ENTER THE MAGIC BOXING GLOVES, THE WOLVES, AND THE RUBBER RIVER
“The Strange Man is called ‘Jingles the Magician’ because he uses rhymes
to work his magic,” the Faun Boys explained, as they walked from the
house.
They had not gone far before they reached a large field. “This is
queer!” one of the Faun Boys cried. “This field was not here when we
came through a short time ago!”
About half-way across the field was a clump of bushes, and Gran’pa said,
“Perhaps it would be as well to walk around it.” But as they drew nearer
the bushes began moving, and what seemed at first to be a flock of birds
arose and flew towards them.
As the objects came closer Gran’pa saw they were Boxing Gloves; swarms
of them. They flew about the little group and peppered them from all
sides. Gran’pa struck them right and left with his cane, but was finally
forced down. The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys ran as fast as they
could across the field, followed by the Boxing Gloves, which swarmed
about their heads like giant bees and hit against their backs and heads.
Gran’pa, still on the ground, struck right and left with his heavy cane
and at each swing he brought down one or two of the Boxing Gloves.
The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys by this time had reached the
other side of the field and dashed into the underbrush. For some reason
the Boxing Gloves did not follow, but turned and flew back and began
pelting Gran’pa.
Whenever Gran’pa managed to get to his feet the Boxing Gloves knocked
him down, so he lay on his back and struck right and left and kicked his
heels in the air to keep them from striking him.
When Johnny saw that the Boxing Gloves did not follow into the
underbrush he told Gran’ma and Janey to wait where they were and
breaking off a stout stick Johnny rushed back to Gran’pa’s assistance.
The stick was so long and heavy that he tripped over it, but he didn’t
mind that—just jumped up and ran faster than ever.
[Illustration: Gran’pa struck them right and left with his cane, but was
finally knocked down. (page 50)]
Some of the Boxing Gloves met him half-way and although Johnny knocked
them down by the hundreds, he could not defend himself from all sides
and three or four of the Boxing Gloves, striking him from behind, sent
him flying to the ground.
Johnny rolled over and over, but kept his stout stick thrashing the air
whenever he turned face up.
Gran’pa was still hitting the Boxing Gloves with his cane, but was
getting very tired.
The ground was covered with broken Boxing Gloves, lying where Gran’pa
and Johnny had struck them with their sticks.
Johnny tried to get upon his feet, but was promptly knocked down. The
Faun Boys broke off large sticks and ran back into the field, where they
fought the Boxing Gloves away from Gran’pa and Johnny.
The Faun Boys whipped so many of the Boxing Gloves that soon there were
not enough left to injure Gran’pa and Johnny again, so as the few
remaining Boxing Gloves flew at them Gran’pa and Johnny whipped these,
too.
At last there were only three of the Boxing Gloves left and these were
flying about one of the Faun Boys, trying to find a place to strike him.
Gran’pa ran to his assistance and as he struck at them one flew close
and knocked Gran’pa’s glasses from his nose, so that he could not see.
“Watch for my glasses, boys!” he cried. “Don’t step on them!”
Johnny, running up, cracked one of the Boxing Gloves, but the other two
kept getting behind him. Presently Johnny found himself with his back
towards the Faun Boys, and a Boxing Glove coming to reach the Faun Boy
did not know Johnny was there until Johnny caught it such a whack with
his stick he tore it all to pieces. The Faun Boy finally knocked the
thumb off the last one and the great fight with the Magic Boxing Gloves
was over.
What a sight! There were thousands of torn Boxing Gloves lying about.
One of the Faun Boys found Gran’pa’s glasses and handed them to him.
“That was better than fighting bumble bees when I was a boy!” Gran’pa
laughed. Aside from a black and blue eye, Gran’pa was not hurt in the
least.
“That surely was fun!” Johnny cried, as they reached the place where
they had left Janey and Gran’ma.
“It won’t be as much fun the next time!” a voice cried, and turning,
they saw old Jingles the Magician sail from the Boxing Glove Bushes in
the Flying Boat and disappear in the direction of his house.
“I thought he was responsible for those bushes!” said one of the Faun
Boys. “You must watch out for him every minute, for all he has to do to
change you into an animal is to puff his magic powder on you and say his
rhyme!”
“We will watch out for him!” Gran’ma said.
The Faun Boys invited Gran’ma and Gran’pa and the children to their
place to rest and have something to eat, so they led the way and without
further adventure came to their tiny home.
When the Faun Boys had given Gran’pa and Gran’ma and the children food,
Gran’pa said, “I don’t know how we shall contrive to get the flying boat
away from old Jingles.”
“I should advise you not to try it,” one of the Faun Boys told him, “for
he will only change you into animals if he once gets you separated from
each other! I should advise you to travel in the opposite direction from
his place until you come to the town of Nite. Living in that town you
will find an old Witch who may be able to help you reach the earth
again!”
“Perhaps that will be a wise thing to do!” Gran’ma said. “For if we
should get separated and one of us should be changed to an animal, the
rest of us could not go home without him and we could not take him
home!”
“Yes,” Janey and Johnny said, “let us go to the City of Nite!”
So, thanking the Faun Boys for their hospitality, Gran’ma and Gran’pa
and Janey and Johnny left them and started on their journey.
The Faun Boys had warned them to be careful of old Jingles.
“He may follow you all the way to the City of Nite and try to get each
of you alone so he can say his rhymes,” they said, “but once you are in
the City you are safe, for we have heard that the Witch is very angry at
him and will destroy him some day if she can!”
[Illustration]
After leaving the home of the Faun Boys, Gran’ma with her arm about
Janey and Gran’pa with his arm around Johnny, the travelers walked until
they came to a high cliff above a river. There seemed to be no way
across to the other side of the canyon except by way of a Vine Bridge.
“I can never get across that thing!” Gran’ma cried.
“We’ll have to cross it or walk for miles and miles around!” Gran’pa
said. For as far as they could see in either direction, the canyon was
just as wide and deep as it was there.
“I just know I’d get dizzy and tumble in!” Gran’ma said.
[Illustration]
Johnny walked out upon the vine bridge and bounced it up and down.
“It is strong enough to hold us, Gran’ma!” he called back. “Put your
hands over your eyes and you will be all right.”
“I can’t do it!” Gran’ma replied, as she sat down on the ground.
“If we only had our boat we’d fly across!” Janey said.
“Yes! If we only had our boat we’d fly home!” Gran’ma sighed.
“Maybe, after all, we had best go back to the wicked Jingle’s house
until he goes to bed and then we may be able to get our boat!” Gran’pa
suggested.
“Perhaps we had!” Johnny agreed. So they turned from the canyon and
started to retrace their steps.
Suddenly Gran’pa, who was in the lead, stopped and said, “Listen! What
was that?”
They all held their breaths an instant later. It was the baying of
Wolves.
“They are coming in this direction!” Johnny cried.
The sound grew louder.
“Which way shall we go?” Janey asked.
“Come on everybody!” Gran’ma cried, as she lifted her skirts and ran
towards the Vine Bridge.
“Wait, Gran’ma!” Janey cried. “Let Johnny help you across!” But Gran’ma
kept running.
Just as she reached the edge of the canyon she stumbled and slid over
the cliff.
Gran’pa, Johnny and Janey ran to the edge and looked over, expecting to
see Gran’ma struggling in the river far below, but what was their
surprise to see her sitting upon the top of the water, unharmed.
“Are you hurt?” Gran’pa called.
“Not a speck!” Gran’ma called back. “The river is rubber and all I did
was bounce up and down!”
“Jump over and have a bounce! I wish I were up there so I could do it
again! It was fine!” Gran’ma added, as she jumped up and down and
bounced about like a rubber ball.
Gran’pa had almost forgotten the Wolves coming behind them, but noticing
now how near they seemed, he said, “We haven’t a great deal of time
left, Johnny, we better jump! The Wolves have scented us and are getting
closer every minute!”
“But if we get down there, how will we ever get up again?” Johnny
wondered.
“I don’t know!” Gran’pa exclaimed, “but I know I shall not leave Gran’ma
down there alone!” So with that, Gran’pa jumped from the cliff and
turned over and over before he hit the Rubber River upon his back.
The children thought he never would stop bouncing.
By this time the children could see the Wolves in the distance.
“What shall we do?” Janey cried, wringing her hands. “If we jump down we
may never get up again, if we stay here we shall be caught by the
Wolves, and if we go across they will follow us!”
“We could go across and then, when the Wolves tried to follow, we could
bounce the Vine Bridge and shake them off!” Johnny suggested.
“Yes, and shake them down to Gran’ma and Gran’pa! No, Johnny, that will
never do!”
“Then you cross the Vine Bridge, Sis, and I’ll show you what we’ll do!
Hurry now, before it’s too late!”
Janey ran across the Vine Bridge, and when she had reached the other
side Johnny drew his knife from his pocket and hacked at the vines. The
small, sharp blade soon cut them in two. He was none too quick, for just
as he severed the last strand of the Vine Bridge the Leader of the
Wolves sprang toward Johnny.
[Illustration]
As the Vine Bridge fell Johnny jumped and caught the loose end and went
swinging across the chasm at a dizzy speed. He managed to hold on, even
if he did get quite a bump when the Vine Bridge struck on the other
side.
When the Leader of the Wolves jumped and missed Johnny, he flew headlong
over the cliff. Gran’pa was watching the children, but when he saw the
Wolf light upon the Rubber River he braced himself and brought his stout
cane down upon the Wolf’s head with such force it did not move a muscle
when it had ceased bouncing.
Gran’ma, thinking the whole pack of Wolves would follow their Leader,
ran to the side of the Rubber River and disappeared in a hole in the
cliff.
Gran’pa followed her, and it was well he did, for as soon as Gran’ma and
he started to run the Wolves jumped over the cliff to the Rubber River.
By the time the Wolves had quit bouncing Gran’pa was in the hole beside
Gran’ma, and together they had rolled a large stone across the opening
so the Wolves could not follow.
As for Johnny, he swung to the other side of the canyon, climbed up the
Vine Bridge and finally reached the top where Janey was sitting waiting
for him.
“Oh Johnny,” she cried, “the Wolves jumped over the cliff after Gran’ma
and Gran’pa! Look and see if you can see them anywhere.”
Johnny had been so busy climbing he had known nothing of what had
happened below.
Now he went to the edge and looked over. The Wolves were all at one spot
on the cliff.
“Oh dear!” he cried. “They probably have caught Gran’ma and Gran’pa!”
At this Janey came to the edge and looked. She watched the pack closely
for a few moments.
“No, they have not! See! The Wolves are tearing and digging at that big
stone. Gran’ma and Gran’pa must be behind the stone! There must be a
cave there!”
Johnny caught his sister by the shoulder and drew her hastily away from
the edge of the cliff and into the bushes.
“Old Jingles in the Flying Boat!” he whispered. “I just saw a speck in
the distance, coming this way!”
So the children, crouching low, ran away through the ferns and bushes.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]