The boy, small
and rather delicate in appearance
seemed somewhat embarrassed at
being called "father" by the
tall, awkward, pumpkinheaded
man, but to deny the relationship
would involve another long and
tedious explanation; so he changed
the subject by asking, abruptly:
"Are you tired?"
"Of course not!" replied the
other. "But," he continued, after
a pause, "it is quite certain
I shall wear out my wooden joints
if I keep on walking."
Tip reflected, as they journeyed
on, that this was true. He began
to regret that he had not constructed
the wooden limbs more carefully
and substantially. Yet how could
he ever have guessed that the
man he had made merely to scare
old Mombi with would be brought
to life by means of a magical
powder contained in an old pepper-box?
So he ceased to reproach himself,
and began to think how he might
yet remedy the deficiencies of
Jack's weak joints.
While thus engaged they came
to the edge of a wood, and the
boy sat down to rest upon an
old sawhorse that some woodcutter
had left there.
"Why don't you sit down?" he
asked the Pumpkinhead.
"Won't it strain my joints?" inquired
the other.
"Of course not. It'll rest them," declared
the boy.
So Jack tried to sit down; but
as soon as he bent his joints
farther than usual they gave
way altogether, and he came clattering
to the ground with such a crash
that Tip feared he was entirely
ruined.
He rushed to the man, lifted
him to his feet, straightened
his arms and legs, and felt of
his head to see if by chance
it had become cracked. But Jack
seemed to be in pretty good shape,
after all, and Tip said to him:
"I guess you'd better remain
standing, hereafter. It seems
the safest way."
"Very well, dear father." just
as you say, replied the smiling
Jack, who had been in no wise
confused by his tumble.
Tip sat down again. Presently
the Pumpkinhead asked:
"What is that thing you are
sitting on?"
"Oh, this is a horse," replied
the boy, carelessly.
"What is a horse?" demanded
Jack.
"A horse? Why, there are two
kinds of horses," returned Tip,
slightly puzzled how to explain. "One
kind of horse is alive, and has
four legs and a head and a tail.
And people ride upon its back."
"I understand," said Jack, cheerfully "That's
the kind of horse you are now
sitting on."
"No, it isn't," answered Tip,
promptly.
"Why not? That one has four
legs, and a head, and a tail." Tip
looked at the saw-horse more
carefully, and found that the
Pumpkinhead was right. The body
had been formed from a tree-trunk,
and a branch had been left sticking
up at one end that looked very
much like a tail. In the other
end were two big knots that resembled
eyes, and a place had been chopped
away that might easily be mistaken
for the horse's mouth. As for
the legs, they were four straight
limbs cut from trees and stuck
fast into the body, being spread
wide apart so that the saw-horse
would stand firmly when a log
was laid across it to be sawed.
"This thing resembles a real
horse more than I imagined," said
Tip, trying to explain. "But
a real horse is alive, and trots
and prances and eats oats, while
this is nothing more than a dead
horse, made of wood, and used
to saw logs upon."
"If it were alive, wouldn't
it trot, and prance, and eat
oats?" inquired the Pumpkinhead.
"It would trot and prance, perhaps;
but it wouldn't eat oats," replied
the boy, laughing at the idea." And
of course it can't ever be alive,
because it is made of wood."
"So am I," answered the man.
Tip looked at him in surprise.
"Why, so you are!" he exclaimed. "And
the magic powder that brought
you to life is here in my pocket."
He brought out the pepper box,
and eyed it curiously.
"I wonder," said he, musingly, "if
it would bring the saw-horse
to life."
"If it would," returned Jack,
calmly for nothing seemed to
surprise him" I could ride on
its back, and that would save
my joints from wearing out."
"I'll try it!" cried the boy,
jumping up. "But I wonder if
I can remember the words old
Mombi said, and the way she held
her hands up."
He thought it over for a minute,
and as he had watched carefully
from the hedge every motion of
the old witch, and listened to
her words, he believed he could
repeat exactly what she had said
and done.
So he began by sprinkling some
of the magic Powder of Life from
the pepper- box upon the body
of the saw-horse. Then he lifted
his left hand, with the little
finger pointing upward, and said: "Weaugh!"
"What does that mean, dear father?" asked
Jack, curiously.
"I don't know," answered Tip.
Then he lifted his right hand,
with the thumb pointing upward
and said: "Teaugh!"
"What's that, dear father?" inquired
Jack.
"It means you must keep quiet!" replied
the boy, provoked at being interrupted
at so important a moment.
"How fast I am learning!" remarked
the Pumpkinhead, with his eternal
smile.
Tip now lifted both hands above
his head, with all the fingers
and thumbs spread out, and cried
in a loud voice: "Peaugh!"
Immediately the saw-horse moved,
stretched its legs, yawned with
its chopped-out mouth, and shook
a few grains of the powder off
its back. The rest of the powder
seemed to have vanished into
the body of the horse.
"Good!" called Jack, while the
boy looked on in astonishment. "You
are a very clever sorcerer, dear
father!"