CHAPTER XIII.
To the east of the North Star our travelers saw a beautiful rose-tinted island and, on consulting Mercury, found it to be the Isle of Candy. On it everything was composed of sweets of some kind. Chocolate took the place of soil, while the benches in the parks were made of twisted molasses candy. Soda waters of different shades and color filled the fountains and looked beautiful as well as inviting as they sparkled in the sunlight. The summer-houses were made of peanut candy representing spotted stone, and the lovely little pagodas throughout the park were of white paste all fluted and carved. The very gravel and walks were made of mixed candies resembling different colored pebbles.
In the very centre of the island was a marvelous castle of sparkling rock candy while its water-pipes ran lemonade, wine and sparkling champagne. A lovely rose-bush clambered over its white porch and on this bush were beautiful pink roses all of candy. This castle was situated on a knoll that sloped to a miniature lake of clear mineral water while on its surface floated tiny canoes of sassafras and cinnamon bark. On the same lake were trim little steamers made of cream candy with striped peppermint sticks for smoke-stacks. On the banks of this lake were candied violets and crystalized sour-grass. Everything to be seen both far and near was a perfect imitation of some natural object. There were candy animals and birds in the park and, had you breakfasted in the castle, you would have been served with candy mutton-chops and candy eggs on candy toast.
“Did you ever see anything so perfectly sweet in all your life?” cried the girls in chorus.
“No, we never did since it is all candy and consequently would be sweet,” said Harold.
“This must be where most of the Christmas candies come from,” said the Princess.
“I wish I could carry away that cherry tree,” said Ione. “See how perfect it is, its bark of brown maple sugar, its leaves of pistache candy and its fruit the real cherries candied. My! but they are good, just taste one.”
After eating all they cared for and drinking at the different fountains, they went to the edge of the island and then flew away toward what looked like a large amethyst. Mercury explained that it was “The Isle of Toys.”
As they approached this island they saw, bordering its coast line, a diminutive city set on seven hills like ancient Rome. At its wharfs lay beautiful little steamers, while tiny sailboats went speeding by, sailing through the blue ether as smoothly as if on the water. They saw also, hurrying crowdsof the prettiest doll-faced people imaginable. And why should they not be pretty and look like dolls when theyweredolls, only living ones that could both walk and talk. Dolls of all kinds and conditions, Mercury explained, were the only inhabitants of this Island of Toys.
Back from the coast, in the interior of the isle, lived the large dolls; in the mountains, the Indian dolls; in the hot part, the African dolls; in the cold part, the Esquimaux; in the tea-growing district, the Chinese, and so on, for every race of man was represented by these tiny creatures who lived, worked, and talked exactly as these races of people do on Earth. In fact, here was a good place to study the different peoples of the globe for, as Ione said, “Here you have the whole world in a nut-shell.”
The dolls that landed from the little steamers at the wharfs represented as many different nationalities as one sees crossing the renowned bridge at Constantinople; the one where rumor says one can see everynationality on the globe pass every hour in the day.
“Ione, do look at that Turkish doll with his baggy, yellow satin trousers, red fez, and long pipe!” said the Princess.
“Yes, but he is not half as cute as that Chinaman with the long pig-tail and paper umbrella, who is fanning himself as he walks,” she answered.
“I feel like a giant when I look down upon these tiny people,” said Harold. “I am afraid we may step on some of them. The largest one I have yet seen does not exceed six inches in height.”
“There live on the farther shore of this island dolls that are as large as a two-year-old child,” explained Mercury.
“See the dolls getting into street cars and carriages just as we do, when they get to the end of the wharf,” said the Princess.
“And observe those express wagons loaded with trunks and the drays with merchandise, while the Clydesdale horses are no bigger than kittens,” said the Prince.
“Listen,” said Harold, “I thought I heard a locomotive whistle.”
“So you did,” replied Mercury. “Look to your left and you will see the most complete little depot, with waiting-rooms, lunch counters, ticket offices, etc., facsimiles of those on Earth.”
“To be sure,” exclaimed Harold, “and there is a turn-table turning an engine at this moment, with little men working the switches.”
“Had I seen this place when I was a little youngster,” said the Prince, “I should have had to stop to play with these fascinating little trains, especially those bound for the stock-yards, loaded with cows and horses no larger than the animals that furnish a good-sized Noah’s Ark.”
“Let us float over the residence part and see what the houses look like inside and how these people live,” suggested Ione.
“Suppose we follow this little lady who has just come out of that dry-goods store and entered her brougham with a coachmanand footman on the box. The brougham drawn by the bang-tailed bay horses,” suggested the Prince.
“Just the thing,” cried Ione.
“No,” said Harold, “you girls go on while the Prince, Mercury and I go to the theatre.”
“Very well. We must be off before we lose sight of our little lady’s brougham. See you later, au revoir!” cried Ione.
Away went the girls, while the boys entered the miniature theatre which they were only able to do because of the power of their magic robes.
Presently the little brougham turned into a beautiful park where there were winding drives, fountains, and flowers everywhere, and stopped in front of a lovely palace of white marble. The footman opened the door of the brougham, the little lady alighted, passed up the broad steps to the front entrance and disappeared within the exquisitely carved doors which were opened by a tiny butler in quaint livery.
With a feeling of disappointment, the girls saw her disappear from view. “Oh, isn’t she too tiny, sweet, and lovely for words!” exclaimed the Princess.
“How I wish we were not so large and could go inside to see how her palace is furnished,” said Ione.
“You have forgotten that our magic robes can make us large or small, as well as invisible,” replied the Princess.
“To be sure I had. Let us wish ourselves the size of the little lady and that we may float through one of her windows and be able to explore the palace unobserved and undisturbed.”
Once inside, the girls found themselves in a marble tessellated hall with walls lined with ancestral portraits and coats of mail. On either side of the hall were rooms through the portiers of which they caught glimpses of rugs of Oriental splendor, brocaded-satin furniture in solid gold frames, statuettes of Parian marble, while roses and white hyacinths were everywhere. At thefarther end of the hall was the dining-room with its tapestried walls, old oaken furniture, crystal chandeliers, dainty silver, and sparkling cut glass.
“Isn’t this magnificent,” exclaimed both girls in a voice of wonder, “and just as if we were looking through the wrong end of our opera glasses.”
They next ascended a lovely stairway and entered a boudoir with rose pink furnishings. Before one of the many miniature mirrors with which its walls were lined, sat our little lady while a maid was busy in brushing her fluffy golden hair. The adjoining room was a nursery. Here in a pretty bassinet, all lace and frills, slept a tiny, rosy-cheeked baby no larger than one’s little finger; while on the floor near by sat a small boy doll building a block house, and as he played his nurse read to him from a diminutive Mother Goose Book.
“Well, I declare! They have Mother Goose even in Toy Land!” exclaimed Ione.
They next descended to the kitchen wherethey saw the little cook making pies no larger than one’s thumb nail and these she baked in a cute little range as perfect in its mechanism as our larger ones.
“I suppose we must be going or the boys will be waiting for us,” said the Princess, “but I should enjoy remaining much longer.”
As they floated away they heard the tones of a piano, for the little daughter of the house was taking her music lesson, while a Canary bird in its golden-wired cage was trying to outvie her by filling the air with sweet, flute-like tremulous tones.
They found the boys awaiting them and were soon floating along together. They saw little farmers plowing the fields; little millers tending the mill and putting the snowy flour into sacks; tiny cattle grazing in the pastures, lying in the shade to rest, or standing knee-deep in the sparkling streams to cool their feet, while on the hill-tops the tiny windmills spun in this and in that direction with the shifting of the wind.
ALL THE CHORUSES ARE HEAVENLY AND HARMONIOUS(p.178)
ALL THE CHORUSES ARE HEAVENLY AND HARMONIOUS(p.178)
ALL THE CHORUSES ARE HEAVENLY AND HARMONIOUS(p.178)
“Isn’t this the cutest isle you ever saw? There is a toy representative of everything we have on Earth even to threshing machines and automobiles,” said Ione.
“It certainly is a most enchanting place. These wee people go about their business as if they were large men and women,” said the Prince.
“Yes, and they seem as independent as Punch or a pig on ice in the way they go about it,” answered Harold.
“What are you going to show us next, Mercury, dear, in this storehouse of space?” questioned the Princess.
“I think I shall take you to the island where all the animals come when they die.”
“Oh, do!” said Ione. “Perhaps I can then see the pets I used to love.”
“Very well, when I say three, all wish yourselves on the island called Isle of Pet Animals and we will be there.”