Polychrome, laughing at the
absurd sight, came dancing up and she, also, came to a
sudden stop, but managed to save herself from falling.
Everyone of them was much astonished, and the
Scarecrow said with a puzzled look:
"I don't see anything."
"Nor I," said Woot; "but something hit me, just the
same."
"Some invisible person struck me a heavy blow,"
declared the Tin Woodman, struggling to separate
himself from the Tin Soldier, whose legs and arms were
mixed with his own.
"I'm not sure it was a person," said Polychrome,
looking more grave than usual. "It seems to me that I
merely ran into some hard substance which barred my way.
In order to make sure of this, let me try another place."
She ran back a way and then with much caution
advanced in a different place, but when she reached a
position on a line with the others she halted, her arms
outstretched before her.
"I can feel something hard - something smooth as
glass," she said, "but I'm sure it is not glass."
"Let me try," suggested Woot, getting up; but when he
tried to go forward, he discovered the same barrier
that Polychrome had encountered.
"No," he said, "it isn't glass. But what is it?"
"Air," replied a small voice beside him. "Solid air;
that's all."
They all looked downward and found a sky-blue rabbit
had stuck his head out of a burrow in the ground. The
rabbit's eyes were a deeper blue than his fur, and the
pretty creature seemed friendly and unafraid.
Pages:
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166