r old mysterious blue rats!"

All the time the gold buckskin whincher and the power was working. It
was saying, "So long as old Rags Habakuk keeps the two blue rats he
shall have good luck--but if he ever sells one of the blue rats then
one of his daughters shall marry a taxicab driver--and if he ever
sells the other blue rat then his other daughter shall marry a
moving-picture hero actor."

Then terrible things happened. A circus man came. "I give you one
thousand dollars spot cash money for one of the blue rats," he
expostulated with his mouth. "And I give you two thousand dollars spot
cash money for the two of the blue rats both of them together."

"Show me how much spot cash money two thousand dollars is all counted
out in one pile for one man to carry away home in his gunnysack rag
bag," was the answer of Rags Habakuk.

The circus man went to the bank and came back with spot cash
greenbacks money.

"This spot cash greenbacks money is made from the finest silk rags
printed by the national government for the national republic to make
business rich and prosperous," said the circus man, expostulating with
his mouth.

"T-h-e f-i-n-e-s-t s-i-l-k r-a-g-s," he expostulated again holding two
fingers under the nose of Rags Habakuk.

"I take it," said Rags Habakuk, "I take it. It is a whole gunnysack
bag full of spot cash greenbacks money. I tell my wife it is printed
by the national government for the national republic to make business
rich and prosperous."

Then he kissed the blue rats, one on the right ear, the other on the
left ear, and handed them over to the circus man.

And that was why the next month his eighteen year old daughter married
a taxicab driver who was so polite all the time to his customers that
he never had time to be polite to his wife.

And that was why his nineteen year old daughter married a moving-picture
hero actor who worked so hard being nice and kind in the moving pictures
that he never had enough left over for his wife when he got home after
the day's work.

And the lucky vest with the gold buckskin whincher was stolen from
Rags Habakuk by the taxicab driver.

[Illustration]

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4. Four Stories About the Deep
Doom of Dark Doorways

_People_: The Rag Doll
The Broom Handle
Spoon Lickers
Chocolate Chins
Dirty Bib