again for me.
Please, Mr. Elf, do be as kind as you were before."

"Let me see you dance again."

Laura took Kathie's hand and whirled her away in a waltz till they were
both breathless, while Kathie whispered, "What shall we do to get away
from this strange little creature?"

"He will find my staff if we are good-natured," replied Laura, in a
whisper, "and we never could get back to the Motherkin without it."

[Illustration: "THE HERB ELF CAME UP BEHIND KATHIE AND GAVE A TWITCH TO
ONE OF HER BROWN BRAIDS."]

Suddenly the Herb Elf came up behind Kathie, and, jumping up vigorously,
gave a twitch to one of her brown braids.

"They don't come off, then?" he said, as Kathie winced.

"No, they are not meant to," said Laura, in some haste, fearing he might
be disposed to cut one.

"I was in China once, and saw all the men with pigtails--how do you
think I would look with one?"

"Queer," answered Laura, still fearing he might covet Kathie's beautiful
hair.

"Not at all queer," said the elf, angrily, stamping his foot and
hitching his rabbit-skin from shoulder to shoulder.

A bright thought just then came to Kathie, but fearing to speak to the
Herb Elf, she whispered it to Laura.

"Oh, Mr. Elf," said Laura, "Kathie thinks you would be grand with a
great long Chinese queue, and she says she is sure she could make one
for you."

At this the elf looked greatly pleased, and cut a very curious caper.

"But," continued Laura, "she needs some flax to make it of, for her
dark brown hair would not be at all becoming to you."

The elf frowned at this, and asked, "Why not?"

"Oh, it would be really ridiculous; instead of looking like a Chinese
mandarin, a splendid, elegant Chinese, you would be exactly like an ugly
old Indian who had scalped somebody--indeed, it would not be nice," said
Laura, very earnestly, so afraid was she that the elf would insist upon
having one of Kathie's beautiful braids. "But if you would get us some
lovely yellow flax, Kathie would plait it, and we would fasten it on for
you, and then you would find my staff for me, and we would be your
friends forever."

"Ho! ho! he! he!" laughed the elf. "Well, I'll get the flax;" and away
he went, leaving the two girls again alone.

Laura squeezed Kathie, and told her she was a jewel for thinking of the
flax, for she certainly would have had to cut off her hair had she not
been so shrewd.

By this time they were hungry; so, opening their basket, they