" fairy country ? " asked Button-Bright

" think you'd know," said the little girl, gravely " wasn't fairy country you couldn't have fox head shaggy man couldn't have donkey head, Rainbow's Daughter invis'ble "

"What's that ? " asked the boy

"You don't seem anything, Button-Bright Invis'ble is thing 't see "

"Then Toto's invis'ble," declared the boy, and Dorothy found right Toto had disappeared from view, but hear him barking furiously heaps of grey rock ahead

They moved forward little faster what the dog was barking at, and found perched upon point of rock roadside curious creature It had the form of man, middle-sized and rather slender and graceful; but as it sat silent and motionless peak see that its face was black as ink, and it wore black cloth costume made like union suit and fitting tight to its skin Its hands were black, too, and its toes curled down, like bird's The creature was black all over except its hair, fine, and yellow, banged in front across the black forehead and cut close sides The eyes, which were fixed steadily barking dog, were small and sparkling and looked like the eyes of weasel

"What s'pose ? " asked Dorothy in hushed voice, little group of travelers stood watching the strange creature

"Don't know," said Button-Bright

The thing gave jump and turned half around, sitting same place but other side body facing them Instead of being black, now pure white, with face like that of clown in circus and hair of brilliant purple The creature could bend either way, and its white toes now curled the same way the black ones other side had done

"It has face both front and back," whispered Dorothy, wonderingly; "only there's no back at all, but two fronts "

Having made the turn, the being sat motionless as before, while Toto barked louder white man than he had done black one

"Once," said the shaggy man, "I had jumping jack like that, with two faces "

" alive ? " asked Button-Bright

"No," replied the shaggy man; "it worked on strings and of wood "

"Wonder works with strings," said Dorothy; but Polychrome cried "Look ! " for another creature just like the first had suddenly appeared sitting on another rock, its black side toward them The two twisted their heads around and showed black face white side of one and white face black side other

"How curious," said Polychrome; "and how loose their heads ! Are they friendly , ? "

"Can't tell, Polly," replied Dorothy "Let's ask 'em "

The creatures flopped first and then the other, showing black or white by turns; and now another joined them, appearing on another rock Our friends had come to little hollow hills, place where they now stood was surrounded by jagged peaks of rock, except where the road ran through

"Now four ," said the shaggy man

"Five," declared Polychrome

"Six," said Dorothy

"Lots of 'em ! " cried Button-Bright; and so there were--quite row two-sided black and white creatures sitting rocks all around

Toto stopped barking and ran between Dorothy's feet, where he crouched down afraid The creatures look pleasant or friendly, , shaggy man's donkey face became solemn, indeed

"Ask 'em who , and what ," whispered Dorothy; so the shaggy man called out in loud voice:

"Who ? "

"Scoodlers ! " they yelled in chorus, their voices sharp and shrill

"What ? " called the shaggy man

"You ! " they yelled, pointing their thin fingers group; all flopped around, so they were white, and then all flopped back again, so they were black

"But what us for ? " asked the shaggy man, uneasily

"Soup ! " they all shouted, with one voice

"Goodness me ! " said Dorothy, trembling little; "the Scoodlers reg'lar cannibals "

"Don't want soup," protested Button-Bright, beginning to cry

"Hush, dear," said the little girl, trying to comfort him; "we don't any of us want soup But don't worry; the shaggy man will take care of us "

"Will he ? " asked Polychrome, who like the Scoodlers at all, and kept close to Dorothy

"I'll try," promised the shaggy man; but he looked worried

Happening just then the Love Magnet pocket, creatures, with more confidence:

"Don't you love me ? "

"Yes ! " they shouted, all together

"Then you mustn't harm me, or my friends," said the shaggy man, firmly

"We love you in soup ! " they yelled, and in flash turned their white sides front

"How dreadful ! " said Dorothy " time, Shaggy Man, get loved "

"Don't want soup ! " wailed Button-Bright again; and Toto began to whine dismally, he didn't want soup, either

" ," said the shaggy man friends, in low tone, "is out pocket rocks , and leave the Scoodlers behind us Follow me, my dears, and don't pay any attention to what or say "

, he began to march along the road opening rocks ahead, others kept close behind him But the Scoodlers closed up in front, to bar their way, and so the shaggy man stooped down and picked up loose stone, which he threw creatures to scare them path

the Scoodlers raised howl Two picked their heads from their shoulders and hurled them shaggy man force that he fell over in heap, greatly astonished The two now ran forward with swift leaps, caught up their heads, and put them on again, after which they sprang back positions rocks

10 Escaping the Soup-Kettle

The shaggy man got up and felt of himself if hurt; but not heads had struck his breast other his left shoulder; yet though they had knocked him down, the heads hard enough to bruise him

"Come on," firmly; "we've got out of here some way," and forward he started again

The Scoodlers began yelling and throwing their heads in great numbers at our frightened friends The shaggy man was knocked over again, and so was Button-Bright, who kicked his heels against the ground and howled as loud as , although not hurt bit One head struck Toto, who first yelped and then grabbed the head by an ear and started running away with it

The Scoodlers who had thrown their heads began to scramble down and run to pick them up, with wonderful quickness; but the one whose head Toto had stolen found it hard it back again The head couldn't see the body with either pair eyes, because the dog was way, so the headless Scoodler stumbled around over the rocks and tripped on them more than once in its effort to regain its top Toto was trying outside the rocks and roll the head down the hill; but other Scoodlers came rescue unfortunate comrade and pelted the dog with their own heads until obliged to drop his burden and hurry back to Dorothy

The little girl Rainbow's Daughter had both escaped the shower of heads, but they saw now useless to run away dreadful Scoodlers

" submit," declared the shaggy man, in rueful voice, as he got upon his feet again He turned toward their foes and asked:

"What us ? "

"Come ! " they cried, in triumphant chorus, and at once sprang rocks and surrounded their captives on all sides One funny thing Scoodlers was walk in either direction, coming or going, without turning around; because they had two faces and, as Dorothy said, "two front sides," and their feet were shaped like the letter T upside down They moved with great rapidity and something about their glittering eyes and contrasting colors and removable heads that inspired the poor prisoners with horror, and made them long to escape

But the creatures led their captives away rocks road, down the hill by side path until they came before low mountain of rock that looked like huge bowl turned upside down edge mountain was deep gulf--so deep that looked nothing but blackness below Across the gulf was narrow bridge of rock, and other end bridge was an arched opening that led mountain

Over this bridge the Scoodlers led their prisoners, opening mountain, which they found an immense hollow dome lighted by several holes roof All around the circular space were built rock houses, set close together, each with door front wall None houses was more than six feet wide, but the Scoodlers were thin people sidewise and need much room So vast dome that large space middle cave, in front of all these houses, where the creatures might congregate as in great hall

It made Dorothy shudder huge iron kettle suspended by stout chain middle place, and underneath the kettle great heap of kindling wood and shavings, ready to light

"What's that ? " asked the shaggy man, drawing back approached this place, so were forced to push him forward

"The Soup Kettle ! " yelled the Scoodlers, and then they shouted next breath:

"We're hungry ! "

Button-Bright, holding Dorothy's hand in one chubby fist and Polly's hand other, was so affected shout that he began to cry again, repeating the protest:

"Don't want soup, I don't ! "

"Never mind," said the shaggy man, consolingly; "I ought enough soup to feed them all, I'm so big; so I'll ask them me kettle first "

"All right," said Button-Bright, more cheerfully

But the Scoodlers ready soup yet They led the captives into house farthest side cave--a house somewhat wider others