The old man steered the queer craft into this dark, cave-like place, and
shot up to a shelving landing-place.
"Get out!" he squeaked.
Simon did as he was commanded.
"Go in! go in!" cried the Garuly, pointing to a hole in the cliff.
"I am too large," said Simon.
And immediately the old man struck him over the head three times, as
before, crying,
"Smaller! smaller! smaller!"
Simon now found himself not more than half as large as he was before. He
went in with the Garuly, who had also grown smaller. Inside there was the
daintiest chamber, all full of beautiful shells wrought into tiny
articles of furniture. The floor was paved with shining pebbles, and the
room was lit up by three fire-flies and two glow-worms.
"How could you make the place so beautiful?" cried Simon.
"The Garulies work together," said the old man, sharply.
The little man told Simon to go in through another door, but Simon was
still too large for that, and so the Garuly again pounded him, crying,
"Smaller! smaller! smaller!"
Once in, Simon saw indeed the treasures of the Garuly's household. There
were easy-chairs, made of the hulls of hickory-nuts; hammocks, made of
the inside bark of the paw-paw; wash-bowls, curiously carved from the
hulls of beech-nuts; and beautiful curtains, of the leaves of the silver
poplar.
Pages:
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102