“Old Jingles sent the Wolf Pack after us,” Johnny said, “for we saw him flying this way after you two had crawled into the cave!”
“Perhaps he will follow us into the cave!” said Gran’ma.
“I hope he sticks fast in the molasses candy if he does!” said Gran’pa.
“Let us fill the opening here with stones!” Johnny suggested, “so if he does follow you through the cave he will have to go all the way back for his trouble!”
So they all carried sticks and stones and filled up the mouth of the cave. When that was finished Janey asked where they had found the Beautiful Girl.
“Let us travel from here as fast as we can!” said the Beautiful Girl, “and I will tell you the story as we go along!”
As they hurried through the giant mushrooms and bushes the Beautiful Girl told them the following strange story.
“I live in the City of Nite,” she began, “or at least I did live there until I was shut up in the Green Jar. I was out walking one day near the river, and as I stopped on the bank to gather some beautiful flowers growing there I came upon a Queer Horse standing in the water. At first I thought he could not be alive, for he stood so still and he had no head; but as I stood gazing at him in wonderment he switched his tail and knocked some flies from his back, and I heard him say, ‘There now! I hope I switched all of you off!’
“‘Dear me!’ I cried out aloud. ‘A horse without a head talking! Whoever heard of such a thing!’
“At this the Queer Horse came out of the water and sat down upon the bank.