“What we’d like,” said Trot, “is
to stay here, cozy an’ peaceable, till we can
find a way to get home to the Earth again. Your
country is much nicer than the Blue Country, and we
like you pretty well from what we’ve seen of
you, so if you’ll let us stay, we won’t
be any more trouble to you than we can help.”
They all gazed upon the little girl curiously, and
one of them said, “How strangely light her color
is! And it is pink, too, which is in her favor.
But her eyes are of that dreadful blue tint which
prevails in the other half of Sky Island, while her
hair is a queer color unknown to us. She is not
like our people and would not harmonize with the universal
color here.”
“That’s true,” said another.
“The three strangers are all inharmonious.
If allowed to remain here, they would ruin the color
scheme of the country, where all is now pink.”
“In spite of that,” said Coralie, “they
are harmless creatures and have done us no wrong.”
“Yes they have,” replied a nervous little
Sunrise man, “they wronged us by coming here.”
“They could not help doing that,” argued
Coralie, “and it is their misfortune that they
are here on Sky Island at all. Perhaps if we
keep them with us for a while, they may find a way
to return safely to their own country.”
“We’ll fly through the sky by-and-by—ki-yi!”
yelled the parrot with startling suddenness.
“Is that true?” asked a Pinky seriously.
“Why, we would if we could,” answered
Trot. “We flew to this island, anyhow.”
“Perhaps,” said another, “if we
pushed them off the edge, they could fly down again.
Who knows?”
“We know,” answered Cap’n Bill hastily.
“We’d tumble, but we wouldn’t fly.”
“They’d take a fall—
And that is all!”
observed the parrot, fluttering its wings. There
was silence for a moment while all the Pinkies seemed
to think deeply. Then the Queen asked the strangers
to step outside while they counseled together.
Our friends obeyed, and leaving the room they all entered
the courtyard and examined the rows of pink marble
statues for nearly an hour before they were summoned
to return to the little room in Tourmaline’s
palace.
“We are now ready to vote as to your fate,”
said the pretty Queen to them. “We have
decided there are but two things for us do to:
either permit you to remain here as honored guests
or take you to an edge of the island and throw you
over the bushes into the sky.”
They were silent at hearing this dreadful alternative,
but the parrot screamed shrilly,
“Oh, what a dump! Oh, what a jump!
Won’t we all thump when we land with a bump?”
“If we do,” said Cap’n Bill thoughtfully,
“we’ll none of us know it.”
Trot and Button-Bright had now become worried and
anxious, for they knew if they were tossed over the
edge of the island they would be killed. Cap’n
Bill frowned and set his jaws tight together.
The old sailor had made up his mind to make a good
fight for his boy and girl, as well as for his own
life, if he was obliged to do so.
