," he said. "It's a thread of silver so thin that it
can't be seen and yet it is so strong that it can easily bear your
weight."

"But I can't climb all the way down," said Kernel Cob.

"You won't have to," said Edelweiss. "All you have to do is to catch
hold of the end of the silver thread and hang on to it, and, as
Silverfloss weaves the thread it gets longer and longer, until you
have reached the Earth. You'd better start now, if you are going."

So Kernel Cob wound the silver thread around his waist, and, lifting
Sweetclover, was ready to start. "Good-bye," said Kernel Cob.
"Good-bye," said Sweetclover.

"Good-bye," said Edelweiss, "Hold on tight!"

"All right," said Kernel Cob.

"Thank you very much," cried Sweetclover.

And down they went, Kernel Cob hanging to the silver thread and
Sweetclover snuggled close against his jacket.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER IV

Kernel Cob and Sweetclover went down and down and down through the sky
from the Moon.

And after they had gone down and down and down a long time Sweetclover
suddenly cried:

"What's that?" and pointed below. "It's like a great ball turning
round and round."

"It looks like another Moon with the lights out."

"It's the Earth!" cried Sweetclover with delight, for she could now
see the tops of trees as the sun began to show his golden head above
the hills in the East. And little by little, as Kernel Cob and
Sweetclover neared the Earth, they could see rivers and lakes and
steeples and houses and after awhile, people and horses in the fields.

And down, down, down they came, getting nearer and nearer and nearer
until they saw, beneath their very feet, a great tall house with sails
on it going round and round at a rapid rate, and, before you could
say, "Look out!" Kernel Cob was caught in one of the sails and dashed
to the ground.

"Are you hurt?" asked Sweetclover sitting on the ground where she had
been thrown.

"No," said Kernel Cob, for a soldier must bear pain without complaint
and pretend he isn't hurt even if he is.

And a number of people who were working in the fields ran out to see
what had happened, and you may be sure that they were surprised to see
these strange dolls. And they spoke a strange language which neither
Kernel Cob nor Sweetclover could make out.

"I wonder where we are," said Sweetclover, "and who these people can
be?"

"They're very funny," laughed Kernel Cob, "I never saw shoes like