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."Water!" groaned Scraps dolefully."Water makes my spirits sink, It's very bad for me, I think, Iknow I'll fade, perhaps I'll shrink.""Don't shrink," begged Peter in alarm."Shake yourself, oldgirl." Balancing herself with difficulty, the Patchwork Girl began shakingherself vigorously and wringing out her skirts, while Peter, rubbing the soapfrom his own eyes, saw that they were in a strange and amazing village, whereeverything was soap.The houses were built of small, square cakes and thewalks laid out in large blocks of green soap.Turkish towel trees edged allthe avenues and, stepping cautiously to the nearest one, Peter picked a toweland wiped his dripping face.Grumpy soon followed his example.Then both wentto help Scraps, who was feeling both damp and discouraged.They were fanningher briskly with dry towels, when a procession of villagers came skating downthe main street."So that's how they manage it," whistled Peter, taking a fewskating steps himself to see how it was done.Page 59ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"More soap?" grumbled Grumpy."Let's run!""No, let's wait and see what they have to say," whisperedPeter.The villagers were quite close by this time and Peter wasamazed to see that they also were entirely made of soap.They wore turbans androbes of turkish toweling and, with their arms tucked comfortably in theirflowing sleeves, came skating toward the travellers.Some of them were pink,some green, some white and others violet, and they were all about the size often-year-old children."Hello!" said Peter politely, as the first soapman came to anabrupt stop before him."How do you do?""As I please, mostly," retorted the soapman shortly, "but I'mafraid you won't do at all.Who cut you out, anyway?""Oh, fall down!" advised Grumpy, picking up his towel andbeginning to fan Scraps again."Fall down, why don't you?""Who are you?" sniffed the Patchwork Girl, wringing her hands.They were still full of water."We are Suds," answered the villager proudly."But we willhave to take you to the Sultan.Are you hard or soft?" he asked, turning againto Peter."Hard!" cried the little boy, stamping his foot defiantly.Heregretted this action almost immediately, for his heel, slipping on the soapsidewalk, threw him down on the back of his head.At this the Suds simplybubbled over with amusement and scorn.Then one Sud seized him by the leftarm, another by the right, and started skating down the street.Looking overhis shoulder, he saw that Scraps and Grumpy were being treated in the samesudden fashion.But soon he grew so interested in his surroundings that healmost forgot his indignation.The cottages of smooth green and pink soap werereally charming.The gardens were full of soap-bubble bushes and vines and thebubbles, with their shining colors, sparkled and shimmered in the sunshine.Fountains of perfume filled the air with fragrance and, besides the turkishtowel and rubber trees, there were bushes covered with snowy powder puffs.Asthey reached the stately green soap palace it began to snow and, catching oneof the flakes on the back of his hand, Peter discovered it was a soap flake.Hurrying them through the soap stone gates, the Suds pounded upon the castledoor.It was immediately opened by a tar soap slave in a yellow robe andPage 60ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlturban."Take these interlopers to Shampoozle," said the Sud who hadfirst spoken to Peter."Whoozle?" gasped the Patchwork Girl, shaking the soap flakesfrom her hair.No one deigned to answer her question, but at the Sud's commandtwo more slaves appeared and, bowing out the villagers, closed the castledoor."Follow me, interlopers," said the slave and, skimmingexpertly over the polished soap floor, he started down the royal hallway."I suppose we might as well," giggled Peter and, takingGrumpy's paw, began sliding after the slave.The two other slaves slid gravelybehind and, as they reached two royal purple soap doors, the first slave threwup his arm and cried impressively:"Give three salaams for the Sultan of Suds!" and, jerking openthe door, he fell flat upon his nose.It was so unexpected that Peter andGrumpy lost their balance and salaamed in spite of themselves, but thePatchwork Girl slid defiantly up to the throne itself."I don't give three slams for anyone!" announced Scraps,snapping her fingers under Shampoozle's nose."Show us the way Out of here.""What!" snorted the Sultan, rising shakily from his throne."You refuse to salaam? Caka! Bara!" He clapped his hands sharply."Salaamher!" At his command, the two slaves behind Scraps seized her arms and,forcing her downward, touched her cotton nose to the floor three times.While Scraps was still choking and spluttering with rage,Peter and Grumpy regained their footing and stared curiously at Shampoozle.Hewas sitting on an ivory soap throne with red sponge cushions.He seemed to bemade of green soap and his towel turban was twice as high as the turbans ofthe other Suds."That will teach you how to treat a Sultan," sniffedShampoozle, shaking a finger severely at the Patchwork Girl.Page 61ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Sultan!" cried Scraps, giving Caka and Bara each a push."You're not a Sultan, you're an Insultan."Shampoozle's eyes grew round with displeasure and Peter andGrumpy had some difficulty to conceal their mirth."There, there!" said the Sultan testily, "don't beimpertinent.Kindly answer my questions, so I can put you in your properplaces.What kind of soap are you made of, hard or soft, laundry or tub-areyou floaters or sinkers?""We're not soap at all," declared Peter indignantly."I shouldthink-""Tut! Tut!" interrupted Shampoozle loftily, "I am thinking.Don't talk so fast, we'll soon make good soap of you.Why, we can make soap ofanything, even rubbish," he finished proudly."Caka! Bara! Just see how theylather."Before Peter or the others had time to object, the two slaves,with three wet sponges, were rubbing vigorously at their cheeks."No lather at all," sighed Shampoozie in evidentdisappointment.Never mind, I'll use you somehow.That creature," he pointedcontemptuously at Grumpy, "that creature, flattened out and rolled down, willmake an excellent bath mat.The rag girl can be ripped up into wash cloths andthe boy boiled down to soap fat.""Bath mat!" roared the little bear, putting back his ears."Why, you can't make a bath mat out of me.Don't you know I'm a pet? You'dbetter not touch Scraps either, she's a Queen and Peter's a pitcher!""Pause!" commanded the Sultan, extending his arm wearily."I'll pause and claw you!" threatened Grumpy, doubling up hisfurry fists."We're on our way to the Emerald City to save the Queen and youdaren't stop us!" While Grumpy was saying, or rather growling all this, Peterhad noticed an open window at the back of the throne room.Signaling toScraps, he pushed aside the soap slaves and, seizing Grumpy's paw, made agrand slide for freedom.Scraps reached the window first and recklesslyjumped.Then Peter and Grumpy, without one look, jumped down after her.Fortunately, Scraps landed first so that the little bear and the little boyPage 62ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlhad something soft to fall upon.The drop from the window was nearly thirtyfeet and they looked around rather breathlessly."Did we hurt you?" asked Peter, hopping up quickly and pullingGrumpy to his feet."No!" puffed the Patchwork Girl, raising her headexperimentally, "but I feel rather flat.Shake me up, boys, and then we'dbetter run.So Grumpy took one of her arms and Peter the other and they shookwith all their might [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]