E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
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from page images generously made available by
Internet Archive/American Libraries
(http://www.archive.org/details/americana)

THE CITY CURIOUS

CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I

Smaly and his wife Redy set forth in search of three little girls:
They are bewitched so that their noses turn into beaks: Smaly
eats the latch of a door and Redy eats the hinge: Redy's fingers
weep tears: They meet with a Confectioner who resembles a
Kangaroo 1


CHAPTER II

Smaly installs himself upon one of the Kangaroo's paws: The
two little people see some of the inhabitants of this peculiar
country: They meet some sugar horses, and they see also a fish
which flies and some sponges which walk: The Wigs imagine
that Smaly is made of suet: The ebony and crystal spectacles:
The Mother of the Crow 15


CHAPTER III

The Short-Legged Man with the musical voice: Smaly and
Redy again declare they are travelling to find three little girls:
Papylick puts Smaly and Redy in two boats made out of nutshells 34


CHAPTER IV

Smaly and Redy are not well received: They are thought to be
made of painted cardboard: How the Despoiler fell into the
water and left a foot behind him: Mistigris sticks a fish-bone
into the back of the Despoiler: Judgment is passed on the two
strangers: They will be banished at nightfall: The walls of
the three gardens are discussed 38


CHAPTER V

Redy and Smaly watch the review of the troops: Smaly and the
Mother of the Crow discourse about soldiers: The Chief Contractor
distributes the food, and the Wigs pass through a curious
little door: The Soy powder makes the provisions grow 59


CHAPTER VI

The Sugar-Cane Prison arrives: The Rats water it with Soy
fluid to keep the canes growing as fast as the Prisoner breaks
them down: The time for siesta draws on, and Smaly and Redy
go into the house of the Historian 73


CHAPTER VII

The Flying-Fish announces the hour of three, and the World
falls asleep: The Hen makes six hard-boiled eggs: Smaly and
Redy begin to read the manuscript of the Historian 82


CHAPTER VIII


Redy and Smaly read of the childhood of the Prisoner 95


CHAPTER IX

The elder Flying-Fish loses one eye, and the Hen finds it:
The Historian wakes up, and Smaly and Redy run out of the
house: The Healer mends the paw of the Confectioner 100


CHAPTER X

The Wigs all imagine they suffer from headache: The Rats come
to the Healer to be cured of the ravages of hot Soy: The Chief
Contractor has to make himself ill eating the musical instruments 111


CHAPTER XI

The young girls dance for the Rats, then play a curious game
of tennis: They fail to understand Smaly's point of view 122


CHAPTER XII

The Mother of the Crow tells of the life and death of Djorak
in his own country 127


CHAPTER XIII

Smaly and Redy are taken to see the Fleet: The Prisoner arrives
and the Wigs fly in terror: Smaly and Redy at last have speech
with the Prisoner 146


CHAPTER XIV

The three daughters of the Prisoner are installed in their gardens 161


CHAPTER XV

Smaly and Redy effect the rescue of the three young girls:
Djorak joins them and they all partake of a delightful picnic:
Smaly blows the Soy powder over the country of the Wigs:
Then the six friends go home 170

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLOUR

Facing page

Fritilla and the Red Flying-Fish Frontispiece

The City Curious 16

They were known as the "Wigs" because of their Large Perukes 24

These Creatures did not resemble Anything that Redy and Smaly had seen up to then 32

Laptitza and Papylick 64

Some of the Dances were very complicated 96

Kisika in her Sedan-Chair 128

The Picnic which followed was an Unforgettable Repast 160

IN BLACK AND WHITE

PAGE

Redy 2

Smaly 3

In this Land all the Birds wore Hats and Spurs 4

Redy's Hands were crying with Fright 6

But he found he, too, had a Beak 7

They sang and danced 8

Neither the Latch nor the Hinge bore any Trace of having been bitten 10

Looking for the Key 11

Kangaroo-Confectioner 13

To carry the Last Curl as though it were the End of a Train 16

They made one want to Dance 17

With the Spoon which every Wig carries hung from his Belt 19

These Horses, however, were made of Sugar 20

The Sponges 21

To return to a Mere Shapeless Thing once again 23

A Traveller told us 24

Nevertheless Smaly and Redy started to help him 26

The Grub was really the doorkeeper 27

"We wish to have three girls" 28

The Crow lifted him up 29

The Crow 30

The Mother of the Crow 31

"She sees only one side of men, birds, and things" 32

The Short-Legged Man 35

Papylick 36

Opening the Nuts and displaying the Two Little People 39

Leading by the Hand the Chocolate Grub 40

The Birds with their Legs encased in Cutlet Frills 41

The Eggs running along 42

They were Gentle and Pretty Pigs 43

A Most Splendid Feast 44

The Despoiler 45

Which is in this Country a Great Sign of Mirth 46

He fled hastily 47

Mistigris 48

The Young Stork 49

Every One uttered Cries of Indignation 50

"You can roll the cord" 51

The Chief Contractor replied 53

Children were built of much fewer Slices of Cake than the Grown-ups 54

These Creatures will eat the Top off the Walls 55

Anger 56

It seemed to them that Men grew upwards and not towards the Ground 57

Some very Elegant Mice 58

One Half expressed Severe Authority, the Other was All Gentleness 60

He decided that they must have a Similar Review every Week 62

They had all put on Thick Gloves 63

Wigs, who were putting the Soldiers back in their Boxes 64

President of the Republic of Pasenipus 65

To conduct her Back to her House, which was in a Cosy Nook in a Great Tree of Coral 67

The Confectioner 69

"Nevertheless it's so narrow that only one person can go through at a time" 70

The Song went on 71

Running hard with their Little Short Legs 73

Soy Mill 74

Soy Reservoir 75

Carrying away every Object that they could lift 77

The Prisoner 79

The Prisoner never ceased to break the Sugar-canes 80

The Pet Flying-Fish, which every Wig Family possesses and cherishes 83

The Amount of Cake and Pudding eaten Annually in the Country 84

The Elder of the Fishes 85

The Hen 86

This Care which the Confectioner took of Fritilla was by no Means unnecessary 88

The Smaller Flying-Fish 89

Dropped them through a Hole in his Beak 90

Was sitting with One Ankle across the Knee of his Other Leg 91

The Despoiler, who was always afraid that Some One would find out that he was only made of
Cardboard, never slept in Public 93

"Instead of cutting his toe-nails as we do with the help of a long-handled
pair of scissors and a telescope" 96

The King 97

The King's Daughter 98

The Healer 103

Born with the Idea of One Day being a very Big Man 104

Between them was fastened a Comfortable Arm-chair 106

There were Newsboys selling Accounts of the Latest Disaster to the Wigs 108

The Healer had finished his Mending 109

Mathematician 111

Migraine 112

Wrapped their Handkerchiefs round their Heads 112

"I, too, hope so," said his Wife, who had just come in 113

Nearly all had One Leg which was much Longer than the Other, or a very Long Arm 115

His Elongated Tail was tied to the Queue of his Wig 116

"But only look at our arms and legs" 117

Even more than they feared the Flies 118

Rewards 119

The Dwarf had pulled on a Pair of Boots 120

The Accordion-Players began 123

Tennis 124

The Ball hung up thus 125

Tea-Cosy 128

"We're waiting for the sun to go down" 129

Servants out Shopping followed it with their Laden Baskets on their Arms 131

He thrust his Face into Roses covered with Dew 132

The Executioner bandaged his Eyes 133

Next he took some Old Cardboard Boxes 135

Opened them and shut them again 136

His Young Son was there 137

The Brindled Rabbit 138

His Little Paw shoved a Folded Slip of Paper through the Opening 139

Then they sang a Comic Duet 140

Then they questioned a Black Toad 141

And fish in the Little River in the Afternoon 142

The Thin Long Arm of the Historian 143

Extracting Fish-bones from the Back of the Despoiler 147

They bore a Large Copper Cauldron 148

The Admiral was a Triton 149

The White Dolphin with Pink Eyes 150

An Extremely Curious Fish 151

"A band of our rats will each morning copiously water our
fleet" 153

Wigs were busy writing their Names 154

A Red Flag 155

"I have destroyed a hundred times passing over it in my
prison" 157

"I was caught stepping right over their silly old dry canal with one stride" 158

The Manufacturer of Cardboard Boxes 159

A Sentinel who looked like a Dragon-Fly 163

The Gardens were arranged after the Same Principle as the Windows in the House of the Historian 164

A Little Red Feather, which she had picked up in the Market-Place 166

Next the Despoiler approached 167

The Wife of the Chief Contractor presented Kisika with a Beautiful Fan made of Paper Lace 169

Directly they saw the Flying-Fish enter 171

Their Two Little Heads appeared Side by Side 172

Smaly standing on the Point of his Toes 173

So during Three Days the Young Girls were busy making the Stairs 175

The Red Flying-Fish carried a Large Hat and Mantle in its Claws 176

Carrying as many of the Presents as they could 177

Wigs themselves would have melted away directly they passed the Frontier 178

They hung out of the Windows 179

THE CITY CURIOUS

CHAPTER I

Smaly and Redy were husband and wife, and they lived together in a little white house. This house had three rooms upstairs and three rooms downstairs; and each room was so pretty that it gave one joy to see it. Smaly and Redy were very proud of their house, and were never so happy as when they were putting it to rights. Every day they did something to one or other of the rooms, changing the position of the furniture or the pictures.

One day, while Smaly was walking in the town he saw three mirrors in a shop window, and he thought they would be just the thing to hang up in the three bedrooms; so he bought the mirrors and went home with them in high glee.

In the meantime, Redy, his little wife, also had an idea to beautify the bedrooms, so she went out into the garden to pick some flowers.

Smaly hung a looking-glass in each of the three little bedrooms, then he carefully closed all three doors and, going downstairs, sat himself by the hearth. A fire was burning there, for the spring was still young in the land.

While he sat there, smoking, lost in the most delicious daydreams, his pleasant little wife Redy came in with her arms full of flowers. She took three vases from the dresser, and began to arrange the flowers in them, holding her head on one side like a bird.

When she had put each flower exactly as she wished, she gently shook Smaly's elbow. He jumped up, took two vases without a word, while she picked up the third. They disposed a vase in each of the three little bedrooms, and stood back to admire the effect; which, indeed, was quite charming.

Suddenly Redy gave a sigh.

"It's all very well," said she, "but there's no one to live in our pretty rooms."

Smaly sighed, too. "That's just what I was thinking," said he. "Oh, Redy, how nice it would be if we had three little girls to live in our three bedrooms, so that they could admire your flowers and look at themselves in my pretty mirrors."

"Let us wish for them," said Redy, and she folded her hands together on her apron and chanted:

Smaly repeated the poem in his turn, but Redy had to prompt him, for he had a very bad memory.

They waited for some time, but nothing happened, so they said the verse over again, and this time Smaly repeated it without any mistake; but still nothing happened.

"Wishing does not seem to be much good," said Smaly despondently.

"Wishing never is any good," answered Redy, "unless one does something more than wish. If we want to find our three little girls we must set out and look for them."

"Yes, but where?" asked Smaly.

"As for that," answered his little wife, "I do not know any more than you, but that verse we chanted just now is a magic verse, and we shall find the way. We will get ready to start to-morrow."

So the very next morning they set off on their search for the three girls who would fill the white house with joy.

Redy had dressed herself in her best. Her green gown was trimmed with black and emerald leaves, and her stockings and little cocked hat were green to match. In her basket she thoughtfully placed two apples.

Smaly faced the world in his beautiful dark violet coat, on his head a tall hat of the same colour. A belt of yellow leather clasped his waist. In his buttonhole he stuck a sunflower to show how happy he was. His best boots shone upon his feet. In the big pocket of his coat he placed a couple of fresh rolls. The rolls and the apples were their provisions for the journey. For weapon, in case of attack, Smaly carried a thin red stick.

For a long while they walked and walked. They crossed many countries which everybody knows. At last, however, they found themselves in a strange land, a land of which one hardly ever even hears—a land which was even odder than these two odd little people.

In this land both men and beasts lived upon nothing but sweetmeats and pastry.

In this land the sun shone longer than it does with us, because it often stopped for a while to rest during the course of the day.

In this land all the birds wore hats and spurs.

In this land an orchestra of swallows played always at noonday.

In this land earthworms wore spectacles on their noses and swords at their sides.

In this land such things as bricks, iron, wood, stone, and steel were unknown.

In this land, after one had finished dinner, one ate the plates and dishes, for they were made of sugar.

In this land nearly every inhabitant was made of slices of cake, held together with pudding, sweetmeats, nougat, and chocolate.

In a word, there were to be found in this curious country a great many things that were strange and wonderful and good to eat.

Smaly and Redy knocked at the door of this wonderful land, but for some time no one came to answer them.

"Bother this door!" said Smaly, at last, kicking at it with his new boots, and hitting it with his red cane.

"Why, it's made of chocolate!" cried Redy, who had sucked her fingers after touching it.

"I will eat the latch away!" decided Smaly.

"And I'll eat the hinges," said Redy.

She seized a hinge and he tore off the latch.

The next moment the tears were pouring down their faces.

"Oh, oh, it's burning me!" cried poor Redy.

"It must be made of red pepper and spice!" wept Smaly.

They had certainly burnt their tongues. They held hands and ran away, uttering little moans of pain. The path took an abrupt turn, then another, then a third, and yet a fourth, till it had described a complete circle. Smaly and Redy found themselves once again opposite the door.

There was no longer any way out, for a thick hedge now surrounded the two travellers, and they found themselves in a sort of green arena. Quite a pretty arena, but all the same, it was rather alarming to find themselves there, without a word of warning.

And the thick green hedge around the arena grew with such a horrible rapidity. Very soon it was so high that the place became as dark as night.