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.For a moment there was absolute silence, and then a muffledvoice called out crossly: "Can't you read?""It says 'Keep Out!' "whispered Trot, leaning over so shecould read the sign nailed on the door."Can't you let us in?" bellowed High Boy, beginning to stampwith impatience at the delay."We're in a hurry and have to go through thistown.Let us in, do you hear?""I hear!" shouted the voice defiantly, "But I'll not let youin.I'm the Out Keeper.""Hah, hah!" roared the Scarecrow."I've often heard of an InnKeeper but never an Out Keeper.Come out, Keeper, and let's have a look atyou!"Almost instantly the top section of the door flew open and theupper half and head of the Out Keeper appeared."Help!" gasped Trot, clutching the medicine man.And nowonder!CHAPTER 15Page 74ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe Shutter FacesTHE face of the Out Keeper was entirely hidden behind blueshutters.They seemed to sprout out behind the ears on each side of his headand fasten securely in front with two bolts."I suppose he hears through the slats," said Philador, leaningback to whisper this observation to the medicine man."Perfectly!" answered the Out Keeper."Can you see through theslats, too?" asked Herby, quite interested in the fellow's singular"No!' snapped the Out Keeper crossly."But who wants to see?Most people are not worth looking at.Presently I shall shut my shutters tightand then I shall neither see you nor listen to you," he finished triumphantly."But we'll still be here!" whinnied High Boy, with amischievous prance.Leaning forward he thrust his head through the opening,seized the Out Keeper by the seat of his pantaloons and, withdrawing his head,stretched up his telescope legs and stepped calmly over the wall."That's theway to handle an O.K.," snickered High Boy, dropping the Out Keepercarelessly in a clump of pickle bushes."I'm not an O.K.!" shrieked the Out Keeper, springingfuriously out of the pickle bushes."I'm a Shutter Face!" Pulling back thebolts that fastened his shutters, he glared out at the travelers.The faceback of the blue shutters was pale, flat and disagreeable.After a long,horrified look at High Boy and the others, the Out Keeper jumped a foot intothe air and then ran screaming down the street, his shutters flapping andslamming against the sides of his head."Bandits! Robbers! Donkeys andthieves!" he cried shrilly."Here they come! Shut the shutters! Bolt thewindows and lock the doors.Shut up! Shut up! Everybody shut up!""Shut up your ownself!" yelled the Scarecrow gleefully, asHigh Boy, letting himself down to a lower level, cantered mischievously afterthe frightened little man.Although the whole town was shut up to begin with,at the gate keeper's loud cries the travelers could hear extra bolts beingshot into place."What's the matter, Tighty?" called a gruff voice.Looking upin surprise, Trot saw a huge Shutter Face, sitting cross legged on a tallchimney.Page 75ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Bandits, Your Majesty!" Panting with exhaustion, the OutKeeper looked imploringly up at the chimney."How did they get in?" asked the chimney squatter, opening theslats on one side so he could hear."Stepped over the wall," choked Tighty, looking apprehensivelyover his shoulder at High Boy."Ridiculous and impossible," sniffed His Majesty, crossing hislegs comfortably."I neither saw nor heard anyone come over the wall.""How do you expect to see or hear, hid behind those blueblinkers?" inquired the Scarecrow, as High Boy came to a stop in front of thechimney."Fall down the chimney! Fall down the chimney!" quavered theOut Keeper, dashing into a doorway."And don't say I never warned you!" For amoment Trot thought His Majesty was going to follow Tighty's advice, butthinking better of it, the King called pompously: "I refuse to hear, see orbelieve such nonsense!" Shutting the slats in his shutters the King folded hisarms and continued to sit defiantly on the chimney."Shall I shove him down?" whispered High Boy, looking aroundat Philador."If he cannot see or hear, perhaps he can feel.""No!" laughed the little Prince, "they've really done us noharm, so why should we hurt them? Look! Everything's shutting up, even thehedges!" The hedges surounding the small, closely shuttered houses were realbox hedges and as High Boy clattered through the streets they began slammingtheir lids as fast as they could.Even the flowers growing in the stiff littlegardens promptly shut up as the travelers passed and it was with real reliefthat they reached the other side of the town.Not a Shutter Face was in sight and the dingy houses, withtheir blue shuttered windows and doors, gave the town such a very gloomyappearance."The poor silly things look half starved!" exclaimed Trot,glancing down and back at Shutter Town, as High Boy, without bothering toshorten his legs, stepped over the wall and briskly down the road on the otherPage 76ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlside."They're worse than the Round-abouties," decided Benny, "and Isuppose if we had stayed any longer they would have insisted upon us growingshutters, too!""Not a bad idea, when you come to think of it," observed theScarecrow."With shutters one need never be bored or shocked.""Shutters would be extremely becoming to you," chuckled HighBoy, with a vigorous shake of his umbrella tail."Hush!" whispered Trot, who did not like anyone to make fun ofher old friend."You mean shut up, I suppose?" wheezed High Boy."Butremember, I'm not a Shutter Face, my girl.""That's so," giggled Trot."If anyone tells them to shut up,they really can.I'm going to bring Dorothy and Betsy back here some day andsee what they do to us [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]