CHAPTER 7 THE CLOWN COUNTRY
Flippityflop's house proved to be one big room, built under theplatform, and lighted by a soft glow from hidden electric lamps. Thewalls were covered with bright-yellow silk hangings and on the floorwas a crimson carpet. All around the sides were wide benches withsoft cushions of purple velvet, and near the middle of the room was asmall table of blue and silver. On the walls Dot noticed severalgaudily colored pictures of Clowns, and when Flippityflop saw thechildren looking at these pictures he said:
"Those are portraits of my father and grandfather and great-grandfather.They were all Princes of this Valley of Merryland, as well as good menand clever Clowns. Therefore I am proud of them."
"They look very jolly," said Dot.
"They were jolly, and proved a comfort to thousands of children. Butyou must be hungry, and I trust you will allow me to offer you somedinner. What will you have?"
"What you got?" inquired Tot.
"Well, I have in my cupboard some fried goldfish, boiled buttercupsand pickled shoelaces," he answered.
"Don't want any," said Tot.
"These seem rather foolish things to eat," remarked Dot.
"Of course, they are foolish things," agreed Flippityflop,cheerfully. "Everything we do here is foolish. You certainly can'texpect wisdom in a country of Clowns."
"Course not," said Tot.
"If you'll send to the boat for our basket, I think we will prefer toeat the things we brought with us," declared Dot.
"Certainly!" answered the Prince, and immediately sticking his headthrough the trapdoor, he asked a Clown who stood outside to fetch thebasket.
It came in a remarkably short time, and then Flippityflop assistedDot to lay the cloth on the blue and silver table, while the childrenproceeded to eat of the sandwiches, cake and apple-tarts thatremained in the basket.
"Wouldn't you like something to drink?" asked the Prince.
"I am rather thirsty," admitted Dot; "have you any milk?"
"No, we do not use milk in this Valley," he answered. "But we havesome excellent green paint, or, if you prefer it, I can give a bottleof red mucilage."
"No, thank you," said Dot; "we couldn't drink those. Perhaps you willbring us some fresh water from the river."
"But the water is quite wet," exclaimed the Clown, "and is liable tomake you damp. Surely you won't think of drinking it!"
"Oh, yes; we're accustomed to drinking water," said the girl.
So the water was sent for, and Dot and Tot took long and refreshingdrinks, although their action alarmed Flippityflop, who urged them toeat a few handfuls of sawdust afterward to absorb the dampness.
"Do all the Clowns live in this Valley?" asked the girl, when thetable was cleared.
"Yes, all except those we send into the world to amuse the children,"answered Flippityflop. "You see, we train them all very carefully,and every year one is selected to go into the world."
"How do they get there?" asked the child.
"At the upper edge of our Valley there is one place not so steep asthe rest. The Clown who is leaving us climbs to this place and findshimself on the top of a mountain. So he makes himself into a ball, ashe has been taught to do, and rolls down the mountain into theoutside world, where he travels around until he finds a circus tojoin."
"Oh!" exclaimed Dot. "I've seen 'em--in circuses."
"To be sure; that's the proper place for Clowns. Do they make thechildren laugh?"
"Sometimes," said the girl.
"When they do not," said Flippityflop, gravely, "they are imitationClowns, and were never trained in this Valley of Merryland. The realClowns are sure to make you laugh. But come, it is time our peoplewere gathering on the platforms for their evening practice. Would youlike to watch them?"
"Yes, indeed!" cried Dot, joyfully; and Tot clapped his hands andechoed: "'Deed, yes!"
So Flippityflop lifted them through the hole to the top of the paddedplatform, where they saw a strange and merry sight.
All the platforms on both sides of the street were now occupied byClowns, who were performing in a most marvelous manner. The treeswere full of electric lights, which shed brilliant rays over thescene and enabled the children to see everything distinctly.
"Come with me," said their friend, "and I will lead you through thestreet, that you may see what my brothers are doing."
They left the Prince's platform and came to the next, where threegaily dressed Clowns were bounding into the air and whirling aroundbefore they came down again. Every time they jumped they cried: "Allright, Mr. Johnson!" in their shrill voices, and often one of themwould fall on his head or back instead of landing on his feet. Whenthis happened they were not hurt, for the platform was soft andyielding; so they sprang up at once and tried it over again, laughingat their own mishaps.
At the next platform were some juggling Clowns. One of these placed alight ladder on his shoulders, and another ran up it and stood uponhis head on the top rung.
In another place the Clowns threw small silver balls into the air,one after the other, and then caught them cleverly as they came down.
Near the end of the street a Clown, dressed in a costume of scarletwith green spots upon it, and wearing a white, pointed cap upon hishead, was singing a comic song. They stopped to listen while he sangas follows:
A goat to a barber went one day; "Just trim my beard," the goat did say, "And cut my hair in a stylish way"-- Sing shivvy, shovvy, shavey! The barber then began to snip, But soon he let the scissors slip, And cut the goat upon his lip-- Sing shivvy, shovvy, shavey!
Then Mr. Goat, with angry bleat, Gave one big jump from out his seat, And knocked the barber off his feet-- Sing shivvy, shovvy, shavey! "Enough!" he cried, "I'll have you know, If barbers treat their patrons so, I'll just allow my beard to grow!" Sing shivvy, shovvy, shavey!
After each verse another Clown cracked a long whip at the singer,which made him leap into the air and screw his face up in such acomical way that Dot and Tot were greatly amused, and applauded himrapturously.
Just across the street was another singing Clown; but this one wasdressed in a curious costume that was all white on one side of hisbody and all red on the other side. This fellow balanced the point ofhis cap upon the end of his nose, and then, making a bow, sang thefollowing song:
Little Tommy Harris Made a trip to Paris. There he went within a tent, Saw a convex firmament; Then he peered within a booth, Saw a shark without a tooth, Heard a dumb man sing and chant, Saw a crimson elephant. Next he walked into a street, Saw a lamp-post drink and eat, Heard a turtle loudly roar, Saw a rainbow through a door. Then a man without a leg Danced upon a horse's egg. Then a steeple on a dome Cried, "My boy, you'd best go home." But as Tommy homeward sped, He awoke--and was in bed! Little Tommy Harris Never went to Paris!
This singer had so droll an expression on his face that Tot yelledwith rapture, and Dot found herself laughing heartily. Indeed, thewhole performance was a delight to the children, and they were sorrywhen a bell rang and put a stop to the antics of the Clowns.
At once the they all dived into the trapdoors of their platforms, andFlippityflop said they had gone to bed and would not appear until thenext morning.
The children were somewhat tired by the adventures of the day, sowhen Flippityflop helped them to gain the room under his platform,they crept to the soft-cushioned benches that lined the walls and laydown. In less than a minute Dot and Tot were fast asleep, curled upside by side, with their arms entwined.
Next morning they were awakened by the strains of sweet music. Dot atonce sat up and asked, "What is that?"
"That is my alarm clock," answered Flippityflop, who had beenreclining upon a bench at the other side of the room. "It tells mewhen it is time to get up."
"It's a queer alarm clock," said the girl.
"But a very good one," returned the Clown. "It is really a bigmusic-box under the bench, which starts playing every morning at seveno'clock. So, instead of b
eing awakened by a rattling and clanging ofbells, such as most alarm clocks make, I open my eyes with asensation of pleasure, and get up feeling jolly and content.
"I think it's a lovely clock," said Tot.
"Won't you join me at breakfast?" asked the prince. "I'm going tohave a dish of scrambled egg-shells and a few fried buttons. Theeggshells make our complexion white and chalky, and we are very fondof them."
"I prefer to eat something from our basket," replied the girl. "ButTot may eat the egg-shells and buttons, if he wants them."
"Don't want 'em!" cried Tot. "Want bread and butter."
"Well, I declare!" said the Clown. "What peculiar tastes you childrenhave!"
But he allowed them to breakfast from their own stock of food, andwhen the meal was finished Dot said, "We must be going now; but firstI wish to thank you for the pleasant time we have had in your Valley.We enjoyed the Clowns very much indeed."
"Nice Clowns," declared Tot, with emphasis.
"I'm sorry to have you go," said Flippityflop, "but I suppose youcannot stay here always, especially as you are going to visit ourQueen."
Then he carried the big basket down to the boat for them, and all theClowns came to the river bank in a long procession, to bid themgood-bye.
After they were seated in the boat and had begun to float out intothe river again, the Clowns started singing a comic song, in one bigchorus, as a farewell entertainment.
Dot and Tot laughed and waved their handkerchiefs at the jollyfellows until the archway leading into the next Valley was reached,and as the shadow of the rocks fell upon them and shut out their viewof the First Valley of Merryland, they sighed and turned wonderinglyto face whatever adventures might lie before them.