AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Zeb hesitated. He was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful
adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. But he did not
wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the
edge of the roof.

Dorothy stretched out a hand to him and Zeb put one foot out and let it
rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. It seemed firm
enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot.
Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both
walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.

"Come on, Jim!" called the boy. "It's all right."

Jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible
horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where
the others did. So, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short
tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating
downward to the street. His great weight made him fall faster than the
children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to
the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even
jarred.

"Well, well!" said Dorothy, drawing a long breath, "What a strange
country this is."

People began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals,
and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. There were men and women,
but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and
attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. There was not
an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not especially pleased
by the appearance of these people because their features had no more
expression than the faces of dolls. They did not smile nor did they
frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness.
They simply stared at the strangers, paying most attention to Jim and
Eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the
children bore an outward resemblance to themselves.

Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the
dark hair just over his forehead. He seemed to be a person of authority,
for the others pressed back to give him room. After turning his composed
eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to Zeb,
who was a little taller than Dorothy:

"Tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the Rain of Stones?"

For a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. Then,
remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long
before they had reached this place, he answered:

"No, sir; we didn't cause anything. It was the earthquake."

The man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this
speech. Then he asked:

"What is an earthquake?"

"I don't know," said Zeb, who was still confused. But Dorothy, seeing
his perplexity, answered:

"It's a shaking of the earth. In this quake a big crack opened and we
fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and
came down with us."

The man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes.

"The Rain of Stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we
shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence."

"How can we do that?" asked the girl.

"That I am not prepared to say. It is your affair, not mine. You must
go to the House of the Sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth."

"Where is the House of the Sorcerer?" the girl enquired.

"I will lead you to it. Come!"

He turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation
Dorothy caught Eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. The boy
took his seat beside her and said: "Gid-dap, Jim."

As the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass
city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. Slowly
they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and
then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was
a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each
corner.

[Illustration]




CHAPTER 3.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE WIZARD


The doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and
buggy to enter, so Zeb drove straight through it and the children found

Zeb hesitated. He was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful

adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. But he did not

wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the

edge of the roof.

Dorothy stretched out a hand to him and Zeb put one foot out and let it

rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. It seemed firm

enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot.

Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both

walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.

"Come on, Jim!" called the boy. "It's all right."

Jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible

horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where

the others did. So, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short

tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating

downward to the street. His great weight made him fall faster than the

children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to

the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even

jarred.

"Well, well!" said Dorothy, drawing a long breath, "What a strange

country this is."

People began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals,

and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. There were men and women,

but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and

attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. There was not

an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not especially pleased

by the appearance of these people because their features had no more

expression than the faces of dolls. They did not smile nor did they

frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness.

They simply stared at the strangers, paying most attention to Jim and

Eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the

children bore an outward resemblance to themselves.

Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the

dark hair just over his forehead. He seemed to be a person of authority,

for the others pressed back to give him room. After turning his composed

eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to Zeb,

who was a little taller than Dorothy:

"Tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the Rain of Stones?"

For a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. Then,

remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long

before they had reached this place, he answered:

"No, sir; we didn't cause anything. It was the earthquake."

The man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this

speech. Then he asked:

"What is an earthquake?"

"I don't know," said Zeb, who was still confused. But Dorothy, seeing

his perplexity, answered:

"It's a shaking of the earth. In this quake a big crack opened and we

fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and

came down with us."

The man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes.

"The Rain of Stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we

shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence."

"How can we do that?" asked the girl.

"That I am not prepared to say. It is your affair, not mine. You must

go to the House of the Sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth."

"Where is the House of the Sorcerer?" the girl enquired.

"I will lead you to it. Come!"

He turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation

Dorothy caught Eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. The boy

took his seat beside her and said: "Gid-dap, Jim."

As the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass

city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. Slowly

they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and

then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was

a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each

corner.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 3.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE WIZARD

The doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and

buggy to enter, so Zeb drove straight through it and the children found