Billy excused himself for a minute and ran into the house to tell his mother, but she was nowhere to be found. So he wrote a note in which he explained that he had gone away for a little while with the Geography Fairy. Returning to the garden, he found that Nimbus had now grown to be as large as a middle-sized baby. He was strolling across the lawn on his way to the front gate. Billy trudged along by his side, and soon they were at the street corner awaiting the coming of a big red trolley car, which Billy hailed at Nimbus’s suggestion. When the two got in the conductor looked at the queer little stranger in amazement. But Nimbus only nodded at him coldly, leaped up on the seat and began digging into his pocket, from which he presently pulled a huge blue transfer. This he held out when the conductor came for the fare. “That ain’t no good,” said the conductor. For reply Nimbus folded the transfer up into a tiny wand, touched the conductor on the cap with it and said: “This car for the Equator. Passengers desiring transfers for the Arctic Circle or the North Pole will kindly mention it before we get to Cuba.” [Illustration: “Nimbus folded the transfer into a tiny wand and said: ‘This car for the Equator!’”] THE ENCHANTED TROLLEY CAR CHAPTER II THE ENCHANTED TROLLEY CAR Of course such an announcement as that made a great commotion in the trolley car. The other passengers, a thin deacon, two plumber’s apprentices and a burglar, wanted to get off immediately. “I was going back to the shop to get the tools,” said one of the plumber’s apprentices. “I was on my way to a horse trade,” explained the deacon. “And I,” said the burglar, “was just looking about for a nice easy house to rob. They don’t have any houses at the Equator, so I would have absolutely nothing to do.” “Tut! tut!” said the conductor peevishly. “Keep your seats, gents. There ain’t no such a place as the Equator on this line. You’re on the wrong car, young chaps,” he added, turning to Billy and Nimbus. Billy was troubled at this. Could it be that Nimbus really couldn’t enchant the trolley car after all? But the Fairy only smiled as the car, which had started away suddenly, came to a stop, as if it had run into something. “I thought we wouldn’t get past it,” he said. “Get past what?” inquired Billy and the plumber’s apprentices in a breath. “That imaginary line,” said Nimbus. “I drew it across the track.” “But,” said Billy, “no imaginary line really goes anywhere except the Equator.” “Neither will the trolley car until I let it,” replied Nimbus. “So they are in the same fix.” The motorman now came into the car. “Not enough juice,” he growled. “She turns all right, but she don’t get nowhere.” “Try her again,” advised the conductor anxiously. He was looking at Nimbus and Billy with suspicion. “You kids ain’t been soapin’ the track, have you?” he inquired suddenly. “Oh, no, sir!” said Billy. “I’m not allowed to do that.”