sk her politely, she will show you the red slippers with
gold clocks on them, one clock to be early by, the other to be late
by. And if you are still more polite she will take you through the
middle of the town to the public square and show you the statue of the
five rusty lucky rats with their long curved tails sticking up in the
air like handles. And the tails are curved so long and so nice you
will feel like going up and taking hold of them to see what will
happen to you."

[Illustration]

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2. Five Stories About the
Potato Face Blind Man

_People_: The Potato Face Blind Man
Any Ice Today
Pick Ups
Lizzie Lazarus
Poker Face the Baboon
Hot Dog the Tiger
Whitson Whimble
A Man Shoveling Money
A Watermelon Moon
White Gold Boys
Blue Silver Girls
Big White Moon Spiders
Zizzies
Gimme the Ax Again

[Illustration]

The Potato Face Blind Man Who Lost
the Diamond Rabbit on His Gold
Accordion

There was a Potato Face Blind Man used to play an accordion on the Main
Street corner nearest the postoffice in the Village of Liver-and-Onions.

Any Ice Today came along and said, "It looks like it used to be an 18
carat gold accordion with rich pawnshop diamonds in it; it looks like
it used to be a grand accordion once and not so grand now."

"Oh, yes, oh, yes, it was gold all over on the outside," said the
Potato Face Blind Man, "and there was a diamond rabbit next to the
handles on each side, two diamond rabbits."

"How do you mean diamond rabbits?" Any Ice Today asked.

"Ears, legs, head, feet, ribs, tail, all fixed out in diamonds to make
a nice rabbit with his diamond chin on his diamond toenails. When I
play good pieces so people cry hearing my accordion music, then I put
my fingers over and feel of the rabbit's diamond chin on his diamond
toenails, 'Attaboy, li'l bunny, attaboy, li'l bunny.'"

"Yes I hear you talking but it is like dream talking. I wonder why
your accordion looks like somebody stole it and took it to a pawnshop
and took it out and somebody stole it again an