“I studied the book of magic a long time before I finally tested out
some magic myself. First, I copied the designs upon a large white rug
then, following the directions in the little book, I placed the charms
about as directed, then I puffed a bit of powder into a tin cup and
touched a match to it. When the powder puffed up into the room, I went
out of the door as fast as I could. But when I saw the room had cleared,
I ventured back and found written upon the slate—I forgot to mention
that one of the things called for in the book was a slate and
pencil—‘Top of Whippoorwill Mountain. Electric wires strung meadow.
Capture!’
“I puzzled and puzzled over this message, and I tried the magic three
times. The same message always came upon the slate! Then I decided to go
to the top of Whippoorwill Mountain and see the wires, but there were no
wires there!
“‘Perhaps it means that I am to put the wires there,’ I thought. ‘At
least I can try it!’ So I had the Royal Electrician fix up the wires
about the meadow, and then I built the little hut and filled it with ice
cream and popcorn and cigars, so that if I accidentally caught any
innocent persons, I could give them candy cigars and popcorn and ice
cream. And right there I stayed until, as you know, I caught old
Jingles.”
“You have caught old Jingles the Magician!” cried the Princess.
“Yes,” Gran’ma laughed, “and he also caught Janey and Johnny and the
Soft-Voiced Cow and myself!”
“I had forgotten the Princess did not know that I had caught the wicked
creature and that we left him jumping to beat the band and hanging on to
the electric wire,” the Chief of Detectives said. Then, turning to the
Princess, he continued, “I was careful to turn on the current so that he
would have a good dose too!”
“I am truly glad we have all escaped from him,” the Princess said and as
all had finished eating by this time she asked Gran’ma, “How would you
like to ride about the City of Nite and see the sights?”
“Oh, let’s do!” Gran’ma cried, jumping up. “I have always wanted to go
to a City and we never felt we had enough money to do so when we were
upon the Earth!”
“Well, you will find everything in the City of Nite free to all of you,”
laughed the Princess, “for everyone knows all about you and what you
have done for us, so if you are all of the same mind we can start right
now.”
“Let’s walk!” said Gran’ma, when the Princess said something about
carriages. “Then we can all be together and look in the shop windows and
have lots more fun!”
“I often walk about the town, or at least, I used to walk about, before
I was put in the Green Jar,” the Princess replied.
“It’s nice to get up from the table and not have to worry about doing
the dishes,” said Gran’ma. “Let’s start right away. Gran’pa, you’ll have
to buy a bag of peanuts apiece. We always have peanuts when we go to
town,” she explained to the Princess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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