hey were all fast asleep again.

Bobby now ran off toward the door, not caring to go any further
underground at present, though he knew there were other wonders beyond.
He reached the door at last, but it was closed. There was no key-hole
even.

After looking around a long time he found the Fly-up-the-creek fairy, not
far from the door, sitting by a fire, with a large, old owl sitting over
against him.

"Give me the key to the door, Ole Ke-whack!" said Bobby.

"Oh, no! I will not give you my clothes, ke-whack! Do you think I would
give you my party clothes? If you hadn't sung so loud, the door wouldn't
have shut. You scared it. Now I can't give you my fine clothes, and so
you'll have to stay here, ke-whack!"

Poor Bobby sat down by the fire, not knowing what to do. "I don't want to
stay here, Ke-whack!" he whimpered.

"Tell him about the Sleepy-headed People," said the owl to Bobby,
solemnly.

"Shut up, old man, or I'll bite your head off!" said the Fly-up-the creek
to the owl.

"Do as I say," said the owl. "If you stay here, you'll turn to an owl or
a bat. Be quick. The Sleepy-heads are his cousins--he doesn't like to
hear about them."

"Don't mind a word the old man says, ke-whack!"

"Give me the key, then," said Bobby.

"Do as I say," said the owl.

The Fly-up-the-creek uttered an angry "ke-whack" and tried to bite off
the owl's head, but the "old man" hopped out of his way. Bobby began to
tell the story of his adventures among the Sleepy-heads, and the
stake-driver kept crying, "Ke-whack! ke-whack!" to drown his words; but
as Bobby's shrill voice rose higher the stake-driver's voice became
weaker and weaker. Bobby was so amazed that he stopped.

"Go on!" groaned the owl, "or you'll never get out, or I either."

So Bobby kept up his talk until the stake-driver was lying senseless on
the floor.

"Put the key in the lock, quick," cried the owl.

"Where is the key?"

"His fine clothes. Take them off, quick! Cap first!"

Bobby began with the cap, then stripped off the coat and vest and boots.

"Put them in the keyhole, quick!" said the owl, for the stake-driver was
reviving.

"Where is the key-hole?"

"There! there!" cried the owl, pointing to the fire. By this time the
Fly-up-the-creek had already begun to reach out for his clothes, which
Bobby hastily threw into the fire. The fire went out, the great door near
by swung open, and the big-eyed owl, followed by Bobby, walked out,
saying, "I'm