Chapter I
The Golden Key
TWINKLE had come to visit her old friend Chubbins, whose mother was now teaching school in a little town at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, in Arkansas. Twinkle's own home was in Dakota, so the mountains that now towered around her made her open her eyes in wonder.
Near by—so near, in fact, that she thought she might almost reach out her arm and touch it—was Sugar-Loaf Mountain, round and high and big. And a little to the south was Backbone Mountain, and still farther along a peak called Crystal Mountain.
The very next day after her arrival Twinkle asked Chubbins to take her to see the mountain; and so the boy, who was about her own age, got his mother to fill for them a basket of good things to eat, and away they started, hand in hand, to explore the mountain-side.
It was farther to Sugar-Loaf Mountain than Twinkle had thought, and by the time they reached the foot of the great mound, the rocky sides of which were covered with bushes and small trees, they were both rather tired by the walk.
"Let's eat something," suggested Chubbins.
TWINKLE AND CHUBBINS
"I'm willing," said Twinkle.
So they climbed up a little way, to where some big rocks lay flat upon the mountain, and sat themselves down upon a slab of rock while they rested and ate some of the sandwiches and cake.
"Why do they call it 'Sugar-Loaf'?" asked the girl, looking far up to the top of the mountain.
"I don't know," replied Chubbins.
"It's a queer name," said Twinkle, thoughtfully.
"That's so," agreed the boy. "They might as well have called it 'gingerbread' or 'rock-salt,' or 'tea-biscuit.' They call mountains funny names, don't they?"
"Seems as if they do," said Twinkle.
They had been sitting upon the edge of one big flat rock, with their feet resting against another that was almost as large. These rocks appeared to have been there for ages,—as if some big giants in olden days had tossed them carelessly down and then gone away and left them. Yet as the children pushed their feet against this one, the heavy mass suddenly began to tremble and then slide downward.
"Look out!" cried the girl, frightened to see the slab of rock move. "We'll fall and get hurt!"
But they clung to the rock upon which they sat and met with no harm whatever. Nor did the big slab of stone below them move very far from its original position.
It merely slid downward a few feet, and when they looked at the place where it had been they discovered what seemed to be a small iron door, built into the solid stone underneath, and now shown to their view by the moving of the upper rock.
"Why, it's a door!" exclaimed Twinkle.
Chubbins got down upon his knees and examined the door carefully. There was a ring in it that seemed to be a handle, and he caught hold of it and pulled as hard as he could. But it wouldn't move.
"It's locked, Twink," he said.
"What do you'spose is under it?" she asked.
"Maybe it's a treasure!" answered Chubbins, his eyes big with interest.
"MAY BE IT'S A TREASURE"
"Well, Chub, we can't get it, anyway," said the practical Twinkle; "so let's climb the mountain."
She got down from her seat and approached the door, and as she did so she struck a small bit of rock with her foot and sent it tumbling down the hill. Then she stopped short with a cry of wonder, for under the stone she had kicked away was a little hole in the rock, and within this they saw a small golden key.
"Perhaps," she said, eagerly, as she stooped to pick up the key, "this will unlock the iron door."
"Let's try it!" cried the boy.
Chapter II
Through the Tunnel
THEY examined the door carefully, and at last found near the center of it a small hole. Twinkle put the golden key into this and found that it fitted exactly. But it took all of Chubbins's strength to turn the key in the rusty lock. Yet finally it did turn, and they heard the noise of bolts shooting back, so they both took hold of the ring, and pulling hard together, managed to raise the iron door on its hinges.
All they saw was a dark tunnel, with stone steps leading down into the mountain.
"No treasure here," said the little girl.
"P'raps it's farther in," replied Chub-bins. "Shall we go down?"
"Won't it be dangerous?" she asked.
"Don't know," said Chubbins, honestly. "It's been years and years since this door was opened. You can see for yourself. That rock must have covered it up a long time."
"There must be something inside," she declared, "or there wouldn't be any door, or any steps."
"That's so," answered Chubbins. "I'll go down and see. You wait."
"No; I'll go too," said Twinkle. "I'd be just as scared waiting outside as I would be in. And I 'in bigger than you are, Chub."
THEY ENTER THE TUNNEL
"You're taller, but you're only a month older, Twink; so don't you put on airs. And I'm the strongest."
"We'll both go," she decided; "and then if we find the treasure we'll divide."
"All right; come on!"
Forgetting their basket, which they left upon the rocks, they crept through the little doorway and down the steps. There were only seven steps in all, and then came a narrow but level tunnel that led straight into the mountain-side. It was dark a few feet from the door, but the children resolved to go on. Taking hold of hands, so as not to get separated, and feeling the sides of the passage to guide them, they walked a long way into the black tunnel.
Twinkle was just about to say they'd better go back, when the passage suddenly turned, and far ahead of them shone a faint light. This encouraged them, and they went on faster, hoping they would soon come to the treasure.
"Keep it up, Twink," said the boy. "It's no use going home yet."
"We must be almost in the middle of Sugar-Loaf Mountain," she answered.
"Oh, no; it's an awful big mountain," said he. "But we've come quite a way, haven't we?"
"I guess mama'd scold, if she knew where we are."
"Mamas," said Chubbins, "shouldn't know everything, 'cause they'd only worry. And if we don't get hurt I can't see as there's any harm done."
"But we mustn't be naughty, Chub."
"The only thing that's naughty," he replied, "is doing what you're told not to do. And no one told us not to go into the middle of Sugar-Loaf Mountain."
Just then they came to another curve in their path, and saw a bright light ahead. It looked to the children just like daylight; so they ran along and soon passed through a low arch and came out into—
Well! the scene before them was so strange that it nearly took away their breath, and they stood perfectly still and stared as hard as their big eyes could possibly stare.
THE SCENE WAS STRANGE
Chapter III
Sugar-Loaf City
SUGAR-LOAF Mountain was hollow inside, for the children stood facing a great dome that rose so far above their heads that it seemed almost as high as the sky. And underneath this dome lay spread out the loveliest city imaginable. There were streets of houses, and buildings with round domes, and slender, delicate spires reaching far up into the air, and turrets beautifully ornamented with carvings. And all these were white as the driven snow and sparkling in every part like millions of diamonds—for all were built of pure loaf- sugar! The pavements of the streets were also loaf-sugar, and the trees and bushes and flowers were likewise sugar; but these last were not all white, because all sugar is not white, and they showed many bright colors of red sugar and blue sugar and yellow, purple and green sugar, all contrasting most prettily with the sparkling white buildings and the great white dome overhead.
This alone might well astonish the eyes of children from the outside world, but it was by no means all that Twinkle and Chubbins beheld in that first curious look at Sugar-Loaf City. For the city was inhabited by many people—men, women and children—who walked along the streets just as briskly as we do; only all were made of sugar. There were several different kinds of these sugar people. Some, who strutted proudly along, were evidently of pure loaf-sugar, and these were of a most respectable appearance. Others seemed to be made of a light brown sugar, and were more humble in their manners and seemed to hurry along as if they had business to attend to. Then there were some of sugar so dark in color that Twinkle suspected it was maple-sugar, and these folks seemed of less account than any of the others, being servants, drivers of carriages, and beggars and idlers.
"SURRENDER!" SAID THE CAPTAIN
Carts and carriages moved along the streets, and were mostly made of brown sugar. The horses that drew them were either pressed sugar or maple-sugar. In fact, everything that existed in this wonderful city was made of some kind of sugar.
Where the light, which made all this place so bright and beautiful, came from, Twinkle could not imagine. There was no sun, nor were there any electric lights that could be seen; but it was fully as bright as day and everything showed with great plainness.
While the children, who stood just inside the archway through which they had entered, were looking at the wonders of Sugar-Loaf City, a file of sugar soldiers suddenly came around a corner at a swift trot.
"Halt!" cried the Captain. He wore a red sugar jacket and a red sugar cap, and the soldiers were dressed in the same manner as their Captain, but without the officer's yellow sugar shoulder-straps. At the command, the sugar soldiers came to a stop, and all pointed their sugar muskets at Twinkle and Chubbins.
"Surrender!" said the Captain to them. "Surrender, or I'll—I'll—"
He hesitated.
"What will you do?" said Twinkle.
"I don't know what, but something very dreadful," replied the Captain. "But of course you'll surrender."
"I suppose we'll have to," answered the girl.
"That's right. I'll just take you to the king, and let him decide what to do," he added pleasantly.
So the soldiers surrounded the two children, shouldered arms, and marched away down the street, Twinkle and Chubbins walking slowly, so the candy folks would not have to run; for the tallest soldiers were only as high as their shoulders.
"This is a great event," remarked the Captain, as he walked beside them with as much dignity as he could muster. "It was really good of you to come and be arrested, for I haven't had any excitement in a long time. The people here are such good sugar that they seldom do anything wrong."
THE CHILDREN TALK TO THE CAPTAIN
Chapter IV
To the King's Palace
"WHAT, allow me to ask, is your grade of sugar?" inquired the Captain, with much politeness. "You do not seem to be the best loaf, but I suppose that of course you are solid."
"Solid what?" asked Chubbins.
"Solid sugar," replied the Captain.
"We're not sugar at all," explained Twinkle. "We're just meat."
"Meat! And what is that?"
"Haven't you any meat in your city?"
"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Well, I can't explain exactly what meat is," she said; "but it isn't sugar, anyway."
At this the Captain looked solemn.
"It isn't any of my business, after all," he told them. "The king must decide about you, for that's his business. But since you are not made of sugar you must excuse me if I decline to converse with you any longer. It is beneath my dignity."
"Oh, that's all right," said Twinkle.
"Where we came from," said Chubbins, "meat costs more a pound than sugar does; so I guess we're just as good as you are."
But the Captain made no reply to this statement, and before long they stopped in front of a big sugar building, while a crowd of sugar people quickly gathered.
"Stand back!" cried the Captain, and the sugar soldiers formed a row between the children and the sugar citizens, and kept the crowd from getting too near. Then the Captain led Twinkle and Chubbins through a high sugar gateway and up a broad sugar walk to the entrance of the building.
"Must be the king's castle," said Chubbins.
"The king's palace," corrected the Captain, stiffly.
"What's the difference?" asked Twinkle.
But the sugar officer did not care to explain.
THE KING'S PALACE
Brown sugar servants in plum-colored sugar coats stood at the entrance to the palace, and their eyes stuck out like lozenges from their sugar faces when they saw the strangers the Captain was escorting.
But every one bowed low, and stood aside for them to pass, and they walked through beautiful halls and reception rooms where the sugar was cut into panels and scrolls and carved to represent all kinds of fruit and flowers.
"Isn't it sweet!" said Twinkle.
"Sure it is," answered Chubbins.
And now they were ushered into a magnificent room, where a stout little sugar man was sitting near the window playing upon a fiddle, while a group of sugar men and women stood before him in respectful attitudes and listened to the music.
Twinkle knew at once that the fiddler was the king, because he had a sugar crown upon his head. His Majesty was made of very white and sparkling cut loaf-sugar, and his clothing was formed of the same pure material. The only color about him was the pink sugar in his cheeks and the brown sugar in his eyes. His fiddle was also of white sugar, and the strings were of spun sugar and had an excellent tone.
When the king saw the strange children enter the room he jumped up and exclaimed:
"Bless my beets! What have we here?"
"Mortals, Most Granular and Solidified Majesty," answered the Captain, bowing so low that his forehead touched the floor. "They came in by the ancient tunnel."
"Well, I declare," said the king. "I thought that tunnel had been stopped up for good and all."
"The stone above the door slipped," said Twinkle, "so we came down to see what we could find."
"You must never do it again," said his Majesty, sternly. "This is our own kingdom, a peaceful and retired nation of extra refined and substantial citizens, and we don't wish to mix with mortals, or any other folks."
"We'll go back, pretty soon," said Twinkle.
"Now, that's very nice of you," declared the king, "and I appreciate your kindness. Are you extra refined, my dear?"
HIS MAJESTY THE KING
"I hope so," said the girl, a little doubtfully.
"Then there's no harm in our being friendly while you're here. And as you've promised to go back to your own world soon, I have no objection to showing you around the town. You'd like to see how we live, wouldn't you?"
"Very much," said Twinkle.
"Order my chariot, Captain Brittle," said his Majesty; and the Captain again made one of his lowly bows and strutted from the room to execute the command.
The king now introduced Chubbins and Twinkle to the sugar ladies and gentlemen who were present, and all of them treated the children very respectfully.
Chapter V
Princess Sakareen
"SAY, play us a tune," said Chubbins to the king. His Majesty didn't seem to like being addressed so bluntly, but he was very fond of playing the fiddle, so he graciously obeyed the request and played a pretty and pathetic ballad upon the spun sugar strings. Then, begging to be excused for a few minutes while the chariot was being made ready, the king left them and went into another room.
This gave the children a chance to talk freely with the sugar people, and Chubbins said to one man, who looked very smooth on the outside:
"I s'pose you're one of the big men of this place, aren't you?"
The man looked frightened for a moment, and then took the boy's arm and led him into a corner of the room.
"You ask me an embarrassing question," he whispered, looking around to make sure that no one overheard. "Although I pose as one of the nobility, I am, as a matter of fact, a great fraud!"
"How's that?" asked Chubbins.
"Have you noticed how smooth I am?" inquired the sugar man.
"Yes," replied the boy. "Why is it?"
"I POSE AS ONE OF THE NOBILITY"
"Why, I'm frosted, that's the reason. No one here suspects it, and I'm considered very respectable; but the truth is, I'm just coated over with frosting, and not solid sugar at all."
"What's inside you?" asked Chubbins.
"That," answered the man, "I do not know. I've never dared to find out. For if I broke my frosting to see what I'm stuffed with, every one else would see too, and I would be disgraced and ruined."
"Perhaps you're cake," suggested the boy.
"Perhaps so," answered the man, sadly. "Please keep my secret, for only those who are solid loaf-sugar are of any account in this country, and at present I am received in the best society, as you see."
"Oh, I won't tell," said Chubbins.
During this time Twinkle had been talking with a sugar lady, in another part of the room. This lady seemed to be of the purest loaf-sugar, for she sparkled most beautifully, and Twinkle thought she was quite the prettiest person to look at that she had yet seen.
"Are you related to the king?" she asked.
"No, indeed," answered the sugar lady, "although I'm considered one of the very highest quality. But I'll tell you a secret, my dear." She took Twinkle's hand and led her across to a sugar sofa, where they both sat down.
"No one," resumed the sugar lady, "has ever suspected the truth; but I'm only a sham, and it worries me dreadfully."
"I don't understand what you mean," said Twinkle. "Your sugar seems as pure and sparkling as that of the king."
"Things are not always what they seem," sighed the sugar lady. "What you see of me, on the outside, is all right; but the fact is, I'm hollow!"
"Dear me!" exclaimed Twinkle, in surprise. "How do you know it?"
"I can feel it," answered the lady, impressively. "If you weighed me you'd find I'm not as heavy as the solid ones, and for a long time I've realized the bitter truth that I'm hollow. It makes me very unhappy, but I don't dare confide my secret to any one here, because it would disgrace me forever."
"I'M HOLLOW!"
"I wouldn't worry," said the child. "They'll never know the difference."
"Not unless I should break," replied the sugar lady. "But if that happened, all the world could see that I'm hollow, and instead of being welcomed in good society I'd become an outcast. It's even more respectable to be made of brown sugar, than to be hollow; don't you think so?"
"I'm a stranger here," said Twinkle; "so I can't judge. But if I were you, I wouldn't worry unless I got broke; and you may be wrong, after all, and as sound as a brick!"
Chapter VI
The Royal Chariot
JUST then the king came back to the room and said:
"The chariot is at the door; and, as there are three seats, I'll take Lord Cloy and Princess Sakareen with us."
So the children followed the king to the door of the palace, where stood a beautiful white and yellow sugar chariot, drawn by six handsome sugar horses with spun sugar tails and manes, and driven by a brown sugar coachman in a blue sugar livery.
The king got in first, and the others followed. Then the children discovered that Lord Cloy was the frosted man and Princess Sakareen was the sugar lady who had told Twinkle that she was hollow.
There was quite a crowd of sugar people at the gates to watch the departure of the royal party, and a few soldiers and policemen were also present to keep order. Twinkle sat beside the king, and Chubbins sat on the same seat with the Princess Sakareen, while Lord Cloy was obliged to sit with the coachman. When all were ready the driver cracked a sugar whip (but didn't break it), and away the chariot dashed over a road paved with blocks of cut loaf-sugar.
THE CHARIOT DASHED AWAY
The air was cool and pleasant, but there was a sweet smell to the breeze that was peculiar to this strange country. Sugar birds flew here and there, singing sweet songs, and a few sugar dogs ran out to bark at the king's chariot as it whirled along.
"Haven't you any automobiles in your country?" asked the girl.
"No," answered the king. "Anything that requires heat to make it go is avoided here, because heat would melt us and ruin our bodies in a few minutes. Automobiles would be dangerous in Sugar-Loaf City."
"They're dangerous enough anywhere," she said. "What do you feed to your horses?"
"They eat a fine quality of barley-sugar that grows in our fields," answered the king. "You'll see it presently, for we will drive out to my country villa, which is near the edge of the dome, opposite to where you came in."
First, however, they rode all about the city, and the king pointed out the public buildings, and the theaters, and the churches, and a number of small but pretty public parks. And there was a high tower near the center that rose half-way to the dome, it was so tall.
"Aren't you afraid the roof will cave in some time, and ruin your city?" Twinkle asked the king.
"Oh, no," he answered. "We never think of such a thing. Isn't there a dome over the place where you live?"
"Yes," said Twinkle; "but it's the sky."
"Do you ever fear it will cave in?" inquired the king.
"No, indeed!" she replied, with a laugh at the idea.
"Well, it's the same way with us," returned his Majesty. "Domes are the strongest things in all the world."
A SUGAR-LOAF FARM
Chapter VII
Twinkle Gets Thirsty
AFTER they had seen the sights of the city the carriage turned into a broad highway that led into the country, and soon they began to pass fields of sugar corn and gardens of sugar cabbages and sugar beets and sugar potatoes. There were also orchards of sugar plums and sugar apples and vineyards of sugar grapes. All the trees were sugar, and even the grass was sugar, while sugar grasshoppers hopped about in it. Indeed, Chubbins decided that not a speck of anything beneath the dome of Sugar-Loaf Mountain was anything but pure sugar—unless the inside of the frosted man proved to be of a different material.
By and by they reached a pretty villa, where they all left the carriage and followed the sugar king into the sugar house. Refreshments had been ordered in advance, over the sugar telephone, so that the dining table was already laid and all they had to do was to sit in the pretty sugar chairs and be waited upon by maple-sugar attendants.
There were sandwiches and salads and fruits and many other sugar things to eat, served on sugar plates; and the children found that some were flavored with winter-green and raspberry and lemon, so that they were almost as good as candies. At each plate was a glass made of crystal sugar and filled with thick sugar syrup, and this seemed to be the only thing to drink. After eating so much sugar the children naturally became thirsty, and when the king asked Twinkle if she would like anything else she answered promptly:
"Yes, I'd like a drink of water."
At once a murmur of horror arose from the sugar people present, and the king pushed back his chair as if greatly disturbed.
"Water!" he exclaimed, in amazement.
"Sure," replied Chubbins. "I want some, too. We're thirsty."
The king shuddered.
"WATER!" HE EXCLAIMED
"Nothing in the world," said he gravely, "is so dangerous as water. It melts sugar in no time, and to drink it would destroy you instantly."
"We're not made of sugar," said Twinkle. "In our country we drink all the water we want."
"It may be true," returned the king; "but I am thankful to say there is no drop of water in all this favored country. But we have syrup, which is much better for your health. It fills up the spaces inside you, and hardens and makes you solid."
"It makes me thirstier than ever," said the girl. "But if you have no water we must try to get along until we get home again."
When the luncheon was over, they entered the carriage again and were driven back towards the city. On the way the six sugar horses became restless, and pranced around in so lively a manner that the sugar coachman could scarcely hold them in. And when they had nearly reached the palace a part of the harness broke, and without warning all six horses dashed madly away. The chariot smashed against a high wall of sugar and broke into many pieces, the sugar people, as well as Twinkle and Chubbins, being thrown out and scattered in all directions.
The little girl was not at all hurt, nor was Chubbins, who landed on top the wall and had to climb down again. But the king had broken one of the points off his crown, and sat upon the ground gazing sorrowfully at his wrecked chariot. And Lord Cloy, the frosted man, had smashed one of his feet, and everybody could now see that underneath the frosting was a material very like marshmallow—a discovery that was sure to condemn him as unfit for the society of the solid sugar-loaf aristocracy of the country.
But perhaps the most serious accident of all had befallen Princess Sakareen, whose left leg had broken short off at the knee. Twinkle ran up to her as soon as she could, and found the Princess smiling happily and gazing at the part of the broken leg which she had picked up.
THE PRINCESS' LEG HAD BROKEN
"See here, Twinkle," she cried; "it's as solid as the king himself! I'm not hollow at all. It was only my imagination."
"I'm glad of that," answered Twinkle; "but what will you do with a broken leg?"
"Oh, that's easily mended," said the Princess, "All I must do is to put a little syrup on the broken parts, and stick them together, and then sit in the breeze until it hardens. I'll be all right in an hour from now."
It pleased Twinkle to hear this, for she liked the pretty sugar princess.
Chapter VIII
After the Runaway
NOW the king came up to them, saying: "I hope you are not injured."
"We are all right," said Twinkle; "but I'm getting dreadful thirsty, so if your Majesty has no objection I guess we'll go home."
"No objection at all," answered the king.
Chubbins had been calmly filling his pockets with broken spokes and other bits of the wrecked chariot; but feeling nearly as thirsty as Twinkle, he was glad to learn they were about to start for home.
They exchanged good-byes with all their sugar friends, and thanked the sugar king for his royal entertainment. Then Captain Brittle and his soldiers escorted the children to the archway through which they had entered Sugar-Loaf City.
They had little trouble in going back, although the tunnel was so dark in places that they had to feel their way. But finally daylight could be seen ahead, and a few minutes later they scrambled up the stone steps and squeezed through the little doorway.
There was their basket, just as they had left it, and the afternoon sun was shining softly over the familiar worldly landscape, which they were both rejoiced to see again.
"WHERE'S THE KEY?" ASKED TWINKLE
Chubbins closed the iron door, and as soon as he did so the bolts shot into place, locking it securely.
"Where's the key?" asked Twinkle.
"I put it into my pocket," said Chubbins, "but it must have dropped out when I tumbled from the king's chariot."
"That's too bad," said Twinkle; "for now no one can ever get to the sugar city again. The door is locked, and the key is on the other side."
"Never mind," said the boy. "We've seen the inside of Sugar-Loaf Mountain once, and that'll do us all our lives. Come on, Twink. Let's go home and get a drink!"