ox over there in the corner?

"Well, that's a Japanese kite. It goes up into the air very quickly.
What I say to do is to climb into the kite, and go up with it. It's a
big one and will carry us all."

"Where'll we go to?" asked the Villain.

"What care we, as long as we get out of here," and he hitched his
trousers as real sailors do.

"Will you do it?"

"You bet," said Kernel Cob.

So it was agreed that they would go up in the kite, and they moved
over to it and tugged at it till they had it in the center of the
room. Then a great clatter of talk arose from all the Japanese dolls,
which sounded like a lot of chickens calling for their dinner; but
Kernel Cob and Jackie Tar and the Villain and Sweetclover paid no heed
to them, but only tugged the harder till they had the kite out into
the middle of the road.

"There are just four of us," said Jackie Tar. "Each man tar to a
corner. Quick! All aboard," and it was all they could do to hold down
the kite.

"Stand by to get the ship under way. Up anchor. Heave ho, lads. Heave
ho."

But at that moment....

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIII

The little Japanese girl returned, pulling her father down the road.

The little old man was waving his arms about fiercely and shouting,
"Zaca sakasaka," and before the kite had risen from the ground he had
reached it, and the next moment Kernel Cob, Sweetclover, the Villain
and Jackie Tar were being carried into the toy-shop.

"Did you ever see such luck in all your life?" grumbled Kernel Cob.

"I might have known it was Friday," said Jackie Tar, for sailors are
very superstitious.

"Never mind," said the Villain, "we'll get away another day."

"Oh, let us hope so," said Sweetclover, "for I don't want to be ripped
apart by that bad Japanese."

"Well, that's what the toy-maker will do if you don't escape him,"
said Jackie Tar, and his eyes would have bulged if they had been real
ones instead of just painted.

"Why doesn't he rip you apart?" asked Kernel Cob.

"Because I'm made of wood. I haven't got any stuffings," said Jackie
Tar.

By this time the four had been laid upon the floor, and the Japanese
dolls had started a great clatter of talk. The little girl picked up
Sweetclover and was smoothing out her ruffled dress when the Toy-maker
took up a pair of scissors and grabbed up Kernel Cob, before he could
draw his sword.

But at that moment the Fairies must have heard Sweetclover's prayer,
for I am sure