The Silver Pig
"How long is that story of the Silver Pig?" asked John, when they werealone in their room.
"As long as I want to make it," answered Chick, brightly.
"But suppose they get tired of it?" John suggested, timidly.
"Then they'll finish us and the story at the same time," laughed thechild. "But we won't wait for that, John Dough. This palace isn't ahealthy place for strangers, so I guess the quicker we get away from itthe better. When everybody is asleep we'll go to the place where ourmachine lies, up on the roof, and fly away."
"Very good," agreed John, with a sigh of relief. "I had begun to thinkwe would be killed by these pleasant ladies and gentlemen."
They waited for an hour or two, to be sure all others in the palacewere asleep, and then they crept softly from the room and began tosearch for the staircase. The passages were so alike and so confusingthat this was no easy task; but finally, just as they were about todespair, they came upon the stairs and mounted to the upper storyof the palace. And now they really became lost in the maze of crosspassages that led in every direction; nor could they come to thatparticular doorway that led to the stairs they had descended from thelittle flat roof where the flying-machine lay. Often they imagined theyhad found the right place; but the stairs would lead to some dome orturret that was strange to them, and they would be obliged to retracetheir steps.
Morning found the child and the gingerbread man still wandering throughthe endless passages, and at last they were obliged to abandon thequest and return to their room.
All that following day the fair-haired, blue-eyed Baby continued thestrange tale of the Silver Pig, while the ladies and gentlemen ofthe Palace of Romance seemed to listen with real pleasure. For, longago, they had told each other all the stories they could themselvesremember or imagine; so that it was a rare treat to them to hear of thewonderful adventures of Chick's Silver Pig, and they agreed that thelonger the story lasted the better they would be pleased.
"I hope you will not die for several days," one lady said to the child,with a sweet smile.
That made Chick laugh.
"Don't you worry about me," was the reply. "If stories will keep mealive I'll die of old age!"
When bedtime again arrived the tale of the Silver Pig was stillunfinished, and once more Chick and the gingerbread man werecourteously escorted to their chambers.
They spent the second night in another vain attempt to find the stairsleading to the flat roof, and morning found them as ignorant as ever ofthe location of their flying-machine.
In spite of the little one's courage, the task of carrying the SilverPig through so many adventures was a very difficult feat, and the childwas weary for lack of sleep. On that third day John fully expectedthat Chick's invention would become exhausted, and they would bothbe dropped through the trap-door into the sea. Chick thought ofthe sea, too, but the thought gave the child one more idea, and itpromptly tumbled the Silver Pig over the side of a ship and landedthe adventurous animal upon the bottom of the ocean, where (Chickwent on to say) it became acquainted with pretty mermaids and hugegreen lobsters, and rescued an amarylis from a fierce and disagreeablesea-dragon. This part of the tale soon became really exciting, and whenbedtime again arrived the listeners were glad to believe they wouldhear more of the famous Silver Pig during the following day.
But Chick knew very well that the story had now been stretched out tothe very limit, and when they were alone the child took the gingerbreadman's hand and said:
"Unless we can find those stairs to-night, John Dough, our jig is up.For by to-morrow evening I'll be at the bottom of the deep blue sea,and the fishes will be having a nice supper of soaked Incubator Babywith gingerbread on the side."
"Please do not mention such a horrible thing," exclaimed John, witha shiver. "The stairs are surely in existence, for once we came downthem; so let us make one more careful search for them."
This they did, walking for hours up and down the passages, pullingaside every drapery they came to, but never finding the slenderstaircase that led to the flat roof.
Even when it grew daylight they did not abandon the quest; for theycould see their way much better than when feeling along dim passages bythe uncertain light of the moon; and, as the danger grew every moment,they redoubled their eagerness in the quest.
All at once they heard footsteps approaching; and, as they werestanding in the middle of a long passage, they pressed back against themarble wall to escape discovery. At once the wall gave way, and Johntumbled backward into another passage, with the Cherub sprawling on topof him. For they had backed against a drapery painted to represent awall of the outer passage, and now found themselves in a place they hadnot before explored.
Hastily regaining their feet, the fugitives ran down the passage, andat the end came suddenly upon another heavy drapery, which, when thrustaside, was found to conceal the identical flight of steps they hadsought for so long and unsuccessfully.
Uttering cries of joy, Chick and John quickly mounted the stairs andfound themselves upon the flat roof.
The flying bird lay as they had left it, and they were about to crawlinside when the sound of footsteps mounting the stairs was heard.
"Quick!" shouted the child. "Jump in, John Dough!"
"Is it safe?" asked John, who remembered how they had bumped upon theroof.
"Well, it's either air or water for us, my friend, and I prefer theair," laughed Chick, whose cheeks were red with excitement.
John hesitated no longer and was soon inside the bird's body. Chickscrambled after and at once pressed the electric button, while Johnthrew over the silver lever.
The big wings began to flop just as a number of men came upon theroof, uttering loud cries at the evident attempt of their prisonersto escape. But the strong pinions of the bird swept them flat, likeso many ten-pins, and before they could get upon their feet again theflying-machine was high in the air and well out of their reach.
THE ESCAPE]