When Gran’pa and Gran’ma saw the children fly over the fence they could scarcely believe their eyes. They shouted as loudly as possible for Janey and Johnny to come back.

And when the children circled above the farm in their home-made Flying Machine, all the neighbors, hearing the cries of the two old people, came running over to the farm and watched the strange sight.

When the home-made Flying Machine rapidly disappeared in the sky the two old people put their arms around each other and wept like children.

Of course there was nothing they could do, so they went into the house and sat down upon the old couch.

“They were such good children!” Gran’ma sobbed.

“They were always good children!” Gran’pa cried. “Oh dear! Oh dear!”

All the rest of the day the old people thought of Janey and Johnny and wondered what had become of them.

“I wish we could go in search of them!” Gran’pa said.

“Where did they get such a wonderful Flying Machine?” Gran’ma asked as she wiped the tears from Gran’pa’s eyes and her own with her apron.

“They made it from an old box and some boards I had left after finishing my chicken coop!” Gran’pa told her.

“Yes, I remember now!” Gran’ma said. “Janey came in and asked me for an old sheet for a sail, and for two spools. The spools, she said, would be the ‘Start’ and ‘Stop’ twisters for the flying machine!”

“It’s funny they didn’t come back when we called to them!” Gran’pa mused. “They always have minded so well!”

“I don’t believe they knew how to work the Flying Machine so that they could return to the earth!” Gran’ma replied. “Perhaps they did not think it would really fly and so neglected to put something on to send the machine down. I am sure that must have been the reason!”

“It must have been!” Gran’pa mused. “But see here, why can’t we go after them and bring them back, Gran’ma! If the children could build a Flying Machine, I see no reason why I couldn’t build one! In fact,” Gran’pa continued, “I could build a better one, I’m sure!”

“But how do we know where they have gone to?” Gran’ma asked.

“We can easily find out!” Gran’pa said, as he walked to the door. “I will build my machine with many spools on it, and one spool we will mark ‘Direction taken by the children’ and the machine will follow them everywhere they have gone until we find them! The other spools can be labeled ‘Stop,’ ‘Go,’ ‘Rise,’ ‘Lower,’ and anything else we can think of. We must be careful and have everything complete before we start!”

“It is six o’clock now,” Gran’pa added. “I should have it finished by eight or nine o’clock and we can start the first thing in the morning!”

So Gran’pa took all his tools out in the back yard and began to work.

Johnny had picked out the largest box around the place and all that Gran’pa could find were four little soap boxes; these he nailed together.

A neighbor boy came over to watch Gran’pa, and when he heard what Gran’pa was building he said, “Gran’pa, why don’t you borrow my boat? I should be glad to let you have it, and you could put a sail on it and fix it up fine!”

“That will be great, Eddie!” Gran’pa said, “I’ll come right over and get it!”

So Gran’pa hitched up old Ned, and telling Gran’ma where he was going, he drove over to Eddie’s home and brought back the boat.

It did not take Gran’pa long to make the wings on either side of the boat. He took all the spools he could find and nailed them around the front part. He made a rudder behind that could be turned in any direction. Gran’pa, when he had the boat completed, sat and thought a minute, then he went into the buggy shed and taking two lamps from an old surrey he trimmed the wicks, filled them with oil and fastened them on the sides of the boat.

When he had everything to his liking, it was still daylight and he called Gran’ma to come out and see the new Flying Boat.

“Do you think it will really go?” Gran’ma asked.

“Jump in and let’s try it!” Gran’pa cried.

So the two old people climbed into the boat and Gran’pa twisted one of the spools. The Flying Boat rose quietly in the air and flew about as Gran’pa twisted the spools or the rudder.

“It is a success!” both cried as Gran’pa brought the boat back to the starting point.

When they settled to the ground, Gran’ma ran into the house and came out with Gran’pa’s coat and hat. She had put on her best bonnet and shawl. She had Janey’s and Johnny’s coats and several sweaters with her.

Gran’ma had prepared a large basket of food while Gran’pa had been working on the boat, so she told Gran’pa to get this while she filled a jar with water.

“If we find them, the dears will be hungry and thirsty,” Gran’ma said, “and it is such a beautiful evening we might as well start now.”

“You are right!” Gran’pa exclaimed. “We will start immediately!”

Eddie had remained at home to eat his supper when Gran’pa went for the boat, and now he came running over just in time to see the Flying Boat rise from the ground and go sailing over the fences and trees.

“I’ll take care of your place until you come back!” he yelled.

And Gran’pa and Gran’ma, increasing the speed of the Flying Boat, were soon only a speck in the sky.

When they had reached a great altitude, Gran’pa twisted the spool marked “Direction taken by the children” and the Flying Boat swooped down towards the earth until it was on a plane with the course taken by Janey and Johnny; then, as Gran’pa twisted the “Speed” spool, the Flying Boat whizzed through the air so fast that the wind screamed as it rushed in and out of the chinks in the wing boards. Gran’pa and Gran’ma saw the sun rise as they flew over the horizon. The side of the earth away from the sun was in darkness, so that when they flew higher it took on the appearance of a half moon.

Gran’pa looked at his watch and said it was ten-thirty.

“You take a wink of sleep, Gran’ma,” he said. “I’ll keep watch!”

So Gran’ma rolled up in the blankets she had placed in the boat and was soon fast asleep.

Gran’pa awakened her in about an hour to look at the Moon, which they were approaching at great speed.

“They must have gone to the Moon!” Gran’ma cried. “No, they must have changed their course!” she added after a moment as the Flying Boat, following the course taken by the children, made the circuit of the Moon.

But the Flying Boat soon flew directly at the Moon and the old folks knew the children must have made a landing there.

In fact, the Flying Boat soon landed near the Flying Machine that Johnny had made.

“Here we are!” Gran’pa cried, as he helped Gran’ma from the Flying Boat. “See where they have been sitting in the grass!”

And Gran’ma and Gran’pa followed the children’s path in the grass until they came to the spring. There they saw the signs of Johnny’s fight.

“It looks as though a struggle had taken place here!” cried Gran’pa.

“Oh! Maybe wild beasts have eaten them up!” cried Gran’ma.

“No! There are no signs of wild beasts!” Gran’pa replied. “We should see their torn clothes about if that were the case! See, their trail leads off this way!”

Gran’pa and Gran’ma at last came to the tiny house of sticks and mud and heard the cries of the children inside.

“Here we are!” Gran’pa cried as he ran around the house.

Gran’ma, lifting her skirts, followed, and when she turned the corner of the house she stopped in amazement beside Gran’pa.

Back of the house the Strange Man was running in circles and dodging behind trees and bushes, now this way and now that, while right behind him came a Faun Boy with lowered head. They were so busy running they didn’t notice Gran’ma and Gran’pa.

And as the old couple watched, the little Faun Boy caught up with the Strange Man and, butting him with all his might, sent him flying through a bunch of ferns.

Before the Strange Man could regain his feet the Faun Boy was upon him and sent him tumbling head over heels again.

The Strange Man scrambled to his feet when the Faun Boy tripped over some vines and without looking behind him he circled about and ran for the house.

As he reached the door, another Faun Boy rushed from the bushes and, taking the Strange Man unawares, sent him flying back towards the first Faun Boy.

“Those goats will butt him to pieces!” cried Gran’ma, as she ran after the Faun Boys and tried to shoo them away.

The Faun Boys paid no attention to Gran’ma’s shooing and continued to butt the Strange Man about between them until he scarcely had time to know from which side he was attacked.

When Gran’pa saw that Gran’ma’s shooing had no effect upon the Faun Boys, Gran’pa ran after them and managed to catch their arms, and although they struggled to get free he held them tightly.

“My gracious!” Gran’pa asked them, “Do you wish to kill that poor old man?”

“Let us go!” the Faun Boys cried, “He’s a wicked magician!”

“I thought they were goats,” Gran’ma exclaimed, and she looked hard at the Faun Boys as she adjusted her glasses, “but they are part boys!”

The Strange Man had managed to get to his feet and without thanking Gran’pa, who still held the Faun Boys, he slipped through the bushes and disappeared.

The two Faun Boys began crying. “He was a wicked magician!” they said, “and he changed us partly into goats. We are trying to get him to change us back to our own shapes! Now you have spoiled it all!”

“Dear me!” Gran’ma cried, as she caught the two Faun Boys in her arms. “Gran’pa, you should have known better!”

“I know I should have known better now, but I didn’t until they told me!” Gran’pa said. “I’m very sorry!”

Just then Janey and Johnny, who had stopped yelling to rest a little, started up again and Gran’pa and Gran’ma ran towards the house.

The door was locked.

“Open the door and we will let you out!” cried Gran’pa when he could make himself heard.

“We are tied, hands and feet,” Johnny yelled, “and we can’t get to the door!”

“Besides, it’s locked on the outside!” Janey called.

“Let’s get a fence rail and break in the door!” said Gran’pa.

But there wasn’t a fence in sight.

“I’ll run back to the Flying Boat and get a hatchet!” Gran’pa called, as he started away.

“No doubt you will find that old Jingles, the Magician, intended changing your grandchildren into animals,” the Faun Boys told Gran’ma.

“If I had him now!” Gran’ma said, stamping her foot upon the ground, “I’d tweak his long nose! That’s what I’d do!”

Finally Gran’pa came running back all out of breath. “The Flying Boat and the children’s Flying Machine are both gone!”

“Oh dear!” Gran’ma exclaimed, as she sat down on the ground and began crying.

The Faun Boys began butting their heads against the door, Gran’pa helping them by throwing his shoulder against it, and soon the door gave way.

Gran’ma and Gran’pa untied the children and hugged them.

The children told Gran’ma and Gran’pa of their experience. “As soon as he had learned the rhyme he was going to change us into pigs!” Janey said.

“Well, we won’t let him now that we are here!” said, Gran’ma, firmly.

“Oh, but you couldn’t help yourself if he decided to change you into animals!” the Faun Boys told Gran’ma.

“I’d like to see him just try it!” Gran’ma said, her lips in a tight line. “I’d tweek his nose out of joint!”

“Perhaps we’d better leave the place before he returns!” Gran’pa said. “Evidently it was Jingles the Magician who took our Flying Boat!”

“Surely it must have been!” the Faun Boys said.

“Here’s his large book, with the verses in, that he uses to work his magic with!” cried Johnny.

The book was too large for them to carry with them, so they hid it under some stones and scattered leaves over it so that Jingles would not be able to find it if he came back.

“The Strange Man is called ‘Jingles the Magician’ because he uses rhymes to work his magic,” the Faun Boys explained, as they walked from the house.

They had not gone far before they reached a large field. “This is queer!” one of the Faun Boys cried. “This field was not here when we came through a short time ago!”

About half-way across the field was a clump of bushes, and Gran’pa said, “Perhaps it would be as well to walk around it.” But as they drew nearer the bushes began moving, and what seemed at first to be a flock of birds arose and flew towards them.

As the objects came closer Gran’pa saw they were Boxing Gloves; swarms of them. They flew about the little group and peppered them from all sides. Gran’pa struck them right and left with his cane, but was finally forced down. The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys ran as fast as they could across the field, followed by the Boxing Gloves, which swarmed about their heads like giant bees and hit against their backs and heads.

Gran’pa, still on the ground, struck right and left with his heavy cane and at each swing he brought down one or two of the Boxing Gloves.

The children, Gran’ma and the Faun Boys by this time had reached the other side of the field and dashed into the underbrush. For some reason the Boxing Gloves did not follow, but turned and flew back and began pelting Gran’pa.

Whenever Gran’pa managed to get to his feet the Boxing Gloves knocked him down, so he lay on his back and struck right and left and kicked his heels in the air to keep them from striking him.

When Johnny saw that the Boxing Gloves did not follow into the underbrush he told Gran’ma and Janey to wait where they were and breaking off a stout stick Johnny rushed back to Gran’pa’s assistance.

The stick was so long and heavy that he tripped over it, but he didn’t mind that—just jumped up and ran faster than ever.

Some of the Boxing Gloves met him half-way and although Johnny knocked them down by the hundreds, he could not defend himself from all sides and three or four of the Boxing Gloves, striking him from behind, sent him flying to the ground.

Johnny rolled over and over, but kept his stout stick thrashing the air whenever he turned face up.

Gran’pa was still hitting the Boxing Gloves with his cane, but was getting very tired.

The ground was covered with broken Boxing Gloves, lying where Gran’pa and Johnny had struck them with their sticks.

Johnny tried to get upon his feet, but was promptly knocked down. The Faun Boys broke off large sticks and ran back into the field, where they fought the Boxing Gloves away from Gran’pa and Johnny.

The Faun Boys whipped so many of the Boxing Gloves that soon there were not enough left to injure Gran’pa and Johnny again, so as the few remaining Boxing Gloves flew at them Gran’pa and Johnny whipped these, too.

At last there were only three of the Boxing Gloves left and these were flying about one of the Faun Boys, trying to find a place to strike him.

Gran’pa ran to his assistance and as he struck at them one flew close and knocked Gran’pa’s glasses from his nose, so that he could not see.

“Watch for my glasses, boys!” he cried. “Don’t step on them!”

Johnny, running up, cracked one of the Boxing Gloves, but the other two kept getting behind him. Presently Johnny found himself with his back towards the Faun Boys, and a Boxing Glove coming to reach the Faun Boy did not know Johnny was there until Johnny caught it such a whack with his stick he tore it all to pieces. The Faun Boy finally knocked the thumb off the last one and the great fight with the Magic Boxing Gloves was over.

What a sight! There were thousands of torn Boxing Gloves lying about.

One of the Faun Boys found Gran’pa’s glasses and handed them to him.

“That was better than fighting bumble bees when I was a boy!” Gran’pa laughed. Aside from a black and blue eye, Gran’pa was not hurt in the least.

“That surely was fun!” Johnny cried, as they reached the place where they had left Janey and Gran’ma.

“It won’t be as much fun the next time!” a voice cried, and turning, they saw old Jingles the Magician sail from the Boxing Glove Bushes in the Flying Boat and disappear in the direction of his house.

“I thought he was responsible for those bushes!” said one of the Faun Boys. “You must watch out for him every minute, for all he has to do to change you into an animal is to puff his magic powder on you and say his rhyme!”

“We will watch out for him!” Gran’ma said.

The Faun Boys invited Gran’ma and Gran’pa and the children to their place to rest and have something to eat, so they led the way and without further adventure came to their tiny home.

When the Faun Boys had given Gran’pa and Gran’ma and the children food, Gran’pa said, “I don’t know how we shall contrive to get the flying boat away from old Jingles.”

“I should advise you not to try it,” one of the Faun Boys told him, “for he will only change you into animals if he once gets you separated from each other! I should advise you to travel in the opposite direction from his place until you come to the town of Nite. Living in that town you will find an old Witch who may be able to help you reach the earth again!”

“Perhaps that will be a wise thing to do!” Gran’ma said. “For if we should get separated and one of us should be changed to an animal, the rest of us could not go home without him and we could not take him home!”

“Yes,” Janey and Johnny said, “let us go to the City of Nite!”

So, thanking the Faun Boys for their hospitality, Gran’ma and Gran’pa and Janey and Johnny left them and started on their journey.

The Faun Boys had warned them to be careful of old Jingles.

“He may follow you all the way to the City of Nite and try to get each of you alone so he can say his rhymes,” they said, “but once you are in the City you are safe, for we have heard that the Witch is very angry at him and will destroy him some day if she can!”

After leaving the home of the Faun Boys, Gran’ma with her arm about Janey and Gran’pa with his arm around Johnny, the travelers walked until they came to a high cliff above a river. There seemed to be no way across to the other side of the canyon except by way of a Vine Bridge.

“I can never get across that thing!” Gran’ma cried.

“We’ll have to cross it or walk for miles and miles around!” Gran’pa said. For as far as they could see in either direction, the canyon was just as wide and deep as it was there.

“I just know I’d get dizzy and tumble in!” Gran’ma said.

Johnny walked out upon the vine bridge and bounced it up and down.

“It is strong enough to hold us, Gran’ma!” he called back. “Put your hands over your eyes and you will be all right.”

“I can’t do it!” Gran’ma replied, as she sat down on the ground.

“If we only had our boat we’d fly across!” Janey said.

“Yes! If we only had our boat we’d fly home!” Gran’ma sighed.

“Maybe, after all, we had best go back to the wicked Jingle’s house until he goes to bed and then we may be able to get our boat!” Gran’pa suggested.

“Perhaps we had!” Johnny agreed. So they turned from the canyon and started to retrace their steps.

Suddenly Gran’pa, who was in the lead, stopped and said, “Listen! What was that?”

They all held their breaths an instant later. It was the baying of Wolves.

“They are coming in this direction!” Johnny cried.

The sound grew louder.

“Which way shall we go?” Janey asked.

“Come on everybody!” Gran’ma cried, as she lifted her skirts and ran towards the Vine Bridge.

“Wait, Gran’ma!” Janey cried. “Let Johnny help you across!” But Gran’ma kept running.

Just as she reached the edge of the canyon she stumbled and slid over the cliff.

Gran’pa, Johnny and Janey ran to the edge and looked over, expecting to see Gran’ma struggling in the river far below, but what was their surprise to see her sitting upon the top of the water, unharmed.

“Are you hurt?” Gran’pa called.

“Not a speck!” Gran’ma called back. “The river is rubber and all I did was bounce up and down!”

“Jump over and have a bounce! I wish I were up there so I could do it again! It was fine!” Gran’ma added, as she jumped up and down and bounced about like a rubber ball.

Gran’pa had almost forgotten the Wolves coming behind them, but noticing now how near they seemed, he said, “We haven’t a great deal of time left, Johnny, we better jump! The Wolves have scented us and are getting closer every minute!”

“But if we get down there, how will we ever get up again?” Johnny wondered.

“I don’t know!” Gran’pa exclaimed, “but I know I shall not leave Gran’ma down there alone!” So with that, Gran’pa jumped from the cliff and turned over and over before he hit the Rubber River upon his back.

The children thought he never would stop bouncing.

By this time the children could see the Wolves in the distance.

“What shall we do?” Janey cried, wringing her hands. “If we jump down we may never get up again, if we stay here we shall be caught by the Wolves, and if we go across they will follow us!”

“We could go across and then, when the Wolves tried to follow, we could bounce the Vine Bridge and shake them off!” Johnny suggested.

“Yes, and shake them down to Gran’ma and Gran’pa! No, Johnny, that will never do!”

“Then you cross the Vine Bridge, Sis, and I’ll show you what we’ll do! Hurry now, before it’s too late!”

Janey ran across the Vine Bridge, and when she had reached the other side Johnny drew his knife from his pocket and hacked at the vines. The small, sharp blade soon cut them in two. He was none too quick, for just as he severed the last strand of the Vine Bridge the Leader of the Wolves sprang toward Johnny.

As the Vine Bridge fell Johnny jumped and caught the loose end and went swinging across the chasm at a dizzy speed. He managed to hold on, even if he did get quite a bump when the Vine Bridge struck on the other side.

When the Leader of the Wolves jumped and missed Johnny, he flew headlong over the cliff. Gran’pa was watching the children, but when he saw the Wolf light upon the Rubber River he braced himself and brought his stout cane down upon the Wolf’s head with such force it did not move a muscle when it had ceased bouncing.

Gran’ma, thinking the whole pack of Wolves would follow their Leader, ran to the side of the Rubber River and disappeared in a hole in the cliff.

Gran’pa followed her, and it was well he did, for as soon as Gran’ma and he started to run the Wolves jumped over the cliff to the Rubber River.

By the time the Wolves had quit bouncing Gran’pa was in the hole beside Gran’ma, and together they had rolled a large stone across the opening so the Wolves could not follow.

As for Johnny, he swung to the other side of the canyon, climbed up the Vine Bridge and finally reached the top where Janey was sitting waiting for him.

“Oh Johnny,” she cried, “the Wolves jumped over the cliff after Gran’ma and Gran’pa! Look and see if you can see them anywhere.”

Johnny had been so busy climbing he had known nothing of what had happened below.

Now he went to the edge and looked over. The Wolves were all at one spot on the cliff.

“Oh dear!” he cried. “They probably have caught Gran’ma and Gran’pa!”

At this Janey came to the edge and looked. She watched the pack closely for a few moments.

“No, they have not! See! The Wolves are tearing and digging at that big stone. Gran’ma and Gran’pa must be behind the stone! There must be a cave there!”

Johnny caught his sister by the shoulder and drew her hastily away from the edge of the cliff and into the bushes.

“Old Jingles in the Flying Boat!” he whispered. “I just saw a speck in the distance, coming this way!”

So the children, crouching low, ran away through the ferns and bushes.