ren any more?" asked
Twinkle, regretfully.

"I suppose so; but if people are contrary, and won't behave, they must
take the consequences. This is Mr. Chuckledorf," continued the Mayor,
and a very fat prairie-dog bowed to them most politely; "and here is
Mrs. Fuzcum; and Mrs. Chatterby; and Mr. Sneezeley, and Doctor Dosem."

All these folks bowed gravely and politely, and Chubbins and Twinkle
bobbed their heads in return until their necks ached, for it seemed as
if the Mayor would never get through introducing the hundreds of
prairie-dogs that were squatting around.

"I'll never be able to tell one from the other," whispered the girl;
"'cause they all look exactly alike."

"Some of 'em's fatter," observed Chubbins; "but I don't know which."

Chapter IV
Presto Digi, the Magician

"AND now, if you like, we will be pleased to have you visit some of our
houses," said Mr. Bowko, the Mayor, in a friendly tone.

"But we can't!" exclaimed Twinkle. "We're too big," and she got up and
sat down upon the bank, to show him how big she really was when compared
with the prairie-dogs.

"Oh, that doesn't matter in the least," the Mayor replied. "I'll have
Presto Digi, our magician, reduce you to our size."

"Can he?" asked Twinkle, doubtfully.

"Our magician can do anything," declared the Mayor. Then he sat up and
put both his front paws to his mouth and made a curious sound that was
something like a bark and something like a whistle, but not exactly like
either one.

Then everybody waited in silence until a queer old prairie-dog slowly
put his head out of a big mound near the center of the village.

"Good morning, Mr. Presto Digi," said the Mayor.

"Morning!" answered the magician, blinking his eyes as if he had just
awakened from sleep.

Twinkle nearly laughed at this scrawny, skinny personage; but by good
fortune, for she didn't wish to offend him, she kept her face straight
and did not even smile.

"We have two guests here, this morning," continued the Mayor, addressing
the magician, "who are a little too large to get into our houses. So, as
they are invited to stay to luncheon, it would please us all if you
would kindly reduce them to fit our underground rooms."

"Is _that_ all you want?" asked Mr. Presto Digi, bobbing his head at the
children.

"It seems to me a great deal," answered Twinkle. "I'm afraid you never
could do it."

"Wow!" said the magician, in a scornful voice that was almost a bark. "I
ca