No sooner did he say the words than the enchanted horse turned and started south. It was a very wonderful ride, and Ray saw many strange sights, but when he reached the country at the end of the rainbow he dismounted and was lost in admiration. He had always heard that there were bags full of gold at the end of the rainbow, but in reality he found that the streets were paved with gold and silver, inlaid with precious stones. The sun tinted the fields with the blue of the midday sky and the hills with the rose color of the twilight. The flowers looked like our own beautiful ones, the only difference being, that when you plucked them from the stem, they hardened into permanent shapes of beauty and the heart of each flower showed a beautiful gem.
In the center of every rose a drop of dew had crystallized into a sparkling diamond, while every lily contained a pearl of priceless beauty hidden in its bosom.
“The end of the rainbow is the loveliest place in the world,” exclaimed Ray; “but now I must visit some other place. I think that I would like to visit the clouds,” he said, and in a second he was on the back of the horse and up he rose into the balmy air toward the clouds.
He passed a great gray cloud castle that was moving very rapidly. He watched its great domes and towers and suddenly a giant appeared on the castle wall. “I am the Rain Giant,” said he, but before Ray could speak, the giant on the castle wall had passed, and Ray remembered that he must not look behind.
Suddenly another castle was seen approaching and over the great entrance it read, “Castle of the Thunder Giant.” The noise around the castle was almost deafening, and Ray saw two great giants in the castle garden fencing with golden swords. Every time their swords clashed a streak of lightning went through the sky. Ray moved so fast on the enchanted horse, that the thunder castle was soon far behind. Away in the distance Ray could see something that looked like a ball of fire. Suddenly the horse stopped and Ray jumped off, and stood on a cloud hill. Just then he caught sight of a beautiful little girl who was hiding behind a soft white cloud. Ray tried to catch her, but she ran in and out and he had to chase her a long time before he could get her.
“What is your name?” asked Ray.
“They call me Sunbeam,” replied the little girl.
“What do you do all day?” asked Ray, and little Sunbeam replied:
“All the good I can.”
“But were you not playing when I came along?” said Ray.