The Garden of the Plynck | Page 5

hand, of course, so long as she was
sitting down), he sprang to his feet, quivering; but almost immediately
he caught a whiff of the onions, and sank down again, entirely
overcome, into a deep sleep.
The Teacup arose and shook out her skirts. She picked up the tiny,
sparkling piece of dimple she had been protecting so long, and handed
it prettily to Sara. "Now, my dear," she said, "I think I shall return to
my mistress. I would suggest that you take your dimples to the shop
immediately." So saying, she hopped up into the tree and settled quietly
down beside the dreaming Plynck, taking great care not to disturb her.
And Sara started down the path toward the Dimplesmithy.
The path turned presently into a wide road, very pleasant and
peaceful-looking, and so deep with pollen-dust that Sara's shoes soon
looked as if they were powdered with gold. Sunset sheep came
wandering down the road now and then, and lines of white geese, and
once she passed a little pond where green ducks were quacking and
paddling; the road was so pretty, indeed, that it was hard for her to keep
her mind on finding the Dimplesmithy. There were tall Gugollaph-trees
all along the road, here and there, but Sara felt sure she would know the
right one when she saw it. And sure enough, there it was, with the
smithy in the shade of it, and the Koopf blowing up the fire in his forge
with a pair of puff-ball bellows. She knew now why he had hurried
home so fast: it was to put on his apron. It was of the finest mouse-hide,

and he was plainly very proud of it.
He took the dimples from Sara at once, and showed a keen professional
interest in them. He assured her that he had never seen a finer pair. "But
you must take better care of them," he said.
He seemed so kind and interested that Sara thought perhaps he would
help her with a problem she had been revolving in her mind ever since
the accident. (She had fastened the problem on a little stick with a pin,
like the paper windmills Jimmy made, so that she could turn it around
very easily, and so see all sides of it.) So she asked the Koopf, quite
respectfully,
"What ought I to do with them, when I shut the doors and come in?"
"Well," said the Koopf, judiciously, "the Plynck's Echo should have
seen to that, first thing. Ought to have had a dimple-holder at the gate.
Ought to know the Snimmy, by this time. A good fellow--can't help his
failing. We used to keep a dimple-holder there all the time, but it's been
so long, as I told you, since we've had anybody come along that was
dimpliferous, to speak of. We've got sort of careless, I guess. I've got a
very nice stock, here; I'll put one up before you go, so you'll know
where to find it next time." As he spoke he took down from a shelf
behind him a sort of receptacle which looked rather like a soap-bubble,
rather like a gazing-globe; except that it had a tiny opening at the top,
and a cushion of whipped cream in the bottom. Then he picked up from
his bench the dimples, which he had been mending as he talked.
"It's a good thing the Snimmy can't see 'em now," he said, holding them
off at arm's length and looking at them with frank admiration. "They're
as good as new. Now let me show you what to do with 'em next time
you come."
So saying, he dropped them into the holder, where they looked very
pretty sparkling on the whipped cream cushion.
"Now," he said, "you carry them, and I'll bring the pedestal."

He tucked the pedestal under his arm, and they started back down the
road together. It was very lovely to be trudging along under the late
clear sky, through the sweet-smelling pollen-dust, and now and then
meeting the sunset sheep, who, by this time, had found their little lambs.
When they got back to the Garden, and stood in front of the gate
through which Sara had entered, Schlorge had Sara sit down at once. It
was really an unnecessary precaution, he said, since the holder was a
non-conductor of dimple-waves, and not even the Snimmy could detect
their presence when they were inside of it. "Still," said Schlorge, "I'll
feel safer about 'em when they're on the pedestal out of his reach," and
with that he took the globe from Sara's hands and fastened it deftly on
the pedestal. Sara had never enjoyed herself more than she did as she
sat by the amber waters in the fading light, watching