"Arthur recognized the tall, blooming magnolia trees from the description of them he had once read in a book; while the tuberose, the calla lily and the lilies of the valley, both the children knew well for they had often seen them in the gardens at home. All the rest were strangers to them, and for a long time they lingered to admire their wondrous beauty. "It was not long before they chanced to look up, and seeing a group of dilapidated, half-fallen houses in the hazy distance, moss-covered and almost hidden from view by the long branches of low-bending trees, the children turned to the Queen and asked the name of the curious-looking place. "She informed them that the village was the home of the Sand Man, and that the name of it was 'Drowsy Town,' so named because everything about the place was half asleep. "Often indeed had the children heard of the Sand Man, but they never expected to visit his home; so they hastened their steps and soon entered the curious village. "The place contained but few houses, all of which were badly neglected and sadly out of repair; for who could stop to fix up houses in such a sleepy place? Beside, what do people care about the outside of a house when they are sleeping within all the time? "The fences were mostly fallen, save here and there where a moss-covered stretch of old-fashioned wooden pickets leaned half-heartedly against their warped railings, while now and then a gate hung over on one hinge as if, like everything else, it was anxious to lie down in the dust and sleep. "Long gray moss trailed from the eaves of the old buildings right down to the very ground and spread over the window casements like gray-green curtains to keep out the light, which it most certainly did. "As the children passed the home of the Sand Man, by far the most neglected in the village, and to which the Queen pointed with evident pride, they lingered on the corner for a moment to look about the place. "A cat came slowly out onto the old porch, yawned, stretched and went in. A dog half arose, as the sound of their noisy feet on the worn-out pavement disturbed his slumber, and raising his ears, glanced drowsily about, growled and then sank down to sleep under a green vine that sheltered one end of the porch. "They moved slowly on, then stopped on the opposite corner and looked far down the silent and deserted street, where they saw a queer-looking individual, staggering and stumbling toward them. "Now he would lunge forward head first into the trunk of an old tree; then, rousing himself, he would stagger onward only to fall over the curb stone, or run pell mell into a post. He finally tripped over a broken slab in the neglected walk and fell flat upon his face, from which position he seemed to arise with much difficulty. "'Who is that staggering person' exclaimed Arthur, 'reeling toward us like some drunken man?'