The Duchess Bredenbutta was forty-seventh cousin to the Monarch of Mo
and great-grandniece to the Queen; so you can readily see she was
nearly related to the Princess Pattycake and had blue blood in her
veins. She lived in a pretty house on the banks of Rootbeer River, and
one of her favorite amusements was to row on the river in her boat,
which, although rather small, was light as a cork.
One day, as usual, the Duchess went for a row on the river, expecting
to return home in about an hour; but after floating a long distance
down the stream she fell asleep in the boat and did not awake until she
felt a sudden shock.
Then, sitting up and looking about her, she found, to her alarm, that
the boat had drifted to the end of the Land of Mo, and was in the
rapids leading to the Great Hole in the ground where the river
disappeared from view. Becoming very much frightened, Bredenbutta
looked for the oars of her boat, that she might row to the bank; but
soon she discovered that the oars had fallen overboard and were lost,
leaving her without any means of saving herself.
The poor Duchess now began to cry out; but no one heard her. Gradually
the boat came nearer and nearer to the Great Hole, now bumping against
the rocks and now spinning around with the current, until at last it
paused for an instant on the very brink of the chasm down which the
river fell.
The girl seized the sides of the boat in a firm grasp, and the next
moment it plunged headlong into the Hole.
After the shock was over Bredenbutta wiped the moisture from her eyes
and looked to see where she was, and what had become of her. She found
that she had landed in a very remarkable country, and for a time could
do nothing but gaze in wonder on the strange sights that met her view.
The trees were all growing on their top branches, with their roots high
in the air; and the houses rested on the tops of their chimneys, the
smoke going into the ground, and the doorsteps being at the tops of the
buildings. A rabbit was flying around in the air, and a flock of
skylarks walked on the ground, as if they belonged there.
Bredenbutta rubbed her eyes, for at first the girl thought she must be
dreaming; but when she looked again everything was in the same
unnatural position.
To add to her amazement she now saw a queer creature coming toward her.
She might have taken him for a young man, only ho was just the reverse
of any young man Bredenbutta had ever seen. He stood upon his hands,
which were clad in boots, and used his feet as we use our hands,
seeming to be very handy with his toes. His teeth were in his ears, and
he ate with them and heard with his mouth. He also smelled with his
eyes and saw out of his nose--which was all very curious. When he
walked he ran, and when he ran he stood still. He spoke when he was
silent and remained dumb when he had anything to say. In addition to
this, he wept real tears when he was pleased, and laughed merrily
whenever anything grieved him.
It was no wonder the Duchess Bredenbutta stared in surprise when such
an odd creature came up to her backward and looked at her solemnly from
his pug nose.
"Who are you?" asked Bredenbutta, as soon as she could find breath to
speak.