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| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 02:33:49 -0700 |
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| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 02:33:49 -0700 |
| commit | 6f5ba61a5c5ca03097ce9abb209ac126c01459da (patch) | |
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diff --git a/27085-h/27085-h.htm b/27085-h/27085-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f7068e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/27085-h/27085-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,6019 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" +"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> +<title> +The Project Gutenberg eBook of Rootabaga Stories, by Carl Sandburg. +</title> + +<style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p {margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.5em;} + body {margin-left: 11%; margin-right: 10%;} + a {text-decoration: none;} + h3 {text-align:center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.4em} + div.ce p {text-align: center; margin: auto 0;} + .figcenter {margin: 2em auto 2em auto; text-align: center;} + .caption {font-size:.8em} + .blockquot {margin-left:5%; margin-right:5%;} + .pagenum {display: inline; font-size: x-small; text-align: right; position: absolute; right: 2%; padding: 1px 3px; font-style: normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; text-decoration: none; color: silver; background-color: inherit; border:1px solid #eee;} + div.ra p {text-align: right; margin: auto 0;} + hr.silver {width: 100%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver;} + h2 {text-align:center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.6em} +// --> +/* XML end ]]>*/ +</style> + +</head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rootabaga Stories, by Carl Sandburg + +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 www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Rootabaga Stories + +Author: Carl Sandburg + +Illustrator: Maud Petersham + Miska Petersham + +Release Date: October 29, 2008 [EBook #27085] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROOTABAGA STORIES *** + + + + +Produced by Betsie Bush, ronnie sahlberg and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was made using scans of public domain material from +the Children's Books Online - Rosetta Project) + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<a name='linki_1' id='linki_1'></a> +<img src='images/c001.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +The balloons floated and filled the sky +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='ce'> +<p style=' font-size:3em; margin-top:1em;'>ROOTABAGA</p> +<p style=' font-size:3em; margin-top:0em;'>STORIES</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p style=' font-size:1em; margin-top:4em;'>BY</p> +<p style=' font-size:1.5em; margin-top:0em;'>CARL SANDBURG</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-top:1em;'>Author of “Slabs of the Sunburnt West,” “Smoke</p> +<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-top:0em;'>and Steel,” “Chicago Poems,” “Cornhuskers”</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p style=' font-size:1.0em; margin-top:2em;'>ILLUSTRATIONS AND DECORATIONS</p> +<p style=' font-size:1.0em; margin-top:0em;'>BY</p> +<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-top:0em;'>MAUD AND MISKA PETERSHAM</p> +</div> + +<p style='line-height: 2'> </p> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g049.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div class='ce'> +<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-top:2em;'>NEW YORK</p> +<p style=' font-size:1.5em; margin-top:0em;'>HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY</p> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='ce'> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p>COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY</p> +<p>HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY, INC.</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p>PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY</p> +<p>THE QUINN & BODEN COMPANY</p> +<p>RAHWAY, N J</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='ce'> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +<p>TO</p> +<p>SPINK AND SKABOOTCH</p> +<div style='margin-top:1em'></div> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='ce'> +<p style=' font-size:larger; margin-bottom:1em;'>CONTENTS</p> +</div> + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> + + +<div class='ce'> +<p>1.</p> +</div> +<p> Three Stories About the Finding of the Zigzag Railroad, + the Pigs with Bibs On, the Circus Clown Ovens, + the Village of Liver-and-Onions, the + Village of Cream Puffs. +</p> + +<p>How They Broke Away to Go to the Rootabaga Country <a href='#HOW_THEY_BROKE_AWAY_TO_GO_TO_THE_ROOTABAGA_COUNTRY'>3</a></p> +<p>How They Bring Back the Village of Cream Puffs When the Wind Blows It Away <a href='#HOW_THEY_BRING_BACK_THE_VILLAGE_OF_CREAM_PUFFS_WHEN_THE_WIND_BLOWS_IT_AWAY'>19</a></p> +<p>How the Five Rusty Rats Helped Find a New Village <a href='#HOW_THE_FIVE_RUSTY_RATS_HELPED_FIND_A_NEW_VILLAGE'>29</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>2.</p> +</div> +<p> Five Stories About the Potato Face Blind Man + +</p> + +<p>The Potato Face Blind Man Who Lost the Diamond Rabbit on His Gold Accordion <a href='#THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_WHO_LOST_THE_DIAMOND_RABBIT_ON_HIS_GOLD_ACCORDION'>41</a></p> +<p>How the Potato Face Blind Man Enjoyed Himself on a Fine Spring Morning <a href='#HOW_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_ENJOYED_HIMSELF_ON_A_FINE_SPRING_MORNING'>45</a></p> +<p>Poker Face the Baboon and Hot Dog the Tiger <a href='#POKER_FACE_THE_BABOON_AND_HOT_DOG_THE_TIGER'>53</a></p> +<p>The Toboggan-to-the-Moon Dream of the Potato Face Blind Man <a href='#THE_TOBOGGANTOTHEMOON_DREAM_OF_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN'>59</a></p> +<p>How Gimme the Ax Found Out About the Zigzag Railroad and Who Made It Zigzag <a href='#HOW_GIMME_THE_AX_FOUND_OUT_ABOUT_THE_ZIGZAG_RAILROAD_AND_WHO_MADE_IT_ZIGZAG'>65</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>3.</p> +</div> +<p> Three Stories About the Gold Buckskin Whincher + +</p> + +<p>The Story of Blixie Bimber and the Power of the Gold Buckskin Whincher <a href='#THE_STORY_OF_BLIXIE_BIMBER_AND_THE_POWER_OF_THE_GOLD_BUCKSKIN_WHINCHER'>73</a></p> +<p>The Story of Jason Squiff and Why He Had a Popcorn Hat, Popcorn Mittens and Popcorn Shoes <a href='#THE_STORY_OF_JASON_SQUIFF_AND_WHY_HE_HAD_A_POPCORN_HAT_POPCORN_MITTENS_AND_POPCORN_SHOES'>79</a></p> +<p>The Story of Rags Habakuk, the Two Blue Rats, and the Circus Man Who Came with Spot Cash Money <a href='#THE_STORY_OF_RAGS_HABAKUK_THE_TWO_BLUE_RATS_AND_THE_CIRCUS_MAN_WHO_CAME_WITH_SPOT_CASH_MONEY'>89</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>4.</p> +</div> +<p> Four Stories About the Deep Doom of Dark Doorways + +</p> + +<p>The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It <a href='#THE_WEDDING_PROCESSION_OF_THE_RAG_DOLL_AND_THE_BROOM_HANDLE_AND_WHO_WAS_IN_IT'>99</a></p> +<p>How the Hat Ashes Shovel Helped Snoo Foo <a href='#HOW_THE_HAT_ASHES_SHOVEL_HELPED_SNOO_FOO'>105</a></p> +<p>Three Boys With Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions <a href='#THREE_BOYS_WITH_JUGS_OF_MOLASSES_AND_SECRET_AMBITIONS'>109</a></p> +<p>How Bimbo the Snip's Thumb Stuck to His Nose When the Wind Changed <a href='#HOW_BIMBO_THE_SNIPS_THUMB_STUCK_TO_HIS_NOSE_WHEN_THE_WIND_CHANGED'>123</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>5.</p> +</div> +<p> Three Stories About Three Ways the Wind Went Winding +</p> + +<p>The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to Have a Child <a href='#THE_TWO_SKYSCRAPERS_WHO_DECIDED_TO_HAVE_A_CHILD'>133</a></p> +<p>The Dollar Watch and the Five Jack Rabbits <a href='#THE_DOLLAR_WATCH_AND_THE_FIVE_JACK_RABBITS'>141</a></p> +<p>The Wooden Indian and the Shaghorn Buffalo <a href='#THE_WOODEN_INDIAN_AND_THE_SHAGHORN_BUFFALO'>151</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>6.</p> +</div> +<p> Four Stories About Dear, Dear Eyes +</p> + +<p>The White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy <a href='#THE_WHITE_HORSE_GIRL_AND_THE_BLUE_WIND_BOY'>159</a></p> +<p>What Six Girls with Balloons Told the Gray Man on Horseback <a href='#WHAT_SIX_GIRLS_WITH_BALLOONS_TOLD_THE_GRAY_MAN_ON_HORSEBACK'>167</a></p> +<p>How Henry Hagglyhoagly Played the Guitar with His Mittens On <a href='#HOW_HENRY_HAGGLYHOAGLY_PLAYED_THE_GUITAR_WITH_HIS_MITTENS_ON'>175</a></p> +<p>Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon <a href='#NEVER_KICK_A_SLIPPER_AT_THE_MOON'>185</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>7.</p> +</div> +<p> One Story--"Only the Fire-Born Understand Blue" +</p> + +<p>Sand Flat Shadows <a href='#SAND_FLAT_SHADOWS'>191</a></p> + + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> +<div class='ce'> +<p>8.</p> +</div> +<p> Two Stories About Corn Fairies, Blue Foxes, Flongboos + and Happenings That Happened in the United States + and Canada +</p> + +<p>How to Tell Corn Fairies If You See 'Em <a href='#HOW_TO_TELL_CORN_FAIRIES_IF_YOU_SEE_EM'>205</a></p> +<p>How the Animals Lost Their Tails and Got Them Back Traveling From Philadelphia to Medicine Hat <a href='#HOW_THE_ANIMALS_LOST_THEIR_TAILS_AND_GOT_THEM_BACK_TRAVELING_FROM_PHILADELPHIA_TO_MEDICINE_HAT'>213</a></p> + + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<div class='ce'> +<p style=' font-size:larger; margin-bottom:1em;'>FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS</p> +</div> + +<p style='line-height: 1'> </p> + +<table border='0' width='400' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Illustrations' style='margin:1em auto'> +<col style='width:80%;' /> +<col style='width:20%;' /> +<tr> + <td></td> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'>PAGE</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>The balloons floated and filled the sky</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_1'>Frontispiece</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>He opened the ragbag and took out all the spot cash money</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_2'>7</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>Then the uncles asked her the first question first</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_3'>21</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>They held on to the long curved tails of the rusty rats</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_4'>33</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>“I am sure many people will stop and remember the Potato Face Blind Man”</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_5'>47</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>His hat was popcorn, his mittens popcorn and his shoes popcorn</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_6'>83</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>They stepped into the molasses with their bare feet</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_7'>113</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>The monkey took the place of the traffic policeman</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_8'>129</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>So they stood looking</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_9'>153</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>It seemed to him as though the sky came down close to his nose</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_10'>177</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>Away off where the sun was coming up, there were people and animals</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_11'>195</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td valign='top' align='left'>There on a high stool in a high tower, on a high hill sits the Head Spotter of the Weather Makers</td> + <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#linki_12'>215</a></td> +</tr> +</table> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +1. Three Stories About the Finding + of the Zigzag Railroad, the Pigs + with Bibs On, the Circus Clown + Ovens, the Village of Liver-and-Onions, + the Village of Cream + Puffs. +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Gimme the Ax</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Please Gimme</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Ax Me No Questions</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Ticket Agent</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Wing Tip the Spick</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Four Uncles</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Rat in a Blizzard</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Five Rusty Rats</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>More People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Balloon Pickers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Baked Clowns</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Polka Dot Pigs</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_3' name='page_3'></a>3</span> +<img src='images/g012.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THEY_BROKE_AWAY_TO_GO_TO_THE_ROOTABAGA_COUNTRY' id='HOW_THEY_BROKE_AWAY_TO_GO_TO_THE_ROOTABAGA_COUNTRY'></a> +<h2>How They Broke Away to Go to the<br />Rootabaga Country</h2> +</div> + +<p>Gimme the Ax lived in a house where everything +is the same as it always was. +</p> +<p>“The chimney sits on top of the house and +lets the smoke out,” said Gimme the Ax. “The +doorknobs open the doors. The windows are +always either open or shut. We are always +either upstairs or downstairs in this house. +Everything is the same as it always was.” +</p> +<p>So he decided to let his children name themselves. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_4' name='page_4'></a>4</span></p> +<p>“The first words they speak as soon as they +learn to make words shall be their names,” he +said. “They shall name themselves.” +</p> +<p>When the first boy came to the house of +Gimme the Ax, he was named Please Gimme. +When the first girl came she was named Ax +Me No Questions. +</p> +<p>And both of the children had the shadows +of valleys by night in their eyes and the lights +of early morning, when the sun is coming up, +on their foreheads. +</p> +<p>And the hair on top of their heads was a +dark wild grass. And they loved to turn the +doorknobs, open the doors, and run out to have +the wind comb their hair and touch their +eyes and put its six soft fingers on their foreheads. +</p> +<p>And then because no more boys came and no +more girls came, Gimme the Ax said to himself, +“My first boy is my last and my last girl +is my first and they picked their names themselves.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_5' name='page_5'></a>5</span></p> +<p>Please Gimme grew up and his ears got +longer. Ax Me No Questions grew up and her +ears got longer. And they kept on living in the +house where everything is the same as it always +was. They learned to say just as their +father said, “The chimney sits on top of the +house and lets the smoke out, the doorknobs +open the doors, the windows are always either +open or shut, we are always either upstairs or +downstairs—everything is the same as it always +was.” +</p> +<p>After a while they began asking each other +in the cool of the evening after they had eggs +for breakfast in the morning, “Who’s who? +How much? And what’s the answer?” +</p> +<p>“It is too much to be too long anywhere,” +said the tough old man, Gimme the Ax. +</p> +<p>And Please Gimme and Ax Me No Questions, +the tough son and the tough daughter +of Gimme the Ax, answered their father, “It +<i>is</i> too much to be too long anywhere.” +</p> +<p>So they sold everything they had, pigs, pastures, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_6' name='page_6'></a>6</span> +pepper pickers, pitchforks, everything +except their ragbags and a few extras. +</p> +<p>When their neighbors saw them selling everything +they had, the different neighbors said, +“They are going to Kansas, to Kokomo, to Canada, +to Kankakee, to Kalamazoo, to Kamchatka, +to the Chattahoochee.” +</p> +<p>One little sniffer with his eyes half shut and +a mitten on his nose, laughed in his hat five +ways and said, “They are going to the moon +and when they get there they will find everything +is the same as it always was.” +</p> +<p>All the spot cash money he got for selling +everything, pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, +pitchforks, Gimme the Ax put in a ragbag and +slung on his back like a rag picker going home. +</p> +<p>Then he took Please Gimme, his oldest and +youngest and only son, and Ax Me No Questions, +his oldest and youngest and only daughter, +and went to the railroad station. +</p> +<p>The ticket agent was sitting at the window +selling railroad tickets the same as always. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_7' name='page_7'></a>7</span> +<a name='linki_2' id='linki_2'></a> +<img src='images/g001.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +He opened the ragbag and took out all the spot cash money +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_9' name='page_9'></a>9</span></div> +<p>“Do you wish a ticket to go away and come +back or do you wish a ticket to go away and +<i>never</i> come back?” the ticket agent asked wiping +sleep out of his eyes. +</p> +<p>“We wish a ticket to ride where the railroad +tracks run off into the sky and never come +back—send us far as the railroad rails go and +then forty ways farther yet,” was the reply of +Gimme the Ax. +</p> +<p>“So far? So early? So soon?” asked the +ticket agent wiping more sleep out his eyes. +“Then I will give you a new ticket. It blew in. +It is a long slick yellow leather slab ticket with +a blue spanch across it.” +</p> +<p>Gimme the Ax thanked the ticket agent once, +thanked the ticket agent twice, and then instead +of thanking the ticket agent three times +he opened the ragbag and took out all the spot +cash money he got for selling everything, pigs, +pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks, and paid +the spot cash money to the ticket agent. +</p> +<p>Before he put it in his pocket he looked once, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_10' name='page_10'></a>10</span> +twice, three times at the long yellow leather +slab ticket with a blue spanch across it. +</p> +<p>Then with Please Gimme and Ax Me No +Questions he got on the railroad train, showed +the conductor his ticket and they started to ride +to where the railroad tracks run off into the +blue sky and then forty ways farther yet. +</p> +<p>The train ran on and on. It came to the +place where the railroad tracks run off into +the blue sky. And it ran on and on chick chick-a-chick +chick-a-chick chick-a-chick. +</p> +<p>Sometimes the engineer hooted and tooted +the whistle. Sometimes the fireman rang the +bell. Sometimes the open-and-shut of the +steam hog’s nose choked and spit pfisty-pfoost, +pfisty-pfoost, pfisty-pfoost. But no matter +what happened to the whistle and the bell and +the steam hog, the train ran on and on to where +the railroad tracks run off into the blue sky. +And then it ran on and on more and more. +</p> +<p>Sometimes Gimme the Ax looked in his +pocket, put his fingers in and took out the long +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_11' name='page_11'></a>11</span> +slick yellow leather slab ticket with a blue +spanch across it. +</p> +<p>“Not even the Kings of Egypt with all their +climbing camels, and all their speedy, spotted, +lucky lizards, ever had a ride like this,” he said +to his children. +</p> +<p>Then something happened. They met another +train running on the same track. One +train was going one way. The other was going +the other way. They met. They passed +each other. +</p> +<p>“What was it—what happened?” the children +asked their father. +</p> +<p>“One train went over, the other train went +under,” he answered. “This is the Over and +Under country. Nobody gets out of the way +of anybody else. They either go over or +under.” +</p> +<p>Next they came to the country of the balloon +pickers. Hanging down from the sky +strung on strings so fine the eye could not see +them at first, was the balloon crop of that summer. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_12' name='page_12'></a>12</span> +The sky was thick with balloons. Red, +blue, yellow balloons, white, purple and orange +balloons—peach, watermelon and potato balloons—rye +loaf and wheat loaf balloons—link +sausage and pork chop balloons—they floated +and filled the sky. +</p> +<p>The balloon pickers were walking on high +stilts picking balloons. Each picker had his +own stilts, long or short. For picking balloons +near the ground he had short stilts. If he +wanted to pick far and high he walked on a +far and high pair of stilts. +</p> +<p>Baby pickers on baby stilts were picking +baby balloons. When they fell off the stilts +the handful of balloons they were holding kept +them in the air till they got their feet into the +stilts again. +</p> +<p>“Who is that away up there in the sky climbing +like a bird in the morning?” Ax Me No +Questions asked her father. +</p> +<p>“He was singing too happy,” replied the +father. “The songs came out of his neck and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_13' name='page_13'></a>13</span> +made him so light the balloons pulled him off +his stilts.” +</p> +<p>“Will he ever come down again back to his +own people?” +</p> +<p>“Yes, his heart will get heavy when his songs +are all gone. Then he will drop down to his +stilts again.” +</p> +<p>The train was running on and on. The engineer +hooted and tooted the whistle when he +felt like it. The fireman rang the bell when +he felt that way. And sometimes the open-and-shut +of the steam hog had to go pfisty-pfoost, +pfisty-pfoost. +</p> +<p>“Next is the country where the circus clowns +come from,” said Gimme the Ax to his son +and daughter. “Keep your eyes open.” +</p> +<p>They did keep their eyes open. They saw +cities with ovens, long and short ovens, fat +stubby ovens, lean lank ovens, all for baking +either long or short clowns, or fat and stubby +or lean and lank clowns. +</p> +<p>After each clown was baked in the oven it +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_14' name='page_14'></a>14</span> +was taken out into the sunshine and put up to +stand like a big white doll with a red mouth +leaning against the fence. +</p> +<p>Two men came along to each baked clown +standing still like a doll. One man threw a +bucket of white fire over it. The second man +pumped a wind pump with a living red wind +through the red mouth. +</p> +<p>The clown rubbed his eyes, opened his +mouth, twisted his neck, wiggled his ears, +wriggled his toes, jumped away from the fence +and began turning handsprings, cartwheels, +somersaults and flipflops in the sawdust ring +near the fence. +</p> +<p>“The next we come to is the Rootabaga +Country where the big city is the Village of +Liver-and-Onions,” said Gimme the Ax, looking +again in his pocket to be sure he had the +long slick yellow leather slab ticket with a +blue spanch across it. +</p> +<p>The train ran on and on till it stopped running +straight and began running in zigzags +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_15' name='page_15'></a>15</span> +like one letter Z put next to another Z and the +next and the next. +</p> +<p>The tracks and the rails and the ties and +the spikes under the train all stopped being +straight and changed to zigzags like one letter +Z and another letter Z put next after the other. +</p> +<p>“It seems like we go half way and then back +up,” said Ax Me No Questions. +</p> +<p>“Look out of the window and see if the pigs +have bibs on,” said Gimme the Ax. “If the +pigs are wearing bibs then this is the Rootabaga +country.” +</p> +<p>And they looked out of the zigzagging windows +of the zigzagging cars and the first pigs +they saw had bibs on. And the next pigs and +the next pigs they saw all had bibs on. +</p> +<p>The checker pigs had checker bibs on, the +striped pigs had striped bibs on. And the polka +dot pigs had polka dot bibs on. +</p> +<p>“Who fixes it for the pigs to have bibs on?” +Please Gimme asked his father. +</p> +<p>“The fathers and mothers fix it,” answered +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_16' name='page_16'></a>16</span> +Gimme the Ax. “The checker pigs have +checker fathers and mothers. The striped +pigs have striped fathers and mothers. And +the polka dot pigs have polka dot fathers and +mothers.” +</p> +<p>And the train went zigzagging on and on +running on the tracks and the rails and the +spikes and the ties which were all zigzag like +the letter Z and the letter Z. +</p> +<p>And after a while the train zigzagged on into +the Village of Liver-and-Onions, known as the +biggest city in the big, big Rootabaga country. +</p> +<p>And so if you are going to the Rootabaga +country you will know when you get there because +the railroad tracks change from straight +to zigzag, the pigs have bibs on and it is the +fathers and mothers who fix it. +</p> +<p>And if you start to go to that country remember +first you must sell everything you have, +pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks, put +the spot cash money in a ragbag and go to the +railroad station and ask the ticket agent for a +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_17' name='page_17'></a>17</span> +long slick yellow leather slab ticket with a blue +spanch across it. +</p> +<p>And you mustn’t be surprised if the ticket +agent wipes sleep from his eyes and asks, “So +far? So early? So soon?” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g013.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_19' name='page_19'></a>19</span> +<img src='images/g014.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THEY_BRING_BACK_THE_VILLAGE_OF_CREAM_PUFFS_WHEN_THE_WIND_BLOWS_IT_AWAY' id='HOW_THEY_BRING_BACK_THE_VILLAGE_OF_CREAM_PUFFS_WHEN_THE_WIND_BLOWS_IT_AWAY'></a> +<h2>How They Bring Back the Village of<br />Cream Puffs When the Wind Blows<br />It Away</h2> +</div> + +<p>A girl named Wing Tip the Spick came to +the Village of Liver-and-Onions to visit her +uncle and her uncle’s uncle on her mother’s +side and her uncle and her uncle’s uncle on her +father’s side. +</p> +<p>It was the first time the four uncles had a +chance to see their little relation, their niece. +Each one of the four uncles was proud of the +blue eyes of Wing Tip the Spick. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_20' name='page_20'></a>20</span></p> +<p>The two uncles on her mother’s side took a +long deep look into her blue eyes and said, “Her +eyes are so blue, such a clear light blue, they are +the same as cornflowers with blue raindrops +shining and dancing on silver leaves after a +sun shower in any of the summer months.” +</p> +<p>And the two uncles on her father’s side, after +taking a long deep look into the eyes of Wing +Tip the Spick, said, “Her eyes are so blue, such +a clear light shining blue, they are the same as +cornflowers with blue raindrops shining and +dancing on the silver leaves after a sun shower +in any of the summer months.” +</p> +<p>And though Wing Tip the Spick didn’t listen +and didn’t hear what the uncles said about her +blue eyes, she did say to herself when they were +not listening, “I know these are sweet uncles +and I am going to have a sweet time visiting +my relations.” +</p> +<p>The four uncles said to her, “Will you let +us ask you two questions, first the first question +and second the second question?” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_21' name='page_21'></a>21</span> +<a name='linki_3' id='linki_3'></a> +<img src='images/g002.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +Then the uncles asked her the first question first +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_23' name='page_23'></a>23</span></div> +<p>“I will let you ask me fifty questions this +morning, fifty questions to-morrow morning, +and fifty questions any morning. I like to listen +to questions. They slip in one ear and slip +out of the other.” +</p> +<p>Then the uncles asked her the first question +first, “Where do you come from?” and the second +question second, “Why do you have two +freckles on your chin?” +</p> +<p>“Answering your first question first,” said +Wing Tip the Spick, “I come from the Village +of Cream Puffs, a little light village on the +upland corn prairie. From a long ways off it +looks like a little hat you could wear on the end +of your thumb to keep the rain off your thumb.” +</p> +<p>“Tell us more,” said one uncle. “Tell us +much,” said another uncle. “Tell it without +stopping,” added another uncle. “Interruptions +nix nix,” murmured the last of the +uncles. +</p> +<p>“It is a light little village on the upland corn +prairie many miles past the sunset in the west,” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_24' name='page_24'></a>24</span> +went on Wing Tip the Spick. “It is light the +same as a cream puff is light. It sits all by itself +on the big long prairie where the prairie +goes up in a slope. There on the slope the winds +play around the village. They sing it wind +songs, summer wind songs in summer, winter +wind songs in winter.” +</p> +<p>“And sometimes like an accident, the wind +gets rough. And when the wind gets rough it +picks up the little Village of Cream Puffs and +blows it away off in the sky—all by itself.” +</p> +<p>“O-o-h-h,” said one uncle. “Um-m-m-m,” +said the other three uncles. +</p> +<p>“Now the people in the village all understand +the winds with their wind songs in summer +and winter. And they understand the +rough wind who comes sometimes and picks up +the village and blows it away off high in the +sky all by itself. +</p> +<p>“If you go to the public square in the middle +of the village you will see a big roundhouse. +If you take the top off the roundhouse you will +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_25' name='page_25'></a>25</span> +see a big spool with a long string winding up +around the spool. +</p> +<p>“Now whenever the rough wind comes and +picks up the village and blows it away off high +in the sky all by itself then the string winds +loose of the spool, because the village is fastened +to the string. So the rough wind blows +and blows and the string on the spool winds +looser and looser the farther the village goes +blowing away off into the sky all by itself. +</p> +<p>“Then at last when the rough wind, so forgetful, +so careless, has had all the fun it wants, +then the people of the village all come together +and begin to wind up the spool and bring back +the village where it was before.” +</p> +<p>“O-o-h-h,” said one uncle. “Um-m-m-m,” +said the other three uncles. +</p> +<p>“And sometimes when you come to the village +to see your little relation, your niece who +has four such sweet uncles, maybe she will lead +you through the middle of the city to the public +square and show you the roundhouse. They +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_26' name='page_26'></a>26</span> +call it the Roundhouse of the Big Spool. And +they are proud because it was thought up and is +there to show when visitors come.” +</p> +<p>“And now will you answer the second question +second—why do you have two freckles +on your chin?” interrupted the uncle who had +said before, “Interruptions nix nix.” +</p> +<p>“The freckles are put on,” answered Wing +Tip the Spick. “When a girl goes away from +the Village of Cream Puffs her mother puts on +two freckles, on the chin. Each freckle must +be the same as a little burnt cream puff kept in +the oven too long. After the two freckles looking +like two little burnt cream puffs are put on +her chin, they remind the girl every morning +when she combs her hair and looks in the looking +glass. They remind her where she came +from and she mustn’t stay away too long.” +</p> +<p>“O-h-h-h,” said one uncle. “Um-m-m-m,” +said the other three uncles. And they talked +among each other afterward, the four uncles +by themselves, saying: +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_27' name='page_27'></a>27</span></p> +<p>“She has a gift. It is her eyes. They are so +blue, such a clear light blue, the same as cornflowers +with blue raindrops shining and dancing +on silver leaves after a sun shower in any +of the summer months.” +</p> +<p>At the same time Wing Tip the Spick was +saying to herself, “I know for sure now these +are sweet uncles and I am going to have a sweet +time visiting my relations.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g016.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_29' name='page_29'></a>29</span> +<img src='images/g017.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THE_FIVE_RUSTY_RATS_HELPED_FIND_A_NEW_VILLAGE' id='HOW_THE_FIVE_RUSTY_RATS_HELPED_FIND_A_NEW_VILLAGE'></a> +<h2>How the Five Rusty Rats Helped Find a<br />New Village</h2> +</div> + +<p>One day while Wing Tip the Spick was visiting +her four uncles in the Village of Liver-and-Onions, +a blizzard came up. Snow filled the +sky and the wind blew and made a noise like +heavy wagon axles grinding and crying. +</p> +<p>And on this day a gray rat came to the house +of the four uncles, a rat with gray skin and +gray hair, gray as the gray gravy on a beefsteak. +The rat had a basket. In the basket was a catfish. +And the rat said, “Please let me have a +little fire and a little salt as I wish to make a +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_30' name='page_30'></a>30</span> +little bowl of hot catfish soup to keep me warm +through the blizzard.” +</p> +<p>And the four uncles all said together, “This +is no time for rats to be around—and we would +like to ask you where you got the catfish in the +basket.” +</p> +<p>“Oh, oh, oh, please—in the name of the five +rusty rats, the five lucky rats of the Village of +Cream Puffs, please don’t,” was the exclamation +of Wing Tip the Spick. +</p> +<p>The uncles stopped. They looked long and +deep into the eyes of Wing Tip the Spick and +thought, as they had thought before, how her +eyes were clear light blue the same as cornflowers +with blue raindrops shining on the silver +leaves in a summer sun shower. +</p> +<p>And the four uncles opened the door and let +the gray rat come in with the basket and the +catfish. They showed the gray rat the way to +the kitchen and the fire and the salt. And they +watched the rat and kept him company while +he fixed himself a catfish soup to keep him +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_31' name='page_31'></a>31</span> +warm traveling through the blizzard with the +sky full of snow. +</p> +<p>After they opened the front door and let the +rat out and said good-by, they turned to Wing +Tip the Spick and asked her to tell them about +the five rusty lucky rats of the Village of Cream +Puffs where she lived with her father and her +mother and her folks. +</p> +<p>“When I was a little girl growing up, before +I learned all I learned since I got older, my +grandfather gave me a birthday present because +I was nine years old. I remember how he said +to me, ‘You will never be nine years old again +after this birthday, so I give you this box for +a birthday present.’ +</p> +<p>“In the box was a pair of red slippers with a +gold clock on each slipper. One of the clocks +ran fast. The other clock ran slow. And he +told me if I wished to be early anywhere I +should go by the clock that ran fast. And if I +wished to be late anywhere I should go by the +clock that ran slow. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_32' name='page_32'></a>32</span></p> +<p>“And that same birthday he took me down +through the middle of the Village of Cream +Puffs to the public square near the Roundhouse +of the Big Spool. There he pointed his finger +at the statue of the five rusty rats, the five +lucky rats. And as near as I can remember +his words, he said: +</p> +<p>“‘Many years ago, long before the snow +birds began to wear funny little slip-on hats and +funny little slip-on shoes, and away back long +before the snow birds learned how to slip off +their slip-on hats and how to slip off their slip-on +shoes, long ago in the faraway Village of +Liver-and-Onions, the people who ate cream +puffs came together and met in the streets and +picked up their baggage and put their belongings +on their shoulders and marched out of the +Village of Liver-and-Onions saying, “We shall +find a new place for a village and the name +of it shall be the Village of Cream Puffs. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_33' name='page_33'></a>33</span> +<a name='linki_4' id='linki_4'></a> +<img src='images/g003.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +They held on to the long curved tails of the rusty rats +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_35' name='page_35'></a>35</span></div> +<p>“‘They marched out on the prairie with +their baggage and belongings in sacks on their +shoulders. And a blizzard came up. Snow +filled the sky. The wind blew and blew and +made a noise like heavy wagon axles grinding +and crying. +</p> +<p>“‘The snow came on. The wind twisted all +day and all night and all the next day. The +wind changed black and twisted and spit icicles +in their faces. They got lost in the blizzard. +They expected to die and be buried in the snow +for the wolves to come and eat them. +</p> +<p>“‘Then the five lucky rats came, the five +rusty rats, rust on their skin and hair, rust on +their feet and noses, rust all over, and especially, +most especially of all, rust on their long curved +tails. They dug their noses down into the snow +and their long curved tails stuck up far above +the snow where the people who were lost in +the blizzard could take hold of the tails like +handles. +</p> +<p>“‘And so, while the wind and the snow blew +and the blizzard beat its icicles in their faces, +they held on to the long curved tails of the +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_36' name='page_36'></a>36</span> +rusty rats till they came to the place where +the Village of Cream Puffs now stands. It was +the rusty rats who saved their lives and showed +them where to put their new village. That is +why this statue now stands in the public square, +this statue of the shapes of the five rusty rats, +the five lucky rats with their noses down in +the snow and their long curved tails lifted high +out of the snow.’ +</p> +<p>“That is the story as my grandfather told +it to me. And he said it happened long ago, +long before the snow birds began to wear slip-on +hats and slip-on shoes, long before they +learned how to slip off the slip-on hats and to +slip off the slip-on shoes.” +</p> +<p>“O-h-h-h,” said one of the uncles. “Um-m-m-m,” +said the other three uncles. +</p> +<p>“And sometime,” added Wing Tip the Spick, +“when you go away from the Village of Liver-and-Onions +and cross the Shampoo River and +ride many miles across the upland prairie till +you come to the Village of Cream Puffs, you +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_37' name='page_37'></a>37</span> +will find a girl there who loves four uncles very +much. +</p> +<p>“And if you ask her politely, she will show +you the red slippers with gold clocks on them, +one clock to be early by, the other to be late by. +And if you are still more polite she will take +you through the middle of the town to the public +square and show you the statue of the five +rusty lucky rats with their long curved tails +sticking up in the air like handles. And the +tails are curved so long and so nice you will +feel like going up and taking hold of them to +see what will happen to you.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g018.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +2. Five Stories About the + Potato Face Blind Man +</p> + + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Potato Face Blind Man</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Any Ice Today</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Pick Ups</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Lizzie Lazarus</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Poker Face the Baboon</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Hot Dog the Tiger</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Whitson Whimble</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Man Shoveling Money</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Watermelon Moon</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>White Gold Boys</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Blue Silver Girls</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Big White Moon Spiders</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Zizzies</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Gimme the Ax Again</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_41' name='page_41'></a>41</span> +<img src='images/g019.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_WHO_LOST_THE_DIAMOND_RABBIT_ON_HIS_GOLD_ACCORDION' id='THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_WHO_LOST_THE_DIAMOND_RABBIT_ON_HIS_GOLD_ACCORDION'></a> +<h2>The Potato Face Blind Man Who Lost<br />the Diamond Rabbit on His Gold<br />Accordion</h2> +</div> + +<p>There was a Potato Face Blind Man used to +play an accordion on the Main Street corner +nearest the postoffice in the Village of Liver-and-Onions. +</p> +<p>Any Ice Today came along and said, “It +looks like it used to be an 18 carat gold accordion +with rich pawnshop diamonds in it; it +looks like it used to be a grand accordion once +and not so grand now.” +</p> +<p>“Oh, yes, oh, yes, it was gold all over on the +outside,” said the Potato Face Blind Man, “and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_42' name='page_42'></a>42</span> +there was a diamond rabbit next to the handles +on each side, two diamond rabbits.” +</p> +<p>“How do you mean diamond rabbits?” +Any Ice Today asked. +</p> +<p>“Ears, legs, head, feet, ribs, tail, all fixed +out in diamonds to make a nice rabbit with his +diamond chin on his diamond toenails. When +I play good pieces so people cry hearing my +accordion music, then I put my fingers over and +feel of the rabbit’s diamond chin on his diamond +toenails, ‘Attaboy, li’l bunny, attaboy, +li’l bunny.’” +</p> +<p>“Yes I hear you talking but it is like dream +talking. I wonder why your accordion looks +like somebody stole it and took it to a pawnshop +and took it out and somebody stole it again and +took it to a pawnshop and took it out and somebody +stole it again. And they kept on stealing +it and taking it out of the pawnshop and stealing +it again till the gold wore off so it looks +like a used-to-be-yesterday.” +</p> +<p>“Oh, yes, o-h, y-e-s, you are right. It is not +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_43' name='page_43'></a>43</span> +like the accordion it used to be. It knows more +knowledge than it used to know just the same +as this Potato Face Blind Man knows more +knowledge than he used to know.” +</p> +<p>“Tell me about it,” said Any Ice Today. +</p> +<p>“It is simple. If a blind man plays an accordion +on the street to make people cry it makes +them sad and when they are sad the gold goes +away off the accordion. And if a blind man +goes to sleep because his music is full of sleepy +songs like the long wind in a sleepy valley, then +while the blind man is sleeping the diamonds +in the diamond rabbit all go away. I play a +sleepy song and go to sleep and I wake up and +the diamond ear of the diamond rabbit is gone. +I play another sleepy song and go to sleep +and wake up and the diamond tail of the +diamond rabbit is gone. After a while all +the diamond rabbits are gone, even the diamond +chin sitting on the diamond toenails of the +rabbits next to the handles of the accordion, +even those are gone.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_44' name='page_44'></a>44</span></p> +<p>“Is there anything I can do?” asked Any Ice +Today. +</p> +<p>“I do it myself,” said the Potato Face Blind +Man. “If I am too sorry I just play the sleepy +song of the long wind going up the sleepy valleys. +And that carries me away where I have +time and money to dream about the new wonderful +accordions and postoffices where everybody +that gets a letter and everybody that don’t +get a letter stops and remembers the Potato +Face Blind Man.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g020.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_45' name='page_45'></a>45</span> +<img src='images/g021.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_ENJOYED_HIMSELF_ON_A_FINE_SPRING_MORNING' id='HOW_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN_ENJOYED_HIMSELF_ON_A_FINE_SPRING_MORNING'></a> +<h2>How the Potato Face Blind Man Enjoyed<br />Himself on a Fine Spring Morning</h2> +</div> + +<p>On a Friday morning when the flummywisters +were yodeling yisters high in the elm trees, +the Potato Face Blind Man came down to his +work sitting at the corner nearest the postoffice +in the Village of Liver-and-Onions and playing +his gold-that-used-to-be accordion for the +pleasure of the ears of the people going into +the postoffice to see if they got any letters for +themselves or their families. +</p> +<p>“It is a good day, a lucky day,” said the Potato +Face Blind Man, “because for a beginning +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_46' name='page_46'></a>46</span> +I have heard high in the elm trees the +flummywisters yodeling their yisters in the long +branches of the lingering leaves. So—so—I +am going to listen to myself playing on my +accordion the same yisters, the same yodels, +drawing them like long glad breathings out of +my glad accordion, long breathings of the +branches of the lingering leaves.” +</p> +<p>And he sat down in his chair. On the sleeve +of his coat he tied a sign, “I Am Blind <i>Too</i>.” +On the top button of his coat he hung a little +thimble. On the bottom button of his coat he +hung a tin copper cup. On the middle button +he hung a wooden mug. By the side of him on +the left side on the sidewalk he put a galvanized +iron washtub, and on the right side an aluminum +dishpan. +</p> +<p>“It is a good day, a lucky day, and I am sure +many people will stop and remember the Potato +Face Blind Man,” he sang to himself like a +little song as he began running his fingers up +and down the keys of the accordion like the +yisters of the lingering leaves in the elm trees. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_47' name='page_47'></a>47</span> +<a name='linki_5' id='linki_5'></a> +<img src='images/g004.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +“I am sure many people will stop and remember the<br /> +Potato Face Blind Man” +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_49' name='page_49'></a>49</span></div> +<p>Then came Pick Ups. Always it happened +Pick Ups asked questions and wished to know. +And so this is how the questions and answers +ran when the Potato Face filled the ears of +Pick Ups with explanations. +</p> +<p>“What is the piece you are playing on the +keys of your accordion so fast sometimes, so +slow sometimes, so sad some of the moments, +so glad some of the moments?” +</p> +<p>“It is the song the mama flummywisters sing +when they button loose the winter underwear +of the baby flummywisters and sing: +</p> +<table summary='poetry' style='margin:0 auto'><tr><td> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>“Fly, you little flummies,</p> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>Sing, you little wisters.”</p> +</td></tr></table> + +<p>“And why do you have a little thimble on +the top button of your coat?” +</p> +<p>“That is for the dimes to be put in. Some +people see it and say, ‘Oh, I must put in a whole +thimbleful of dimes.’” +</p> +<p>“And the tin copper cup?” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_50' name='page_50'></a>50</span></p> +<p>“That is for the base ball players to stand +off ten feet and throw in nickels and pennies. +The one who throws the most into the cup will +be the most lucky.” +</p> +<p>“And the wooden mug?” +</p> +<p>“There is a hole in the bottom of it. The +hole is as big as the bottom. The nickel goes +in and comes out again. It is for the very poor +people who wish to give me a nickel and yet get +the nickel back.” +</p> +<p>“The aluminum dishpan and the galvanized +iron washtub—what are they doing by the side +of you on both sides on the sidewalk?” +</p> +<p>“Sometime maybe it will happen everybody +who goes into the postoffice and comes out will +stop and pour out all their money, because they +might get afraid their money is no good any +more. If such a happening ever happens then +it will be nice for the people to have some place +to pour their money. Such is the explanation +why you see the aluminum dishpan and galvanized +iron tub.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_51' name='page_51'></a>51</span></p> +<p>“Explain your sign—why is it, ‘I Am Blind +<i>Too</i>.’” +</p> +<p>“Oh, I am sorry to explain to you, Pick Ups, +why this is so which. Some of the people who +pass by here going into the postoffice and coming +out, they have eyes—but they see nothing +with their eyes. They look where they are going +and they get where they wish to get, but +they forget why they came and they do not +know how to come away. They are my blind +brothers. It is for them I have the sign that +reads, ‘I Am Blind <i>Too</i>.’” +</p> +<p>“I have my ears full of explanations and I +thank you,” said Pick Ups. +</p> +<p>“Good-by,” said the Potato Face Blind Man +as he began drawing long breathings like lingering +leaves out of the accordion—along with +the song the mama flummywisters sing when +they button loose the winter underwear of the +baby flummywisters. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_53' name='page_53'></a>53</span> +<img src='images/g022.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='POKER_FACE_THE_BABOON_AND_HOT_DOG_THE_TIGER' id='POKER_FACE_THE_BABOON_AND_HOT_DOG_THE_TIGER'></a> +<h2>Poker Face the Baboon and Hot Dog<br />the Tiger</h2> +</div> + +<p>When the moon has a green rim with red +meat inside and black seeds on the red meat, +then in the Rootabaga Country they call it a +Watermelon Moon and look for anything to +happen. +</p> +<p>It was a night when a Watermelon Moon was +shining. Lizzie Lazarus came to the upstairs +room of the Potato Face Blind Man. Poker +Face the Baboon and Hot Dog the Tiger were +with her. She was leading them with a pink +string. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_54' name='page_54'></a>54</span></p> +<p>“You see they are wearing pajamas,” she +said. “They sleep with you to-night and to-morrow +they go to work with you like mascots.” +</p> +<p>“How like mascots?” asked the Potato Face +Blind Man. +</p> +<p>“They are luck bringers. They keep your +good luck if it is good. They change your bad +luck if it is bad.” +</p> +<p>“I hear you and my ears get your explanations.” +</p> +<p>So the next morning when the Potato Face +Blind Man sat down to play his accordion on +the corner nearest the postoffice in the Village +of Liver-and-Onions, next to him on the right +hand side sitting on the sidewalk was Poker +Face the Baboon and on the left hand side +sitting next to him was Hot Dog the Tiger. +</p> +<p>They looked like dummies—they were so +quiet. They looked as if they were made of +wood and paper and then painted. In the +eyes of Poker Face was something faraway. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_55' name='page_55'></a>55</span> +In the eyes of Hot Dog was something hungry. +Whitson Whimble, the patent clothes wringer +manufacturer, came by in his big limousine +automobile car without horses to pull it. He +was sitting back on the leather upholstered seat +cushions. +</p> +<p>“Stop here,” he commanded the chauffeur +driving the car. +</p> +<p>Then Whitson Whimble sat looking. First +he looked into the eyes of Poker Face the +Baboon and saw something faraway. Then he +looked into the eyes of Hot Dog the Tiger and +saw something hungry. Then he read the sign +painted by the Potato Face Blind Man saying, +“You look at ’em and see ’em; I look at ’em and +I don’t. You watch what their eyes say; I can +only feel their hair.” Then Whitson Whimble +commanded the chauffeur driving the car, “Go +on.” +</p> +<p>Fifteen minutes later a man in overalls came +down Main Street with a wheelbarrow. He +stopped in front of the Potato Face Blind Man, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_56' name='page_56'></a>56</span> +Poker Face the Baboon, and Hot Dog the +Tiger. +</p> +<p>“Where is the aluminum dishpan?” he asked. +</p> +<p>“On my left side on the sidewalk,” answered +the Potato Face Blind Man. +</p> +<p>“Where is the galvanized iron washtub?” +</p> +<p>“On my right side on the sidewalk.” +</p> +<p>Then the man in overalls took a shovel and +began shoveling silver dollars out of the wheelbarrow +into the aluminum dishpan and the galvanized +iron washtub. He shoveled out of the +wheelbarrow till the dishpan was full, till the +washtub was full. Then he put the shovel into +the wheelbarrow and went up Main Street. +</p> +<p>Six o’clock that night Pick Ups came along. +The Potato Face Blind Man said to him, “I +have to carry home a heavy load of money to-night, +an aluminum dishpan full of silver dollars +and a galvanized iron washtub full of silver +dollars. So I ask you, will you take care of +Poker Face the Baboon and Hot Dog the +Tiger?” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_57' name='page_57'></a>57</span></p> +<p>“Yes,” said Pick Ups, “I will.” And he did. +He tied a pink string to their legs and took +them home and put them in the woodshed. +</p> +<p>Poker Face the Baboon went to sleep on the +soft coal at the north end of the woodshed +and when he was asleep his face had something +faraway in it and he was so quiet he looked like +a dummy with brown hair of the jungle painted +on his black skin and a black nose painted on +his brown face. Hot Dog the Tiger went to +sleep on the hard coal at the south end of the +woodshed and when he was asleep his eyelashes +had something hungry in them and he looked +like a painted dummy with black stripes +painted over his yellow belly and a black spot +painted away at the end of his long yellow tail. +</p> +<p>In the morning the woodshed was empty. +Pick Ups told the Potato Face Blind Man, +“They left a note in their own handwriting on +perfumed pink paper. It said, ‘<i>Mascots never +stay long</i>.’” +</p> +<p>And that is why for many years the Potato +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_58' name='page_58'></a>58</span> +Face Blind Man had silver dollars to spend—and +that is why many people in the Rootabaga +Country keep their eyes open for a Watermelon +Moon in the sky with a green rim and red meat +inside and black seeds making spots on the red +meat. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g023.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_59' name='page_59'></a>59</span> +<img src='images/g024.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_TOBOGGANTOTHEMOON_DREAM_OF_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN' id='THE_TOBOGGANTOTHEMOON_DREAM_OF_THE_POTATO_FACE_BLIND_MAN'></a> +<h2>The Toboggan-to-the-Moon Dream of the<br />Potato Face Blind Man</h2> +</div> + +<p>One morning in October the Potato Face +Blind Man sat on the corner nearest the postoffice. +</p> +<p>Any Ice Today came along and said, “This +is the sad time of the year.” +</p> +<p>“Sad?” asked the Potato Face Blind Man, +changing his accordion from his right knee to +his left knee, and singing softly to the tune he +was fumbling on the accordion keys, “Be +Happy in the Morning When the Birds Bring +the Beans.” +</p> +<p>“Yes,” said Any Ice Today, “is it not sad +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_60' name='page_60'></a>60</span> +every year when the leaves change from green +to yellow, when the leaves dry on the branches +and fall into the air, and the wind blows them +and they make a song saying, ‘Hush baby, hush +baby,’ and the wind fills the sky with them and +they are like a sky full of birds who forget they +know any songs.” +</p> +<p>“It is sad and not sad,” was the blind man’s +word. +</p> +<p>“Listen,” said the Potato Face. “For me this +is the time of the year when the dream of the +white moon toboggan comes back. Five weeks +before the first snow flurry this dream always +comes back to me. It says, ‘The black leaves +are falling now and they fill the sky but five +weeks go by and then for every black leaf there +will be a thousand snow crystals shining +white.’” +</p> +<p>“What was your dream of the white moon +toboggan?” asked Any Ice Today. +</p> +<p>“It came to me first when I was a boy, when +I had my eyes, before my luck changed. I saw +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_61' name='page_61'></a>61</span> +the big white spiders of the moon working, +rushing around climbing up, climbing down, +snizzling and sniffering. I looked a long while +before I saw what the big white spiders on the +moon were doing. I saw after a while they +were weaving a long toboggan, a white toboggan, +white and soft as snow. And after a long +while of snizzling and sniffering, climbing up +and climbing down, at last the toboggan was +done, a snow white toboggan running from the +moon down to the Rootabaga Country. +</p> +<p>“And sliding, sliding down from the moon +on this toboggan were the White Gold Boys +and the Blue Silver Girls. They tumbled down +at my feet because, you see, the toboggan ended +right at my feet. I could lean over and pick up +the White Gold Boys and the Blue Silver Girls +as they slid out of the toboggan at my feet. I +could pick up a whole handful of them and +hold them in my hand and talk with them. +Yet, you understand, whenever I tried to shut +my hand and keep any of them they would +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_62' name='page_62'></a>62</span> +snizzle and sniffer and jump out of the cracks +between my fingers. Once there was a little gold +and silver dust on my left hand thumb, dust +they snizzled out while slipping away from me. +</p> +<p>“Once I heard a White Gold Boy and a Blue +Silver Girl whispering. They were standing +on the tip of my right hand little finger, whispering. +One said, ‘I got pumpkins—what did +you get?’ The other said, ‘I got hazel nuts.’ +I listened more and I found out there are millions +of pumpkins and millions of hazel nuts so +small you and I can not see them. These children +from the moon, however, they can see +them and whenever they slide down on the moon +toboggan they take back their pockets full of +things so little we have never seen them.” +</p> +<p>“They are wonderful children,” said Any +Ice Today. “And will you tell me how they get +back to the moon after they slide down the toboggan?” +</p> +<p>“Oh, that is easy,” said Potato Face. “It is +just as easy for them to slide <i>up</i> to the moon +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_63' name='page_63'></a>63</span> +as to slide down. Sliding up and sliding down +is the same for them. The big white spiders +fixed it that way when they snizzled and sniffered +and made the toboggan.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_65' name='page_65'></a>65</span> +<img src='images/g025.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_GIMME_THE_AX_FOUND_OUT_ABOUT_THE_ZIGZAG_RAILROAD_AND_WHO_MADE_IT_ZIGZAG' id='HOW_GIMME_THE_AX_FOUND_OUT_ABOUT_THE_ZIGZAG_RAILROAD_AND_WHO_MADE_IT_ZIGZAG'></a> +<h2>How Gimme the Ax Found Out About<br />the Zigzag Railroad and Who Made<br />It Zigzag</h2> +</div> + +<p>One day Gimme the Ax said to himself, “Today +I go to the postoffice and around, looking +around. Maybe I will hear about something +happening last night when I was sleeping. +Maybe a policeman began laughing and fell +in a cistern and came out with a wheelbarrow +full of goldfish wearing new jewelry. How do +I know? Maybe the man in the moon going +down a cellar stairs to get a pitcher of butter-milk +for the woman in the moon to drink and +stop crying, maybe he fell down the stairs and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_66' name='page_66'></a>66</span> +broke the pitcher and laughed and picked up +the broken pieces and said to himself, ‘One, +two, three, four, accidents happen in the best +regulated families.’ How do I know?” +</p> +<p>So with his mind full of simple and refreshing +thoughts, Gimme the Ax went out into the +backyard garden and looked at the different +necktie poppies growing early in the summer. +Then he picked one of the necktie poppies to +wear for a necktie scarf going downtown to +the postoffice and around looking around. +</p> +<p>“It is a good speculation to look nice around +looking around in a necktie scarf,” said Gimme +the Ax. “It is a necktie with a picture like +whiteface pony spots on a green frog swimming +in the moonshine.” +</p> +<p>So he went downtown. For the first time +he saw the Potato Face Blind Man playing +an accordion on the corner next nearest the +postoffice. He asked the Potato Face to tell +him why the railroad tracks run zigzag in the +Rootabaga Country. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_67' name='page_67'></a>67</span></p> +<p>“Long ago,” said the Potato Face Blind +Man, “long before the necktie poppies began +growing in the backyard, long before there was +a necktie scarf like yours with whiteface pony +spots on a green frog swimming in the moonshine, +back in the old days when they laid the +rails for the railroad they laid the rails +straight.” +</p> +<p>“Then the zizzies came. The zizzy is a bug. +He runs zigzag on zigzag legs, eats zigzag with +zigzag teeth, and spits zigzag with a zigzag +tongue. +</p> +<p>“Millions of zizzies came hizzing with little +hizzers on their heads and under their legs. +They jumped on the rails with their zigzag +legs, and spit and twisted with their zigzag +teeth and tongues till they twisted the whole +railroad and all the rails and tracks into a zigzag +railroad with zigzag rails for the trains, +the passenger trains and the freight trains, all +to run zigzag on. +</p> +<p>“Then the zizzies crept away into the fields +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_68' name='page_68'></a>68</span> +where they sleep and cover themselves with +zigzag blankets on special zigzag beds. +</p> +<p>“Next day came shovelmen with their +shovels, smooth engineers with smooth blue +prints, and water boys with water pails and +water dippers for the shovelmen to drink after +shoveling the railroad straight. And I nearly +forgot to say the steam and hoist operating engineers +came and began their steam hoist and +operating to make the railroad straight. +</p> +<p>“They worked hard. They made the railroad +straight again. They looked at the job and +said to themselves and to each other, ‘This is +it—we done it.’ +</p> +<p>“Next morning the zizzies opened their zigzag +eyes and looked over to the railroad and the +rails. When they saw the railroad all straight +again, and the rails and the ties and the spikes +all straight again, the zizzies didn’t even eat +breakfast that morning. +</p> +<p>“They jumped out of their zigzag beds, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_69' name='page_69'></a>69</span> +jumped onto the rails with their zigzag legs and +spit and twisted till they spit and twisted all +the rails and the ties and the spikes back into +a zigzag like the letter Z and the letter Z +at the end of the alphabet. +</p> +<p>“After that the zizzies went to breakfast. +And they said to themselves and to each other, +the same as the shovelmen, the smooth engineers +and the steam hoist and operating engineers, +‘This is it—we done it.’” +</p> +<p>“So that is the how of the which—it was +the zizzies,” said Gimme the Ax. +</p> +<p>“Yes, it was the zizzies,” said the Potato +Face Blind Man. “That is the story told +to me.” +</p> +<p>“Who told it to you?” +</p> +<p>“<i>Two little zizzies.</i> They came to me one +cold winter night and slept in my accordion +where the music keeps it warm in winter. In +the morning I said, ‘Good morning, zizzies, did +you have a good sleep last night and pleasant +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_70' name='page_70'></a>70</span> +dreams?’ And after they had breakfast they +told me the story. Both told it zigzag but it was +the same kind of zigzag each had together.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g026.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_71' name='page_71'></a>71</span></div> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +3. Three Stories About the + Gold Buckskin Whincher +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Blixie Bimber</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Peter Potato Blossom Wishes</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Jimmie the Flea</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Silas Baxby</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Fritz Axenbax</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>James Sixbixdix</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Jason Squiff, the Cistern Cleaner</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Rags Habakuk, the Rag Man</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Two Daughters of the Rag Man</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Two Blue Rats</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Circus Man With Spot Cash</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Moving Picture Actor</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Taxicab Driver</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_73' name='page_73'></a>73</span> +<img src='images/g027.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_STORY_OF_BLIXIE_BIMBER_AND_THE_POWER_OF_THE_GOLD_BUCKSKIN_WHINCHER' id='THE_STORY_OF_BLIXIE_BIMBER_AND_THE_POWER_OF_THE_GOLD_BUCKSKIN_WHINCHER'></a> +<h2>The Story of Blixie Bimber and the Power<br />of the Gold Buckskin Whincher</h2> +</div> + +<p>Blixie Bimber grew up looking for luck. If +she found a horseshoe she took it home and +put it on the wall of her room with a ribbon tied +to it. She would look at the moon through her +fingers, under her arms, over her right shoulder +but never—never over her <i>left</i> shoulder. She +listened and picked up everything anybody said +about the ground hog and whether the ground +hog saw his shadow when he came out the second +of February. +</p> +<p>If she dreamed of onions she knew the next +day she would find a silver spoon. If she +dreamed of fishes she knew the next day she +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_74' name='page_74'></a>74</span> +would meet a strange man who would call her +by her first name. She grew up looking for +luck. +</p> +<p>She was sixteen years old and quite a girl, +with her skirts down to her shoe tops, when +something happened. She was going to the +postoffice to see if there was a letter for +her from Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, her +best chum, or a letter from Jimmy the Flea, +her best friend she kept steady company with. +</p> +<p>Jimmy the Flea was a climber. He climbed +skyscrapers and flagpoles and smokestacks and +was a famous steeplejack. Blixie Bimber liked +him because he was a steeplejack, a little, but +more because he was a whistler. +</p> +<p>Every time Blixie said to Jimmy, “I got the +blues—whistle the blues out of me,” Jimmy +would just naturally whistle till the blues just +naturally went away from Blixie. +</p> +<p>On the way to the postoffice, Blixie found +a gold buckskin <i>whincher</i>. There it lay in the +middle of the sidewalk. How and why it came +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_75' name='page_75'></a>75</span> +to be there she never knew and nobody ever told +her. “It’s luck,” she said to herself as she +picked it up quick. +</p> +<p>And so—she took it home and fixed it on +a little chain and wore it around her neck. +</p> +<p>She did not know and nobody ever told her +a gold buckskin whincher is different from just +a plain common whincher. It has a <i>power</i>. +And if a thing has a power over you then you +just naturally can’t help yourself. +</p> +<p>So—around her neck fixed on a little chain +Blixie Bimber wore the gold buckskin whincher +and never knew it had a power and all the time +the power was working. +</p> +<p>“The first man you meet with an X in his +name you must fall head over heels in love with +him,” said the silent power in the gold buckskin +whincher. +</p> +<p>And that was why Blixie Bimber stopped +at the postoffice and went back again asking +the clerk at the postoffice window if he was +sure there wasn’t a letter for her. The name +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_76' name='page_76'></a>76</span> +of the clerk was Silas Baxby. For six weeks +he kept steady company with Blixie Bimber. +They went to dances, hayrack rides, picnics and +high jinks together. +</p> +<p>All the time the power in the gold buckskin +whincher was working. It was hanging by a +little chain around her neck and always working. +It was saying, “The next man you meet +with two X’s in his name you must leave all +and fall head over heels in love with him.” +</p> +<p>She met the high school principal. His +name was Fritz Axenbax. Blixie dropped her +eyes before him and threw smiles at him. And +for six weeks he kept steady company with +Blixie Bimber. They went to dances, hayrack +rides, picnics and high jinks together. +</p> +<p>“Why do you go with him for steady company?” +her relatives asked. +</p> +<p>“It’s a power he’s got,” Blixie answered, “I +just can’t help it—it’s a power.” +</p> +<p>“One of his feet is bigger than the other—how +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_77' name='page_77'></a>77</span> +can you keep steady company with him?” +they asked again. +</p> +<p>All she would answer was, “It’s a power.” +</p> +<p>All the time, of course, the gold buckskin +whincher on the little chain around her neck +was working. It was saying, “If she meets a +man with three X’s in his name she must fall +head over heels in love with him.” +</p> +<p>At a band concert in the public square one +night she met James Sixbixdix. There was +no helping it. She dropped her eyes and threw +her smiles at him. And for six weeks they +kept steady company going to band concerts, +dances, hayrack rides, picnics and high jinks +together. +</p> +<p>“Why do you keep steady company with +him? He’s a musical soup eater,” her relatives +said to her. And she answered, “It’s a +power—I can’t help myself.” +</p> +<p>Leaning down with her head in a rain water +cistern one day, listening to the echoes against +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_78' name='page_78'></a>78</span> +the strange wooden walls of the cistern, the gold +buckskin whincher on the little chain around +her neck slipped off and fell down into the rain +water. +</p> +<p>“My luck is gone,” said Blixie. Then she +went into the house and made two telephone +calls. One was to James Sixbixdix telling him +she couldn’t keep the date with him that night. +The other was to Jimmy the Flea, the climber, +the steeplejack. +</p> +<p>“Come on over—I got the blues and I want +you to whistle ’em away,” was what she telephoned +Jimmy the Flea. +</p> +<p>And so—if you ever come across a gold buckskin +whincher, be careful. It’s got a power. +It’ll make you fall head over heels in love with +the next man you meet with an X in his name. +Or it will do other strange things because different +whinchers have different powers. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_79' name='page_79'></a>79</span> +<img src='images/g028.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_STORY_OF_JASON_SQUIFF_AND_WHY_HE_HAD_A_POPCORN_HAT_POPCORN_MITTENS_AND_POPCORN_SHOES' id='THE_STORY_OF_JASON_SQUIFF_AND_WHY_HE_HAD_A_POPCORN_HAT_POPCORN_MITTENS_AND_POPCORN_SHOES'></a> +<h2>The Story of Jason Squiff and Why He<br />Had a Popcorn Hat, Popcorn Mittens<br />and Popcorn Shoes</h2> +</div> + +<p>Jason Squiff was a cistern cleaner. He had +greenish yellowish hair. If you looked down +into a cistern when he was lifting buckets of +slush and mud you could tell where he was, +you could pick him out down in the dark cistern, +by the lights of his greenish yellowish hair. +</p> +<p>Sometimes the buckets of slush and mud +tipped over and ran down on the top of his head. +This covered his greenish yellowish hair. And +then it was hard to tell where he was and it was +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_80' name='page_80'></a>80</span> +not easy to pick him out down in the dark where +he was cleaning the cistern. +</p> +<p>One day Jason Squiff came to the Bimber +house and knocked on the door. +</p> +<p>“Did I understand,” he said, speaking to +Mrs. Bimber, Blixie Bimber’s mother, “do I +understand you sent for me to clean the cistern +in your back yard?” +</p> +<p>“You understand exactly such,” said Mrs. +Bimber, “and you are welcome as the flowers +that bloom in the spring, tra-la-la.” +</p> +<p>“Then I will go to work and clean the cistern, +tra-la-la,” he answered, speaking to Mrs. +Bimber. “I’m the guy, tra-la-la,” he said further, +running his excellent fingers through his +greenish yellowish hair which was shining +brightly. +</p> +<p>He began cleaning the cistern. Blixie Bimber +came out in the back yard. She looked +down in the cistern. It was all dark. It looked +like nothing but all dark down there. By and +by she saw something greenish yellowish. She +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_81' name='page_81'></a>81</span> +watched it. Soon she saw it was Jason Squiff’s +head and hair. And then she knew the cistern +was being cleaned and Jason Squiff was on the +job. So she sang tra-la-la and went back into +the house and told her mother Jason Squiff was +on the job. +</p> +<p>The last bucketful of slush and mud came +at last for Jason Squiff. He squinted at the +bottom. Something was shining. He reached +his fingers down through the slush and mud +and took out what was shining. +</p> +<p>It was the gold buckskin whincher Blixie +Bimber lost from the gold chain around her +neck the week before when she was looking +down into the cistern to see what she could see. +It was exactly the same gold buckskin whincher +shining and glittering like a sign of happiness. +</p> +<p>“It’s luck,” said Jason Squiff, wiping his +fingers on his greenish yellowish hair. Then +he put the gold buckskin whincher in his vest +pocket and spoke to himself again, “It’s luck.” +</p> +<p>A little after six o’clock that night Jason +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_82' name='page_82'></a>82</span> +Squiff stepped into his house and home and said +hello to his wife and daughters. They all began +to laugh. Their laughter was a ticklish +laughter. +</p> +<p>“Something funny is happening,” he said. +</p> +<p>“And you are it,” they all laughed at him +again with ticklish laughter. +</p> +<p>Then they showed him. His hat was popcorn, +his mittens popcorn and his shoes popcorn. +He didn’t know the gold buckskin whincher +had a power and was working all the time. He +didn’t know the whincher in his vest pocket +was saying, “You have a letter Q in your name +and because you have the pleasure and happiness +of having a Q in your name you must have +a popcorn hat, popcorn mittens and popcorn +shoes.” +</p> +<p>The next morning he put on another hat, +another pair of mittens and another pair of +shoes. And the minute he put them on they +changed to popcorn. +</p> +<p>So he tried on all his hats, mittens and shoes. +Always they changed to popcorn the minute he +had them on. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_83' name='page_83'></a>83</span> +<a name='linki_6' id='linki_6'></a> +<img src='images/g005.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +His hat was popcorn, his mittens popcorn and his<br /> +shoes popcorn +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_85' name='page_85'></a>85</span></div> +<p>He went downtown to the stores. He bought +a new hat, mittens and shoes. And the +minute he had them on they changed to popcorn. +</p> +<p>So he decided he would go to work and clean +cisterns with his popcorn hat, popcorn mittens +and popcorn shoes on. +</p> +<p>The people of the Village of Cream Puffs +enjoyed watching him walk up the street, going +to clean cisterns. People five and six blocks +away could see him coming and going with his +popcorn hat, popcorn mittens and popcorn +shoes. +</p> +<p>When he was down in a cistern the children +enjoyed looking down into the cistern to see +him work. When none of the slush and mud +fell on his hat and mittens he was easy to find. +The light of the shining popcorn lit up the +whole inside of the cistern. +</p> +<p>Sometimes, of course, the white popcorn got +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_86' name='page_86'></a>86</span> +full of black slush and black mud. And then +when Jason Squiff came up and walked home +he was not quite so dazzling to look at. +</p> +<p>It was a funny winter for Jason Squiff. +</p> +<p>“It’s a crime, a dirty crime,” he said to himself. +“Now I can never be alone with my +thoughts. Everybody looks at me when I go +up the street.” +</p> +<p>“If I meet a funeral even the pall bearers +begin to laugh at my popcorn hat. If I meet +people going to a wedding they throw all the +rice at me as if I am a bride and a groom all +together. +</p> +<p>“The horses try to eat my hat wherever I go. +Three hats I have fed to horses this winter. +</p> +<p>“And if I accidentally drop one of my mittens +the chickens eat it.” +</p> +<p>Then Jason Squiff began to change. He became +proud. +</p> +<p>“I always wanted a white beautiful hat like +this white popcorn hat,” he said to himself. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_87' name='page_87'></a>87</span> +“And I always wanted white beautiful mittens +and white beautiful shoes like these white popcorn +mittens and shoes.” +</p> +<p>When the boys yelled, “Snow man! yah-de-dah-de-dah, +Snow man!” he just waved his +hand to them with an upward gesture of his +arm to show he was proud of how he looked. +</p> +<p>“They all watch for me,” he said to himself, +“I am distinquished—am I not?” he asked himself. +</p> +<p>And he put his right hand into his left hand +and shook hands with himself and said, “You +certainly look fixed up.” +</p> +<p>One day he decided to throw away his vest. +In the vest pocket was the gold buckskin +whincher, with the power working, the power +saying, “You have a letter Q in your name and +because you have the pleasure and happiness +of having a Q in your name you must have a +popcorn hat, popcorn mittens and popcorn +shoes.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_88' name='page_88'></a>88</span></p> +<p>Yes, he threw away the vest. He forgot all +about the gold buckskin whincher being in the +vest. +</p> +<p>He just handed the vest to a rag man. And +the rag man put the vest with the gold buckskin +whincher in a bag on his back and walked away. +</p> +<p>After that Jason Squiff was like other people. +His hats would never change to popcorn nor his +mittens to popcorn nor his shoes to popcorn. +</p> +<p>And when anybody looked at him down in +a cistern cleaning the cistern or when anybody +saw him walking along the street they knew +him by his greenish yellowish hair which was +always full of bright lights. +</p> +<p>And so—if you have a Q in your name, be +careful if you ever come across a gold buckskin +whincher. Remember different whinchers +have different powers. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_89' name='page_89'></a>89</span> +<img src='images/g029.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_STORY_OF_RAGS_HABAKUK_THE_TWO_BLUE_RATS_AND_THE_CIRCUS_MAN_WHO_CAME_WITH_SPOT_CASH_MONEY' id='THE_STORY_OF_RAGS_HABAKUK_THE_TWO_BLUE_RATS_AND_THE_CIRCUS_MAN_WHO_CAME_WITH_SPOT_CASH_MONEY'></a> +<h2>The Story of Rags Habakuk, the Two<br />Blue Rats, and the Circus Man Who<br />Came with Spot Cash Money</h2> +</div> + +<p>Rags Habakuk was going home. His day’s +work was done. The sun was down. Street +lamps began shining. Burglars were starting +on their night’s work. It was no time for an +honest ragman to be knocking on people’s back +doors, saying, “Any rags?” or else saying, +“Any rags? any bottles? any bones?” or else +saying “Any rags? any bottles? any bones? any +old iron? any copper, brass, old shoes all run +down and no good to anybody to-day? any old +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_90' name='page_90'></a>90</span> +clothes, old coats, pants, vests? I take any old +clothes you got.” +</p> +<p>Yes, Rags Habakuk was going home. In the +gunnysack bag on his back, humped up on top +of the rag humps in the bag, was an old vest. It +was the same old vest Jason Squiff threw out +of a door at Rags Habakuk. In the pocket of +the vest was the gold buckskin whincher with +a power in it. +</p> +<p>Well, Rags Habakuk got home just like always, +sat down to supper and smacked his mouth +and had a big supper of fish, just like always. +Then he went out to a shanty in the back yard +and opened up the gunnysack rag bag and fixed +things out classified just like every day when +he came home he opened the gunnysack bag +and fixed things out classified. +</p> +<p>The last thing of all he fixed out classified +was the vest with the gold buckskin whincher +in the pocket. “Put it on—it’s a glad rag,” +he said, looking at the vest. “It’s a lucky vest.” +So he put his right arm in the right armhole and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_91' name='page_91'></a>91</span> +his left arm in the left armhole. And there he +was with his arms in the armholes of the old +vest all fixed out classified new. +</p> +<p>Next morning Rags Habakuk kissed his +wife g’by and his eighteen year old girl g’by +and his nineteen year old girl g’by. He kissed +them just like he always kissed them—in a +hurry—and as he kissed each one he said, “I +will be back soon if not sooner and when I come +back I will return.” +</p> +<p>Yes, up the street went Rags Habakuk. And +soon as he left home something happened. +Standing on his right shoulder was a blue rat +and standing on his left shoulder was a blue +rat. The only way he knew they were there +was by looking at them. +</p> +<p>There they were, close to his ears. He could +feel the far edge of their whiskers against his +ears. +</p> +<p>“This never happened to me before all the +time I been picking rags,” he said. “Two blue +rats stand by my ears and never say anything +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_92' name='page_92'></a>92</span> +even if they know I am listening to anything +they tell me.” +</p> +<p>So Rags Habakuk walked on two blocks, +three blocks, four blocks, squinting with his +right eye slanting at the blue rat on his right +shoulder and squinting with his left eye slanting +at the blue rat on his left shoulder. +</p> +<p>“If I stood on somebody’s shoulder with my +whiskers right up in somebody’s ear I would +say something for somebody to listen to,” he +muttered. +</p> +<p>Of course, he did not understand it was the +gold buckskin whincher and the power working. +Down in the pocket of the vest he had +on, the gold buckskin whincher power was +saying, “Because you have two K’s in your +name you must have two blue rats on your +shoulders, one blue rat for your right ear, one +blue rat for your left ear.” +</p> +<p>It was good business. Never before did +Rags Habakuk get so much old rags. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_93' name='page_93'></a>93</span></p> +<p>“Come again—you and your lucky blue +rats,” people said to him. They dug into their +cellars and garrets and brought him bottles and +bones and copper and brass and old shoes and +old clothes, coats, pants, vests. +</p> +<p>Every morning when he went up the street +with the two blue rats on his shoulders, blinking +their eyes straight ahead and chewing their +whiskers so they sometimes tickled the ears of +old Rags Habakuk, sometimes women came +running out on the front porch to look at him +and say, “Well, if he isn’t a queer old mysterious +ragman and if those ain’t queer old mysterious +blue rats!” +</p> +<p>All the time the gold buckskin whincher and +the power was working. It was saying, “So +long as old Rags Habakuk keeps the two blue +rats he shall have good luck—but if he ever +sells one of the blue rats then one of his daughters +shall marry a taxicab driver—and if he +ever sells the other blue rat then his other +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_94' name='page_94'></a>94</span> +daughter shall marry a moving-picture hero +actor.” +</p> +<p>Then terrible things happened. A circus +man came. “I give you one thousand dollars +spot cash money for one of the blue rats,” he +expostulated with his mouth. “And I give you +two thousand dollars spot cash money for the +two of the blue rats both of them together.” +</p> +<p>“Show me how much spot cash money two +thousand dollars is all counted out in one pile +for one man to carry away home in his gunnysack +rag bag,” was the answer of Rags Habakuk. +</p> +<p>The circus man went to the bank and came +back with spot cash greenbacks money. +</p> +<p>“This spot cash greenbacks money is made +from the finest silk rags printed by the national +government for the national republic to make +business rich and prosperous,” said the circus +man, expostulating with his mouth. +</p> +<p>“T-h-e f-i-n-e-s-t s-i-l-k r-a-g-s,” he expostulated +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_95' name='page_95'></a>95</span> +again holding two fingers under the +nose of Rags Habakuk. +</p> +<p>“I take it,” said Rags Habakuk, “I take it. +It is a whole gunnysack bag full of spot cash +greenbacks money. I tell my wife it is printed +by the national government for the national republic +to make business rich and prosperous.” +</p> +<p>Then he kissed the blue rats, one on the +right ear, the other on the left ear, and handed +them over to the circus man. +</p> +<p>And that was why the next month his eighteen +year old daughter married a taxicab driver +who was so polite all the time to his customers +that he never had time to be polite to his wife. +</p> +<p>And that was why his nineteen year old +daughter married a moving-picture hero actor +who worked so hard being nice and kind in the +moving pictures that he never had enough left +over for his wife when he got home after the +day’s work. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_96' name='page_96'></a>96</span></p> +<p>And the lucky vest with the gold buckskin +whincher was stolen from Rags Habakuk by +the taxicab driver. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g030.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_97' name='page_97'></a>97</span></div> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +4. Four Stories About the Deep + Doom of Dark Doorways +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Rag Doll</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Broom Handle</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Spoon Lickers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Chocolate Chins</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Dirty Bibs</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Tin Pan Bangers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Clean Ears</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Easy Ticklers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Musical Soup Eaters</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Chubby Chubs</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Sleepy Heads</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Snoo Foo</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Blink, Swink and Jink</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Blunk, Swunk and Junk</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Missus Sniggers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Eeta Peeca Pie</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Meeny Miney</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Miney Mo</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Potato Bug Millionaire</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Bimbo the Snip</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Bevo the Hike</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Ward Alderman</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Barn Boss</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Weather Man</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Traffic Policeman</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Monkey</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Widow Woman</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>An Umbrella Handle Maker</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_99' name='page_99'></a>99</span> +<img src='images/g031.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_WEDDING_PROCESSION_OF_THE_RAG_DOLL_AND_THE_BROOM_HANDLE_AND_WHO_WAS_IN_IT' id='THE_WEDDING_PROCESSION_OF_THE_RAG_DOLL_AND_THE_BROOM_HANDLE_AND_WHO_WAS_IN_IT'></a> +<h2>The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll<br />and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It</h2> +</div> + +<p>The Rag Doll had many friends. The +Whisk Broom, the Furnace Shovel, the Coffee +Pot, they all liked the Rag Doll very much. +</p> +<p>But when the Rag Doll married, it was the +Broom Handle she picked because the Broom +Handle fixed her eyes. +</p> +<p>A proud child, proud but careless, banged the +head of the Rag Doll against a door one day +and knocked off both the glass eyes sewed on +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_100' name='page_100'></a>100</span> +long ago. It was then the Broom Handle found +two black California prunes, and fastened the +two California prunes just where the eyes belonged. +So then the Rag Doll had two fine +black eyes brand new. She was even nicknamed +Black Eyes by some people. +</p> +<p>There was a wedding when the Rag Doll +married the Broom Handle. It was a grand +wedding with one of the grandest processions +ever seen at a rag doll wedding. And we are +sure no broom handle ever had a grander wedding +procession when he got married. +</p> +<p>Who marched in the procession? Well, first +came the Spoon Lickers. Every one of them +had a tea spoon, or a soup spoon, though most +of them had a big table spoon. On the spoons, +what did they have? Oh, some had butter +scotch, some had gravy, some had marshmallow +fudge. Every one had something slickery sweet +or fat to eat on the spoon. And as they marched +in the wedding procession of the Rag Doll and +the Broom Handle, they licked their spoons and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_101' name='page_101'></a>101</span> +looked around and licked their spoons again. +</p> +<p>Next came the Tin Pan Bangers. Some had +dishpans, some had frying pans, some had potato +peeling pans. All the pans were tin with +tight tin bottoms. And the Tin Pan Bangers +banged with knives and forks and iron and +wooden bangers on the bottoms of the tin pans. +And as they marched in the wedding procession +of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle they +banged their pans and looked around and +banged again. +</p> +<p>Then came the Chocolate Chins. They were +all eating chocolates. And the chocolate was +slippery and slickered all over their chins. +Some of them spattered the ends of their noses +with black chocolate. Some of them spread +the brown chocolate nearly up to their ears. +And then as they marched in the wedding procession +of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle +they stuck their chins in the air and looked +around and stuck their chins in the air again. +</p> +<p>Then came the Dirty Bibs. They wore plain +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_102' name='page_102'></a>102</span> +white bibs, checker bibs, stripe bibs, blue bibs +and bibs with butterflies. But all the bibs were +dirty. The plain white bibs were dirty, the +checker bibs were dirty, the stripe bibs, the blue +bibs and the bibs with butterflies on them, they +were all dirty. And so in the wedding procession +of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle, +the Dirty Bibs marched with their dirty fingers +on the bibs and they looked around and laughed +and looked around and laughed again. +</p> +<p>Next came the Clean Ears. They were +proud. How they got into the procession nobody +knows. Their ears were all clean. They +were clean not only on the outside but they +were clean on the inside. There was not a +speck of dirt or dust or muss or mess on the +inside nor the outside of their ears. And so +in the wedding procession of the Rag Doll +and the Broom Handle, they wiggled their ears +and looked around and wiggled their ears again. +</p> +<p>The Easy Ticklers were next in the procession. +Their faces were shining. Their cheeks +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_103' name='page_103'></a>103</span> +were like bars of new soap. Their ribs were +strong and the meat and the fat was thick on +their ribs. It was plain to see they were saying, +“Don’t tickle me because I tickle so easy.” +And as they marched in the wedding procession +of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle, they +tickled themselves and laughed and looked +around and tickled themselves again. +</p> +<p>The music was furnished mostly by the +Musical Soup Eaters. They marched with big +bowls of soup in front of them and big spoons +for eating the soup. They whistled and +chuzzled and snozzled the soup and the noise +they made could be heard far up at the head +of the procession where the Spoon Lickers were +marching. So they dipped their soup and +looked around and dipped their soup again. +</p> +<p>The Chubby Chubs were next. They were +roly poly, round faced smackers and snoozers. +They were not fat babies—oh no, oh no—not +fat but just chubby and easy to squeeze. They +marched on their chubby legs and chubby feet +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_104' name='page_104'></a>104</span> +and chubbed their chubbs and looked around +and chubbed their chubbs again. +</p> +<p>The last of all in the wedding procession of +the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle were the +Sleepyheads. They were smiling and glad to +be marching but their heads were slimpsing +down and their smiles were half fading away +and their eyes were half shut or a little more +than half shut. They staggered just a little +as though their feet were not sure where they +were going. They were the Sleepyheads, the +last of all, in the wedding procession of the +Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and the +Sleepyheads they never looked around at all. +</p> +<p>It <i>was</i> a grand procession, don’t you think +so? +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g032.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_105' name='page_105'></a>105</span> +<img src='images/g033.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THE_HAT_ASHES_SHOVEL_HELPED_SNOO_FOO' id='HOW_THE_HAT_ASHES_SHOVEL_HELPED_SNOO_FOO'></a> +<h2>How the Hat Ashes Shovel Helped Snoo<br />Foo</h2> +</div> + +<p>If you want to remember the names of all +six of the Sniggers children, remember that +the three biggest were named Blink, Swink and +Jink but the three littlest ones were named +Blunk, Swunk and Junk. One day last January +the three biggest had a fuss with the three littlest. +The fuss was about a new hat for Snoo +Foo, the snow man, about what kind of a hat +he should wear and how he should wear it. +Blink, Swink and Jink said, “He wants a +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_106' name='page_106'></a>106</span> +crooked hat put on straight.” Blunk, Swunk +and Junk said, “He wants a straight hat put +on crooked.” They fussed and fussed. Blink +fussed with Blunk, Swink fussed with Swunk, +and Jink fussed with Junk. The first ones to +make up after the fuss were Jink and Junk. +They decided the best way to settle the fuss. +“Let’s put a crooked hat on crooked,” said Jink. +“No, let’s put a straight hat on straight,” said +Junk. Then they stood looking and looking +into each other’s shiny laughing eyes and then +both of them exploded to each other at the same +time, “Let’s put on two hats, a crooked hat +crooked and a straight hat straight.” +</p> +<p>Well, they looked around for hats. But +there were not any hats anywhere, that is, no +hats big enough for a snow man with a big head +like Snoo Foo. So they went in the house and +asked their mother for <i>the hat ashes shovel</i>. +Of course, in most any other house, the mother +would be all worried if six children came +tramping and clomping in, banging the door +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_107' name='page_107'></a>107</span> +and all six ejaculating to their mother at once, +“Where is the hat ashes shovel?” But Missus +Sniggers wasn’t worried at all. She rubbed her +chin with her finger and said softly, “Oh lah +de dah, oh lah de dah, where is that hat ashes +shovel, last week I had it when I was making +a hat for Mister Sniggers; I remember I had +that hat ashes shovel right up here over the +clock, oh lah de dah, oh lah de dah. Go out and +ring the front door bell,” she said to Jink Sniggers. +Jink ran away to the front door. And +Missus Sniggers and the five children waited. +Bling-bling the bell began ringing and—listen—the +door of the clock opened and the hat ashes +shovel fell out. “Oh lah de dah, get out of +here in a hurry,” said Missus Sniggers. +</p> +<p>Well, the children ran out and dug a big pail +of hat ashes with the hat ashes shovel. And +they made two hats for Snoo Foo. One was a +crooked hat. The other was a straight hat. +And they put the crooked hat on crooked and +the straight hat on straight. And there stood +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_108' name='page_108'></a>108</span> +Snoo Foo in the front yard and everybody who +came by on the street, he would take off his +hat to them, the crooked hat with his arm +crooked and the straight hat with his arm +straight. That was the end of the fuss between +the Sniggers children and it was Jink, the littlest +one of the biggest, and Junk, the littlest one +of the littlest, who settled the fuss by looking +clean into each other’s eyes and laughing. If +you ever get into a fuss try this way of settling +it. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_109' name='page_109'></a>109</span> +<img src='images/g034.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THREE_BOYS_WITH_JUGS_OF_MOLASSES_AND_SECRET_AMBITIONS' id='THREE_BOYS_WITH_JUGS_OF_MOLASSES_AND_SECRET_AMBITIONS'></a> +<h2>Three Boys With Jugs of Molasses and<br />Secret Ambitions</h2> +</div> + +<p>In the Village of Liver-and-Onions, if <i>one</i> +boy goes to the grocery for a jug of molasses +it is just like always. And if <i>two</i> boys go to +the grocery for a jug of molasses together it +is just like always. But if <i>three</i> boys go to the +grocery for a jug of molasses each and all together +then it is not like always at all, at all. +</p> +<p>Eeta Peeca Pie grew up with wishes and +wishes working inside him. And for every +wish inside him he had a freckle outside on his +face. Whenever he smiled the smile ran way +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_110' name='page_110'></a>110</span> +back into the far side of his face and got lost +in the wishing freckles. +</p> +<p>Meeny Miney grew up with suspicions and +suspicions working inside him. And after a +while some of the suspicions got fastened on +his eyes and some of the suspicions got fastened +on his mouth. So when he looked at +other people straight in the face they used +to say, “Meeny Miney looks so sad-like I wonder +if he’ll get by.” +</p> +<p>Miney Mo was different. He wasn’t sad-like +and suspicious like Meeny Miney. Nor +was he full of wishes inside and freckles outside +like Eeta Peeca Pie. He was all mixed up +inside with wishes and suspicions. So he had +a few freckles and a few suspicions on his face. +When he looked other people straight in the +face they used to say, “I don’t know whether +to laugh or cry.” +</p> +<p>So here we have ’em, three boys growing up +with wishes, suspicions and mixed-up wishes +and suspicions. They all looked different from +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_111' name='page_111'></a>111</span> +each other. Each one, however, had a secret +ambition. And all three had the same secret +ambition. +</p> +<p>An ambition is a little creeper that creeps +and creeps in your heart night and day, singing +a little song, “Come and find me, come and +find me.” +</p> +<p>The secret ambition in the heart of Eeta +Peeca Pie, Meeney Miney, and Miney Mo was +an ambition to go railroading, to ride on railroad +cars night and day, year after year. The +whistles and the wheels of railroad trains were +music to them. +</p> +<p>Whenever the secret ambition crept in their +hearts and made them too sad, so sad it was +hard to live and stand for it, they would all +three put their hands on each other’s shoulder +and sing the song of Joe. The chorus was like +this: +</p> +<table summary='poetry' style='margin:0 auto'><tr><td> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>Joe, Joe, broke his toe,</p> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>On the way to Mexico.</p> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>Came back, broke his back,</p> +<p style='margin: 0 0 0 0em;'>Sliding on the railroad track.</p> +</td></tr></table> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_112' name='page_112'></a>112</span></div> +<p>One fine summer morning all three mothers +of all three boys gave each one a jug and said, +“Go to the grocery and get a jug of molasses.” +All three got to the grocery at the same time. +And all three went out of the door of the grocery +together, each with a jug of molasses together +and each with his secret ambition creeping +around in his heart, all three together. +</p> +<p>Two blocks from the grocery they stopped +under a slippery elm tree. Eeta Peeca Pie was +stretching his neck looking straight up into the +slippery elm tree. He said it was always good +for his freckles and it helped his wishes to stand +under a slippery elm and look up. +</p> +<p>While he was looking up his left hand let go +the jug handle of the jug of molasses. And the +jug went ka-flump, ka-flumpety-flump down on +the stone sidewalk, cracked to pieces and let +the molasses go running out over the sidewalk. +</p> +<p>If you have never seen it, let me tell you molasses +running out of a broken jug, over a stone +sidewalk under a slippery elm tree, looks peculiar +and mysterious. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_113' name='page_113'></a>113</span> +<a name='linki_7' id='linki_7'></a> +<img src='images/g006.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +They stepped into the molasses with their bare feet +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_115' name='page_115'></a>115</span></div> +<p>Eeta Peeca Pie stepped into the molasses with +his bare feet. “It’s a lotta fun,” he said. “It +tickles all over.” So Meeney Miney and Miney +Mo both stepped into the molasses with their +bare feet. +</p> +<p>Then what happened just happened. One +got littler. Another got littler. All three got +littler. +</p> +<p>“You look to me only big as a potato bug,” +said Eeta Peeca Pie to Meeney Miney and +Miney Mo. “It’s the same like you look to us,” +said Meeney Miney and Miney Mo to Eeta +Peeca Pie. And then because their secret ambition +began to hurt them they all stood with +hands on each other’s shoulders and sang the +Mexico Joe song. +</p> +<p>Off the sidewalk they strolled, across a field +of grass. They passed many houses of spiders +and ants. In front of one house they saw Mrs. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_116' name='page_116'></a>116</span> +Spider over a tub washing clothes for Mr. +Spider. +</p> +<p>“Why do you wear that frying pan on your +head?” they asked her. +</p> +<p>“In this country all ladies wear the frying +pan on their head when they want a hat.” +</p> +<p>“But what if you want a hat when you are +frying with the frying pan?” asked Eeta Peeca +Pie. +</p> +<p>“That never happens to any respectable lady +in this country.” +</p> +<p>“Don’t you never have no new style hats?” +asked Meeney Miney. +</p> +<p>“No, but we always have new style frying +pans every spring and fall.” +</p> +<p>Hidden in the roots of a pink grass clump, +they came to a city of twisted-nose spiders. On +the main street was a store with a show window +full of pink parasols. They walked in and said +to the clerk, “We want to buy parasols.” +</p> +<p>“We don’t sell parasols here,” said the spider +clerk. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_117' name='page_117'></a>117</span></p> +<p>“Well, lend us a parasol apiece,” said all +three. +</p> +<p>“Gladly, most gladly,” said the clerk. +</p> +<p>“How do you do it?” asked Eeta. +</p> +<p>“I don’t have to,” answered the spider clerk. +</p> +<p>“How did it begin?” +</p> +<p>“It never was otherwise.” +</p> +<p>“Don’t you never get tired?” +</p> +<p>“Every parasol is a joy.” +</p> +<p>“What do you do when the parasols are +gone?” +</p> +<p>“They always come back. These are the +famous twisted-nose parasols made from the +famous pink grass. You will lose them all, +all three. Then they will all walk back to me +here in this store on main street. I can not sell +you something I know you will surely lose. +Neither can I ask you to pay, for something +you will forget, somewhere sometime, and +when you forget it, it will walk back here to +me again. Look—look!” +</p> +<p>As he said “Look,” the door opened and five +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_118' name='page_118'></a>118</span> +pink parasols came waltzing in and waltzed up +into the show window. +</p> +<p>“They always come back. Everybody forgets. +Take your parasols and go. You will +forget them and they will come back to me.” +</p> +<p>“He looks like he had wishes inside him,” +said Eeta Peeca Pie. +</p> +<p>“He looks like he had suspicions,” said +Meeney Miney. +</p> +<p>“He looks like he was all mixed up wishes +and suspicions,” said Miney Mo. +</p> +<p>And once more because they all felt lonesome +and their secret ambitions were creeping +and eating, they put their hands on their shoulders +and sang the Mexico Joe song. +</p> +<p>Then came happiness. They entered the +Potato Bug Country. And they had luck first +of all the first hour they were in the Potato +Bug Country. They met a Potato Bug millionaire. +</p> +<p>“How are you a millionaire?” they asked +him. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_119' name='page_119'></a>119</span></p> +<p>“Because I got a million,” he answered. +</p> +<p>“A million what?” +</p> +<p>“A million <i>fleems</i>.” +</p> +<p>“Who wants fleems?” +</p> +<p>“You want fleems if you’re going to live +here.” +</p> +<p>“Why so?” +</p> +<p>“Because fleems is our money. In the Potato +Bug Country, if you got no fleems you can’t +buy nothing nor anything. But if you got a +million fleems you’re a Potato Bug millionaire.” +</p> +<p>Then he surprised them. +</p> +<p>“I like you because you got wishes and +freckles,” he said to Eeta Peeca Pie, filling +the pockets of Eeta with fleems. +</p> +<p>“And I like you because you got suspicions +and you’re sad-like,” he said to Meeney Miney +filling Meeney Miney’s pockets full of fleems. +</p> +<p>“And I like you because you got some wishes +and some suspicions and you look mixed up,” he +said to Miney Mo, sticking handfuls and handfuls +of fleems into the pockets of Miney Mo. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_120' name='page_120'></a>120</span></p> +<p>Wishes do come true. And suspicions do +come true. Here they had been wishing all +their lives, and had suspicions of what was going +to happen, and now it all came true. +</p> +<p>With their pockets filled with fleems they +rode on all the railroad trains of the Potato +Bug Country. They went to the railroad stations +and bought tickets for the fast trains and +the slow trains and even the trains that back +up and run backward instead of where they +start to go. +</p> +<p>On the dining cars of the railroads of the +Potato Bug Country they ate wonder ham from +the famous Potato Bug Pigs, eggs from the Potato +Bug Hens, et cetera. +</p> +<p>It seemed to them they stayed a long while +in the Potato Bug Country, years and years. +Yes, the time came when all their fleems were +gone. Then whenever they wanted a railroad +ride or something to eat or a place to sleep, they +put their hands on each other’s shoulders and +sang the Mexico Joe song. In the Potato Bug +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_121' name='page_121'></a>121</span> +Country they all said the Mexico Joe song was +wonderful. +</p> +<p>One morning while they were waiting to +take an express train on the Early Ohio & +Southwestern they sat near the roots of a big +potato plant under the big green leaves. And +far above them they saw a dim black cloud and +they heard a shaking and a rustling and a spattering. +They did not know it was a man of +the Village of Liver-and-Onions. They did +not know it was Mr. Sniggers putting paris +green on the potato plants. +</p> +<p>A big drop of paris green spattered down and +fell onto the heads and shoulders of all three, +Eeta Peeca Pie, Meeny Miney and Miney Mo. +</p> +<p>Then what happened just happened. They +got bigger and bigger—one, two, three. And +when they jumped up and ran out of the potato +rows, Mr. Sniggers thought they were boys +playing tricks. +</p> +<p>When they got home to their mothers and +told all about the jug of molasses breaking on +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_122' name='page_122'></a>122</span> +the stone sidewalk under the slippery elm tree, +their mothers said it was careless. The boys +said it was lucky because it helped them get +their secret ambitions. +</p> +<p>And a secret ambition is a little creeper that +creeps and creeps in your heart night and day, +singing a little song, “Come and find me, come +and find me.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g035.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_123' name='page_123'></a>123</span> +<img src='images/g036.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_BIMBO_THE_SNIPS_THUMB_STUCK_TO_HIS_NOSE_WHEN_THE_WIND_CHANGED' id='HOW_BIMBO_THE_SNIPS_THUMB_STUCK_TO_HIS_NOSE_WHEN_THE_WIND_CHANGED'></a> +<h2>How Bimbo the Snip’s Thumb Stuck to<br />His Nose When the Wind Changed</h2> +</div> + +<p>Once there was a boy in the Village of Liver-and-Onions +whose name was Bimbo the Snip. +He forgot nearly everything his father and +mother told him to do and told him not to do. +</p> +<p>One day his father, Bevo the Hike, came +home and found Bimbo the Snip sitting on the +front steps with his thumb fastened to his nose +and the fingers wiggling. +</p> +<p>“I can’t take my thumb away,” said Bimbo +the Snip, “because when I put my thumb to my +nose and wiggled my fingers at the iceman the +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_124' name='page_124'></a>124</span> +wind changed. And just like mother always +said, if the wind changed the thumb would stay +fastened to my nose and not come off.” +</p> +<p>Bevo the Hike took hold of the thumb and +pulled. He tied a clothes line rope around it +and pulled. He pushed with his foot and heel +against it. And all the time the thumb stuck +fast and the fingers wiggled from the end of +the nose of Bimbo the Snip. +</p> +<p>Bevo the Hike sent for the ward alderman. +The ward alderman sent for the barn boss of +the street cleaning department. The barn boss +of the street cleaning department sent for the +head vaccinator of the vaccination bureau of the +health department. The head vaccinator of the +vaccination bureau of the health department +sent for the big main fixer of the weather bureau +where they understand the tricks of the +wind and the wind changing. +</p> +<p>And the big main fixer of the weather bureau +said, “If you hit the thumb six times with +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_125' name='page_125'></a>125</span> +the end of a traffic policeman’s club, the thumb +will come loose.” +</p> +<p>So Bevo the Hike went to a traffic policeman +standing on a street corner with a whistle +telling the wagons and cars which way to +go. +</p> +<p>He told the traffic policeman, “The wind +changed and Bimbo the Snip’s thumb is fastened +to his nose and will not come loose till +it is hit six times with the end of a traffic policeman’s +club.” +</p> +<p>“I can’t help you unless you find a monkey +to take my place standing on the corner telling +the wagons and cars which way to go,” +answered the traffic policeman. +</p> +<p>So Bevo the Hike went to the zoo and said +to a monkey, “The wind changed and Bimbo +the Snip’s thumb is fastened to his nose and will +not come loose till it is hit with the end of a +traffic policeman’s club six times and the traffic +policeman cannot leave his place on the street +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_126' name='page_126'></a>126</span> +corner telling the traffic which way to go unless +a monkey comes and takes his place.” +</p> +<p>The monkey answered, “Get me a ladder +with a whistle so I can climb up and whistle +and tell the traffic which way to go.” +</p> +<p>So Bevo the Hike hunted and hunted over +the city and looked and looked and asked and +asked till his feet and his eyes and his head and +his heart were tired from top to bottom. +</p> +<p>Then he met an old widow woman whose +husband had been killed in a sewer explosion +when he was digging sewer ditches. And the +old woman was carrying a bundle of picked-up +kindling wood in a bag on her back because she +did not have money enough to buy coal. +</p> +<p>Bevo the Hike told her, “You have troubles. +So have I. You are carrying a load on your +back people can see. I am carrying a load and +nobody sees it.” +</p> +<p>“Tell me your troubles,” said the old widow +woman. He told her. And she said, “In the +next block is an old umbrella handle maker. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_127' name='page_127'></a>127</span> +He has a ladder with a whistle. He climbs on +the ladder when he makes long long umbrella +handles. And he has the whistle on the ladder +to be whistling.” +</p> +<p>Bevo the Hike went to the next block, found +the house of the umbrella handle maker and +said to him, “The wind changed and Bimbo +the Snip’s thumb is fastened to his nose and +will not come loose till it is hit with the end +of a traffic policeman’s club six times and the +traffic policeman cannot leave the corner where +he is telling the traffic which way to go unless +a monkey takes his place and the monkey cannot +take his place unless he has a ladder with +a whistle to stand on and whistle the wagons +and cars which way to go.” +</p> +<p>Then the umbrella handle maker said, “To-night +I have a special job because I must work +on a long, long umbrella handle and I will need +the ladder to climb up and the whistle to be +whistling. But if you promise to have the ladder +back by to-night you can take it.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_128' name='page_128'></a>128</span></p> +<p>Bevo the Hike promised. Then he took the +ladder with a whistle to the monkey, the monkey +took the place of the traffic policeman while +the traffic policeman went to the home of Bevo +the Hike where Bimbo the Snip was sitting on +the front steps with his thumb fastened to his +nose wiggling his fingers at everybody passing +by on the street. +</p> +<p>The traffic policeman hit Bimbo the Snip’s +thumb five times with the club. And the +thumb stuck fast. But the sixth time it was +hit with the end of the traffic policeman’s thumb +club, it came loose. +</p> +<p>Then Bevo thanked the policeman, thanked +the monkey, and took the ladder with the +whistle back to the umbrella handle maker’s +house and thanked him. +</p> +<p>When Bevo the Hike got home that night +Bimbo the Snip was in bed and all tickled. He +said to his father, “I will be careful how I stick +my thumb to my nose and wiggle my fingers +the next time the wind changes.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_129' name='page_129'></a>129</span> +<a name='linki_8' id='linki_8'></a> +<img src='images/g007.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +The monkey took the place of the traffic policeman +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_130' name='page_130'></a>130</span></div> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +5. Three Stories About Three + Ways the Wind Went Winding +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Two Skyscrapers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Northwest Wind</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Golden Spike Limited Train</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Tin Brass Goat</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Tin Brass Goose</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Newsies</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Young Leather</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Red Slippers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Man to be Hanged</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Five Jackrabbits</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Wooden Indian</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Shaghorn Buffalo</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Night Policeman</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_133' name='page_133'></a>133</span> +<img src='images/g037.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_TWO_SKYSCRAPERS_WHO_DECIDED_TO_HAVE_A_CHILD' id='THE_TWO_SKYSCRAPERS_WHO_DECIDED_TO_HAVE_A_CHILD'></a> +<h2>The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to<br />Have a Child</h2> +</div> + +<p>Two skyscrapers stood across the street from +each other in the Village of Liver-and-Onions. +In the daylight when the streets poured full +of people buying and selling, these two skyscrapers +talked with each other the same as +mountains talk. +</p> +<p>In the night time when all the people buying +and selling were gone home and there were only +policemen and taxicab drivers on the streets, in +the night when a mist crept up the streets and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_134' name='page_134'></a>134</span> +threw a purple and gray wrapper over everything, +in the night when the stars and the sky +shook out sheets of purple and gray mist down +over the town, then the two skyscrapers leaned +toward each other and whispered. +</p> +<p>Whether they whispered secrets to each other +or whether they whispered simple things that +you and I know and everybody knows, that is +their secret. One thing is sure: they often were +seen leaning toward each other and whispering +in the night the same as mountains lean and +whisper in the night. +</p> +<p>High on the roof of one of the skyscrapers +was a tin brass goat looking out across prairies, +and silver blue lakes shining like blue porcelain +breakfast plates, and out across silver snakes +of winding rivers in the morning sun. And +high on the roof of the other skyscraper was a +tin brass goose looking out across prairies, and +silver blue lakes shining like blue porcelain +breakfast plates, and out across silver snakes +of winding rivers in the morning sun. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_135' name='page_135'></a>135</span></p> +<p>Now the Northwest Wind was a friend of +the two skyscrapers. Coming so far, coming +five hundred miles in a few hours, coming so +fast always while the skyscrapers were standing +still, standing always on the same old street +corners always, the Northwest Wind was a +bringer of news. +</p> +<p>“Well, I see the city is here yet,” the Northwest +Wind would whistle to the skyscrapers. +</p> +<p>And they would answer, “Yes, and are the +mountains standing yet way out yonder where +you come from, Wind?” +</p> +<p>“Yes, the mountains are there yonder, and +farther yonder is the sea, and the railroads are +still going, still running across the prairie to +the mountains, to the sea,” the Northwest Wind +would answer. +</p> +<p>And now there was a pledge made by the +Northwest Wind to the two skyscrapers. Often +the Northwest Wind shook the tin brass goat +and shook the tin brass goose on top of the skyscrapers. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_136' name='page_136'></a>136</span></p> +<p>“Are you going to blow loose the tin brass +goat on my roof?” one asked. +</p> +<p>“Are you going to blow loose the tin brass +goose on my roof?” the other asked. +</p> +<p>“Oh, no,” the Northwest Wind laughed, first +to one and then to the other, “if I ever blow +loose your tin brass goat and if I ever blow +loose your tin brass goose, it will be when I am +sorry for you because you are up against hard +luck and there is somebody’s funeral.” +</p> +<p>So time passed on and the two skyscrapers +stood with their feet among the policemen and +the taxicabs, the people buying and selling,—the +customers with parcels, packages and +bundles—while away high on their roofs stood +the goat and the goose looking out on silver blue +lakes like blue porcelain breakfast plates and +silver snakes of rivers winding in the morning +sun. +</p> +<p>So time passed on and the Northwest Wind +kept coming, telling the news and making +promises. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_137' name='page_137'></a>137</span></p> +<p>So time passed on. And the two skyscrapers +decided to have a child. +</p> +<p>And they decided when their child came +it should be a <i>free</i> child. +</p> +<p>“It must be a free child,” they said to each +other. “It must not be a child standing still +all its life on a street corner. Yes, if we have +a child she must be free to run across the prairie, +to the mountains, to the sea. Yes, it must be +a free child.” +</p> +<p>So time passed on. Their child came. It +was a railroad train, the Golden Spike Limited, +the fastest long distance train in the Rootabaga +Country. It ran across the prairie, to the +mountains, to the sea. +</p> +<p>They were glad, the two skyscrapers were, +glad to have a free child running away from +the big city, far away to the mountains, far +away to the sea, running as far as the farthest +mountains and sea coasts touched by the Northwest +Wind. +</p> +<p>They were glad their child was useful, the +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_138' name='page_138'></a>138</span> +two skyscrapers were, glad their child was carrying +a thousand people a thousand miles a +day, so when people spoke of the Golden Spike +Limited, they spoke of it as a strong, lovely +child. +</p> +<p>Then time passed on. There came a day +when the newsies yelled as though they were +crazy. “Yah yah, blah blah, yoh yoh,” was +what it sounded like to the two skyscrapers who +never bothered much about what the newsies +were yelling. +</p> +<p>“Yah yah, blah blah, yoh yoh,” was the cry +of the newsies that came up again to the tops +of the skyscrapers. +</p> +<p>At last the yelling of the newsies came so +strong the skyscrapers listened and heard the +newsies yammering, “All about the great train +wreck! All about the Golden Spike disaster! +Many lives lost! Many lives lost!” +</p> +<p>And the Northwest Wind came howling a +slow sad song. And late that afternoon a crowd +of policemen, taxicab drivers, newsies and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_139' name='page_139'></a>139</span> +customers with bundles, all stood around talking +and wondering about two things next to each +other on the street car track in the middle of the +street. One was a tin brass goat. The other +was a tin brass goose. And they lay next to each +other. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_141' name='page_141'></a>141</span> +<img src='images/g038.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_DOLLAR_WATCH_AND_THE_FIVE_JACK_RABBITS' id='THE_DOLLAR_WATCH_AND_THE_FIVE_JACK_RABBITS'></a> +<h2>The Dollar Watch and the Five Jack<br />Rabbits</h2> +</div> + +<p>Long ago, long before the waylacks lost the +wonderful stripes of oat straw gold and the +spots of timothy hay green in their marvelous +curving tail feathers, long before the doo-doo-jangers +whistled among the honeysuckle blossoms +and the bitter-basters cried their last and +dying wrangling cries, long before the sad happenings +that came later, it was then, some years +earlier than the year Fifty Fifty, that Young +Leather and Red Slippers crossed the Rootabaga +Country. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_142' name='page_142'></a>142</span></p> +<p>To begin with, they were walking across the +Rootabaga Country. And they were walking +because it made their feet glad to feel the dirt +of the earth under their shoes and they were +close to the smells of the earth. They learned +the ways of birds and bugs, why birds have +wings, why bugs have legs, why the gladdywhingers +have spotted eggs in a basket nest in a +booblow tree, and why the chizzywhizzies +scrape off little fiddle songs all summer long +while the summer nights last. +</p> +<p>Early one morning they were walking across +the corn belt of the Rootabaga Country singing, +“Deep Down Among the Dagger Dancers.” +They had just had a breakfast of coffee and hot +hankypank cakes covered with cow’s butter. +Young Leather said to Red Slippers, “What +is the best secret we have come across this summer?” +</p> +<p>“That is easy to answer,” Red Slippers said +with a long flish of her long black eyelashes. +“The best secret we have come across is a rope +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_143' name='page_143'></a>143</span> +of gold hanging from every star in the sky and +when we want to go up we go up.” +</p> +<p>Walking on they came to a town where they +met a man with a sorry face. “Why?” they +asked him. And he answered, “My brother is +in jail.” +</p> +<p>“What for?” they asked him again. And he +answered again, “My brother put on a straw +hat in the middle of the winter and went out +on the streets laughing; my brother had his +hair cut pompompadour and went out on the +streets bareheaded in the summertime laughing; +and these things were against the law. Worst +of all he sneezed at the wrong time and he +sneezed before the wrong persons; he sneezed +when it was not wise to sneeze. So he will be +hanged to-morrow morning. The gallows +made of lumber and the rope made of hemp—they +are waiting for him to-morrow morning. +They will tie around his neck the hangman’s +necktie and hoist him high.” +</p> +<p>The man with a sorry face looked more sorry +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_144' name='page_144'></a>144</span> +than ever. It made Young Leather feel reckless +and it made Red Slippers feel reckless. +They whispered to each other. Then Young +Leather said, “Take this dollar watch. Give +it to your brother. Tell him when they are +leading him to the gallows he must take +this dollar watch in his hand, wind it up and +push on the stem winder. The rest will be +easy.” +</p> +<p>So the next morning when they were leading +the man to be hanged to the gallows made of +lumber and the rope made of hemp, where they +were going to hoist him high because he sneezed +in the wrong place before the wrong people, he +used his fingers winding up the watch and pushing +on the stem winder. There was a snapping +and a slatching like a gas engine slipping into +a big pair of dragon fly wings. The dollar +watch changed into a dragon fly ship. The +man who was going to be hanged jumped into +the dragon fly ship and flew whonging away +before anybody could stop him. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_145' name='page_145'></a>145</span></p> +<p>Young Leather and Red Slippers were walking +out of the town laughing and singing again, +“Deep Down Among the Dagger Dancers.” +The man with a sorry face, not so sorry now any +more, came running after them. Behind the +man and running after him were five long-legged +spider jack-rabbits. +</p> +<p>“These are for you,” was his exclamation. +And they all sat down on the stump of a booblow +tree. He opened his sorry face and told +the secrets of the five long-legged spider jack-rabbits +to Young Leather and Red Slippers. +They waved good-by and went on up the road +leading the five new jack-rabbits. +</p> +<p>In the next town they came to was a skyscraper +higher than all the other skyscrapers. +A rich man dying wanted to be remembered and +left in his last will and testament a command +they should build a building so high it would +scrape the thunder clouds and stand higher than +all other skyscrapers with his name carved in +stone letters on the top of it, and an electric sign +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_146' name='page_146'></a>146</span> +at night with his name on it, and a clock on the +tower with his name on it. +</p> +<p>“I am hungry to be remembered and have +my name spoken by many people after I am +dead,” the rich man told his friends. “I command +you, therefore, to throw the building +high in the air because the higher it goes the +longer I will be remembered and the longer +the years men will mention my name after +I am dead.” +</p> +<p>So there it was. Young Leather and Red +Slippers laughed when they first saw the skyscraper, +when they were far off along a country +road singing their old song, “Deep Down +Among the Dagger Dancers.” +</p> +<p>“We got a show and we give a performance +and we want the whole town to see it,” was +what Young Leather and Red Slippers said to +the mayor of the town when they called on him +at the city hall. “We want a license and a permit +to give this free show in the public square.” +</p> +<p>“What do you do?” asked the mayor. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_147' name='page_147'></a>147</span></p> +<p>“We jump five jack-rabbits, five long-legged +spider jack-rabbits over the highest skyscraper +you got in your city,” they answered him. +</p> +<p>“If it’s free and you don’t sell anything nor +take any money away from us while it is daylight +and you are giving your performance, +then here is your license permit,” said the mayor +speaking in the manner of a politician who has +studied politics. +</p> +<p>Thousands of people came to see the show on +the public square. They wished to know how +it would look to see five long-legged, spider +jack-rabbits jump over the highest skyscraper +in the city. +</p> +<p>Four of the jack-rabbits had stripes. The +fifth had stripes—and spots. Before they +started the show Young Leather and Red Slippers +held the jack-rabbits one by one in their +arms and petted them, rubbed the feet and +rubbed the long ears and ran their fingers along +the long legs of the jumpers. +</p> +<p>“Zingo,” they yelled to the first jack-rabbit. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_148' name='page_148'></a>148</span> +He got all ready. “And now zingo!” they +yelled again. And the jack-rabbit took a run, +lifted off his feet and went on and on and up +and up till he went over the roof of the skyscraper +and then went down and down till +he lit on his feet and came running on his long +legs back to the public square where he started +from, back where Young Leather and Red +Slippers petted him and rubbed his long ears +and said, “That’s the boy.” +</p> +<p>Then three jack-rabbits made the jump over +the skyscraper. “Zingo,” they heard and got +ready. “And now zingo,” they heard and all +three together in a row, their long ears touching +each other, they lifted off their feet and +went on and on and up and up till they cleared +the roof of the skyscraper. Then they came +down and down till they lit on their feet and +came running to the hands of Young Leather +and Red Slippers to have their long legs and +their long ears rubbed and petted. +</p> +<p>Then came the turn of the fifth jack-rabbit, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_149' name='page_149'></a>149</span> +the beautiful one with stripes and spots. “Ah, +we’re sorry to see you go, Ah-h, we’re sorry,” +they said, rubbing his long ears and feeling of +his long legs. +</p> +<p>Then Young Leather and Red Slippers +kissed him on the nose, kissed the last and fifth +of the five long-legged spider jack-rabbits. +</p> +<p>“Good-by, old bunny, good-by, you’re the +dandiest bunny there ever was,” they whispered +in his long ears. And he, because he knew what +they were saying and why they were saying +it, he wiggled his long ears and looked long +and steady at them from his deep eyes. +</p> +<p>“Zango,” they yelled. He got ready. +“And now zango!” they yelled again. And +the fifth jack-rabbit with his stripes and spots +lifted off his feet and went on and on and on +and up and up and when he came to the roof +of the skyscraper he kept on going on and on +and up and up till after a while he was gone +all the way out of sight. +</p> +<p>They waited and watched, they watched +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_150' name='page_150'></a>150</span> +and waited. He never came back. He never +was heard of again. He was gone. With the +stripes on his back and the spots on his hair, +he was gone. And Young Leather and Red +Slippers said they were glad they had kissed him +on the nose before he went away on a long trip +far off, so far off he never came back. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g039.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_151' name='page_151'></a>151</span> +<img src='images/g040.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_WOODEN_INDIAN_AND_THE_SHAGHORN_BUFFALO' id='THE_WOODEN_INDIAN_AND_THE_SHAGHORN_BUFFALO'></a> +<h2>The Wooden Indian and the Shaghorn<br />Buffalo</h2> +</div> + +<p>One night a milk white moon was shining +down on Main Street. The sidewalks and the +stones, the walls and the windows all stood out +milk white. And there was a thin blue mist +drifted and shifted like a woman’s veil up and +down Main Street, up to the moon and back +again. Yes, all Main Street was a mist blue +and a milk white, mixed up and soft all over +and all through. +</p> +<p>It was past midnight. The Wooden Indian +in front of the cigar store stepped down off +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_152' name='page_152'></a>152</span> +his stand. The Shaghorn Buffalo in front of +the haberdasher shop lifted his head and shook +his whiskers, raised his hoofs out of his hoof-tracks. +</p> +<p>Then—this is what happened. They moved +straight toward each other. In the middle of +Main Street they met. The Wooden Indian +jumped straddle of the Shaghorn Buffalo. +And the Shaghorn Buffalo put his head down +and ran like a prairie wind straight west on +Main Street. +</p> +<p>At the high hill over the big bend of the +Clear Green River they stopped. They stood +looking. Drifting and shifting like a woman’s +blue veil, the blue mist filled the valley and the +milk white moon filled the valley. And the +mist and the moon touched with a lingering, +wistful kiss the clear green water of the Clear +Green River. +</p> +<p>So they stood looking, the Wooden Indian +with his copper face and wooden feathers, and +the Shaghorn Buffalo with his big head and +heavy shoulders slumping down close to the +ground. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_153' name='page_153'></a>153</span> +<a name='linki_9' id='linki_9'></a> +<img src='images/g008.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +So they stood looking +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_155' name='page_155'></a>155</span></div> +<p>And after they had looked a long while, and +each of them got an eyeful of the high hill, +the big bend and the moon mist on the river +all blue and white and soft, after they had +looked a long while, they turned around and +the Shaghorn Buffalo put his head down and +ran like a prairie wind down Main Street till +he was exactly in front of the cigar store and +the haberdasher shop. Then whisk! both of +them were right back like they were before, +standing still, taking whatever comes. +</p> +<p>This is the story as it came from the night +policeman of the Village of Cream Puffs. He +told the people the next day, “I was sitting on +the steps of the cigar store last night watching +for burglars. And when I saw the Wooden +Indian step down and the Shaghorn Buffalo +step out, and the two of them go down Main +Street like the wind, I says to myself, marvelish, +’tis marvelish, ’tis marvelish.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_156' name='page_156'></a>156</span></p> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +6. Four Stories About + Dear, Dear Eyes +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The White Horse Girl</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Blue Wind Boy</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Gray Man on Horseback</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Six Girls With Balloons</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Henry Hagglyhoagly</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Susan Slackentwist</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Two Wool Yarn Mittens</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Peter Potato Blossom Wishes</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Her Father</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Many Shoes</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Slippers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Slipper Moon</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_159' name='page_159'></a>159</span> +<img src='images/g041.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='THE_WHITE_HORSE_GIRL_AND_THE_BLUE_WIND_BOY' id='THE_WHITE_HORSE_GIRL_AND_THE_BLUE_WIND_BOY'></a> +<h2>The White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind<br />Boy</h2> +</div> + +<p>When the dishes are washed at night time +and the cool of the evening has come in summer +or the lamps and fires are lit for the night +in winter, then the fathers and mothers in the +Rootabaga Country sometimes tell the young +people the story of the White Horse Girl and +the Blue Wind Boy. +</p> +<p>The White Horse Girl grew up far in the +west of the Rootabaga Country. All the years +she grew up as a girl she liked to ride horses. +Best of all things for her was to be straddle +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_160' name='page_160'></a>160</span> +of a white horse loping with a loose bridle +among the hills and along the rivers of the west +Rootabaga Country. +</p> +<p>She rode one horse white as snow, another +horse white as new washed sheep wool, and another +white as silver. And she could not tell +because she did not know which of these three +white horses she liked best. +</p> +<p>“Snow is beautiful enough for me any time,” +she said, “new washed sheep wool, or silver +out of a ribbon of the new moon, any or either +is white enough for me. I like the white +manes, the white flanks, the white noses, the +white feet of all my ponies. I like the forelocks +hanging down between the white ears of +all three—my ponies.” +</p> +<p>And living neighbor to the White Horse +Girl in the same prairie country, with the same +black crows flying over their places, was the +Blue Wind Boy. All the years he grew up as +a boy he liked to walk with his feet in the dirt +and the grass listening to the winds. Best of +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_161' name='page_161'></a>161</span> +all things for him was to put on strong shoes +and go hiking among the hills and along the +rivers of the west Rootabaga Country, listening +to the winds. +</p> +<p>There was a blue wind of day time, starting +sometimes six o’clock on a summer morning or +eight o’clock on a winter morning. And there +was a night wind with blue of summer stars +in summer and blue of winter stars in winter. +And there was yet another, a blue wind of the +times between night and day, a blue dawn and +evening wind. All three of these winds he +liked so well he could not say which he liked +best. +</p> +<p>“The early morning wind is strong as the +prairie and whatever I tell it I know it believes +and remembers,” he said, “and the night wind +with the big dark curves of the night sky in it, +the night wind gets inside of me and understands +all my secrets. And the blue wind of the +times between, in the dusk when it is neither +night nor day, this is the wind that asks me +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_162' name='page_162'></a>162</span> +questions and tells me to wait and it will bring +me whatever I want.” +</p> +<p>Of course, it happened as it had to happen, +the White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy +met. She, straddling one of her white horses, +and he, wearing his strong hiking shoes in the +dirt and the grass, it had to happen they should +meet among the hills and along the rivers of +the west Rootabaga Country where they lived +neighbors. +</p> +<p>And of course, she told him all about the +snow white horse and the horse white as new +washed sheep wool and the horse white as a +silver ribbon of the new moon. And he told +her all about the blue winds he liked listening +to, the early morning wind, the night sky wind, +and the wind of the dusk between, the wind +that asked him questions and told him to wait. +</p> +<p>One day the two of them were gone. On +the same day of the week the White Horse Girl +and the Blue Wind Boy went away. And their +fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_163' name='page_163'></a>163</span> +and uncles and aunts wondered about them and +talked about them, because they didn’t tell anybody +beforehand they were going. Nobody at +all knew beforehand or afterward why they +were going away, the real honest why of it. +</p> +<p>They left a short letter. It read: +</p> +<div class='blockquot'> +<p><i>To All Our Sweethearts, Old Folks and Young +Folks:</i> +</p> +<p><i>We have started to go where the white horses +come from and where the blue winds begin. Keep +a corner in your hearts for us while we are gone.</i> +</p> +</div> +<div class='ra'> +<p style='text-align: right; '><i>The White Horse Girl.</i></p> +<p style='text-align: right; '><i>The Blue Wind Boy.</i></p> +</div> + +<p>That was all they had to guess by in the west +Rootabaga Country, to guess and guess where +two darlings had gone. +</p> +<p>Many years passed. One day there came riding +across the Rootabaga Country a Gray Man +on Horseback. He looked like he had come a +long ways. So they asked him the question +they always asked of any rider who looked like +he had come a long ways, “Did you ever see the +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_164' name='page_164'></a>164</span> +White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy?” +</p> +<p>“Yes,” he answered, “I saw them. +</p> +<p>“It was a long, long ways from here I saw +them,” he went on, “it would take years and +years to ride to where they are. They were +sitting together and talking to each other, sometimes +singing, in a place where the land runs +high and tough rocks reach up. And they were +looking out across water, blue water as far as +the eye could see. And away far off the blue +waters met the blue sky. +</p> +<p>“‘Look!’ said the Boy, ‘that’s where the +blue winds begin.’ +</p> +<p>“And far out on the blue waters, just a little +this side of where the blue winds begin, there +were white manes, white flanks, white noses, +white galloping feet. +</p> +<p>“‘Look!’ said the Girl, ‘that’s where the +white horses come from.’ +</p> +<p>“And then nearer to the land came thousands +in an hour, millions in a day, white horses, some +white as snow, some like new washed sheep +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_165' name='page_165'></a>165</span> +wool, some white as silver ribbons of the new +moon. +</p> +<p>“I asked them, ‘Whose place is this?’ They +answered, ‘It belongs to us; this is what we +started for; this is where the white horses come +from; this is where the blue winds begin.’” +</p> +<p>And that was all the Gray Man on Horseback +would tell the people of the west Rootabaga +Country. That was all he knew, he said, +and if there was any more he would tell it. +</p> +<p>And the fathers and mothers and sisters and +brothers and uncles and aunts of the White +Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy wondered +and talked often about whether the Gray Man +on Horseback made up the story out of his head +or whether it happened just like he told it. +</p> +<p>Anyhow this is the story they tell sometimes +to the young people of the west Rootabaga +Country when the dishes are washed at night +and the cool of the evening has come in summer +or the lamps and fires are lit for the night in +winter. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_167' name='page_167'></a>167</span> +<img src='images/g042.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='WHAT_SIX_GIRLS_WITH_BALLOONS_TOLD_THE_GRAY_MAN_ON_HORSEBACK' id='WHAT_SIX_GIRLS_WITH_BALLOONS_TOLD_THE_GRAY_MAN_ON_HORSEBACK'></a> +<h2>What Six Girls with Balloons Told the<br />Gray Man on Horseback</h2> +</div> + +<p>Once there came riding across the Rootabaga +Country a Gray Man on Horseback. He +looked as if he had come a long ways. He +looked like a brother to the same Gray Man on +Horseback who said he had seen the White +Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy. +</p> +<p>He stopped in the Village of Cream Puffs. +His gray face was sad and his eyes were gray +deep and sad. He spoke short and seemed +strong. Sometimes his eyes looked as if they +were going to flash, but instead of fire they +filled with shadows. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_168' name='page_168'></a>168</span></p> +<p>Yet—he did laugh once. It did happen once +he lifted his head and face to the sky and let +loose a long ripple of laughs. +</p> +<p>On Main Street near the Roundhouse of the +Big Spool, where they wind up the string that +pulls the light little town back when the wind +blows it away, there he was riding slow on his +gray horse when he met six girls with six fine +braids of yellow hair and six balloons apiece. +That is, each and every one of the six girls had +six fine long braids of yellow hair and each +braid of hair had a balloon tied on the end. A +little blue wind was blowing and the many +balloons tied to the braids of the six girls swung +up and down and slow and fast whenever the +blue wind went up and down and slow and fast. +</p> +<p>For the first time since he had been in the +Village, the eyes of the Gray Man filled with +lights and his face began to look hopeful. He +stopped his horse when he came even with the +six girls and the balloons floating from the +braids of yellow hair. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_169' name='page_169'></a>169</span></p> +<p>“Where you going?” he asked. +</p> +<p>“Who—hoo-hoo? Who—who—who?” the +six girls cheeped out. +</p> +<p>“All six of you and your balloons, where you +going?” +</p> +<p>“Oh, hoo-hoo-hoo, back where we came +from,” and they all turned their heads back and +forth and sideways, which of course turned all +the balloons back and forth and sideways because +the balloons were fastened to the fine +braids of hair which were fastened to their +heads. +</p> +<p>“And where do you go when you get back +where you came from?” he asked just to be +asking. +</p> +<p>“Oh, hoo-hoo-hoo, then we start out and go +straight ahead and see what we can see,” they +all answered just to be answering and they +dipped their heads and swung them up which +of course dipped all the balloons and swung +them up. +</p> +<p>So they talked, he asking just to be asking +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_170' name='page_170'></a>170</span> +and the six balloon girls answering just to be +answering. +</p> +<p>At last his sad mouth broke into a smile and +his eyes were lit like a morning sun coming +up over harvest fields. And he said to them, +“Tell me why are balloons—that is what I want +you to tell me—why are balloons?” +</p> +<p>The first little girl put her thumb under +her chin, looked up at her six balloons floating +in the little blue wind over her head, and said: +“Balloons are wishes. The wind made them. +The west wind makes the red balloons. The +south wind makes the blue. The yellow and +green balloons come from the east wind and the +north wind.” +</p> +<p>The second little girl put her first finger next +to her nose, looked up at her six balloons dipping +up and down like hill flowers in a small +wind, and said: +</p> +<p>“A balloon used to be a flower. It got tired. +Then it changed itself to a balloon. I listened +one time to a yellow balloon. It was talking +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_171' name='page_171'></a>171</span> +to itself like people talk. It said, ‘I used to be +a yellow pumpkin flower stuck down close to the +ground, now I am a yellow balloon high up in +the air where nobody can walk on me and I can +see everything.’” +</p> +<p>The third little girl held both of her ears like +she was afraid they would wiggle while she +slid with a skip, turned quick, and looking up at +her balloons, spoke these words: +</p> +<p>“A balloon is foam. It comes the same as +soap bubbles come. A long time ago it used +to be sliding along on water, river water, ocean +water, waterfall water, falling and falling +over a rocky waterfall, any water you want. +The wind saw the bubble and picked it up and +carried it away, telling it, ‘Now you’re a balloon—come +along and see the world.’” +</p> +<p>The fourth little girl jumped straight into +the air so all six of her balloons made a jump +like they were going to get loose and go to the +sky—and when the little girl came down from +her jump and was standing on her two feet +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_172' name='page_172'></a>172</span> +with her head turned looking up at the six balloons, +she spoke the shortest answer of all, saying: +</p> +<p>“Balloons are to make us look up. They help +our necks.” +</p> +<p>The fifth little girl stood first on one foot, +then another, bent her head down to her knees +and looked at her toes, then swinging straight +up and looking at the flying spotted yellow and +red and green balloons, she said: +</p> +<p>“Balloons come from orchards. Look for +trees where half is oranges and half is orange +balloons. Look for apple trees where half is +red pippins and half is red pippin balloons. +Look for watermelons too. A long green balloon +with white and yellow belly stripes is a +ghost. It came from a watermelon said good-by.” +</p> +<p>The sixth girl, the last one, kicked the heel +of her left foot with the toe of her right foot, +put her thumbs under her ears and wiggled all +her fingers, then stopped all her kicking and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_173' name='page_173'></a>173</span> +wiggling, and stood looking up at her balloons +all quiet because the wind had gone down—and +she murmured like she was thinking to herself: +</p> +<p>“Balloons come from fire chasers. Every +balloon has a fire chaser chasing it. All the +fire chasers are made terrible quick and when +they come they burn quick, so the balloon is +made light so it can run away terrible quick. +Balloons slip away from fire. If they don’t +they can’t be balloons. Running away from +fire keeps them light.” +</p> +<p>All the time he listened to the six girls the +face of the Gray Man kept getting more hopeful. +His eyes lit up. Twice he smiled. And +after he said good-by and rode up the street, +he lifted his head and face to the sky and let +loose a long ripple of laughs. +</p> +<p>He kept looking back when he left the Village +and the last thing he saw was the six girls +each with six balloons fastened to the six braids +of yellow hair hanging down their backs. +</p> +<p>The sixth little girl kicked the heel of her +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_174' name='page_174'></a>174</span> +left foot with the toe of her right foot and +said, “He is a nice man. I think he must be +our uncle. If he comes again we shall all ask +him to tell us where he thinks balloons come +from.” +</p> +<p>And the other five girls all answered, “Yes,” +or “Yes, yes,” or “Yes, yes, yes,” real fast like +a balloon with a fire chaser after it. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_175' name='page_175'></a>175</span> +<img src='images/g043.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_HENRY_HAGGLYHOAGLY_PLAYED_THE_GUITAR_WITH_HIS_MITTENS_ON' id='HOW_HENRY_HAGGLYHOAGLY_PLAYED_THE_GUITAR_WITH_HIS_MITTENS_ON'></a> +<h2>How Henry Hagglyhoagly Played the<br />Guitar with His Mittens On</h2> +</div> + +<p>Sometimes in January the sky comes down +close if we walk on a country road, and turn +our faces up to look at the sky. +</p> +<p>Sometimes on that kind of a January night +the stars look like numbers, look like the arithmetic +writing of a girl going to school and just +beginning arithmetic. +</p> +<p>It was this kind of a night Henry Hagglyhoagly +was walking down a country road on +his way to the home of Susan Slackentwist, the +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_176' name='page_176'></a>176</span> +daughter of the rutabaga king near the Village +of Liver-and-Onions. When Henry +Hagglyhoagly turned his face up to look at the +sky it seemed to him as though the sky came +down close to his nose, and there was a writing +in stars as though some girl had been doing +arithmetic examples, writing number 4 and +number 7 and 4 and 7 over and over again +across the sky. +</p> +<p>“Why is it so bitter cold weather?” Henry +Hagglyhoagly asked himself, “if I say many +bitter bitters it is not so bitter as the cold wind +and the cold weather.” +</p> +<p>“You are good, mittens, keeping my fingers +warm,” he said every once in a while to the wool +yarn mittens on his hands. +</p> +<p>The wind came tearing along and put its +chilly, icy, clammy clamps on the nose of Henry +Hagglyhoagly, fastening the clamps like a nipping, +gripping clothes pin on his nose. He put +his wool yarn mittens up on his nose and rubbed +till the wind took off the chilly, icy, clammy +clamps. His nose was warm again; he said, +“Thank you, mittens, for keeping my nose +warm.” +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_177' name='page_177'></a>177</span> +<a name='linki_10' id='linki_10'></a> +<img src='images/g009.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +It seemed to him as though the sky came down close<br /> +to his nose +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_179' name='page_179'></a>179</span></div> +<p>He spoke to his wool yarn mittens as though +they were two kittens or pups, or two little cub +bears, or two little Idaho ponies. “You’re my +chums keeping me company,” he said to the +mittens. +</p> +<p>“Do you know what we got here under our +left elbow?” he said to the mittens, “I shall +mention to you what is here under my left +elbow. +</p> +<p>“It ain’t a mandolin, it ain’t a mouth organ +nor an accordion nor a concertina nor a fiddle. +It is a guitar, a Spanish Spinnish Splishy guitar +made special. +</p> +<p>“Yes, mittens, they said a strong young man +like me ought to have a piano because a piano +is handy to play for everybody in the house and +a piano is handy to put a hat and overcoat on or +books or flowers. +</p> +<p>“I snizzled at ’em, mittens. I told ’em I +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_180' name='page_180'></a>180</span> +seen a Spanish Spinnish Splishy guitar made +special in a hardware store window for eight +dollars and a half. +</p> +<p>“And so, mittens—are you listening, mittens?—after +cornhusking was all husked and +the oats thrashing all thrashed and the rutabaga +digging all dug, I took eight dollars and a half +in my inside vest pocket and I went to the hardware +store. +</p> +<p>“I put my thumbs in my vest pocket and I +wiggled my fingers like a man when he is proud +of what he is going to have if he gets it. And +I said to the head clerk in the hardware store, +‘Sir, the article I desire to purchase this evening +as one of your high class customers, the article +I desire to have after I buy it for myself, is the +article there in the window, sir, the Spanish +Spinnish Splishy guitar.’ +</p> +<p>“And, mittens, if you are listening, I am taking +this Spanish Spinnish Splishy guitar to go +to the home of Susan Slackentwist, the daughter +of the rutabaga king near the Village of +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_181' name='page_181'></a>181</span> +Liver-and-Onions, to sing a serenade song.” +</p> +<p>The cold wind of the bitter cold weather +blew and blew, trying to blow the guitar out +from under the left elbow of Henry Hagglyhoagly. +And the worse the wind blew the +tighter he held his elbow holding the guitar +where he wanted it. +</p> +<p>He walked on and on with his long legs +stepping long steps till at last he stopped, held +his nose in the air, and sniffed. +</p> +<p>“Do I sniff something or do I not?” he asked, +lifting his wool yarn mittens to his nose and +rubbing his nose till it was warm. Again he +sniffed. +</p> +<p>“Ah hah, yeah, yeah, this is the big rutabaga +field near the home of the rutabaga king and +the home of his daughter, Susan Slackentwist.” +</p> +<p>At last he came to the house, stood under the +window and slung the guitar around in front of +him to play the music to go with the song. +</p> +<p>“And now,” he asked his mittens, “shall I +take you off or keep you on? If I take you off +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_182' name='page_182'></a>182</span> +the cold wind of the bitter cold weather will +freeze my hands so stiff and bitter cold my +fingers will be too stiff to play the guitar. <i>I +will play with mittens on.</i>” +</p> +<p>Which he did. He stood under the window +of Susan Slackentwist and played the guitar +with his mittens on, the warm wool yarn mittens +he called his chums. It was the first time +any strong young man going to see his sweetheart +ever played the guitar with his mittens +on when it was a bitter night with a cold wind +and cold weather. +</p> +<p>Susan Slackentwist opened her window and +threw him a snow-bird feather to keep for a +keepsake to remember her by. And for years +afterward many a sweetheart in the Rootabaga +Country told her lover, “If you wish to marry +me let me hear you under my window on a +winter night playing the guitar with wool yarn +mittens on.” +</p> +<p>And when Henry Hagglyhoagly walked +home on his long legs stepping long steps, he +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_183' name='page_183'></a>183</span> +said to his mittens, “This Spanish Spinnish +Splishy guitar made special will bring us luck.” +And when he turned his face up, the sky came +down close and he could see stars fixed like +numbers and the arithmetic writing of a girl +going to school learning to write number 4 and +number 7 and 4 and 7 over and over. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g044.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_185' name='page_185'></a>185</span> +<img src='images/g045.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='NEVER_KICK_A_SLIPPER_AT_THE_MOON' id='NEVER_KICK_A_SLIPPER_AT_THE_MOON'></a> +<h2>Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon</h2> +</div> + +<p>When a girl is growing up in the Rootabaga +Country she learns some things to do, some +things <i>not</i> to do. +</p> +<p>“Never kick a slipper at the moon if it is +the time for the Dancing Slipper Moon when +the slim early moon looks like the toe and the +heel of a dancer’s foot,” was the advice Mr. +Wishes, the father of Peter Potato Blossom +Wishes, gave to his daughter. +</p> +<p>“Why?” she asked him. +</p> +<p>“Because your slipper will go straight up, on +and on to the moon, and fasten itself on the +moon as if the moon is a foot ready for dancing,” +said Mr. Wishes. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_186' name='page_186'></a>186</span></p> +<p>“A long time ago there was one night when +a secret word was passed around to all the shoes +standing in the bedrooms and closets. +</p> +<p>“The whisper of the secret was: ‘To-night +all the shoes and the slippers and the boots of +the world are going walking without any feet +in them. To-night when those who put us on +their feet in the daytime, are sleeping in their +beds, we all get up and walk and go walking +where we walk in the daytime.’ +</p> +<p>“And in the middle of the night, when the +people in the beds were sleeping, the shoes and +the slippers and the boots everywhere walked +out of the bedrooms and the closets. Along the +sidewalks on the streets, up and down stairways, +along hallways, the shoes and slippers and the +boots tramped and marched and stumbled. +</p> +<p>“Some walked pussyfoot, sliding easy and +soft just like people in the daytime. Some +walked clumping and clumping, coming down +heavy on the heels and slow on the toes, just +like people in the daytime. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_187' name='page_187'></a>187</span></p> +<p>“Some turned their toes in and walked +pigeon-toe, some spread their toes out and held +their heels in, just like people in the daytime. +Some ran glad and fast, some lagged slow and +sorry. +</p> +<p>“Now there was a little girl in the Village +of Cream Puffs who came home from a dance +that night. And she was tired from dancing +round dances and square dances, one steps and +two steps, toe dances and toe and heel dances, +dances close up and dances far apart, she was +so tired she took off only one slipper, tumbled +onto her bed and went to sleep with one slipper +on. +</p> +<p>“She woke up in the morning when it was +yet dark. And she went to the window and +looked up in the sky and saw a Dancing Slipper +Moon dancing far and high in the deep blue sea +of the moon sky. +</p> +<p>“‘Oh—what a moon—what a dancing slipper +of a moon!’ she cried with a little song to +herself. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_188' name='page_188'></a>188</span></p> +<p>“She opened the window, saying again, ‘Oh! +what a moon!’—and kicked her foot with the +slipper on it straight toward the moon. +</p> +<p>“The slipper flew off and flew up and went +on and on and up and up in the moonshine. +</p> +<p>“It never came back, that slipper. It was +never seen again. When they asked the girl +about it she said, ‘It slipped off my foot and +went up and up and the last I saw of it the slipper +was going on straight to the moon.’” +</p> +<p>And these are the explanations why fathers +and mothers in the Rootabaga Country say to +their girls growing up, “Never kick a slipper +at the moon if it is the time of the Dancing +Slipper Moon when the ends of the moon look +like the toe and the heel of a dancer’s foot.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_189' name='page_189'></a>189</span></p> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +7. One Story--"Only the + Fire-Born Understand Blue" +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Fire the Goat</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Flim the Goose</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Shadows</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_191' name='page_191'></a>191</span> +<img src='images/g046.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='SAND_FLAT_SHADOWS' id='SAND_FLAT_SHADOWS'></a> +<h2>Sand Flat Shadows</h2> +</div> + +<p>Fire the Goat and Flim the Goose slept out. +Stub pines stood over them. And away up next +over the stub pines were stars. +</p> +<p>It was a white sand flat they slept on. The +floor of the sand flat ran straight to the Big +Lake of the Booming Rollers. +</p> +<p>And just over the sand flat and just over the +booming rollers was a high room where the +mist people were making pictures. Gray pictures, +blue and sometimes a little gold, and often +silver, were the pictures. +</p> +<p>And next just over the high room where the +mist people were making pictures, next just +over were the stars. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_192' name='page_192'></a>192</span></p> +<p>Over everything and always last and highest +of all, were the stars. +</p> +<p>Fire the Goat took off his horns. Flim the +Goose took off his wings. “This is where we +sleep,” they said to each other, “here in the +stub pines on the sand flats next to the booming +rollers and high over everything and always +last and highest of all, the stars.” +</p> +<p>Fire the Goat laid his horns under his head. +Flim the Goose laid his wings under his head. +“This is the best place for what you want to +keep,” they said to each other. Then they +crossed their fingers for luck and lay down and +went to sleep and slept. And while they slept +the mist people went on making pictures. +Gray pictures, blue and sometimes a little gold +but more often silver, such were the pictures +the mist people went on making while Fire the +Goat and Flim the Goose went on sleeping. +And over everything and always last and highest +of all, were the stars. +</p> +<p>They woke up. Fire the Goat took his horns +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_193' name='page_193'></a>193</span> +out and put them on. “It’s morning now,” he +said. +</p> +<p>Flim the Goose took his wings out and put +them on. “It’s another day now,” he said. +</p> +<p>Then they sat looking. Away off where the +sun was coming up, inching and pushing up far +across the rim curve of the Big Lake of the +Booming Rollers, along the whole line of the +east sky, there were people and animals, all +black or all so gray they were near black. +</p> +<p>There was a big horse with his mouth open, +ears laid back, front legs thrown in two curves +like harvest sickles. +</p> +<p>There was a camel with two humps, moving +slow and grand like he had all the time of all +the years of all the world to go in. +</p> +<p>There was an elephant without any head, +with six short legs. There were many cows. +There was a man with a club over his shoulder +and a woman with a bundle on the back of her +neck. +</p> +<p>And they marched on. They were going +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_194' name='page_194'></a>194</span> +nowhere, it seemed. And they were going slow. +They had plenty of time. There was nothing +else to do. It was fixed for them to do it, long +ago it was fixed. And so they were marching. +</p> +<p>Sometimes the big horse’s head sagged and +dropped off and came back again. Sometimes +the humps of the camel sagged and dropped +off and came back again. And sometimes the +club on the man’s shoulder got bigger and heavier +and the man staggered under it and then +his legs got bigger and stronger and he steadied +himself and went on. And again sometimes +the bundle on the back of the neck of the +woman got bigger and heavier and the bundle +sagged and the woman staggered and her legs +got bigger and stronger and she steadied herself +and went on. +</p> +<p>This was the show, the hippodrome, the +spectacular circus that passed on the east sky +before the eyes of Fire the Goat and Flim the +Goose. +</p> +<p>“Which is this, who are they and why do +they come?” Flim the Goose asked Fire the +Goat. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_195' name='page_195'></a>195</span> +<a name='linki_11' id='linki_11'></a> +<img src='images/g010.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +Away off where the sun was coming up, there were<br /> +people and animals +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_197' name='page_197'></a>197</span></div> +<p>“Do you ask me because you wish me to tell +you?” asked Fire the Goat. +</p> +<p>“Indeed it is a question to which I want an +honest answer.” +</p> +<p>“Has never the father or mother nor the +uncle or aunt nor the kith and kin of Flim the +Goose told him the what and the which of +this?” +</p> +<p>“Never has the such of this which been put +here this way to me by anybody.” +</p> +<p>Flim the Goose held up his fingers and said, +“I don’t talk to you with my fingers crossed.” +</p> +<p>And so Fire the Goat began to explain to +Flim the Goose all about the show, the hippodrome, +the mastodonic cyclopean spectacle +which was passing on the east sky in front of +the sun coming up. +</p> +<p>“People say they are shadows,” began Fire +the Goat. “That is a name, a word, a little +cough and a couple of syllables. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_198' name='page_198'></a>198</span></p> +<p>“For some people shadows are comic and +only to laugh at. For some other people shadows +are like a mouth and its breath. The +breath comes out and it is nothing. It is like +air and nobody can make it into a package and +carry it away. It will not melt like gold nor +can you shovel it like cinders. So to these +people it means nothing. +</p> +<p>“And then there are other people,” Fire the +Goat went on. “There are other people who +understand shadows. The fire-born understand. +The fire-born know where shadows +come from and why they are. +</p> +<p>“Long ago, when the Makers of the World +were done making the round earth, the time +came when they were ready to make the animals +to put on the earth. They were not sure +how to make the animals. They did not know +what shape animals they wanted. +</p> +<p>“And so they practised. They did not make +real animals at first. They made only shapes +of animals. And these shapes were shadows, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_199' name='page_199'></a>199</span> +shadows like these you and I, Fire the Goat +and Flim the Goose, are looking at this morning +across the booming rollers on the east sky +where the sun is coming up. +</p> +<p>“The shadow horse over there on the east +sky with his mouth open, his ears laid back, +and his front legs thrown in a curve like harvest +sickles, that shadow horse was one they made +long ago when they were practising to make a +real horse. That shadow horse was a mistake +and they threw him away. Never will you +see two shadow horses alike. All shadow horses +on the sky are different. Each one is a mistake, +a shadow horse thrown away because he was +not good enough to be a real horse. +</p> +<p>“That elephant with no head on his neck, +stumbling so grand on six legs—and that grand +camel with two humps, one bigger than the +other—and those cows with horns in front and +behind—they are all mistakes, they were all +thrown away because they were not made good +enough to be real elephants, real cows, real +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_200' name='page_200'></a>200</span> +camels. They were made just for practice, +away back early in the world before any real +animals came on their legs to eat and live and +be here like the rest of us. +</p> +<p>“That man—see him now staggering along +with the club over his shoulder—see how his +long arms come to his knees and sometimes his +hands drag below his feet. See how heavy the +club on his shoulders loads him down and +drags him on. He is one of the oldest shadow +men. He was a mistake and they threw him +away. He was made just for practice. +</p> +<p>“And that woman. See her now at the end +of that procession across the booming rollers +on the east sky. See her the last of all, the end +of the procession. On the back of her neck a +bundle. Sometimes the bundle gets bigger. +The woman staggers. Her legs get bigger and +stronger. She picks herself up and goes along +shaking her head. She is the same as the others. +She is a shadow and she was made as a mistake. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_201' name='page_201'></a>201</span> +Early, early in the beginnings of the world +she was made, for practice. +</p> +<p>“Listen, Flim the Goose. What I am telling +you is a secret of the fire-born. I do not +know whether you understand. We have slept +together a night on the sand flats next to the +booming rollers, under the stub pines with the +stars high over—and so I tell what the fathers +of the fire-born tell their sons.” +</p> +<p>And that day Fire the Goat and Flim the +Goose moved along the sand flat shore of the +Big Lake of the Booming Rollers. It was a +blue day, with a fire-blue of the sun mixing +itself in the air and the water. Off to the +north the booming rollers were blue sea-green. +To the east they were sometimes streak purple, +sometimes changing bluebell stripes. And to +the south they were silver blue, sheet blue. +</p> +<p>Where the shadow hippodrome marched on +the east sky that morning was a long line of +blue-bird spots. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_202' name='page_202'></a>202</span></p> +<p>“Only the fire-born understand blue,” said +Fire the Goat to Flim the Goose. And that +night as the night before they slept on a sand +flat. And again Fire the Goat took off his +horns and laid them under his head while he +slept and Flim the Goose took off his wings +and laid them under his head while he slept. +</p> +<p>And twice in the night, Fire the Goat whispered +in his sleep, whispered to the stars, “Only +the fire-born understand blue.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_203' name='page_203'></a>203</span></p> +<hr class='silver' /> + +<p> +8. Two Stories About Corn Fairies, + Blue Foxes, Flongboos and Happenings + That Happened in the + United States and Canada +</p> + +<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto'> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'><i>People</i>:</span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Spink</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Skabootch</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Man</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Corn Fairies</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Blue Foxes</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Flongboos</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>A Philadelphia Policeman</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Passenger Conductor</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>Chicago Newspapers</span></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small'> </span></td> + <td align='left'><span style='font-size:small'>The Head Spotter of the Weather Makers at Medicine Hat</span></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_205' name='page_205'></a>205</span> +<img src='images/g047.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_TO_TELL_CORN_FAIRIES_IF_YOU_SEE_EM' id='HOW_TO_TELL_CORN_FAIRIES_IF_YOU_SEE_EM'></a> +<h2>How to Tell Corn Fairies If You See ’Em</h2> +</div> + +<p>If you have ever watched the little corn +begin to march across the black lands and then +slowly change to big corn and go marching on +from the little corn moon of summer to the big +corn harvest moon of autumn, then you must +have guessed who it is that helps the corn come +along. It is the corn fairies. Leave out the +corn fairies and there wouldn’t be any corn. +</p> +<p>All children know this. All boys and girls +know that corn is no good unless there are +corn fairies. +</p> +<p>Have you ever stood in Illinois or Iowa and +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_206' name='page_206'></a>206</span> +watched the late summer wind or the early fall +wind running across a big cornfield? It looks +as if a big, long blanket were being spread out +for dancers to come and dance on. If you look +close and if you listen close you can see the corn +fairies come dancing and singing—sometimes. +If it is a wild day and a hot sun is pouring down +while a cool north wind blows—and this happens +sometimes—then you will be sure to see +thousands of corn fairies marching and countermarching +in mocking grand marches over +the big, long blanket of green and silver. Then +too they sing, only you must listen with your +littlest and newest ears if you wish to hear their +singing. They sing soft songs that go pla-sizzy +pla-sizzy-sizzy, and each song is softer than an +eye wink, softer than a Nebraska baby’s thumb. +</p> +<p>And Spink, who is a little girl living in the +same house with the man writing this story, and +Skabootch, who is another little girl in the same +house—both Spink and Skabootch are asking +the question, “How can we tell corn fairies if +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_207' name='page_207'></a>207</span> +we see ’em? If we meet a corn fairy how will +we know it?” And this is the explanation the +man gave to Spink who is older than Skabootch, +and to Skabootch who is younger than Spink:— +</p> +<p>All corn fairies wear overalls. They work +hard, the corn fairies, and they are proud. The +reason they are proud is because they work so +hard. And the reason they work so hard is because +they have overalls. +</p> +<p>But understand this. The overalls are corn +gold cloth, woven from leaves of ripe corn +mixed with ripe October corn silk. In the first +week of the harvest moon coming up red and +changing to yellow and silver the corn fairies +sit by thousands between the corn rows weaving +and stitching the clothes they have to wear +next winter, next spring, next summer. +</p> +<p>They sit cross-legged when they sew. And it +is a law among them each one must point the +big toe at the moon while sewing the harvest +moon clothes. When the moon comes up red +as blood early in the evening they point their +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_208' name='page_208'></a>208</span> +big toes slanting toward the east. Then towards +midnight when the moon is yellow and +half way up the sky their big toes are only half +slanted as they sit cross-legged sewing. And +after midnight when the moon sails its silver +disk high overhead and toward the west, then +the corn fairies sit sewing with their big toes +pointed nearly straight up. +</p> +<p>If it is a cool night and looks like frost, then +the laughter of the corn fairies is something +worth seeing. All the time they sit sewing their +next year clothes they are laughing. It is not +a law they have to laugh. They laugh because +they are half-tickled and glad because it is a +good corn year. +</p> +<p>And whenever the corn fairies laugh then +the laugh comes out of the mouth like a thin +gold frost. If you should be lucky enough to +see a thousand corn fairies sitting between the +corn rows and all of them laughing, you would +laugh with wonder yourself to see the gold frost +coming from their mouths while they laughed. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_209' name='page_209'></a>209</span></p> +<p>Travelers who have traveled far, and seen +many things, say that if you know the corn +fairies with a real knowledge you can always +tell by the stitches in their clothes what state +they are from. +</p> +<p>In Illinois the corn fairies stitch fifteen +stitches of ripe corn silk across the woven corn +leaf cloth. In Iowa they stitch sixteen stitches, +in Nebraska seventeen, and the farther west +you go the more corn silk stitches the corn +fairies have in the corn cloth clothes they wear. +</p> +<p>In Minnesota one year there were fairies +with a blue sash of corn-flowers across the +breast. In the Dakotas the same year all the +fairies wore pumpkin-flower neckties, yellow +four-in-hands and yellow ascots. And in one +strange year it happened in both the states of +Ohio and Texas the corn fairies wore little +wristlets of white morning glories. +</p> +<p>The traveler who heard about this asked +many questions and found out the reason why +that year the corn fairies wore little wristlets +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_210' name='page_210'></a>210</span> +of white morning glories. He said, “Whenever +fairies are sad they wear white. And this +year, which was long ago, was the year men +were tearing down all the old zigzag rail fences. +Now those old zigzag rail fences were beautiful +for the fairies because a hundred fairies +could sit on one rail and thousands and thousands +of them could sit on the zigzags and sing +pla-sizzy pla-sizzy, softer than an eye-wink, +softer than a baby’s thumb, all on a moonlight +summer night. And they found out that year +was going to be the last year of the zigzag rail +fences. It made them sorry and sad, and when +they are sorry and sad they wear white. So they +picked the wonderful white morning glories +running along the zigzag rail fences and made +them into little wristlets and wore those wristlets +the next year to show they were sorry and +sad.” +</p> +<p>Of course, all this helps you to know how +the corn fairies look in the evening, the night +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_211' name='page_211'></a>211</span> +time and the moonlight. Now we shall see +how they look in the day time. +</p> +<p>In the day time the corn fairies have their +overalls of corn gold cloth on. And they walk +among the corn rows and climb the corn stalks +and fix things in the leaves and stalks and ears +of the corn. They help it to grow. +</p> +<p>Each one carries on the left shoulder a mouse +brush to brush away the field mice. And over +the right shoulder each one has a cricket broom +to sweep away the crickets. The brush is a +whisk brush to brush away mice that get foolish. +And the broom is to sweep away crickets that +get foolish. +</p> +<p>Around the middle of each corn fairy is a yellow-belly +belt. And stuck in this belt is a purple +moon shaft hammer. Whenever the wind +blows strong and nearly blows the corn down, +then the fairies run out and take their purple +moon shaft hammers out of their yellow-belly +belts and nail down nails to keep the corn from +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_212' name='page_212'></a>212</span> +blowing down. When a rain storm is blowing +up terrible and driving all kinds of terribles +across the cornfield, then you can be sure of one +thing. Running like the wind among the corn +rows are the fairies, jerking their purple moon +shaft hammers out of their belts and nailing +nails down to keep the corn standing up so it +will grow and be ripe and beautiful when the +harvest moon comes again in the fall. +</p> +<p>Spink and Skabootch ask where the corn +fairies get the nails. The answer to Spink and +Skabootch is, “Next week you will learn all +about where the corn fairies get the nails to +nail down the corn if you will keep your faces +washed and your ears washed till next week.” +</p> +<p>And the next time you stand watching a big +cornfield in late summer or early fall, when +the wind is running across the green and silver, +listen with your littlest and newest ears. Maybe +you will hear the corn fairies going pla-sizzy +pla-sizzy-sizzy, softer than an eye wink, softer +than a Nebraska baby’s thumb. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_213' name='page_213'></a>213</span> +<img src='images/g048.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> + +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'> +<a name='HOW_THE_ANIMALS_LOST_THEIR_TAILS_AND_GOT_THEM_BACK_TRAVELING_FROM_PHILADELPHIA_TO_MEDICINE_HAT' id='HOW_THE_ANIMALS_LOST_THEIR_TAILS_AND_GOT_THEM_BACK_TRAVELING_FROM_PHILADELPHIA_TO_MEDICINE_HAT'></a> +<h2>How the Animals Lost Their Tails and<br />Got Them Back Traveling From<br />Philadelphia to Medicine Hat</h2> +</div> + +<p>Far up in North America, near the Saskatchewan +river, in the Winnipeg wheat country, +not so far from the town of Moose Jaw named +for the jaw of a moose shot by a hunter there, +up where the blizzards and the chinooks begin, +where nobody works unless they have to and +they nearly all have to, there stands the place +known as Medicine Hat. +</p> +<p>And there on a high stool in a high tower +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_214' name='page_214'></a>214</span> +on a high hill sits the Head Spotter of the +Weather Makers. +</p> +<p>When the animals lost their tails it was because +the Head Spotter of the Weather Makers +at Medicine Hat was careless. +</p> +<p>The tails of the animals were stiff and dry +because for a long while there was dusty dry +weather. Then at last came rain. And the +water from the sky poured on the tails of the +animals and softened them. +</p> +<p>Then the chilly chills came whistling with +icy mittens and they froze all the tails stiff. A +big wind blew up and blew and blew till all +the tails of the animals blew off. +</p> +<p>It was easy for the fat stub hogs with their +fat stub tails. But it was not so easy for the +blue fox who uses his tail to help him when he +runs, when he eats, when he walks or talks, +when he makes pictures or writes letters in the +snow or when he puts a snack of bacon +meat with stripes of fat and lean to hide till +he wants it under a big rock by a river. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_215' name='page_215'></a>215</span> +<a name='linki_12' id='linki_12'></a> +<img src='images/g011.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +<p class='caption' style='text-align:center;'> +There on a high stool in a high tower, on a high hill<br /> +sits the Head Spotter of the Weather Makers +<br /> +</p> +</div> + +<div><span class='pagenum'><a id='page_217' name='page_217'></a>217</span></div> +<p>It was easy enough for the rabbit who has +long ears and no tail at all except a white thumb +of cotton. But it was hard for the yellow flongboo +who at night lights up his house in a hollow +tree with his fire yellow torch of a tail. It is +hard for the yellow flongboo to lose his tail +because it lights up his way when he sneaks +at night on the prairie, sneaking up on the +flangwayers, the hippers and hangjasts, so good +to eat. +</p> +<p>The animals picked a committee of representatives +to represent them in a parleyhoo to +see what steps could be taken by talking to do +something. There were sixty-six representatives +on the committee and they decided to call +it the Committee of Sixty Six. It was a distinguished +committee and when they all sat together +holding their mouths under their noses +(just like a distinguished committee) and +blinking their eyes up over their noses and +cleaning their ears and scratching themselves +under the chin looking thoughtful (just like a +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_218' name='page_218'></a>218</span> +distinguished committee) then anybody would +say just to look at them, “This must be quite +a distinguished committee.” +</p> +<p>Of course, they would all have looked more +distinguished if they had had their tails on. +If the big wavy streak of a blue tail blows off +behind a blue fox, he doesn’t look near so distinguished. +Or, if the long yellow torch of a +tail blows off behind a yellow flongboo, he +doesn’t look so distinguished as he did before the +wind blew. +</p> +<p>So the Committee of Sixty Six had a meeting +and a parleyhoo to decide what steps could be +taken by talking to do something. For chairman +they picked an old flongboo who was an +umpire and used to umpire many mix-ups. +Among the flongboos he was called “the umpire +of umpires,” “the king of umpires,” “the +prince of umpires,” “the peer of umpires.” +When there was a fight and a snag and a +wrangle between two families living next door +neighbors to each other and this old flongboo +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_219' name='page_219'></a>219</span> +was called in to umpire and to say which family +was right and which family was wrong, which +family started it and which family ought to +stop it, he used to say, “The best umpire is the +one who knows just how far to go and how far +not to go.” He was from Massachusetts, born +near Chappaquiddick, this old flongboo, and he +lived there in a horse chestnut tree six feet thick +half way between South Hadley and Northampton. +And at night, before he lost his tail, +he lighted up the big hollow cave inside the +horse chestnut tree with his yellow torch of a +tail. +</p> +<p>After he was nominated with speeches and +elected with votes to be the chairman, he stood +up on the platform and took a gavel and banged +with the gavel and made the Committee of +Sixty Six come to order. +</p> +<p>“It is no picnic to lose your tail and we are +here for business,” he said, banging his gavel +again. +</p> +<p>A blue fox from Waco, Texas, with his ears +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_220' name='page_220'></a>220</span> +full of dry bluebonnet leaves from a hole +where he lived near the Brazos river, stood up +and said, “Mr. Chairman, do I have the floor?” +</p> +<p>“You have whatever you get away with—I +get your number,” said the chairman. +</p> +<p>“I make a motion,” said the blue fox from +Waco, “and I move you, Sir, that this committee +get on a train at Philadelphia and ride +on the train till it stops and then take another +train and take more trains and keep on riding +till we get to Medicine Hat, near the Saskatchewan +river, in the Winnipeg wheat country +where the Head Spotter of the Weather Makers +sits on a high stool in a high tower on a high +hill spotting the weather. There we will ask +him if he will respectfully let us beseech him +to bring back weather that will bring back our +tails. It was the weather took away our tails; +it is the weather can bring back our tails.” +</p> +<p>“All in favor of the motion,” said the chairman, +“will clean their right ears with their +right paws.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_221' name='page_221'></a>221</span></p> +<p>And all the blue foxes and all the yellow +flongboos began cleaning their right ears with +their right paws. +</p> +<p>“All who are against the motion will clean +their left ears with their left paws,” said the +chairman. +</p> +<p>And all the blue foxes and all the yellow +flongboos began cleaning their left ears with +their left paws. +</p> +<p>“The motion is carried both ways—it is a +razmataz,” said the chairman. “Once again, +all in favor of the motion will stand up on the +toes of their hind legs and stick their noses +straight up in the air.” And all the blue foxes +and all the yellow flongboos stood up on the toes +of their hind legs and stuck their noses straight +up in the air. +</p> +<p>“And now,” said the chairman, “all who +are against the motion will stand on the top and +the apex of their heads, stick their hind legs +straight up in the air, and make a noise like a +woof woof.” +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_222' name='page_222'></a>222</span></p> +<p>And then not one of the blue foxes and not +one of the yellow flongboos stood on the top and +the apex of his head nor stuck his hind legs up +in the air nor made a noise like a woof woof. +</p> +<p>“The motion is carried and this is no picnic,” +said the chairman. +</p> +<p>So the committee went to Philadelphia to get +on a train to ride on. +</p> +<p>“Would you be so kind as to tell us the way +to the union depot,” the chairman asked a policeman. +It was the first time a flongboo ever +spoke to a policeman on the streets of Philadelphia. +</p> +<p>“It pays to be polite,” said the policeman. +</p> +<p>“May I ask you again if you would kindly +direct us to the union depot? We wish to ride +on a train,” said the flongboo. +</p> +<p>“Polite persons and angry persons are different +kinds,” said the policeman. +</p> +<p>The flongboo’s eyes changed their lights and +a slow torch of fire sprang out behind where +his tail used to be. And speaking to the policeman, +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_223' name='page_223'></a>223</span> +he said, “Sir, I must inform you, publicly +and respectfully, that we are The Committee +of Sixty Six. We are honorable and distinguished +representatives from places your honest +and ignorant geography never told you about. +This committee is going to ride on the cars to +Medicine Hat near the Saskatchewan river in +the Winnipeg wheat country where the blizzards +and chinooks begin. We have a special +message and a secret errand for the Head Spotter +of the Weather Makers.” +</p> +<p>“I am a polite friend of all respectable people—that +is why I wear this star to arrest people +who are not respectable,” said the policeman, +touching with his pointing finger the silver and +nickel star fastened with a safety pin on his +blue uniform coat. +</p> +<p>“This is the first time ever in the history of +the United States that a committee of sixty-six +blue foxes and flongboos has ever visited a +city in the United States,” insinuated the flongboo. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_224' name='page_224'></a>224</span></p> +<p>“I beg to be mistaken,” finished the policeman. +“The union depot is under that clock.” +And he pointed to a clock near by. +</p> +<p>“I thank you for myself, I thank you for the +Committee of Sixty Six, I thank you for the +sake of all the animals in the United States who +have lost their tails,” finished the chairman. +</p> +<p>Over to the Philadelphia union depot they +went, all sixty-six, half blue foxes, half flongboos. +As they pattered pitty-pat, pitty-pat, +each with feet and toenails, ears and hair, +everything but tails, into the Philadelphia union +depot, they had nothing to say. And yet though +they had nothing to say the passengers in the +union depot waiting for trains thought they +had something to say and were saying it. So +the passengers in the union depot waiting for +trains listened. But with all their listening the +passengers never heard the blue foxes and yellow +flongboos say anything. +</p> +<p>“They are saying it to each other in some +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_225' name='page_225'></a>225</span> +strange language from where they belong,” +said one passenger waiting for a train. +</p> +<p>“They have secrets to keep among each +other, and never tell us,” said another passenger. +</p> +<p>“We will find out all about it reading the +newspapers upside down to-morrow morning,” +said a third passenger. +</p> +<p>Then the blue foxes and the yellow flongboos +pattered pitty-pat, pitty-pat, each with +feet and toenails, ears and hair, everything except +tails, pattered scritch scratch over the +stone floors out into the train shed. They +climbed into a special smoking car hooked on +ahead of the engine. +</p> +<p>“This car hooked on ahead of the engine was +put on special for us so we will always be ahead +and we will get there before the train does,” +said the chairman to the committee. +</p> +<p>The train ran out of the train shed. It kept +on the tracks and never left the rails. It came +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_226' name='page_226'></a>226</span> +to the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona where +the tracks bend like a big horseshoe. Instead +of going around the long winding bend of the +horseshoe tracks up and around the mountains, +the train acted different. The train jumped +off the tracks down into the valley and cut across +in a straight line on a cut-off, jumped on the +tracks again and went on toward Ohio. +</p> +<p>The conductor said, “If you are going to +jump the train off the tracks, tell us about it +beforehand.” +</p> +<p>“When we lost our tails nobody told us about +it beforehand,” said the old flongboo umpire. +</p> +<p>Two baby blue foxes, the youngest on the +committee, sat on the front platform. Mile +after mile of chimneys went by. Four hundred +smokestacks stood in a row and tubs on tubs of +sooty black soot marched out. +</p> +<p>“This is the place where the black cats come +to be washed,” said the first baby blue fox. +</p> +<p>“I believe your affidavit,” said the second +blue fox. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_227' name='page_227'></a>227</span></p> +<p>Crossing Ohio and Indiana at night the flongboos +took off the roof of the car. The conductor +told them, “I must have an explanation.” +“It was between us and the stars,” they +told him. +</p> +<p>The train ran into Chicago. That afternoon +there were pictures upside down in the newspapers +showing the blue foxes and the yellow +flongboos climbing telephone poles standing on +their heads eating pink ice cream with iron +axes. +</p> +<p>Each blue fox and yellow flongboo got a +newspaper for himself and each one looked long +and careful upside down to see how he looked +in the picture in the newspaper climbing a telephone +pole standing on his head eating pink ice +cream with an iron ax. +</p> +<p>Crossing Minnesota the sky began to fill with +the snow ghosts of Minnesota snow weather. +Again the foxes and flongboos lifted the roof +off the car, telling the conductor they would +rather wreck the train than miss the big show +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_228' name='page_228'></a>228</span> +of the snow ghosts of the first Minnesota snow +weather of the winter. +</p> +<p>Some went to sleep but the two baby blue +foxes stayed up all night watching the snow +ghosts and telling snow ghost stories to each +other. +</p> +<p>Early in the night the first baby blue fox said +to the second, “Who are the snow ghosts the +ghosts of?” The second baby blue fox answered, +“Everybody who makes a snowball, a +snow man, a snow fox or a snow fish or a snow +pattycake, everybody has a snow ghost.” +</p> +<p>And that was only the beginning of their +talk. It would take a big book to tell all that +the two baby foxes told each other that night +about the Minnesota snow ghosts, because they +sat up all night telling old stories their fathers +and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers +told them, and making up new stories never +heard before about where the snow ghosts go +on Christmas morning and how the snow ghosts +watch the New Year in. +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_229' name='page_229'></a>229</span></p> +<p>Somewhere between Winnipeg and Moose +Jaw, somewhere it was they stopped the train +and all ran out in the snow where the white +moon was shining down a valley of birch trees. +It was the Snowbird Valley where all the snowbirds +of Canada come early in the winter and +make their snow shoes. +</p> +<p>At last they came to Medicine Hat, near the +Saskatchewan River, where the blizzards and +the chinooks begin, where nobody works unless +they have to and they nearly all have to. +There they ran in the snow till they came to +the place where the Head Spotter of the +Weather Makers sits on a high stool in a high +tower on a high hill watching the weather. +</p> +<p>“Let loose another big wind to blow back our +tails to us, let loose a big freeze to freeze our +tails onto us again, and so let us get back our +lost tails,” they said to the Head Spotter of the +Weather Makers. +</p> +<p>Which was just what he did, giving them +exactly what they wanted, so they all went back +<span class='pagenum'><a id='page_230' name='page_230'></a>230</span> +home satisfied, the blue foxes each with a big +wavy brush of a tail to help him when he runs, +when he eats, when he walks or talks, when +he makes pictures or writes letters in the snow +or when he puts a snack of bacon meat with +stripes of fat and lean to hide till he wants it +under a big rock by the river—and the yellow +flongboos each with a long yellow torch of a +tail to light up his home in a hollow tree or to +light up his way when he sneaks at night on +the prairie, sneaking up on the flangwayer, the +hipper or the hangjast. +</p> +<div class='figcenter'> +<img src='images/g015.jpg' alt='' title='' /><br /> +</div> + +<!-- generated by ppgen.rb version: 2.07 --> +<!-- timestamp: Fri Jun 27 15:42:32 +1000 2008 --> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Rootabaga Stories, by Carl Sandburg + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROOTABAGA STORIES *** + +***** This file should be named 27085-h.htm or 27085-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/0/8/27085/ + +Produced by Betsie Bush, ronnie sahlberg and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was made using scans of public domain material from +the Children's Books Online - Rosetta Project) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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