The Joyous Story of Toto Part 18

"The people all flung up their hats, and cheered, and ran up and down all the more, to express their gratification. As for the china-shop man, he threw his arms round Hokey Pokey's neck, called him his cherished preserver, and bade him choose anything that was left in his shop in payment for his services.

"'Can you match these?' asked Hokey Pokey, holding up the loaf of bread and the ball of sweetmeats.

"'That can I,' said the shop-man; and he brought out a huge ball of solid ivory, inlaid with gold and silver, and truly lovely to behold.

It was very heavy, being twice as large as the ball of sweetmeats; but Hokey Pokey took it, and, after thanking the shop-man and receiving his thanks in return, he proceeded on his way.

"After walking for several days, he came to a fair, large castle, in front of which sat a man on horseback. When the man saw Hokey Pokey, he called out,--

"'Who are you, and what do you bring to the mighty Dragon, lord of this castle?'

"'Hokey Pokey is my name,' replied the youth, 'and strange things do I bring. But what does the mighty Dragon want, for example?'

"'He wants something new to eat,' said the man on horseback. 'He has eaten of everything that is known in the world, and pines for something new. He who brings him a new dish, never before tasted by him, shall have a thousand crowns and a new jacket; but he who fails, after three trials, shall have his jacket taken away from him, and his head cut off besides.'

"'I bring strange food,' said Hokey Pokey. 'Let me pa.s.s in, that I may serve the mighty Dragon.'

"Then the man on horseback lowered his lance, and let him pa.s.s in, and in short s.p.a.ce he came before the mighty Dragon. The Dragon sat on a silver throne, with a golden knife in one hand, and a golden fork in the other. Around him were many people, who offered him dishes of every description; but he would none of them, for he had tasted them all before; and he howled with hunger on his silver throne. Then came forward Hokey Pokey, and said boldly,--

"'Here come I, Hokey Pokey, bringing strange food for the mighty Dragon.'

"The Dragon howled again, and waving his knife and fork, bade Hokey Pokey give the food to the attendants, that they might serve him.

"'Not so,' said Hokey Pokey. 'I must serve you myself, most mighty Dragon, else you shall not taste of my food. Therefore put down your knife and fork, and open your mouth, and you shall see what you shall see.'

"So the Dragon, after summoning the man-with-the-thousand-crowns and the man-with-the-new-jacket to one side of his throne, and the man-to-take-away-the-old-jacket and the executioner to the other, laid down his knife and fork and opened his mouth. Hokey Pokey stepped lightly forward, and dropped the round loaf down the great red throat.

The Dragon shut his jaws together with a snap, and swallowed the loaf in two gulps.

"'That is good,' he said; 'but it is not new. I have eaten much bread, though never before in a round loaf. Have you anything more? Or shall the man take away your jacket?'

"'I have this, an it please you,' said Hokey Pokey; and he dropped the ball of sweetmeats into the Dragon's mouth.

"When the Dragon tasted this, he rolled his eyes round and round, and was speechless with delight for some time. At length he said, 'Worthy youth, this is very good; it is extremely good; it is better than anything I ever tasted. Nevertheless, it is not new; for I have tasted the same kind of thing before, only not nearly so good. And now, unless you are positively sure that you have something new for your third trial, you really might as well take off your jacket; and the executioner shall take off your head at the same time, as it is getting rather late. Executioner, do your--'

[Ill.u.s.tration: "People," he said, "I am Hokey Pokey."]

"'Craving your pardon, most mighty Dragon,' said Hokey Pokey, 'I will first make my third trial;' and with that he dropped the ivory ball into the Dragon's mouth.

"'Gug-wugg-gllll-grrr!' said the Dragon, for the ball had stuck fast, being too big for him to swallow.

"Then Hokey Pokey lifted his mallet and struck one tremendous blow upon the ball, driving it far down the throat of the monster, and killing him most fatally dead. He rolled off the throne like a scaly log, and his crown fell off and rolled to Hokey Pokey's feet. The youth picked it up and put it on his own head, and then called the people about him and addressed them.

"'People,' he said, 'I am Hokey Pokey, and I have come from a far land to rule over you. Your Dragon have I slain, and now I am your king; and if you will always do exactly what I tell you to do, you will have no further trouble.'

"So the people threw up their caps and cried, 'Long live Hokey Pokey!'

and they always did exactly as he told them, and had no further trouble.

"And Hokey Pokey sent for his three brothers, and made them Chief Butcher, Chief Baker, and Chief Candlestick-maker of his kingdom. But to his father he sent a large cudgel made of pure gold, with these words engraved on it: 'Now you cannot complain that I have given you nothing!'"

CHAPTER XIV.

"Ya-Ha!" said the racc.o.o.n, yawning and stretching himself. "Ya-a-_hoo_!

Hm-a-yeaow! oh, dear me! what a pity!"

"What, for instance, is the matter?" demanded the squirrel, dropping a hickory-nut down on the racc.o.o.n's nose. "I knew a racc.o.o.n once who yawned till his head broke in two, and the top rolled off."

"Hm!" said the racc.o.o.n. "Not much loss if it was like some people's heads.

"I was sighing," he continued, "you very stupid Cracker! to think that summer is gone, and that winter will be here before we can say 'Beechnuts.'"

"Ah!" said the squirrel, looking grave. "That, indeed! To be sure; yes."

"The leaves are falling fast," continued the racc.o.o.n meditatively; "the birds are all gone, except Pigeon Pretty and Miss Mary, and they are going in a day or two. Very soon, my Cracker, we shall have to roll ourselves up and go to sleep for the winter. No more gingerbread and jam, my boy. No more pleasant afternoons at the cottage; no more stories. Nothing but a hollow tree and four months' sleep. Ah, dear me!" and c.o.o.n sighed again, and shook his head despondingly.

"By the way," said Cracker, "Toto tells me that he and his people don't sleep in winter any more than in summer. Queer, isn't it? I suppose it has something to do with their having only two legs."

"Something to do with their having two heads!" growled the racc.o.o.n.

"They don't sleep with their legs, do they, stupid?"

"They certainly don't sleep _without_ them!" said the squirrel rather sharply.

"Look here!" replied the racc.o.o.n, rising and shaking himself, "should you like me to bite about two inches off your tail? It won't take me a minute, and I would just as lief do it as not."

Affairs were becoming rather serious, when suddenly the wood-pigeon appeared, and fluttered down with a gentle "Coo!" between the two friends, who certainly seemed anything but friendly.

"What are you two quarrelling about?" she asked. "How extremely silly you both are! But now make friends, and put on your very best manners, for we are going to have a visitor here in a few minutes. I am going to call Chucky and Miss Mary, and do you make everything tidy about the pool before she comes." And off flew Pigeon Pretty in a great hurry.

"_She?_" said Cracker inquiringly, looking at c.o.o.n.

"She _said_ 'she'!" replied c.o.o.n, bestirring himself, and picking up the dead branches that had fallen on the smooth green moss-carpet.

"Perhaps it is that aunt of Chucky's who has been making him a visit,"

suggested the squirrel.

"Oh, well!" said the racc.o.o.n, stopping short in his work. "If Pigeon Pretty thinks I am going to put this place in order for a woodchuck's aunt, she is very much mistaken, that's all. I never heard of such--"

But here he stopped, for a loud rustling in the underbrush announced that the visitor, whoever she might be, was close at hand.

The bushes separated, and to the utter astonishment of both c.o.o.n and Cracker, who should appear but the grandmother herself, escorted by Toto and Bruin, and attended also by the wood-pigeon and the parrot, who fluttered about her head with cries of pleasure.

Toto led the old lady to the mossy bank beside the pool, where she sat down, rather out of breath, and a little bewildered, but evidently much pleased at having accomplished such a feat.

The racc.o.o.n hastened to express his delight in the finest possible language, while the little squirrel turned a dozen somersaults in succession, by way of showing how pleased he was. As for the worthy Bruin, he fairly beamed with pleasure, and even went so far as to execute a sort of saraband, which, if the grandmother could have seen it, would certainly have alarmed her a good deal.

"My dear friends," said the old lady, "it gives me great pleasure to be here, I a.s.sure you. Toto has for some time had his heart quite set on my seeing you once--though, alas! my _seeing_ is only _hearing_--in your own pleasant home, before you separate for the winter. So, thanks to our kind friend, Mr. Bruin, I am actually here. How warm and soft the air is!" she continued. "What a delightful cus.h.i.+on you have found for me! and is that a brook, that is tinkling so pleasantly?"