br><br>As the dance ended a kitten came running into the room on its ears and the tip of its
+tail, and this looked so funny that Bredenbutta began laughing. But seeing she had frightened her kind
+friends, who wanted to send for a doctor, she refrained from laughing, and asked, gravely, if she
+could not find a way to return to the Valley of Mo.<br><br>"The only possible way of getting down
+there," replied Upsydoun, "is to jump into the Rootbeer River; but that would be dangerous, and none
+of our people have ever tried it"<br><br>"Any danger," said the Duchess, "I will gladly brave; for
+otherwise I shall be obliged to spend my entire life down here, among people whose ways are exactly
+opposite to my own. If you will kindly take me to the river I shall lose no time in making an effort
+to return home."<br><br>They good-naturedly assented to this, and walked backward with her until they
+came to the place where the river bubbled up. It really did bubble <i>up</i>, Bredenbutta noticed,
+although she knew very well she had fallen <i>down</i> the Great Hole. But, then, everything was
+topsyturvy in this strange land.<br><br>The girl found her little boat, which had stranded on the
+beach, and having placed it where she could push it into the river, she turned to say good by to the
+queer people of Turvyland.<br><br>"I am glad to see you go," said Upsydoun, without speaking, "for I
+like you. But you are a strange creature, and perhaps know what is best for you. Here are some oars
+for your boat, for I see you have none, and when you get down to your country you may need
+them."<br><br>Bredenbutta joyfully accepted the oars, and placed them in her boat. Then the people of
+Turvyland all kissed her with their left ears and waved their toes in farewell, while the Duchess got
+into the boat and pushed it out into the river<br><br>Instantly she was in the midst of such a
+whirling of foam and rushing and roaring of rootbeer that she could neither see nor hear anything.
+Gasping for breath, the girl clung tightly to the sides of the boat, and in a few minutes it was all
+over, and the boat bobbed up in the Valley of Mo&mdash;just above the Great Hole. Bredenbutta then
+seized the oars and rowed hard until there was no danger of her falling in again, and soon she had
+passed the rapids and was rowing safely up the river to her own home.<br><br>Of course the Duchess was
+very glad again to be among the people who acted in a natural manner, instead of the absurd fashion of
+her friends, the Turvylanders. She resolved that whenever she rowed her boat upon the river again, she
+would be careful to keep away from the Great Hole, for she realized that another visit to Upsydoun and
+his people would be very trying to her nerves.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/turvyp.jpg"
+alt="People in Turvyland"></p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<table width="100%" border="0"><tr><th width="100%" align="center" class="b1"><i>The Eleventh
+Surprise</i><br><br>PRINCE FIDDLECUMDOO<br>AND THE GIANT<th><a name="chapter11"><img
+src="images/ancrac.jpg" alt="The animal cracker tree" align="right"></a></table><p><img
+src="images/chap11.jpg" alt="It happened,">one morning, that the Monarch of Mo was not in his usual
+pleasant humor; and, of course, there was an excellent reason for this.<br><br>At the back of his
+garden grew one tree that generally bore an abundant crop of animal-crackers, and although the King
+and his court, being surfeited with all the dainties of the land, did not care much for these edibles,
+the younger inhabitants of Mo were especially fond of them, and yelled with delight whenever the King
+divided the crop of his tree among them.<br><br>A few days before the King had examined the tree and
+found the animal-crackers not quite ripe. Whereupon he had gone away and forgotten all about them.
+And, in his absence, they had ripened to a delicious light brown; and their forms had rounded out, so
+that they hung as thickly together as peas in a pod. As they swung from their stems, swaying backward
+and forward in the light breeze, they waited and waited for some one to come and pick them. But no one
+came near the tree, and the animals grew cross and restless in consequence.<br><br>"I wonder when we
+shall be gathered," remarked a hippopotamus-cracker, with a yawn.<br><br>"Oh, you wonder, do you?"
+mockingly replied a camel-cracker hanging near, "do you really expect any one to gather <i>you</i>,
+with your thick hide and clumsy legs? Why, the children would break their teeth on you at the first
+bite."<br><br>"What!" screamed the hippopotamus, in much anger, "do you dare insult <i>me</i>, you
+humpbacked beast of burden?"<br><br>"Now then&mdash;now then!" interrupted a wolf-cracker that hung
+from a stem just above them; "what's the use of fighting, when we are so soon to be eaten?"<br><br>But
+the camel-cracker would not be appeased.<br><br>"Thick-headed brute!" he yelled at the hippopotamus,
+angrily.<br><br>"Hump-backed idiot!" shrieked the other.<br><br>At this the camel swung himself
+fiercely on his branch, and bumped against the hippopotamus, knocking him off from the tree. The
+ground underneath was chocolate, and it was soft and sticky, not having dried since the last rain. So
+when the hippopotamus fell he sank half way into the ground, and his beautiful brown color was
+spattered with the muddy chocolate.<br><br>At this vengeful deed on the part of the camel all the
+other animals became furious. A full-grown goat-cracker swung himself against the camel and knocked
+it, in turn, from its stem; and in falling on the ground it broke its hump off. Then a lion-cracker
+knocked the goat down, and an elephant knocked a cat down, and soon the whole tree was in a violent
+commotion. The animals fought with each other so desperately that before long the entire treeful of
+animal-crackers had fallen to the ground, where many lay broken and disfigured, and the remainder were
+sunk deep in the chocolate mud.<br><br>So when the King, finally remembering his tree, came and looked
+on the sorry sight, it dampened his usual good spirits, and he heartily wished he had picked the
+quarrelsome crackers before they began to fight among themselves.<br><br><img src="images/askper.jpg"
+align="left" alt="Fiddlecumdoo asks permission to go on a journey">While he stood thinking dismally on
+this, up came Prince Fiddlecumdoo and asked permission to go on a journey.<br><br>"Where do you wish
+to go?" asked the King.<br><br>"I am tired of this beautiful Valley," answered Fiddlecumdoo, "and as
+the bicycle tree beside the Crystal Lake is now hanging full of ripe wheels, I thought I would gather
+one and ride over into the next valley in search of adventure." You see, this Prince was the King's
+youngest son, and had been rather spoiled by petting, as youngest sons often are.<br><br>"The next
+valley, my son, is inhabited by the giant Hartilaf," said the King, "and should you meet him he might
+do you an injury."<br><br>"Oh, I am not afraid of Hartilaf," replied Fiddlecumdoo, boldly. "If he
+should not be pleasant to me, I could run away from him on my wheel."<br><br>"I don't know about
+that," responded the King. "There may be bicycle trees in the next valley, as well as here; and it is
+always dangerous and foolish for any one to leave this Valley, where there is everything that heart
+could wish. Instead of running away in search of adventures, you would do better to remain at home and
+help your mother pick collar buttons and neckties for the family."<br><br>"That is work," said
+Fiddlecumdoo, sulkily, "and I hate work."<br><br>"Yet somebody has to pick the collar buttons,"
+returned the King, "or we should be unable to keep our collars on."<br><br>"Then let Jollikin help my
+mother. I am horribly tired of this stupid place, and shall not be happy until I have traveled around
+and seen something more of the world."<br><br>"Well, well! go if you wish," answered the King,
+impatiently. "But take care of yourself, for when you are away from this Valley there will be no one
+to protect you from danger."<br><br>"I can take care of myself," cried the Prince, "so do not worry
+about me," and he ran away quickly, before his father had time to change his mind and withdraw his
+consent.<br><br>He selected the best and ripest bicycle on the tree, and, having mounted it, was soon
+speeding away along the path to the mountains.<br><br>When he reached the far eastern part of Mo he
+came on a bush bearing a very good quality of violins, and this at once attracted Fiddlecumdoo, who
+was a most excellent violinist, being able to play correctly a great number of tunes. So he dismounted
+and selected from the bush a small violin that seemed to have a sweet tone. This he carried with him,
+under his arm, thinking if he became lonesome he could amuse himself with the music.<br><br>Shortly
+after resuming his journey he came to the Maple Plains, a level stretch of country composed entirely
+of maple sugar. These plains were quite smooth, and very pleasant to ride on; but so swiftly did his
+bicycle carry him that he soon crossed the plains and came on a river of pure maple syrup, so wide and
+deep that he could neither leap nor swim it.<br><br>Dismounting from his bicycle the Prince began
+looking for some means of crossing the river. No bridge was visible in either direction, and the bank
+was bare save for a few low bushes on which grew maple bonbons and maple caramels.<br><br><img
+src="images/stream.jpg" align="right" alt="The Price rides over the stream">But Prince Fiddlecumdoo
+did not mean to be turned back by so small a matter as a river, so he scooped a hole in the maple
+sand, and having filled it with syrup from the river, lighted a match and began boiling it. After it
+had boiled for a time the maple syrup became stringy, and the Prince quickly threw a string of it
+across the river. It hardened almost immediately, and on this simple bridge the Prince rode over the
+stream.<br><br>Once on the other side he sped up the mountain and over the top into the next valley,
+where, he stopped and began to look about him.<br><br>He could see no roads in any direction, but away
+down at the foot of the valley was a monstrous house, so big you could easily put a small village
+inside it, including the church. This, Fiddlecumdoo thought, must be where the giant lived; and,
+although he saw no one about the house, he decided to make a call and introduce himself to Mr.
+Hartilaf. So he rode slowly down the valley, playing on his violin as he went, that the music might
+announce his coming.<br><br>The giant Hartilaf was lying on the sofa in his sitting-room, waiting for
+his wife to prepare the dinner; and he had nearly fallen asleep when the sound of Fiddlecumdoo's music
+fell on his ear. This was so unusual in his valley that the giant arose and went to the front door to
+see what caused it.<br><br>The Prince had by this time nearly reached the house, and when the giant
+appeared he was somewhat startled, as he had not expected to see any one quite so big. But he took
+care not to show any fear, and, taking off his hat, he bowed politely to the giant and
+said:<br><br>"This is Mr. Hartilaf, I suppose?"</p><p align="center"><img src="images/bowed.jpg"
+alt="&quot;Taking off his hat he bowed politely to the giant.&quot;"></p><p>"That is my name," replied
+the giant, grinning at the small size of his visitor. "May I ask who you are?"<br><br>"I am Prince
+Fiddlecumdoo, and I live in the next valley, which is called the Valley of Mo. Being determined to see
+something of the world, I am traveling for pleasure, and have just dropped in on you for a friendly
+call."<br><br>"You are very welcome, I am sure," returned the giant. "If you will graciously step into
+my humble home I shall be glad to entertain you at dinner."<br><br>Prince Fiddlecumdoo bowed low and
+accepted the invitation, but when he endeavored to enter the house he found the steps so big that even
+the first one was higher than his head, and he could not climb to the top of it.<br><br><img
+src="images/pickup.jpg" align="left" alt="The giant picked him up">Seeing his difficulty the giant
+carefully picked him up with one finger and his thumb, and put him down on the palm of his other
+hand.<br><br>"Do not leave my bicycle," said the Prince, "for should anything happen to it I could not
+get home again."<br><br>So the giant put the bicycle in his vest pocket, and then he entered the house
+and walked to the kitchen, where his wife was engaged preparing the dinner.<br><br>"Guess what I've
+found," said the giant to his wife, holding his hand doubled up so she could not see the
+Prince.<br><br>"I'm sure I don't know," answered the woman.<br><br>"But, guess!" pleaded the
+giant.<br><br>"Go away and don't bother me," she replied, bending over the stewpan, "or you won't have
+any dinner to-day."<br><br>The giant, however, was in a merry mood, and for a joke he suddenly opened
+his hand and dropped the Prince down his wife's neck.<br><br>"Oh, oh!" she screamed, trying to get at
+the place where the Prince had fallen, which was near the small of her back. "What is it? I'm sure
+it's some horrible crocodile, or dragon, or something that will bite me!" And the poor woman lay down
+on the carpet and began to kick her heels against the floor in terror.<br><br>The giant roared with
+laughter, but the Prince, now being able to crawl out, scrambled from the lady's neck, and, standing
+beside her head, he made a low bow and said:<br><br>"Do not be afraid, Madam; it is only I. But I must
+say it was a very ungallant trick for your husband to play on you, to say nothing of my feelings in
+the matter."<br><br>"So it was," she exclaimed, getting upon her feet again, and staring curiously at
+Fiddlecumdoo. "But tell me who you are and where you came from."<br><br>The giant, having enjoyed his
+laugh, now introduced the Prince to his wife, and as dinner was ready to serve they sat down at the
+table together.<br><br>Fiddlecumdoo got along very well at dinner, for the giant thoughtfully placed
+him on the top of the table, where he could walk around as he pleased. There being no knife nor fork
+small enough for him to use, the Prince took one of the giant's toothpicks, which was as big as a
+sword, and with this served himself from the various dishes that stood on the table.<br><br>When the
+meal was over the giant lighted his pipe, the bowl of which was as big as a barrel, and asked
+Fiddlecumdoo if he would kindly favor them with some music.<br><br>"Certainly," replied the
+Prince.<br><br>"Please come into the kitchen," said the giantess, "for then I can listen to the music
+while I am washing the dishes."<br><br>The prince did not like to refuse this request, although at
+home he was not allowed to enter his mother's kitchen; so the giant carried him in and placed him on a
+high shelf, where Fiddlecumdoo seated himself on a spool of thread and began to play his violin.</p><p
+align="center"><img src="images/played.jpg" alt="Fiddlecumdoo played for the giantess"></p><p>The big
+people enjoyed the music very much at first, for the Prince was a capital player. But soon came a
+disagreeable interruption.<br><br>About a month before the giant had caught several dancing-bears in
+the mountains, and, having brought them home, had made them into strings of sausages. These were
+hanging in graceful festoons from the beams of the kitchen ceiling, awaiting the time when they should
+be eaten.<br><br>Now when the dancing-bear sausages heard the music of Fiddlecumdoo's violin, they
+could not resist dancing; for it is well known that sausages made from real dancing-bears can not
+remain quiet where there is music. The Prince was playing such a lively tune, that presently the
+strings of sausage broke away from the ceiling and fell clattering to the floor, where they danced
+about furiously. Not being able to see where they were going, they bumped against the giant and his
+wife, thumping them on their heads and backs, and pounding them so severely that the woman became
+frightened and hid under the table, while the giant started to run away.<br><br>Seeing their plight,
+Fiddlecumdoo stopped playing, and at once the sausages fell to the floor and lay still.<br><br>"That
+was strange," said the giant, as soon as he could catch his breath; "the bears evidently do not forget
+how to dance even after they are chopped up into sausage meat. I must beg you to abandon your concert
+for the present, but before you visit us again we shall have eaten the sausages, and then you may play
+to your heart's content."<br><br>"Had I known they were so lively," remarked the giantess, as she
+crawled from beneath the table, "we should have eaten them before this."<br><br>"That reminds me that
+I intended to have stewed polar bears for supper," continued the giant; "so I think I will walk over
+into Alaska and catch some."<br><br>"Perhaps the Prince would prefer elephant pie," suggested the
+lady, "and in that case you might make a run into South America for elephants."<br><br>"I have no
+choice in the matter," said the Prince, "never having eaten either. But is it not rather a long
+journey to Alaska or to South America?"<br><br>"Not at all!" protested the giant. "I shall enjoy the
+walk, and can easily be back by sundown. Won't you come with me?" he asked the boy. But Fiddlecumdoo
+did not like the idea of so long a journey, and begged to be excused.<br><br>The giantess brought her
+lord a great bag to put the polar bears in, and he prepared to start.<br><br>"I leave you to amuse my
+wife during my absence," he said to the Prince. "Pray make yourself entirely at home, and use my
+castle as you would your own house, and if I have good luck you shall eat a delicious polar-bear stew
+for your supper."<br><br>Then he slung the sack across his back and went away, whistling merrily. And
+so great were his strides that in less than a minute he was out of sight.<br><br>"This is my busy
+day," said the giantess to Fiddlecumdoo, "and I fear I shall not be able to entertain you in a proper
+manner, for I must hasten to the laundry to wash the clothes. However, if you care to accompany me, we
+may converse together while I am doing my work."<br><br>"I shall take great pleasure in visiting your
+laundry," he replied, "for never before have I been in such a place. And surely it will be more
+agreeable to watch you at your work than to spend the day alone in these great rooms."<br><br>"Come
+along, then," she said, and picking him up she placed him in the pocket of her apron, for she knew he
+would be unable to walk down the flight of stairs that led to the laundry. He was very comfortable in
+the pocket, which was just deep enough to allow his head and shoulders to project from the top.
+Therefore he was able to see all that was going on while the lady was at work. He watched her wash and
+rinse the clothes, and was greatly interested in the operation, as it was all new to him.<br><br>By
+and by the giantess brought an immense clothes-wringer from a shelf, and having fastened it to the
+side of the big wash tub began to wring out the clothes.<br><br>Prince Fiddlecumdoo had never seen a
+clothes-wringer before, and so pleased was he with the novelty of it that he leaned far out of the
+pocket to watch it work. But, unfortunately, he lost his balance, and before he knew what had happened
+to him had fallen from the pocket and lay sprawling on one of the giant's shirts, which was just then
+passing through the wringer.<br><br>The woman did not notice his fall, and the next instant he was
+drawn between the two great rollers, and came out on the other side as thin and flat as a sheet of
+paper.<br><br>Then the giant's wife saw what she had done, and realizing how serious was the Prince's
+condition, the good lady was much grieved over the accident. She picked Fiddlecumdoo up and tried to
+stand him on his feet, but he was so thin that at the least draft he fluttered like a flag, while a
+puff of wind would blow him completely over.<br><br>"Dear me!" exclaimed the woman, sorrowfully,
+"whatever can we do with you in that shape?"<br><br>"I really do not know what will become of me,"
+replied the Prince. "I am certainly no good in this condition. I can not even walk across the room
+without toppling over. Can not you manage to push me together again?" The giantess tried to do this,
+but the Prince was so sharp that his edges hurt her hands, and all she could do was to fold him up and
+carry him into the drawing-room, where she laid him carefully on the center-table.<br><br>Just before
+sundown the giant returned from Alaska, bringing several fat polar-bears in his bag; and scarcely had
+he set foot within the house before he inquired after his guest, the Prince.<br><br>"You will find him
+on the drawing-room table," said the giantess. "I accidently ran him through the clothes-wringer this
+afternoon, and the poor boy is as thin as a pie crust. So I folded him up and put him away until you
+returned."</p><p align="center"><img src="images/flat.jpg" alt="The Prince, all flat"></p><p>The giant
+immediately went to the table and unfolded Fiddlecumdoo, asking him how he felt.<br><br>"Very
+miserable," answered the Prince, "for I can not move at all when I am folded up. Where is my
+bicycle?"<br><br>The giant searched all his pockets, but could not find it.<br><br>"I must have lost
+it on my journey to Alaska," he said.<br><br>"Then how am I ever to get home again?" asked the
+Prince.<br><br>"That is a puzzle," the giant responded, thoughtfully. "I do not see how you could ride
+on a bicycle even if you had one, and you certainly can not walk far in your present
+condition."<br><br>"Not if the wind blows," acknowledged the Prince.<br><br>"Couldn't you go
+edgewise?" asked the giant after a moment's reflection.<br><br>"I might try," answered Fiddlecumdoo,
+hopefully.<br><br>So the giant stood him up, and he tried to walk edgewise. But whenever a breath of
+wind struck him he fell over at once, and several times he got badly crumpled up, so that the giant
+had to smooth him out again with his hands.<br><br>"This certainly will not do at all," declared the
+giant; "for not only are you getting wrinkled, but you are liable to be blown away; altogether. I have
+just thought of a plan to get you back into the Valley of Mo again, and when you are in your own
+country your friends may get you out of the scrape the best way they can."<br><br>Hartilaf then made
+the Prince into a neat roll and tied a string around the middle, to hold it in place. Then he tucked
+the roll under his arm and carried it to the top of the mountain that stood between the two valleys.
+Placing the Prince carefully on the ground he started him rolling, and in a short time he had rolled
+down the mountain side into the Valley of Mo.<br><br>At first the people were much frightened, not
+knowing what this strange thing could be that had come rolling into their midst. They stood around,
+curiously looking at the roll, but afraid to touch it, when suddenly Fiddlecumdoo began to cry out.
+And then, so fearful was the sound, they all ran away as fast as their legs could carry
+them.<br><br>Prince Thinkabit, however, being more courageous than the rest, at last ventured to
+approach and cut the string that fastened the roll. Instantly it opened, and to their amazement the
+people saw what it was.<br><br>"Upon my word, it is brother Fiddlecumdoo!" cried Prince Thinkabit.
+"The giant must have stepped on him."<br><br>"No, indeed," said poor Fiddlecumdoo, "I've been run
+through a clothes-wringer, which is much worse than being stepped on."<br><br>With many expressions of
+pity the kind people stood the Prince up and helped him to the palace, where the King was greatly
+shocked at his sad plight. Fiddlecumdoo was so broad that the only thing he could sit down on was the
+sofa, and he was so thin that when Princess Pattycake sneezed he was blown half way across the
+room.<br><br>At dinner he could eat nothing that was not sliced as thin as a shaving, and so sad was
+his predicament that the King determined to ask the Wise Donkey what could be done to relieve his
+unfortunate son.<br><br>After hearing all the particulars of the accident, the Donkey said: "Blow him
+up."<br><br>"I did blow him up, for being so careless," replied the King; "but it didn't make him any
+thicker."<br><br>"What I mean," explained the Donkey, "is to bore a hole in the top of his head, and
+blow air into him until he resumes his natural shape. Then, if he takes care of himself, he soon will
+be all right again."<br><br><img src="images/inflat.jpg" align="left" alt="The King inflates the
+Prince">So the King returned to the palace and bored a hole in Fiddlecumdoo's head, and then pumped
+him full of air with a bicycle pump. When he had filled out into his natural shape they put a plug in
+the hole, and stopped it up; and after that Fiddlecumdoo could walk around as well as before his
+accident.<br><br>His only danger now was that he might get punctured; and, indeed, his friends found
+him one day lying in the garden, all flattened out again, the Prince having pricked his finger on a
+rose-bush and thereby allowed his air to escape. But they inflated him once again, and afterward he
+was more careful of himself.<br><br>Fiddlecumdoo had such a horror of being flat that, if his father
+ever wished to make him behave, he threatened to stick a pin into him, and that always had the desired
+effect.<br><br>After several years, the Prince, being a hearty eater, filled up with solid flesh, and
+had no further use for the air-pump; but his experience had made him so nervous that he never again
+visited the giant Hartilaf, for fear of encountering another accident.</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<table width="100%" border="0"><tr><th width="100%" align="center" class="b1"><i>The Twelfth
+Surprise</i><br><br>THE LAND OF<br>THE CIVILIZED MONKEYS<th><a name="chapter12"><img
+src="images/kifly.jpg" alt="Prince Zingle flies his kite" align="right"></a></table><p
+align="center"><img src="images/civmon.jpg" alt="The civilized monkeys"></p><br><p><b><span
+class="b3">I</span> MUST</b> now tell you of a very strange adventure that befell Prince Zingle,
+which, had it not turned out exactly as it did, might have resulted in making him a captive for life
+in a remarkable country.<br><br>By consulting Smith's History of Prince Zingle you will notice that
+from boyhood he had a great passion for flying kites, and unlike other boys, he always undertook to
+make each kite larger than the last one. Therefore his kites grew in size, and became larger and
+larger, until at length the Prince made one twice as tall as himself.<br><br>When it was finished he
+was very proud of this great kite, and took it out to a level place to see how well it would fly,
+being accompanied by many of the people of Mo, who took considerable interest in the Prince's
+amusement.<br><br>There happened to be a strong south wind blowing and, fearing the kite might get
+away from him, Zingle tied the string around his waist. It flew beautifully at first, but pulled so
+hard the Prince could scarcely hold it.<br><br><img src="images/drawn.jpg" align="left" alt="Poor
+Zingle was drawn into the air">At last, when the string was all let out, there came a sudden gust of
+wind, and in an instant poor Zingle was drawn into the air as easily as an ordinary kite draws its
+tail. Up and up he soared, and the kite followed the wind and carried him over many countries until
+the strength died out of the air, when the kite slowly settled toward the earth and landed the Prince
+in the top of a tall tree.<br><br>He now untied the string from his waist and fastened it to a branch
+of the tree, as he did not wish to lose the kite after all his bother in making it.<br><br>Then he
+began to climb down to the ground, but on reaching the lower branches he was arrested by a most
+curious sight.<br><br>Standing on the ground, and gazing up at him, were a dozen monkeys, all very
+neatly dressed and all evidently filled with surprise at the Prince's sudden appearance in the
+tree.<br><br>"What a very queer animal!" exclaimed an old monkey, who wore a tall silk hat and had
+white kid gloves on his hands. Gold spectacles rested on his nose, and he pointed toward the Prince
+with a gold-headed cane. By his side was a little girl-monkey, dressed in pink skirts and a blue
+bonnet; and when she saw Zingle she clung to the old monkey's hand and seemed frightened.<br><br>"Oh,
+grandpapa!" she cried; "take me back to mamma; I'm afraid the strange beast will bite me."<br><br>Just
+then a big monkey, wearing a blue coat with brass buttons and swinging a short club in his hand,
+strutted up to them and said:<br><br>"Don't be afraid, little one. The beast can't hurt you while I'm
+around!" And then he tipped his cap over his left ear and shook his club at the Prince, as if he did
+not know what fear meant.<br><br>Two monkeys, who were dressed in red jackets and carried muskets in
+their hands, now came running up, and, having looked at Zingle with much interest, they called for
+some one to bring them a strong rope.<br><br>"We will capture the brute and put him in the Zoo," said
+one of the soldier-monkeys.<br><br>"What kind of animal is it?" asked the other.<br><br>"I do not
+know. But some of our college professors can doubtless tell, and even if they can't they will give it
+some scientific name that will satisfy the people just as well."<br><br>All this time Prince Zingle
+remained clinging to the branches of the tree. He could not understand a word of the monkey language,
+and therefore had no idea what they were talking about; but he judged from their actions that the
+monkeys were not friendly. When they brought a long and stout rope, and prepared to throw one end of
+it over his head, in order to capture him, he became angry and called out to
+them:<br><br>"Stop&mdash;I command you! What is the meaning of this strange conduct? I am Prince
+Zingle, eldest son of the Monarch of Mo, and, since I have been blown into your country through an
+accident, I certainly deserve kind treatment at your hands."<br><br>But this speech had no meaning in
+the ears of the monkeys, who said to each other:<br><br>"Hear him bark! He jabbers away almost as if
+he could talk!"<br><br>By this time a large crowd of monkeys had surrounded the tree, some being
+barefooted boy-monkeys, and some lady-monkeys dressed in silken gowns and gorgeous raiment of the
+latest mode, and others men-monkeys of all sorts and conditions. There were dandified monkeys and
+sober-looking business monkeys, as well as several who appeared to be politicians and officials of
+high degree.<br><br>"Stand back, all of you!" shouted one of the soldiers. "We're going to capture
+this remarkable beast for the royal menagerie, and unless you stand out of the way he may show fight
+and bite some one."<br><br>So they moved back to a safe distance, and the soldier-monkey prepared to
+throw a rope.<br><br>"Stop!" cried Zingle, again; "do you take me for a thief, that you try to bind
+me? I am a prince of the royal blood, and unless you treat me respectfully I shall have my father, the
+King, march his army on you and destroy your whole country."<br><br>"He barks louder," said the
+soldier. "Look out for him; he may be dangerous." The next moment he threw the rope and caught poor
+Zingle around his arms and body, so that he was helpless. Then the soldier-monkey pulled hard on the
+rope, and Prince Zingle fell out of the tree to the ground.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/zcaught.jpg" alt="&quot;He threw the rope and caught poor Zingle around his arms and
+body.&quot;"></p><p>At first the monkeys all pressed backward, as if frightened, but their soldiers
+cried out:<br><br>"We've got him; he can't bite now."<br><br>Then one of them approached the Prince
+and punched him with a stick, saying, "Stand up!"<br><br>Zingle did not understand the words, but he
+resented being prodded with the stick, so he sprang up and rushed on the soldier, kicking the stick
+from his hands, his own arms being bound by the rope.<br><br>The monkeys screamed and rushed in every
+direction, but the other soldier came behind the Prince and knocked him down with the butt of his gun.
+Then he tied his legs with another rope, and, seeing him thus bound, the crowd of monkeys, which had
+scattered and fallen over one another in their efforts to escape, came creeping timidly back, and
+looked on him with fear and trembling.<br><br>"We've subdued him at last," remarked the soldier who
+had been kicked. "But he's a very fierce animal, and I shall take him to the Zoo and lock him in one
+of the strongest cages."<br><br>So they led poor Zingle away to where the Royal Zoological Gardens
+were located, and there they put him into a big cage with iron bars, the door being fastened with two
+great padlocks.<br><br>Before very long every monkey in the country learned that a strange beast had
+been captured and brought to the Zoo; and soon a large crowd had gathered before Zingle's cage to
+examine him.<br><br>"Isn't he sweet!" said a lady-monkey who held a green parasol over her head and
+wore a purple veil on her face.<br><br>"Sweet!" grunted a man-monkey standing beside her, "he's the
+ugliest looking brute I ever saw! Scarcely has any hair on him at all, and no tail, and very little
+chin. I wonder where on earth the creature came from?"<br><br>"It may be one of those beings from whom
+our race is descended," said another onlooker.  "The professors say we evolved from some primitive
+creature of this sort."<br><br>"Heaven forbid!" cried a dandy-monkey, whose collar was so high that it
+kept tipping his hat over his eyes. "If I thought such a creature as that was one of my forefathers, I
+should commit suicide at once."<br><br>Zingle had been sitting on the floor of his cage and wondering
+what was to become of him in this strange country of monkeys, and now, to show his authority, one of
+the keepers took a long stick and began to poke the Prince to make him stand up.<br><br><img
+src="images/blow.jpg" align="right" alt="The Prince struck his keeper a sharp blow on the head">"Stop
+that!" shouted the angry captive, and catching hold of the stick he jerked it from the keeper's hand
+and struck him a sharp blow on the head with it.<br><br>All the lady-monkeys screamed at this, and the
+men-monkeys exclaimed:<br><br>"What an ugly disposition the beast has!"<br><br>The children-monkeys
+began to throw peanuts between the bars of the cage, and Zingle, who had now become very hungry,
+picked them up and ate them. This act so pleased the little monkeys that they shouted with
+laughter.<br><br>At last two solemn-looking monkeys with gray hair, and wearing long black coats and
+white neckties, came up to the cage, where they were greeted with much respect by the other
+monkeys.<br><br>"So this is the strange animal," said one of the new-comers, putting on his spectacles
+and looking sharply at the captive; "do you recognize the species, Professor?"<br><br>The other aged
+monkey also regarded the Prince critically before he answered:<br><br>"I can not say I have ever seen
+a specimen of this genus before. But one of our text-books mentions an obscure animal called Homo
+Peculiaris, and I have no doubt this is one of that family. I shall write an article on the creature
+and claim he is a Homo, and without doubt the paper will create quite a stir in the scientific
+world."<br><br>"See here," suddenly demanded Prince Zingle, standing up and shaking the bars of his
+cage, "are you going to give me anything to eat? Or do you expect me to live on peanuts
+forever?"<br><br><img src="images/zcage.jpg" align="right" alt="The professor monkeys examine
+Zingle">Not knowing what he said, none of the monkeys paid any attention to this question. But one of
+the professor-monkeys appeared to listen attentively, and remarked    to friend: "There seems to be a
+smoothness and variety of sound in his speech that indicates that he possesses some sort of language.
+Had I time to study this brute, I might learn his method of communicating with his fellows. Indeed,
+there is a possibility that he may turn out to be the missing link."<br><br>However, the professor not
+yet having learned his language, Prince Zingle was obliged to remain hungry. The monkeys threw several
+cocoanuts into the cage, but the prisoner did not know what kind of fruit these were; so, after
+several attempts to bite the hard shell, he decided they were not good to eat.<br><br>Day after day
+now passed away, and, although crowds of monkeys came to examine Zingle in his cage, the poor Prince
+grew very pale and thin for lack of proper food, while the continuance of his unhappy imprisonment
+made him sad and melancholy.<br><br>"Could I but escape and find my way back to my father's valley,"
+he moaned, wearily, "I should be willing to fly small kites forever afterward."<br><br>Often he begged
+them to let him go, but the monkeys gruffly commanded him to "stop his jabbering," and poked him with
+long sticks having sharp points; so that the Prince's life became one of great misery.<br><br>At the
+end of about two weeks a happy relief came to Zingle, for then a baby hippopotamus was captured and
+brought to the Royal Zoo, and after this the monkeys left the Prince's cage and crowded around that of
+the new arrival.<br><br>Finding himself thus deserted, Prince Zingle began to seek a means of escape
+from his confinement. His first attempt was to break the iron bars; but soon he found they were too
+big and strong. Then he shook the door with all his strength; but the big padlocks held firm, and
+could not be broken. Then the prisoner gave way to despair, and threw himself on the floor of the
+cage, weeping bitterly.<br><br>Suddenly he heard a great shout from the direction of the cage where
+the baby hippopotamus was confined, and, rising to his feet, the Prince walked to the bars and
+attempted to look out and discover what was causing the excitement. To his astonishment he found he
+was able to thrust his head between two of the iron bars, having grown so thin through hunger and
+abuse, that he was much smaller than when the monkeys had first captured him. He realized at once that
+if his head would pass between the bars, his body could be made to do so, likewise. So he struggled
+bravely, and at last succeeded in squeezing his body between the bars and leaping safely to the
+ground.<br><br><img src="images/zesc.jpg" align="left" alt="Zingle's escape">Finding himself at
+liberty, the Prince lost no time in running to the tree where he had left his kite. But on the way
+some of the boy-monkeys discovered him and raised a great cry, which soon brought hundreds of his
+enemies in pursuit.<br><br>Zingle had a good start, however, and soon reached the tree. Quickly he
+climbed up the trunk and branches until he had gained the limb where the string of his kite was still
+fastened. Untying the cord, he wound it around his waist several times, and then, finding a strong
+north wind blowing, he skilfully tossed the kite into the air. At once it filled and mounted to the
+sky, lifting Zingle from the tree and carrying him with perfect ease.<br><br>It was fortunate he got
+away at that moment, for several of the monkeys had scrambled up the tree after him, and were almost
+near enough to seize him by the legs when, to their surprise, he shot into the air. Indeed, so amazed
+were they by this remarkable escape of their prisoner that the monkeys remained staring into the air
+until Prince Zingle had become a little speck in the sky above them and finally
+disappeared.<br><br>That was the last our Prince ever saw of the strange country of the monkeys, for
+the wind carried his kite straight back to the Valley of Mo. When Zingle found himself above his
+father's palace, he took out his pocket-knife and cut the string of the kite, and immediately fell
+head foremost into a pond of custard that lay in the back yard, where he dived through a floating
+island of whipped cream and disappeared from view.<br><br>Nuphsed, who was sitting on the bank of the
+custard lake, was nearly frightened into fits by this sight; and he ran to tell the King that a new
+meteor had fallen and ruined one of his floating islands.<br><br>Thereupon the monarch and several of
+his courtiers rushed out and found Prince Zingle swimming ashore; and the King was so delighted at
+seeing his lost son again that he clasped him joyfully in his arms.<br><br>The next moment he
+regretted this act, for his best ermine robe was smeared its whole length with custard, and would need
+considerable cleaning before it would be fit to wear again.<br><br>The Prince and the King soon
+changed their clothes, and then there was much rejoicing throughout the land. Of course the first
+thing Zingle asked for was something to eat, and before long he was sitting at a table heaped with all
+sorts of good things, plucked fresh from the trees.<br><br>The people crowded around him, demanding
+the tale of his adventures, and their surprise was only equaled by their horror when they learned he
+had been captured by a band of monkeys, and shut up in a cage because he was thought to be a dangerous
+wild beast.<br><br>Experience is said to be an excellent teacher, although a very cruel one. Prince
+Zingle had now seen enough of foreign countries to remain contented with his own beautiful Valley,
+and, although it was many years before he again attempted to fly a kite, it was noticed that, when he
+at last did indulge in that sport, the kite was of a very small size.</p><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter13"><i>The Thirteenth Surprise</i></a><br>THE<br>STOLEN
+PLUM PUDDING</p><br><p align="center"><img src="images/fatewm.jpg" alt="The fate of the Wise
+Men"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">T</span>HE</b> King's plum-pudding crop had for some time
+suffered from the devastations of a secret enemy. Each day, as he examined the vines, he found more
+and more of the plum-pudding missing, and finally the monarch called his Wise Men together and asked
+them what he should do.<br><br>The Wise Men immediately shut their eyes and pondered so long over the
+problem that they fell fast asleep. While they slept still more of the plum-pudding was stolen. When
+they awoke the King was justly incensed, and told the Wise Men that unless they discovered the thief
+within three days he would give them no cake with their ice-cream.<br><br>This terrible threat at last
+aroused them to action, and, after consulting together, they declared that in their opinion it was the
+Fox that had stolen the pudding.<br><br>Hearing this, the King ordered out his soldiers, who soon
+captured the Fox and brought him to the palace, where the King sat in state, surrounded by his Wise
+Men.<br><br>"So ho! Master Fox," exclaimed the King, "we have caught you at last."<br><br>"So it
+seems," returned the Fox, calmly. "May I ask your Majesty why I am thus torn from my home, from my
+wife and children, and brought before you like any common criminal?"<br><br>"You have stolen the plum-
+pudding," answered the King.<br><br>"I beg your Majesty's pardon for contradicting you, but I have
+stolen nothing," declared the Fox. "I can easily prove my innocence. When was the plum-pudding
+taken?"<br><br>"A great deal of it was taken this morning, while the Wise Men slept," said the
+King.<br><br>"Then I can not be the thief," replied the Fox, "as you will admit when you have heard my
+story."<br><br>"Ah! Have you a story to tell?" inquired the King, who dearly loved to hear
+stories.<br><br>"It is a short story, your Majesty; but it will prove clearly that I have not taken
+your pudding."<br><br>"Then tell it," commanded the King. "It is far from my wish to condemn any one
+who is innocent."<br><br>The Wise Men then placed themselves in comfortable positions, and the King
+crossed his legs and put his hands in his pockets, while the Fox sat before them on his haunches and
+spoke as follows:</p><p align="center"><img src="images/fox.jpg" alt="The Fox"><br>THE FOX'S
+STORY.</p><p>"It has been unusually damp in my den of late, so that both my family and myself have
+suffered much. First my wife became ill, and then I was afflicted with a bad cold, and in both cases
+it settled in our throats. Then my four children, who are all of an age, began to complain of sore
+throats, so that my den became a regular hospital.<br><br><img src="images/condoc.jpg" align="left"
+alt="The fox's wife asks him to consult Dr. Prariedog">"We tried all the medicines we knew of, but
+they did no good at all. My wife finally begged me to go to consult Doctor Prairiedog, who lives in a
+hole in the ground away toward the south. So one morning I said good by to my family and ran swiftly
+to where the doctor lives.<br><br>"Finding no one outside the hole to whom I might apply for admission
+I walked boldly in, and having followed a long, dark tunnel for some distance, I suddenly came to a
+door.<br><br>"'Come in!' said a voice; so in I walked, and found myself in a very beautiful room,
+lighted by forty-eight fireflies, which sat in a row on a rail running all around the apartment. In
+the center of the room was a table, made of clay and painted in bright colors; and seated at this
+table, with his spectacles on his nose, was the famous Doctor Prairiedog, engaged in eating a dish of
+stewed snails.<br><br>"'Good morning,' said the Doctor; 'will you have some breakfast?'<br><br>"'No,
+thank you,' I replied, for the snails were not to my liking; 'I wish to procure some medicine for my
+children, who are suffering from sore throats.'<br><br>"' How do you know their throats are sore?'
+inquired the Doctor.<br><br>"'It hurts them to swallow,' I explained.<br><br>"'Then tell them not to
+swallow,' said the Doctor, and went on eating.<br><br>"'Sir!' I exclaimed, 'if they did not swallow,
+they would starve to death.'<br><br>"'That is true,' remarked the Doctor; 'we must think of something
+else.' After a moment of silence he cried out: 'Ha! I have it! Go home and cut off their necks, after
+which you must turn them inside out and hang them on the bushes in the sun. When the necks are
+thoroughly cured in the sun, turn them right-side-out again and place them on your children's
+shoulders. Then they will find it does not hurt them to swallow.'<br><br>"I thanked the great Doctor
+and returned home, where I did as he had told me. For the last three days the necks of not only my
+children but of my wife and myself, as well, have been hanging on the bushes to be cured; so we could
+not possibly have eaten your plum-pudding. Indeed, it was only an hour ago when I finished putting the
+neck on the last of my children, and at that moment your soldiers came and arrested me."<br><br>When
+the Fox ceased speaking the King was silent for a while. Then he asked:<br><br>"Were the necks all
+cured?"<br><br>"Oh, yes," replied the fox; "the sun cured them nicely."<br><br>"You see," remarked the
+King, turning to his Wise Men; "the Fox has proved his innocence. You were wrong, as usual, in
+accusing him. I shall now send him home with six baskets of cherry phosphate, as a reward for his
+honesty. If you have not discovered the thief by the time I return I shall keep my threat and stop
+your allowance of cake."</p><p align="center"><img src="images/innfox.jpg" alt="&quot;You see,&quot,
+remarked the King, &quot;the Fox has proved his innocence&quot;"></p><p>Then the Wise Men fell a-
+trembling, and put their heads together, counseling with one another.<br><br>When the King returned,
+they said: "Your Majesty, it must have been the Bullfrog."<br><br>So the King sent his soldiers, who
+captured the Bullfrog and brought him to the palace.<br><br>"Why have you stolen the plum-pudding?"
+demanded the King, in a stern voice.<br><br>"I! Steal your plum-pudding!" exclaimed the Frog,
+indignantly. "Surely you must be mistaken! I am not at all fond of plum-pudding, and, besides, I have
+been very busy at home during the past week."<br><br>"What have you been doing?" asked the
+King.<br><br>"I will tell you, for then you will know I am innocent of this theft."<br><br>So the
+Bullfrog squatted on a footstool, and, after blinking solemnly at the King and his Wise Men for a
+moment, spoke as follows:</p><p align="center"><img src="images/frog.jpg" alt="The frog"><br>THE
+FROG'S STORY.</p><p>"Some time ago my wife and I hatched out twelve little tadpoles. They were the
+sweetest children parents ever looked on. Their heads were all very large and round, and their tails
+were long and feathery, while their skins were as black and shiny as could be. We were proud of them,
+my wife and I, and took great pains to train our children properly, that they might become respectable
+frogs, in time, and be a credit to us.<br><br>"We lived in a snug little hole under the bank of the
+river, and in front of our dwelling was a large stone on which we could sit and watch the baby
+tadpoles grow. Although they loved best to lie in the mud at the bottom of the river, we knew that
+exercise is necessary to the proper development of a tadpole; so we decided to teach our youngsters to
+swim. We divided them into two lots, my wife training six of the children, while I took charge of the
+other six. We drilled them to swim in single file, in column of twos and in line of battle; but I must
+acknowledge they were quite stupid, being so young, and, unless we told them when to stop, they would
+keep on swimming until they bumped themselves into a bank or a stone.<br><br>"One day, about a week
+ago, while teaching our children to swim, we started them all going in single file, one after the
+other. They swam in a straight line that was very pretty to see, and my wife and I sat on the flat
+stone and watched them with much pride. Unfortunately at that very moment a large fish swam into our
+neighborhood and lay on the bottom of the river to rest. It was one of those fishes that hold their
+great mouths wide open, and I was horrified when I saw the advancing line of tadpoles headed directly
+toward the gaping mouth of the monster fish. I croaked as loudly as I could for them to stop; but
+either they failed to hear me, or they would not obey. The next moment all the line of swimming
+tadpoles had entered the fish's mouth and were lost to our view.<br><br><img src="images/threw.jpg"
+align="right" alt="Mrs. Frog throws herself into Mr. Frog's arms">"Mrs. Frog threw herself into my
+arms with a cry or anguish, exclaiming:<br><br>"'Oh, what shall we do? Our children are lost to us
+forever!'<br><br>"'Do not despair,' I answered, although I was myself greatly frightened; 'we must try
+to prevent the fish from swimming away with our loved ones. If we can keep him here, some way may yet
+be found to rescue the children.'<br><br>"Up to this time the big fish had remained motionless, but
+there was an expression of surprise in its round eyes, as if it did not know what to make of the
+lively inhabitants of its stomach.<br><br>"Mrs. Frog thought for a moment, and then said:<br><br>"'A
+short distance away is an old fish-line and hook, lying at the bottom of the river, where some boys
+lost it while fishing one day. If we could only&mdash;'<br><br>"'Fetch it at once,' I interrupted.
+'With its aid we shall endeavor to capture the fish.'<br><br>"She hastened away, soon returning with
+the line, which had a large hook on one end. I tied the other end firmly about the flat stone, and
+then, advancing cautiously from behind, that the fish might not see me, I stuck the iron hook through
+its right gill.<br><br>"The monster gave a sudden flop that sent me head over heels a yard away. Then
+it tried to swim down the stream. But the hook and line held fast, and soon the fish realized it was
+firmly caught, after which it wisely abandoned the struggle.<br><br>"Mrs. Frog and I now sat down to
+watch the result, and the time of waiting was long and tedious. After several weary days, however, the
+great fish lay over on its side and expired, and soon after there hopped from its mouth the sweetest
+little green frog you ever laid eyes on. Another and another followed, until twelve of them stood
+beside us; and then my wife exclaimed:<br><br>"'They are our children, the tadpoles! They have lost
+their tails and their legs have grown out, but they are our own little ones,
+nevertheless!'<br><br>"Indeed, this was true; for tadpoles always become frogs when a few days old.
+The children told us they had been quite comfortable inside the great fish, but they were now hungry,
+for young frogs always have wonderful appetites. So Mrs. Frog and I set to work to feed them, and had
+just finished this pleasant task when your soldiers came to arrest me. I assure your Majesty this is
+the first time I have been out of the water for a week. And now, if you will permit me to depart, I
+will hop back home and see how the youngsters are growing."<br><br>When the Bullfrog had ceased
+speaking the King turned toward the Wise Men and said, angrily:<br><br>"It seems you are wrong again,
+for the Frog is innocent. Your boasted wisdom appears to me very like folly; but I will give you one
+more chance. If you fail to discover the culprit next time, I shall punish you far more severely than
+I at first promised."<br><br>The King now gave the Bullfrog a present of a red silk necktie, and also
+sent a bottle of perfumery to Mrs. Frog. The soldiers at once released the prisoner, who joyfully
+hopped away toward the river.<br><br>The Wise Men now rolled their eyes toward the ceiling and twirled
+their thumbs and thought as hard as they could. At last they told the King they had decided the Yellow
+Hen was undoubtedly responsible for the theft of the plum-pudding.<br><br>So the King sent his
+soldiers, who searched throughout the Valley and at last captured the Yellow Hen and brought her into
+the royal presence.<br><br>"My Wise Men say you have stolen my plum-pudding," said his Majesty. "If
+this is true, I am going to punish you severely."<br><br>"But it is not true," answered the Yellow
+Hen; "for I have just returned from a long journey."<br><br>"Where have you been?" inquired the
+King.<br><br>"I will tell you," she replied; and, after rearranging a few of her feathers that the
+rough hands of the soldiers had mussed, the Yellow Hen spoke as follows:</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/hen.jpg" alt="The hen"><br>THE YELLOW HEN'S STORY</p><p>"All my life I have been
+accustomed to hatching out thirteen eggs; but the last time there were only twelve eggs in the nest
+when I got ready to set. Being experienced in these matters I knew it would never do to set on twelve
+eggs, so I asked the Red Rooster for his advice.<br><br><img src="images/askroo.jpg" align="left"
+alt="Asking the red rooster for advice">"He considered the question carefully, and finally told me he
+had seen a very nice, large egg lying on the rocks near the sugar mountain.<br><br>"'If you wish,'
+said he, 'I will get it for you.'<br><br>"'I am very sorry to trouble you, yet certainly I need
+thirteen eggs,' I answered.<br><br>"The Red Rooster is an accommodating fowl, so away he flew, and
+shortly returned with a large white egg under his wing. This egg I put with the other twelve, and then
+I set faithfully on my nest for three weeks, at the end of which time I hatched out my
+chickens.<br><br><img src="images/hawk.jpg" align="right" alt="One of the children looked like a
+hawk">"Twelve of them were as yellow and fluffy as any mother could wish. But the one that came from
+the strange egg was black and awkward, and had a large bill and sharp claws. Still thinking he was one
+of my children, despite his deformity, I gave him as much care as any of them, and soon he outgrew the
+others and became very big and strong.<br><br>"The Red Rooster shook his head, and said,
+bluntly:<br><br>"'That chick will be a great trouble to you, for it looks to me strangely like one of
+our enemies, the Hawks.'<br><br>"'What!' I exclaimed, reproachfully, 'do you think one of my darling
+children could possibly be a Hawk? I consider that remark almost an insult, Mr. Rooster!'<br><br>"The
+Red Rooster said nothing more; but he kept away from my big, black chick, as if really afraid of
+it.<br><br>"To my great grief this chick suddenly developed a very bad temper, and one day I was
+obliged to reprove it for grabbing the food away from its brothers. Suddenly it began screaming with
+anger, and the next moment it sprang on me, digging its sharp claws into my back.<br><br>"While I
+struggled to free myself, he flew far up into the air, carrying me with him, and uttering loud cries
+that filled me with misgivings. For I now realized, when it was too late, that his voice sounded
+exactly like the cry of a Hawk!<br><br>"Away and away he flew, over mountains, and valleys, and
+rivers, and lakes, until at last, as I looked down, I saw a man pointing a gun at us. A moment later
+he shot, and the black chick gave a scream of pain, at the same time releasing his hold of me; so that
+I fell over and over and finally fluttered to the ground.<br><br>"Then I found I had escaped one
+danger only to encounter another, for as I reached the ground the man seized me and carried me under
+his arm to his home. Entering the house, he said to his wife:<br><br>"'Here is a nice, fat hen for our
+breakfast.'<br><br>"'Put her in the coop,' replied the woman. 'After supper I will cut off her head
+and pick the feathers from her body.'<br><br>"This frightened me greatly, as you may suppose, and when
+the man placed me in the coop I nearly gave way to despair. But, finding myself alone, I plucked up
+courage and began looking for a way to escape. To my great joy I soon discovered that one of the slats
+of the coop was loose, and, having pushed it aside, I was not long in gaining my liberty.<br><br>"Once
+free, I ran away from the place as fast as possible, but did not know in which direction to go, the
+country being so strange to me. So I fluttered on, half running and half flying, until I reached the
+place where an army of soldiers was encamped. If these men saw me I feared they would also wish to eat
+me for breakfast; so I crept into the mouth of a big cannon, thinking I should escape attention and be
+safe until morning. Soon I fell asleep, and so sound was my slumber that the next thing I heard was
+the conversation of some soldiers who stood beside the cannon.<br><br>"'It is nearly sunrise,' said
+one. 'You must fire the salute. Is the cannon loaded?'<br><br>"'Oh, yes,' answered the other. 'What
+shall I shoot at?'<br><br>"' Fire into the air, for then you will not hurt any one,' said the first
+soldier.<br><br>"By this time I was trembling with fear, and had decided to creep out of the cannon
+and take the chances of being caught, when, suddenly, 'Bang!' went the big gun, and I shot into the
+air with a rush like that of a whirlwind.<br><br>"The noise nearly deafened me, and my nerves were so
+shattered that for a time I was helpless. I felt myself go up and up into the air, until soon I was
+far above the clouds. Then I recovered my wits, and when I began to come down again I tried to fly. I
+knew the Valley of Mo must be somewhere to the west; so I flew in that direction until I found myself
+just over the Valley, when I allowed myself to flutter to the ground.<br><br>"It seems my troubles
+were not yet over; for, before I had fully recovered my breath after this long flight, your soldiers
+seized me and brought me here.<br><br>"I am accused of stealing your plum-pudding; but, in truth, your
+Majesty, I have been away from your kingdom for nine days, and am therefore wholly
+innocent."<br><br>The Yellow Hen had scarce finished this story when the King flew into a violent rage
+at the deceptions of his Wise Men, and turning to his soldiers he ordered them to arrest the Wise Men
+and cast them into prison.<br><br>Having given the unfortunate Hen a pair of gold earrings that fitted
+her ears and matched her complexion, the King sent her home with many apologies for having accused her
+wrongfully.<br><br>Then his Majesty seated himself in an easy chair, and pondered how best to punish
+the foolish Wise Men.<br><br>"I would rather have one really Wise Man," he said to himself, "than
+fifty of these, who pretend to be wise and are not."<br><br>That gave him an idea; so the next morning
+he ordered the Wise Men taken to the royal kitchen, where all were run through the meat chopper until
+they were ground as fine as mincemeat. Having thoroughly mixed them, the King stirred in a handful of
+salt, and then made them into one man, which the cook baked in the oven until it was well
+done.<br><br>"Now," said the King, "I have one Wise Man instead of several foolish ones. Perhaps he
+can tell me who stole the plum-pudding."<br><br>"Certainly," replied the Wise Man. "That is quite
+easy. It was the Purple Dragon."<br><br>"Good," cried the monarch; "I have discovered the truth at
+last!"<br><br>And so he had, as you will find by reading the next surprise.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/wisemn.jpg" alt="The Wise Man"><br><br><br><br>
+
+<p align="center" class="b1"><a name="chapter14"><i>The Fourteenth Surprise</i></a><br>THE PUNISHMENT
+OF THE<br>PURPLE DRAGON</p><p align="right"><img src="images/pdrag4.jpg" alt="The Purple
+Dragon"></p><p align="center"><img src="images/endpd.jpg" alt="The end of the Purple
+Dragon"></p><br><br><p><b><span class="b3">S</span>CARCELY</b> had the King spoken when some of his
+soldiers came running with news that they had seen the Purple Dragon eating plum-pudding in the royal
+garden.<br><br>"What did you do about it?" asked the monarch.<br><br>"We did nothing," they answered;
+"for, had we interfered with its repast, the Dragon would probably have eaten us for
+dessert."<br><br>"That is true," remarked the King. "Yet something must be done to protect us from
+this monster. For many years it has annoyed us by eating our choicest crops, and nothing we can do
+seems of any avail to save us from its ravages."<br><br>"If we were able to destroy the Dragon," said
+Prince Thinkabit, "we should be doing our country the greatest possible service."<br><br>"We have
+often tried to destroy it," replied the King, "but the beast always manages to get the best of the
+fight, having wonderful strength and great cunning. However, let us hold a council of war, and see
+what is suggested."<br><br>So a council of war was called. The Wise Man, all the Princes and Noblemen,
+the Dog and the Wise Donkey being assembled to talk the matter over.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/cofwar.jpg" alt="&quot;So a council of war was called.&quot;"></p><p>"I advise that you
+build a high wall around the Dragon," said the Wise Man. "Then it will be unable to get out, and will
+starve to death."<br><br>"It is strong enough to break down the wall," said the King.<br><br>"I
+suggest you dig a great hole in the ground," remarked the Donkey. "Then the Dragon will fall into it
+and perish."<br><br>"It is too clever to fall into the hole," said the King.<br><br>"The best thing to
+do," declared Timtom, "is to cut off its legs; for then it could not walk into our
+gardens."<br><br>"The scales on its legs are too hard and thick," said the King. "We have tried that,
+and failed."<br><br>"We might take a red-hot iron, and put the Dragon's eyes out," ventured Prince
+Jollikin.<br><br>"Its eyes are glass," replied the King with a sigh, "and the iron would have no
+effect on them."<br><br>"Suppose we tie a tin can to its tail," suggested the Dog. "The rattling of
+the can would so frighten the Dragon that it would run out of the country."<br><br>"Its tail is so
+long," answered the King, gloomily, "that the Dragon could not hear the can rattle."<br><br>Then they
+all remained silent for a time, thinking so hard that their heads began to ache; but no one seemed
+able to think of the right thing to do.<br><br>Finally the King himself made a
+proposition.<br><br>"One thing we might attempt with some hope of success," said his Majesty. "Should
+it fail, we can not be worse off than we are at present. My idea is for us to go in a great body to
+the castle of the Dragon, and pull out its teeth with a pair of forceps. Having no teeth, the monster
+will be harmless to annoy us in any way; and, since we seem unable to kill it, I believe this is the
+best way out of our difficulty."<br><br>The King's plan pleased every one, and met with shouts of
+approval. The council then adjourned, and all the members went to prepare for the fight with the
+Purple Dragon.<br><br>First the blacksmith made a large pair of forceps, to pull the Dragon's teeth
+with. The handles of the forceps were so long that fifty men could take hold of them at one time. Then
+the people armed themselves with swords and spears and marched in a great body to the castle of the
+Purple Dragon.</p><p align="center"><img src="images/lfore.jpg" alt="The large forceps"><br><br><img
+src="images/kvdrag.jpg" alt="&quot;The King visits the Purple Dragon.&quot;"></p><p>This remarkable
+beast, which for so long had kept the Valley of Mo in constant terror, was standing on the front porch
+of its castle when the army arrived. It looked at the crowd of people in surprise, and
+said:<br><br>"Are you not weary with your attempts to destroy me? What selfish people you must be!
+Whenever I eat anything that belongs to you, there is a great row, and immediately you come here to
+fight me. These battles are unpleasant to all of us. The best thing for you to do is to return home
+and behave yourselves; for I am not in the least afraid of you."<br><br>Neither the King nor his
+people replied to these taunts. They simply brought forward the big pair of forceps and reached them
+toward the Dragon.<br><br>This movement astonished the monster, who, never having been to a dentist in
+his life, had no idea what the strange instrument was for.<br><br>"Surely you can not think to hurt me
+with that iron thing," it called out, in derision. And then the Dragon laughed at the idea of any one
+attempting to injure it.<br><br>But when the Dragon opened its mouth to laugh, the King opened the
+jaws of the forceps, quickly closing them again on one of the monster's front teeth.<br><br>"Pull!"
+cried the King; and fifty men seized the handles of the forceps and began to pull with all their
+strength.<br><br>But, pull as they might, the tooth would not come out, and this was the reason: The
+teeth of Dragons are different from ours, for they go through the jaw and are clinched on the other
+side. Therefore, no amount of pulling will draw them out.<br><br>The King did not know this fact, but
+thought the tooth must have a long root; so he called again:<br><br>"Pull! my brave men;
+pull!"<br><br>And they pulled so hard that the Dragon was nearly pulled from the porch of its castle.
+To avoid this danger the cunning beast wound the end of its tail around a post of the porch, and tied
+a hard knot in it.<br><br>"Pull!" shouted the King for the third time.<br><br>Then a surprising thing
+happened. Any one who knows anything at all about Dragons is aware that these beasts stretch as easily
+as if made of india-rubber. Therefore the strong pulling of the fifty men resulted in the Dragon being
+pulled from its foothold, and, as its tail was fastened to the post, its body began to stretch
+out.<br><br>The King and his people, thinking the tooth was being pulled, started down the hill, the
+forceps still clinging fast to the monster's big front tooth. And the farther they went the more
+Dragon's body stretched out.<br><br><img src="images/kgo.jpg" align="left" alt="The King cries
+&quot;Keep going!&quot;">"Keep going!" cried the King; "we mustn't let go now!" And away marched the
+fifty men, and farther and farther stretched the body of the Dragon.<br><br>Still holding fast to the
+forceps, the King and his army marched into the Valley, and away across it, and up the hills on the
+other side, not even stopping to take breath. When they came to the mountains and the forests, and
+could go no farther, they looked back; and behold! the Dragon had stretched out so far that it was now
+no bigger around than a fiddle-string!<br><br>"What shall we do now?" asked the fifty men, who were
+perspiring with the long pull and the march across the Valley.<br><br>"I'm sure I don't know," replied
+the panting King. "Let us tie this end of the beast around a tree. Then we can think what is best to
+be done."<br><br>So they tied that end of the Dragon to a big tree, and sat down to rest, being filled
+with wonder that the mighty Purple Dragon was now no larger around than a piece of twine.<br><br>"The
+wicked creature will never bother us again," said the King. "Yet it was only by accident we found a
+way to destroy it. The question now is, what shall we do with this long, thin Dragon? If we leave it
+here it will trip any one who stumbles against it."<br><br>"I shall use it for fiddle-strings," said
+Prince Fiddlecumdoo, "for the crop failed this year, and I have none for my violin. Let us cut the
+Dragon up into the proper sizes, and store the strings in the royal warehouse for general
+use."<br><br>The King and the people heartily approved this plan. So the Prince brought a pair of
+shears and cut the Dragon into equal lengths to use on his violin. Thus the wicked monster was made
+good use of at last, for the strings had an excellent tone.<br><br>And that was not only the end of
+the Purple Dragon, but there were two other ends of him; one tied to a tree in the mountains and the
+other fastened to a post of the castle.<br><br>That same day the Monarch of Mo gave a magnificent
+feast to all his people to celebrate the destruction of their greatest foe; and ever afterward the
+gardens of the Beautiful Valley were free from molestation.</p><p align="center"><img
+src="images/theend.jpg" alt="The End"></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr noshade>
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO AND HIS PEOPLE***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 16259-h.txt or 16259-h.zip *******</p>
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author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 04:48:29 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 04:48:29 -0700
commit	a543182f8b2bd996a2850ce4fd8767fb820bdd55 (patch)
tree	a8e386d2433bd6788194150bc4ef38e4b8b7b428 /16259-h