The Project Gutenberg eBook, The City Curious, by Jean de Bosschère, Translated by F. Tennyson Jesse, Illustrated by Jean de Bosschère

Title: The City Curious

Author: Jean de Bosschère

Release Date: May 17, 2010 [eBook #32406]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CITY CURIOUS***

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THE CITY CURIOUS

FRITILLA AND THE RED FLYING-FISH
Frontispiece

THE CITY CURIOUS

BY

JEAN de BOSSCHÈRE

ILLUSTRATED BY THE
AUTHOR AND RETOLD
IN ENGLISH BY

F. TENNYSON JESSE












NEW YORK: DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN
1920


Printed in Great Britain

CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I

Smaly and his wife Redy set forth in search of three little girls:
They are bewitched so that their noses turn into beaks: Smaly
eats the latch of a door and Redy eats the hinge: Redy's fingers
weep tears: They meet with a Confectioner who resembles a
Kangaroo 1


CHAPTER II

Smaly installs himself upon one of the Kangaroo's paws: The
two little people see some of the inhabitants of this peculiar
country: They meet some sugar horses, and they see also a fish
which flies and some sponges which walk: The Wigs imagine
that Smaly is made of suet: The ebony and crystal spectacles:
The Mother of the Crow 15


CHAPTER III

The Short-Legged Man with the musical voice: Smaly and
Redy again declare they are travelling to find three little girls:
Papylick puts Smaly and Redy in two boats made out of nutshells 34


CHAPTER IV

Smaly and Redy are not well received: They are thought to be
made of painted cardboard: How the Despoiler fell into the
water and left a foot behind him: Mistigris sticks a fish-bone
into the back of the Despoiler: Judgment is passed on the two
strangers: They will be banished at nightfall: The walls of
the three gardens are discussed 38


CHAPTER V

Redy and Smaly watch the review of the troops: Smaly and the
Mother of the Crow discourse about soldiers: The Chief Contractor
distributes the food, and the Wigs pass through a curious
little door: The Soy powder makes the provisions grow 59


CHAPTER VI

The Sugar-Cane Prison arrives: The Rats water it with Soy
fluid to keep the canes growing as fast as the Prisoner breaks
them down: The time for siesta draws on, and Smaly and Redy
go into the house of the Historian 73


CHAPTER VII

The Flying-Fish announces the hour of three, and the World
falls asleep: The Hen makes six hard-boiled eggs: Smaly and
Redy begin to read the manuscript of the Historian 82


CHAPTER VIII


Redy and Smaly read of the childhood of the Prisoner 95


CHAPTER IX

The elder Flying-Fish loses one eye, and the Hen finds it:
The Historian wakes up, and Smaly and Redy run out of the
house: The Healer mends the paw of the Confectioner 100


CHAPTER X

The Wigs all imagine they suffer from headache: The Rats come
to the Healer to be cured of the ravages of hot Soy: The Chief
Contractor has to make himself ill eating the musical instruments 111


CHAPTER XI

The young girls dance for the Rats, then play a curious game
of tennis: They fail to understand Smaly's point of view 122


CHAPTER XII

The Mother of the Crow tells of the life and death of Djorak
in his own country 127


CHAPTER XIII

Smaly and Redy are taken to see the Fleet: The Prisoner arrives
and the Wigs fly in terror: Smaly and Redy at last have speech
with the Prisoner 146


CHAPTER XIV

The three daughters of the Prisoner are installed in their gardens