Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-03

- '''''A 'NiSuS' NOlilllAthNtI Nlle tuuCdlCu
Wosgle-Bug, as they rode along.
Never mind the scenery" said the
Scarecrow. Hold on tight. or you
may get a tumble. The Thing seems
to rock badly"
| 1T will be dark soon'' said Tip.
| observing that the sun was low on the
horizon. Perhaps we should have
waited until morning. l wonder if the
Gump can fly in the night"
1--WE been wondering that myself"
returned the Gump. quietly. ''You see
this is new experience to me- l used
to have legs that carried me swiftly
over the ground. But now my legs feel
as If they were asleep"
They are" said Tip. I'VE didn't
bring 'em TO life"
! You're expected TO fly" explained
the Scarecrow mot to walk"
| 1--WE can walk ourselves" said the
| Woggle- Bug.
Il begin TO understand what is re-
| quired OF me-" remarked the Gump
! so l will do my best to please you"
and ne flew on for time in silence.
Presently Jack Pumpknhead became
uneasy.
II wonder if riding through the air
is liable to spoil pumpkins" he said
| Not unless you carelessly drop your
head over the side" answered the Wog-
| gle-Bug. "In that event your head
would no longer be a pumpkin, for it
would become a squash"
| Have l not asked you to restrain
these unfeeling jokes?" demanded Tip,
looking at the Woggle-Bug with a Sc
we're expression.
You havei and I've restrained a
good many of Them" replied the Insect.
| But there are opportunities for so
many excellent puns in our language
that, to an educated person like my
self, the temptation TO express them is
almost Irresistible"
People with more or less education
discovered those puns centuries ago."
said Tip.
| Are you sure?" asked the Woggle-
Bug. with a startled look.
"Of course l am" answered the boy.
IAN educated Woggle-Bug may be n
new thing: but Woggle- Bug educa-
tion is as old as the hills. judging from
the display you make of It,"
The insect seemed much impressed
by this remark, and for time main
tained a meek silence.
saw upon the cushions the pepper-box
which Tip had cast aside, and began to
examine 1t.
Throw 1t overheard" said the boy;
its quite empty now, and there's no
use keeping IT."
"Is 1t really empty7" asked the
Scarecrow, looking curlously into the
box
| "Of course It is" answered Tip. "I
shook out every grain of the powder"
Then the box has two bottoms" an
nounced the Scarecrow "for the bot
tom on the inside is fully an inch away
from the bottom OF the outside"
Let me see" said the Tin Wood
man. taking the box from his friend.
"Yes," he declared, after looking it
over, 1.-THE thing certainly has a false
bottom. Now. I wonder what that is
for?"
Cant you get It apart. and find
out?" enquired Tip, now quite inter-
ested in the mystery
"Why. yes; the lower bottom un-
screws" said the Tin Woodman. my
fingers are rather stiff; please see if
you can open It,"
He handed the pepper-hox to Tip,
who had no difficulty in unscrewlng the
bottom. And in the cavity below were
three silver pills. with a carefully folded
paper lying underneath them.
This paper the boy proceeded to un-
fold, taking care not to spill the pills,
and found several lines clearly written
in red Ink.
Read 1t aloud" said the Scarecrow !;
so Tip read as follows:
"DR. NIKIDIK'S CELEBRATED
WISHING PILLS
Directions for Use: Swallow one
pill; count seventeen by twos; then
make a wish-The Wish will imme-
diately be granted.
/ CAUTION: Keep in a Dry and Dark
Place"
"Why. this is a very valuable dis
covery!" cried the Scarecrow.
ut is. indeed" replied Tip. gravely
"These pills may be of great use to us
I wonder IL old Mombi knew they were
in the bottom of the pepper-box. ]
remember hearing her say that she got
the Powder of Life from this same
| Nilsidik"
"Ie must be a powerful Sorcerer"
exclaimed the Tin Woodman land
since the powder proved n success we
ought to have confidence in the pills"
But hov1" asked the Scarecrow.
"can anyone count seventeen by twos?
Seventeen is an odd number"
"That is true" replied Tip, greatly
disappointed. mo one can possibly
count seventeen by twos."
"Then the pills are OF no use to us"
walled the Pumpkinhead; land this
fact overwhelms me with grief. For
I had intended wishing that my head
would never spoil"
Nonsense !" said the Scarecrow.
sharply. "If we could use the pills
at all we would make far better wishes
than that"
"I do not see how anything could be
better" protested poor Jack. 'If you
were liable to spoil at any time you
could understand my anxiety"
For my part" said the Tin Wood
man. "I svmpathize with you in every
respect But since we cannot count
seventeen by twos, sympathy is all you
are liable to get"
BY this time it had become quite
dark. and the voyagers found above
them a cloudy sky. through which the
rays of the moon could not penetrate.
The Gump flew steadily on. and for
some reason the huge sofa-body rocked
more and more dizzily every hour.
The Woegle-Bug declared he was sea-
sick; and Tip was also pale and some
hot 1icfra P,,t afh alt, II