torch of fire
sprang out behind where his tail used to be. And speaking to the
policeman, he said, "Sir, I must inform you, publicly and respectfully,
that we are The Committee of Sixty Six. We are honorable and
distinguished representatives from places your honest and ignorant
geography never told you about. This committee is going to ride on the
cars to Medicine Hat near the Saskatchewan river in the Winnipeg wheat
country where the blizzards and chinooks begin. We have a special
message and a secret errand for the Head Spotter of the Weather
Makers."

"I am a polite friend of all respectable people--that is why I wear
this star to arrest people who are not respectable," said the
policeman, touching with his pointing finger the silver and nickel
star fastened with a safety pin on his blue uniform coat.

"This is the first time ever in the history of the United States that
a committee of sixty-six blue foxes and flongboos has ever visited a
city in the United States," insinuated the flongboo.

"I beg to be mistaken," finished the policeman. "The union depot is
under that clock." And he pointed to a clock near by.

"I thank you for myself, I thank you for the Committee of Sixty Six, I
thank you for the sake of all the animals in the United States who
have lost their tails," finished the chairman.

Over to the Philadelphia union depot they went, all sixty-six, half
blue foxes, half flongboos. As they pattered pitty-pat, pitty-pat,
each with feet and toenails, ears and hair, everything but tails, into
the Philadelphia union depot, they had nothing to say. And yet though
they had nothing to say the passengers in the union depot waiting for
trains thought they had something to say and were saying it. So the
passengers in the union depot waiting for trains listened. But with
all their listening the passengers never heard the blue foxes and
yellow flongboos say anything.

"They are saying it to each other in some strange language from where
they belong," said one passenger waiting for a train.

"They have secrets to keep among each other, and never tell us," said
another passenger.

"We will find out all about it reading the newspapers upside down
to-morrow morning," said a third passenger.

Then the blue foxes and the yellow flongboos pattered pitty-pat,
pitty-pat, each with feet and toenails, ears and hair, everything
except tails, pattered scritch scratch over the stone floors out into
the train shed. They clim