Twinkle Gets Thirsty
AFTER they had seen the sights of the city the carriage turned into a
broad highway that led into the country, and soon they began to pass
fields of sugar corn and gardens of sugar cabbages and sugar beets and
sugar potatoes. There were also orchards of sugar plums and sugar apples
and vineyards of sugar grapes. All the trees were sugar, and even the
grass was sugar, while sugar grasshoppers hopped about in it. Indeed,
Chubbins decided that not a speck of anything beneath the dome of
Sugar-Loaf Mountain was anything but pure sugar--unless the inside of
the frosted man proved to be of a different material.
By and by they reached a pretty villa, where they all left the carriage
and followed the sugar king into the sugar house. Refreshments had been
ordered in advance, over the sugar telephone, so that the dining table
was already laid and all they had to do was to sit in the pretty sugar
chairs and be waited upon by maple-sugar attendants.
There were sandwiches and salads and fruits and many other sugar things
to eat, served on sugar plates; and the children found that some were
flavored with winter-green and raspberry and lemon, so that they were
almost as good as candies. At each plate was a glass made of crystal
sugar and filled with thick sugar syrup, and this seemed to be the only
thing to drink. After eating so much sugar the children naturally became
thirsty, and when the king asked Twinkle if she would like anything else
she answered promptly:
"Yes, I'd like a drink of water."
At once a murmur of horror arose from the sugar people present, and the
king pushed back his chair as if greatly disturbed.
"Water!" he exclaimed, in amazement.
"Sure," replied Chubbins. "I want some, too. We're thirsty."
The king shuddered.
"Nothing in the world," said he gravely, "is so dangerous as water. It
melts sugar in no time, and to drink it would destroy you instantly."
"We're not made of sugar," said Twinkle. "In our country we drink all
the water we want."
"It may be true," returned the king; "but I am thankful to say there is
no drop of water in all this favored country. But we have syrup, which
is much better for your health. It fills up the spaces inside you, and
hardens and makes you solid."
"It makes me thirstier than ever," said the girl. "But if you have no
water we must try to get along until we get home again."
When the luncheon was over, they entered the carriage again and were
driven back towards the city. On the way the six sugar horses became
restless, and pranced around in so lively a manner that the sugar
coachman could scarcely hold them in. And when they had nearly reached
the palace a part of the harness broke, and without warning all six
horses dashed madly away. The chariot smashed against a high wall of
sugar and broke into many pieces, the sugar people, as well as Twinkle
and Chubbins, being thrown out and scattered in all directions.
The little girl was not at all hurt, nor was Chubbins, who landed on top
the wall and had to climb down again. But the king had broken one of the
points off his crown, and sat upon the ground gazing sorrowfully at his
wrecked chariot. And Lord Cloy, the frosted man, had smashed one of his
feet, and everybody could now see that underneath the frosting was a
material very like marshmallow--a discovery that was sure to condemn him
as unfit for the society of the solid sugar-loaf aristocracy of the
country.
But perhaps the most serious accident of all had befallen Princess
Sakareen, whose left leg had broken short off at the knee. Twinkle ran
up to her as soon as she could, and found the Princess smiling happily
and gazing at the part of the broken leg which she had picked up.
"See here, Twinkle," she cried; "it's as solid as the king himself! I'm
not hollow at all. It was only my imagination."
"I'm glad of that," answered Twinkle; "but what will you do with a
broken leg?"
"Oh, that's easily mended," said the Princess, "All I must do is to put
a little syrup on the broken parts, and stick them together, and then
sit in the breeze until it hardens. I'll be all right in an hour from
now."
It pleased Twinkle to hear this, for she liked the pretty sugar
princess.