“A chameleon?” repeated Mary Jane; “what’s a chameleon?”
Alice came running down the stairs just in time to hear what Mary Jane said. “I know,” she cried eagerly, “it’s a creature that changes its color.”
“But this doesn’t change any color,” said Mary Jane skeptically; “this’n green.”
“Yes,” said Tom, “because it’s on green grass. You just wait and I’ll show you.” He picked up the little creature by its tail and, holding it gently, laid it on the brown table cover. To the girls’ amazement the brilliant green color faded and like magic the creature before them was all of brown.
“Oh!” exclaimed Mary Jane, in an awe-struck voice; “what makes it do it?”
“They say,” replied Tom, “that it’s got a set of air cells that catch the color of whatever the creature’s on. But I don’t believe they really for sure certain know what does do it.”
“But that’s not yellow!” said Mary Jane, remembering that Mrs. Trudy had said three colors.
“Of course not,” laughed Tom, “because the table cover’s brown. Here, you put it on Alice’s yellow dress and see what happens.”
Very gingerly, Mary Jane picked up the little creature and laid it in Alice’s lap. And sure enough! Like magic again the chameleon changed its color—this time a golden yellow that was streaked a bit with brown at the sides—made it look utterly unlike the green animal Mary Jane had first seen in the box.
“I think that’s the wonderfulest thing I ever saw,” she exclaimed. “I’m just going to change it around all day and see what it does.”