The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People | Page 7

faster than he went up, and
finally landed with a crash exactly on the King's door-step. But so great
was the force of the fall and so hard the door-step that the poor dog was
flattened out like a pancake, and could not move a bit.
When the King came back he said:

"Hullo! some kind friend has brought me a new door-mat as a present,"
and he leaned down and stroked the soft hair with much pleasure. Then
he wiped his feet on the new mat and went into the palace to tell the
Queen.
When her Majesty saw the nice, soft door-mat she declared it was too
good to be left outside; so she brought it into the parlor and put it on the
floor before the fire-place.
The good King was sorry he had treated the dog so harshly, and for fear
he might do some other dreadful thing he went back to the place where
he had lost his temper and searched until he found it again, when he put
it carefully away in his pocket where it would stay.
Then he returned to the palace an entered the parlor; but as he passed
the mat, his new boots were so clumsy, he stumbled against the edge
and pushed the mat together into a roll.
Immediately the dog gave a bark, got upon its legs and said:
"Well, this is better! Now I can breathe again, but while I was so flat I
could not draw a single breath."
The monarch and his Queen were much surprised to find that what they
had taken for a mat was only the dog, that had fallen so flat on their
door-step; but they could not forbear laughing at his queer appearance.
For, as the King had kicked the mat on the edge, the dog was more than
six feet long, and no bigger around than a lead-pencil; which brought
its font legs so far from its rear legs that it could scarcely turn around in
the room without getting tangled up.
"But it is better than being a door-mat," said the dog; and the King and
Queen agreed with him in this.
Then the King went away to tell the people he had found the dog again,
and when he left the palace he slammed the front door behind him. The
dog had started to follow the King out, so when the front door slammed
it hit the poor animal so sharp a blow on the nose that it pushed his

body together again; and, lo and behold! there was the dog in his
natural shape, just as he was before the King kicked him.
After this the dog and the King agreed very well; for the King was
careful not to kick, since he had recovered his temper, and the dog took
care not to say anything that would provoke the King to anger.
And one day the dog saved the Kingdom and all the Valley of Mo from
destruction, as I shall tell you another time.

The Fourth Surprise THE PECULIAR PAINS OF FRUITCAKE
ISLAND
Prince Zingle, who was the eldest of all the princes of the Valley of Mo,
at one time became much irritated because the King, his father, would
not allow him to milk the cow with the golden horns. This cow was a
great favorite with the King, because she gave as large a quantity of
ice-cream at a milking as an ordinary cow does of milk, and in the
warm days this was an agreeable luxury. The King liked to keep the
cow with the golden horns for his own use and that of the Queen; so
Prince Zingle thought he was being abused, having a great fondness for
ice-cream himself.
To be sure, there was the great fountain of ice-cream soda-water
playing constantly in the courtyard, which was free to every one; but
the Prince longed for what he could not have.
Therefore, being filled with anger against his father, the King, he
wandered away until he chanced to come near to the castle of the
Purple Dragon.
When the wicked monster saw the Prince, it decided that here was a
splendid opportunity to make mischief; so it said, politely:
"Good morning, King Zingle."
"I am not a king--I am only a prince," replied Zingle.

"What! not a king?" exclaimed the Dragon, as if surprised; "that is too
bad."
"I can never be a king while my father lives," continued the Prince,
"and it is impossible for him to die. So what can I do?"
"Since you ask my advice, I will tell you," answered the naughty
Dragon. "Down near Rootbeer River, where the peanut trees grow, is a
very deep hole in the ground. You must get the King to go