Sky Island

t be the most beautiful rooms in the world. There was a long and broad reception room, with forty-seven windows in it, and opening out of it were six lovely be

he divans and chairs were of richly carved bluewood upholstered in blue satins and silks. The draperies were superbly

t or reclined in easy chairs with their heads thrown back and their blue chins scornfully elevated. Trot, who

incess Cerulia, "

rquoise, "A lock of my hai

Cobalt, "Unfasten my s

apphire, "Bring hither my

ess Azure, "Stand by

, "Get out of that chair. How

d Trot, "you may as well save your breath. I'm no

!" shouted the s

m n

Royal Ruler of the Blues, has made you

Royal an' Rapturous an' Ridic'lous myself, an' I w

irth?" asked Azure,

and if there's anything royaler than an

ot, "We do not think it matters what you were in your own country, for having left there you have forfeited your rank. By r

uences?" ask

napped Indigo, swaying her head from side to side on

away again; but your father wouldn't let us. It isn't our fault we're still here, an' I'm free to say yo

nce!" cried I

he truth," r

e side of the slave's face, and Princess Turquoise ran forward and slapped the other side. Cerulia gave Trot a push one way, and Sapphire pushed her the other way, so the little girl was quite out of breath and very an

ndigo, "go and feed my little bl

cat that sings like a b

mb that chatters like a mo

arrot that barks like a do

bbit that roars like a lio

eacock that mews like a ca

asked Trot, drawi

perly fed our pets," re

they ea

ea

il

ove

ee

re

rro

rot, "where do you

rs," said Indigo harshly. "

s about to leave the room, "when I grow

cks. So he licked Trot's hand and wagged his funny little tail and then straightened up and crowed like a rooster. The girl was delighted with the queer doggie, and she found some meat in a cupboard and fed him out of her hand, patt

ue-gold dish. It was a pretty cat and instantly knew the little girl was a friend vastly different from its own bad-temp

with fleece as blue as a l

ing just as a monkey chatters, only in the most friendly and grateful way, and Trot fed it a handful of

blue parrot sat on a blue perch and began barkin

a-dub

some

ye and then the other as if trying to discover why she was so kind. He had never experienced kind treatment in all his life. So it was no wonder that when the little girl entered the fifth boudoir she w

a peaco

eather. I

As she entered this room, Trot gave a start of fear, for a terrible roar like the roar of a lion greeted her. But there was no lion there; a fuzzy, blue rabbit was makin

t played with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished eating, and the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the l

attempt to push Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such treatment, and believing they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew to be their friend, they proceeded to defend her. The little blue dog dashed at Indigo and bit her right ankle, while the blue cat scratched her left leg with its claws and the parrot flew upon her shoulder and pecked her ear. The lamb ran up and butted Indigo so that she s

ulling her through the bedchamber into the reception room. When she was alone, Trot sat down on the floor and laughed unt

s all

ke a

the parro

d, indeed, but kept in their boudoirs so they could abuse them whenever they felt especially wicked or ill-natured. None of the snubnosed ones dared enter the roo

l, as was their customary amusement. Indigo wanted to have Trot patched, and Cerulia wanted her beaten with knotted cords, and Cobalt wanted her locked up in a dark room, a

zure, not daring to enter her own chamber, and the two sisters quarreled so en

door and said to Trot, "If you want any dinner, you'll find it in the servants' hall. I advise you to eat, for af

til the snubnosed sextette had pranced haughtily away, and then she came o

S TREASUR