AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 83
rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.

"We've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked Zeb, with a deep
sigh. "We can't keep falling forever, you know."

"Of course not," said Dorothy. "We are somewhere in the middle of the
earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long.
But it's a big hollow, isn't it?"

"Awful big!" answered the boy.

"We're coming to something now," announced the horse.

At this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked
down. Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either.
But they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no
longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart
and look about them.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. Here and there were
groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled
so brightly.

"I'm sure we are in no danger," said Dorothy, in a sober voice. "We are
falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and
this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "But don't let us worry
over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and
I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon
both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out
below them. They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big
city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed
spires. These spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled
upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury.

Jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight
up with fear, while Dorothy and Zeb held their breaths in suspense. But
no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop
at last.

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked
over Dorothy's birdcage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the
bottom came off. At once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat
down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes.

"Oh," said Dorothy. "There's Eureka."

"First time I ever saw a pink cat," said Zeb.

"Eureka isn't pink; she's white. It's this queer light that gives her
that color."

"Where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into Dorothy's face.
"I'm 'most starved to death."

"Oh, Eureka! Can you talk?"

"Talk! Am I talking? Good gracious, I believe I am. Isn't it funny?"
asked the kitten.

"It's all wrong," said Zeb, gravely. "Animals ought not to talk. But
even old Jim has been saying things since we had our accident."

"I can't see that it's wrong," remarked Jim, in his gruff tones. "At
least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. What's going to become of
us now?"

"I don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously.

The houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent
that one could look through the walls as easily as though a window.
Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer
forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of
glass were lying scattered in every direction. A near by steeple had
been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. Other
buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;
but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had
happened to mar their perfection. The rainbow tints from the colored
suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many
delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.

But not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had
arrived, except that of their own voices. They began to wonder if there
were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world.

Suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they
were on and stepped into plain view. He was not a very large man, but
was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of

rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.

"We've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked Zeb, with a deep

sigh. "We can't keep falling forever, you know."

"Of course not," said Dorothy. "We are somewhere in the middle of the

earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long.

But it's a big hollow, isn't it?"

"Awful big!" answered the boy.

"We're coming to something now," announced the horse.

At this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked

down. Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either.

But they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no

longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart

and look about them.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very

like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly

colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. Here and there were

groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled

so brightly.

"I'm sure we are in no danger," said Dorothy, in a sober voice. "We are

falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and

this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "But don't let us worry

over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and

I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon

both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out

below them. They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big

city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed

spires. These spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled

upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury.

Jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight

up with fear, while Dorothy and Zeb held their breaths in suspense. But

no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop

at last.

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs

trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out

of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked

over Dorothy's birdcage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the

bottom came off. At once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat

down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes.

"Oh," said Dorothy. "There's Eureka."

"First time I ever saw a pink cat," said Zeb.

"Eureka isn't pink; she's white. It's this queer light that gives her

that color."

"Where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into Dorothy's face.

"I'm 'most starved to death."

"Oh, Eureka! Can you talk?"

"Talk! Am I talking? Good gracious, I believe I am. Isn't it funny?"

asked the kitten.

"It's all wrong," said Zeb, gravely. "Animals ought not to talk. But

even old Jim has been saying things since we had our accident."

"I can't see that it's wrong," remarked Jim, in his gruff tones. "At

least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. What's going to become of

us now?"

"I don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously.

The houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent

that one could look through the walls as easily as though a window.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used

for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer

forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of

glass were lying scattered in every direction. A near by steeple had

been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. Other

buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;

but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had

happened to mar their perfection. The rainbow tints from the colored

suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many

delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.

But not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had

arrived, except that of their own voices. They began to wonder if there

were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world.

Suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they

were on and stepped into plain view. He was not a very large man, but

was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of