[THE LAND OF NOWHERE]
Jack and Grace were in the nursery playing with their toys, when suddenly they were startled by a tiny voice calling out "Good-by!"
They looked up quickly, and to their surprise their little tin airship was slowly rising from the floor. In another moment it sailed across the room and out of the top of the window, which was down a little to let in fresh air. The little man at the steering wheel waved his hand as the airship disappeared. Jack rushed to the window.
"Grace, Grace!" he shouted, "did you ever hear of such a thing? Come on. I'm going to run outside and see where it goes." Both children hurried down stairs and out on the sidewalk. Sure enough, just over the top of the next house they could distinguish their Christmas present ascending higher and higher into the clear blue sky.
Just then something fluttered at their feet. Jack stooped down and picked up a piece of paper on which was written:
"Sorry I didn't have time to tell you as the airship was under way and I didn't dare make a turn inside the room, but if you both will come up on the roof, I will come back and tell you something lovely."
"Let's!" exclaimed Grace, who had read the note over Jack's shoulder; and in another moment both children were running up to the attic. After some difficulty, they raised the little door in the ceiling and stood upon the roof. Sure enough, just overhead and about to descend was an airship. But, goodness me! it was a regular airship, just like the kind they had seen in pictures, and not the little toy machine which they had but a few minutes before seen sailing out of the window and up over the next house. Nor did the lovely fairy who now alighted from the airship look anything like the queer little painted man. "Hello!" she said, in a very friendly voice: "would you like to take a sail?"
Jack helped Grace in, and before long they were flying above the clouds, which looked like huge snow banks below them, white and fluffy. Everything was blue about them, and the air seemed full of perfume.