AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

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a fine portrait. His clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously
colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams
touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed
the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. There was
no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he
must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested
upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to
the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to
gaze at the strange animal.

"Look out!" cried Dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not
look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!"

But he paid no attention to her warning. He reached the edge of the tall
roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly
as if he were on firm ground.

The girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and
saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. Soon he
reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of
the glass buildings.

"How strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it _is_ strange," remarked the small
voice of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the
air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

"Come back, Eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be
killed."

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around
in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose even one
of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't manage to
fall if I wanted to."

"Does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl.

"Of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air
and back to the edge of the roof.

"It's wonderful!" said Dorothy.

"Suppose we let Eureka go down to the street and get some one to help
us," suggested Zeb, who had been even more amazed than Dorothy at these
strange happenings.

"Perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl.

Zeb drew back with a shiver.

"I wouldn't dare try," he said.

"May be Jim will go," continued Dorothy, looking at the horse.

"And may be he won't!" answered Jim. "I've tumbled through the air long
enough to make me contented on this roof."

"But we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we
reached here we were floating very slowly, and I'm almost sure we could
float down to the street without getting hurt. Eureka walks on the air
all right."

"Eureka weighs only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a
scornful tone, "while I weigh about half a ton."

"You don't weigh as much as you ought to, Jim," remarked the girl,
shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "You're dreadfully
skinny."

"Oh, well; I'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and
I've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. For a good many years I
drew a public cab in Chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny."

"He eats enough to get fat, I'm sure," said the boy, gravely.

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled Jim,
as if he resented Zeb's speech.

"None of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger
like this it's foolish to talk about eating."

"Nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse,
with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no
one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. If
there are, they are liable to be glass oats!"

[Illustration: "COME ON, JIM! IT'S ALL RIGHT."]

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I can see plenty of nice gardens and
fields down below us, at the edge of this city. But I wish we could find
a way to get to the ground."

"Why don't you walk down?" asked Eureka. "I'm as hungry as the horse is,
and I want my milk."

"Will you try it, Zeb" asked the girl, turning to her companion.

a fine portrait. His clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously

colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams

touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed

the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. There was

no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he

must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested

upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to

the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to

gaze at the strange animal.

"Look out!" cried Dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not

look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!"

But he paid no attention to her warning. He reached the edge of the tall

roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly

as if he were on firm ground.

The girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and

saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. Soon he

reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of

the glass buildings.

"How strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it _is_ strange," remarked the small

voice of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the

air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

"Come back, Eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be

killed."

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around

in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose even one

of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't manage to

fall if I wanted to."

"Does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl.

"Of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air

and back to the edge of the roof.

"It's wonderful!" said Dorothy.

"Suppose we let Eureka go down to the street and get some one to help

us," suggested Zeb, who had been even more amazed than Dorothy at these

strange happenings.

"Perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl.

Zeb drew back with a shiver.

"I wouldn't dare try," he said.

"May be Jim will go," continued Dorothy, looking at the horse.

"And may be he won't!" answered Jim. "I've tumbled through the air long

enough to make me contented on this roof."

"But we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we

reached here we were floating very slowly, and I'm almost sure we could

float down to the street without getting hurt. Eureka walks on the air

all right."

"Eureka weighs only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a

scornful tone, "while I weigh about half a ton."

"You don't weigh as much as you ought to, Jim," remarked the girl,

shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "You're dreadfully

skinny."

"Oh, well; I'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and

I've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. For a good many years I

drew a public cab in Chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny."

"He eats enough to get fat, I'm sure," said the boy, gravely.

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled Jim,

as if he resented Zeb's speech.

"None of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger

like this it's foolish to talk about eating."

"Nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse,

with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no

one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. If

there are, they are liable to be glass oats!"

[Illustration: "COME ON, JIM! IT'S ALL RIGHT."]

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I can see plenty of nice gardens and

fields down below us, at the edge of this city. But I wish we could find

a way to get to the ground."

"Why don't you walk down?" asked Eureka. "I'm as hungry as the horse is,

and I want my milk."

"Will you try it, Zeb" asked the girl, turning to her companion.