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The Hole That Ran To China
by
“All right,” replied the Giant, “I can accommodate you. But you’re running a risk. I might kill your friend Fatty.”
“He isn’t any friend of mine,” Marmaduke interrupted–then he thought for a moment. After all he didn’t really want Fatty killed. He guessed he’d better not take a chance.
“No,” he said, shaking his head, “after all, I ‘spose you’d better not try it.”
“All right,” the Giant answered, “just as you say. But have you had any lunch?”
At that question Marmaduke suddenly felt rather faint, and he watched the Giant hungrily, as he took out of an oven in the furnace a dozen steers, roasted whole, and ten loaves of bread, each as big as a house.
It didn’t take many gulps for the Giant to swallow the whole lot, but first he very kindly handed a few crumbs of bread to Marmaduke up on his shoulder. At least the Giant thought they were crumbs, but they were really as big as loaves of bread Mother made. And the little slivers of roasted steer which the Giant reached up to him were as big as whole steaks. So Marmaduke’s hunger was soon satisfied, and, for once in his life, Wienerwurst’s, too.
He wanted to stay a little longer, to talk with the big Giant and ask him questions, but, looking down, he saw the three little Chinamen making odd gestures and beckoning to him with their long fingernails.
“We must hully, quickillilly,” they said, which, of course, meant, as you should know, that they had to hurry quickly, or it would be dark before they reached China.
He told his troubles to the Giant, who said he “didn’t see what anyone wanted to see that heathen land for,” but nevertheless he lifted the little boy down, hundreds of feet to the ground, and Marmaduke curled up on his iron, and the three little yellow men curled up on theirs, while Wienerwurst got down on his haunches; and they all said “goodbye” to the great Giant, and the little gnomes trundling their wheelbarrows, and the little twinkling lights in their foreheads.
On the other side of the furnace, the hole opened up again, and down it they scooted on their way to China. It was fortunate that the Giant had given Marmaduke something to eat, for it was a long trip.
There were many wonderful things there, but as you’re all yawning, and we couldn’t make sleepyheads understand, for that you’ll have to wait till another night.