“I’ve stood up there vegetating long enough,” cried the Codfish. “And I’m actually perishing for want of a swim. No one wants to be weighed anyhow. Why should they?”
He shot out the question with so impressive, not to say ferocious a manner that nobody cared to answer. Only one member of the crowd that had hopped off the sign protested feebly that he had been waiting for a long time. However, as nobody paid any attention to him, he soon relapsed into silence.
“If you know the way out of these woods, for goodness’ sake show us,” exclaimed the Doughnut Man.
To which the Codfish responded by beginning to sing in a very loud voice:
“The elephant sat on the railroad track,
By the light, by the light, by the light of the moon,
Picking his teeth with a baseball bat,
By the light, by the light of the moon.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with it,” exclaimed Sally impatiently. Then turning to the Doughnut Man, she added severely, “You said just now that you knew where we were, and you don’t at all.”
“Oh, to be sure I do, and so do you. We are right opposite the Codfish’s house,” retorted the other. Then he added thoughtfully, “What seems so very queer to me is that we haven’t come across the Peppermint Stick.”