“I am sorry, but am afraid I must hurry you,” said Mercury, “if you wish to visit all the places yet to be seen.” “Oh! do we have to go?” said Ione. “I am so sorry to leave my old pets so soon. I would dearly like to take them back to Earth with me.” “So do I feel sorry to part with them so soon,” said the Prince; “but it is a great comfort to know that they all live again and that we shall see them again some day.” Then away they all flew. Their next stopping place, Mercury told them, was to be the Frost King’s Isle. Directly over the North Pole is the island of the Frost King, glistening in the sun like countless diamonds, one mass of pure white snow, frost and ice. Every tree is draped with lace-like festoons of frost and ice; every river is clear as crystal and frozen hard; while the Ice King’s palace is built of blocks of glistening ice. Before the entrance are couchant lions of solid ice. The carving round doors and windows, like chiseled marble apples, pears, and grapes, was all done by Jack Frost. The people of the Isle were dressed in white furs. The only animals were white polar bears, white spitz dogs, and white birds. The combined effect of all this dazzling white was beautiful as a dream, and all was greatly enhanced when colored lights were seen twinkling under the snow-capped windows. As our travelers sped past, Ione said, “This is the coldest region we ever saw, now please show us the hottest one you have.” “Very well,” Mercury replied. “Wish yourselves over the equator on the Isle of Fire and you will find yourselves in a warmer place than you have even dreamed of.” Almost before this wish had been formed they found themselves gasping for breath on the Fire Island. All around them were bonfires, while in the distance a volcano belched forth fire and hot lava. The streams were liquid fire, with blue flames rising from them, and the shores of the rivers were red hot sand. They did not tarry long on this Isle for their human lungs could not endure the heat for long and they begged to be taken away before they suffocated. The next place they visited was the Isle of Vinegar, so named because everything there was sour. The faces of all the people looked wrinkled, sour and yellow from eating so many sour things and drinking nothing but lemonade and lime juice. After taking a drink of lemonade without any sugar in it (for sugar is unknown in this land) our young friends started on their way for the Milky Way. “I am glad that people on Earth like more than one thing. It is much nicer having a variety of things, sweet, sour, bitter and medium than all one kind. After all, medium things and people are generally best. Those who are not too gentle, too cross, too learned, too stupid, too lively, too quiet but are a combination of each and all, these are the most congenial people to live with,” sagely remarked Ione. CHAPTER XV.