登陆注册
5011200000021

第21章

The country wasn't so pretty now. Before the travelers appeared a rocky plain covered with hills on which grew nothing green. They were nearing some low mountains, too, and the road, which before had been smooth and pleasant to walk upon, grew rough and uneven.

Button-Bright's little feet stumbled more than once, and Polychrome ceased her dancing because the walking was now so difficult that she had no trouble to keep warm.

It had become afternoon, yet there wasn't a thing for their luncheon except two apples which the shaggy man had taken from the breakfast table. He divided these into four pieces and gave a portion to each of his companions. Dorothy and Button-Bright were glad to get theirs;but Polly was satisfied with a small bite, and Toto did not like apples.

"Do you know," asked the Rainbow's Daughter, "if this is the right road to the Emerald City?""No, I don't," replied Dorothy, "but it's the only road in this part of the country, so we may as well go to the end of it.""It looks now as if it might end pretty soon," remarked the shaggy man;"and what shall we do if it does?"

"Don't know," said Button-Bright.

"If I had my Magic Belt," replied Dorothy, thoughtfully, "it could do us a lot of good just now.""What is your Magic Belt?" asked Polychrome.

"It's a thing I captured from the Nome King one day, and it can do 'most any wonderful thing. But I left it with Ozma, you know; 'cause magic won't work in Kansas, but only in fairy countries.""Is this a fairy country?" asked Button-Bright.

"I should think you'd know," said the little girl, gravely.

"If it wasn't a fairy country you couldn't have a fox head and the shaggy man couldn't have a donkey head, and the Rainbow's Daughter would be invis'ble.""What's that?" asked the boy.

"You don't seem to know anything, Button-Bright. Invis'ble is a thing you can't see.""Then Toto's invis'ble," declared the boy, and Dorothy found he was right. Toto had disappeared from view, but they could hear him barking furiously among the heaps of grey rock ahead of them.

They moved forward a little faster to see what the dog was barking at, and found perched upon a point of rock by the roadside a curious creature. It had the form of a man, middle-sized and rather slender and graceful; but as it sat silent and motionless upon the peak they could see that its face was black as ink, and it wore a black cloth costume made like a union suit and fitting tight to its skin. Its hands were black, too, and its toes curled down, like a bird's. The creature was black all over except its hair, which was fine, and yellow, banged in front across the black forehead and cut close at the sides. The eyes, which were fixed steadily upon the barking dog, were small and sparkling and looked like the eyes of a weasel.

"What in the world do you s'pose that is?" asked Dorothy in a hushed voice, as the little group of travelers stood watching the strange creature.

"Don't know," said Button-Bright.

The thing gave a jump and turned half around, sitting in the same place but with the other side of its body facing them. Instead of being black, it was now pure white, with a face like that of a clown in a circus and hair of a brilliant purple. The creature could bend either way, and its white toes now curled the same way the black ones on the other side had done.

"It has a face both front and back," whispered Dorothy, wonderingly;"only there's no back at all, but two fronts."Having made the turn, the being sat motionless as before, while Toto barked louder at the white man than he had done at the black one.

"Once," said the shaggy man, "I had a jumping jack like that, with two faces.""Was it alive?" asked Button-Bright.

同类推荐
  • 伊江集载

    伊江集载

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 禅要经

    禅要经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 闲居录

    闲居录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 过去现在因果经

    过去现在因果经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 汝坟别业

    汝坟别业

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 快穿:女配成皇

    快穿:女配成皇

    某天,冷芷在企鹅群里面放飞自我,大放豪言:整个天下的男人都是我的!整个天下被群主xx踢出群!冷芷:……男人都是我的!xx男人被群主踢出群!当天晚上,群主一把勾住了冷芷的脖子,道:“还有谁?”冷芷:不了不了,有你就够了!1V1爽文女主,甜宠,甜到腻死人的那种!喜欢请支持哦!
  • 就想追到你

    就想追到你

    这是一场相声的角儿和三流网文小作家的甜蜜邂逅!(可代入呦~) 谁家姑娘和男朋友一天,不是腻腻歪歪的,是老想着和对方打架,摔跤啊?我家的呀!谁家姑娘和男朋友一天,不是老狗子就是大胖墩的称呼对方啊?我家的呀!谁家姑娘和男朋友一天,两个人一个开车开的比一个猛,要做对方爸爸?我家的呀!我家姑娘就这样,就这么可爱,这么怪!爱,不该流于表面,而是种在心里,谁都不说,但都知道,只要回头,对方一定在!
  • 英雄联盟之王者无敌

    英雄联盟之王者无敌

    李风,从国际佣兵组织“前锋”退役回国之后,希望可以过上平淡的生活,泡泡妞,打打游戏,过一过普通人的生活。结果回国之后就惨遭逼婚,李风还不想这么早就就被婚姻所限制,于是开始浪迹花都的生活,在玩熟英雄联盟这个游戏后,逐渐热爱上了这个游戏,并以这个为泡妞手段,走上了一条“电竞泡妞”两不误的不归路……
  • 闪来的暖婚

    闪来的暖婚

    一场宿醉,醒来以后,她竟然成了有夫之妇,对方是一个比她大了整整十岁的男人!用陆吉祥的话来说,她的婚姻,就是她闪来的!当初若不是她胆子大,她怎么可能嫁给这个牛逼哄哄的男人?
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 胜思惟梵天所问经论

    胜思惟梵天所问经论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 诸天顶峰

    诸天顶峰

    小李飞刀:先诛少林,再灭武当,唯我魔教,武林称王。陆小凤传奇:剑出峨眉,刀开昆仑。紫禁问鼎,一统江湖。画江湖不良人:平五代,扫十国。千秋之劫,破碎虚空。霹雳:浩劫神州,九龙归天!试问普天之下,谁能让苦境无力回天?天地唯我,战祸邪神!待选世界:秦时明月、蜀山、雪中、诛仙、仙剑、牧神记、轩辕剑、遮天、神墓、长生界、斗罗、斗破、武动、莽荒纪、飞升之后、阳神、永生、西游、封神、圣墟、儒道至圣、凡人、仙逆……浩瀚诸天路,无尽世界行。以有穷之生命,求无涯之大道,只为登临那最终的……顶峰!PS:本书偏黑暗风,不喜勿扰。
  • 末世竞技场

    末世竞技场

    红雾出现,地球剧变,裂缝开启,末世降临! 恐龙,巨人,魔兽,兽族,虫族,亡灵,精灵等族降临地球。人类由高高在上的地球主宰沦为了猎物,地球变成了一个残酷的末世竞技场。 域外种族,史前遗迹,人类进化,百族争霸! 带着末世生存数年的经验,齐东奇迹般地重生回到了末世发生的那一天。 “此世,我必不会让悲剧重演!我要为自己的亲朋好友,在这个末世,在百族的包围中,杀出一条血路!”
  • 佛说八种长养功德经

    佛说八种长养功德经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 七里樱

    七里樱

    年少时,我们,似乎成为了世界的主角,遗憾过,苦恼过,伤心心过,但庆幸的是在那个即将逝去的青春里,你世界的男主随着四季辗转在你身旁,陪你笑,陪你哭……终有一天,你发现他只是喜欢你身边的那个人而已…“你知道的,我喜欢她哎。”“没事…”至少我的青春,你来过就好。