"The Queen of the Dolls!" cried all the children with delight.

"My, how I should like to meet her!" exclaimed one flaxen-haired little maiden, who formed a part of the circle.

The little girl beside the Vagabond declared she would have her mamma write to the Queen that night and ask Santa Claus to take the letter to her the next time he came around.

There was a loud outburst of merry laughter that was joined in by His Highness the Vagabond himself.

The mirth soon subsided, and before they had hardly time to engage in much general talk about the "Queen of the Dolls," five of the boys came hurrying from the well, bearing the old oaken bucket, dripping and cool. When the general thirst was quenched, the Vagabond cast a smile upon the upturned face of his sweet little friend, who so honored his side by her presence, as he thus went on with his tale.

"The white-winged dove had scarcely passed out of sight before the two children beheld a strange object moving up and down along the distant horizon; and so rapid was its approach that it was not long before they could distinguish the outlines of a gigantic personage.

"He seemed to be leaping over great fields, fully a mile at a stride, in his frantic effort to get to the throne. Turning to watch the approaching figure, the Queen cried aloud:

"'Oh, children, look quickly! Kimbo the Giant is coming with all his might!'

"And before the amazed children could say a word, the wondrous Kimbo cleared the factories of Santa Claus and Taffy River with a mighty bound, and in another instant stood before them.

"The giant was so tall that his ponderous chin was level with the floor of the golden throne; and you can well imagine their surprise, not a little of which was tinged with fear, when they saw his massive features.

"The children sank back in affright; but when the Queen assured them that the Giant was as kind as any doll down in the village, they ventured to turn with a shudder and look into his partly opened mouth. It appeared to them like a hole in the mountain near Harpers Ferry where the people once dug out coal.

"As he uttered a few words of respect to the Queen, accompanied with a low bow, the sound which came from his partly opened lips was like the deep, growling rumble of distant thunder and shook the very throne on which they were standing.

"His eyes were larger than saucers; and the great veins in his glaring eye-balls seemed like blood-red cords swollen and ready to burst. His ears, each ornamented with an earring as big as a wagon-tire, were as long as Maud's little arm; and never a pumpkin grew longer or larger than Kimbo's great nose.

"His neck was as thick as the trunk of the largest tree that grew down by the Shenandoah River, and just about as wrinkled and rough as its bark; while his broad shoulders were far wider than the entire throne of the Queen.

"His eyebrows resembled great patches of grass more than eyebrows, and his massive jaws, supporting a wrinkled chin, looked as if they might take a bite out of the very rock in the side of the mountain and not mind it in the least.

"On the top of his head he wore a peculiar kind of rig intended no doubt for a hat, which was bound firmly in place by strands of his coarse black hair, as thick and perhaps as strong as a hawser. On closer inspection, however, this hat proved to be a kind of settee, for its entire side was an upholstered seat with strong arms and deep cushions.

"The Queen stepped toward the edge of the throne and invited the children for a ride on the Giant's head.

"As they were all ready to get aboard, the Giant lowered his head until the settee was level with the floor of the throne and they were not tardy in getting comfortably seated. In another moment they were off on the journey.

"They started away at such a rapid pace that the children could hardly breathe; so the Queen cautioned the Giant to go more slowly, and he slackened his pace to the speed of a railroad train. The Queen informed them that he was then only walking, and that they need not be alarmed in the least as the Giant was sure-footed and would not stumble or fall.

"Onward they went like the wind, past the foot of Cake Mountain with its towering sides and dome of rich, brown crusted cake; on up through the Ice Cream Valley, where, with a mighty roar, the Honey Springs gushed from the ground. Thence over the Ginger Bread Hills and past field after field filled with pie plants, in which an army of brownies were gathering hot pies and sprinkling them with sugar.

"They passed through great groves of cocoanut trees from the tops of which shouting bands of wild monkeys threw cocoanut shells after them; thence through vineyards of ripening grapes and orchards of oranges and lemons, and arrived at last at the border of a most beautiful lake that, with its wild, wonderful surroundings, presented the grandest scene they had ever beheld.

"The great Kimbo backed cautiously up to a towering rock, one side of which presented a straight cliff toward the lake; and when they had stepped from their high perch on the Giant's head to the smooth level top of the great rock, the Queen bade them pause for a moment to look about over the beautiful scene that now lay beneath and before them.

"Stretching away in the distance, almost as far as the eye could see, lay a marvellous lake that, in its fitful, frolicsome mood, resembled some rolling sea of crimson and gold and piled its great billows, glistening in the sunlight, with a resounding crash upon the pebbly shore.

"Far off to the right, and many thousands of feet higher than the rock on which they were standing, a stream came tumbling down from the crown of a tall mountain, and churning its waters into endless foam, fell into a deep and distant valley.

"Pointing away with her pretty hand, the Queen said to the children:

"'Behold, darlings, the famous Butter-milk Falls of which you have heard so much! The stream, as you see, does not enter into this lake, but falls from the top of Cheese Mountain and then wanders away through a sandy valley where it sinks into the ground.'

"For a moment the children gazed upon it; then Arthur exclaimed with some satisfaction:

"I'm glad it doesn't empty here for I never did like butter-milk.'

"The Queen and the children laughed heartily at the very thought.

"As they stood laughing upon the rock, they beheld at no great distance a wild, noisy cataract, where a beautiful, wide, golden stream leaped from a high rock, and whirling its never-ceasing torrent into endless eddies of a thousand different dyes, plunged into the lake that lay before them.

"'Look, Maud!' exclaimed Arthur. 'Look! Look! The beautiful falls!'

"The children asked of the Queen its name and she replied:

"'That, my darlings, is the end of Taffy River and those are the Stick Candy Falls. Here Taffy River pours its delicious stream over the rocks into Lake Fudge that you see lying before you. Now,' she continued, 'we will walk over and inspect Stick Candy Falls, after which we will return to this rock, for I consider this the finest viewpoint anywhere along the shore of the lake.'

"The Queen did not have to assist the children in their descent from the rock. With a merry bound they ran down the path ahead of her, delighted with the prospect of visiting the Falls which appeared so beautiful.

"Around them on all sides, grew sweet-scented flowers that, at any other time, might have caused the children to stay their steps, for they were fond of wild flowers indeed; but on this particular occasion all the blossoms of the woodland would not have tempted them, for the sound of the roaring cataract grew louder and louder as they drew near.

"The path descended into a little glen, the rocky sides of which hid the cataract from view; and the children stopped to look back upon the spot from which they had just come. There towered the tall rock with its one steep side facing the lake. The great Giant, Kimbo, sat on the ground at its base leaning against the cliff, his head drooped heavily forward almost between his drawn up knees.

"As they drew near to where the angry river made its desperate leap, the children were frightened, for the wind caused by the cataract came roaring about their ears, bearing mist and spray that for a time almost blinded them. They passed around this danger point and came to a more sheltered spot, where they paused to view the falls.

"As they stood there they noticed that a path led far in behind the falling stream, and that the ledge over which this wonder of nature poured its wealth of golden beauty was a peculiar rock crystal, quite similar to that which ornamented the beautiful glen through which they had passed before entering the Enchanted Cave.

"Arthur's inquisitive nature was awake and ready. He proceeded to test the tall ledge with the blade of his pen knife, when, as he placed a shattered bit of the rock to his lips, he shouted aloud to his sister:

"'Oh, Maudie, this ledge of rock is Rock Candy!' Then placing the remaining piece in his mouth, he rushed into the arms of the Queen to tell her of his surprising discovery.

"Long formations of varying sizes and color were hanging everywhere; and the children understood at a glance that this was the place where Santa Claus gets all the stick candy with which he is so generous at Christmas time. The sticks hung wherever a crevice or crack appeared in the ledge, and no sooner was one broken off than another began to form in its place at once.

"As they stepped forward to get a better view behind the falling torrent, they could see dozens of busy brownies breaking off the sticks and carefully packing them in long paper boxes, which others were carrying to the store house that stood on the towering brink above.

"The Queen led them beyond the group of busy workers, when, looking up at the ledge over which the cataract hung like a graceful veil, they saw the following lines carved deep in the rock far above their heads. They paused and with some difficulty, read these lines.

"They returned then to the high rock, and the children were surprised to see a great army of dolls moving rapidly toward the lake. The dolls were romping and chatting as they hurried along, but all seemed to have the same purpose in view for they were headed toward a certain point on the shore.

"Both Arthur and Maud were nearly crazy to join them, but the Queen wanted to go up on the high rock again, and, as the will of the Queen was the law of the land, up the high rock they went.

"They paused for a moment to look down on the great Kimbo, and laughed merrily when they saw he was still fast asleep.

"'Don't disturb him,' said the Queen in a low tone, as she assisted the children up the path to the top of the rock.

"Shout after shout arose from the crowd of dolls gathered upon the shore; and as their merry voices shook the air and resounded far over the lake, Maud inquired of the Queen the cause of their presence and the unusual tumult they were raising.

"The Queen was standing still, looking far over the lake. It was some moments before she replied, for the commotion seemed somewhat unusual. Glancing toward Maud, she said, sweetly:

"'These, darlings, are all the dolls from the Village of Hide and Seek. They have come down to the shore and are anxiously waiting to be taken over in their ferry-boat to the Island of Dreams that lies in the centre of this beautiful lake.'

"Pointing toward the location of the strange island, she continued:

"'Wait a few moments and you will see!' she said, casting another hasty glance far over the tide.

"The children peered in the direction toward which the Queen pointed, and beheld far in the distance the dim outlines of an island low down on the very edge of the horizon. As they stood there they felt a drowsy sensation creep over them and, like the great Kimbo, they too would have fallen asleep had it not been for the sudden appearance of a strange-looking boat that was coming rapidly across the foam toward the shore.

"As it drew into plain view the tumult of the dolls on the strand ceased. The children noticed, to their great amazement, that twelve dolphins were swimming in tandem through the tide and drawing the barque after them; while astride the back of each dolphin sat a beautiful mermaid to guide their course through the foam. With much skill as well as grace, they swang their magnificent craft to a carefully selected landing on the shore of the lake, while all the dolls scampered clamorously aboard, and the boat was soon away on its journey.

"Little Maud danced up and down on the big rock in a perfect spasm of delight, at the same time exclaiming as loud as she could:

"'Oh, Queen, can't we go, too? Can't we go, too?'

"Little Arthur looked up at the Queen disappointed when he saw that the barque was leaving the shore without taking them along.

"'Well, darlings,' said the Queen, 'if you wish, you too may go to the Island of Dreams.'

"She looked down upon them with a sweet, winning smile.

"Nothing in the world could have pleased them so well, for they hoped to meet all the dolls from the village over there. The Queen blew a little gold whistle that hung from a chain about her neck, and the massive head of the great Kimbo instantly appeared above the level of the rock, and he stood rubbing his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand, that seemed larger than the prize ham of a county fair.

"'Kimbo, my boy,' said the Queen, 'tell the mermaids to send a boat for us.'

"Then she turned to watch the doll boat that was fast disappearing in the distance.

"A broad smile swept over the Giant's good-natured face. He stamped his great foot on the ground, and woe to the rocks that were beneath it. The drowsiness left his leg, that, like himself, had fallen asleep, and as his foot came down with a mighty bang the earth all around the big rock trembled as if from an earthquake.

"Glancing into the faces of the children, he winked his big, sleepy eye with a sound like the clapping of hands that caused both of the children to laugh in his face. Then he turned slowly about and repeated the Queen's request in thunderous tones.

"There was an instant pause of the dolphins in the distance; then a bright gleam of sunlight flashed from their tails as they lifted them from the lake in sportive glee. The shrill voice of an answering mermaid came from far over the waves; then they continued their journey and were soon lost to sight.

"The Queen turned to the children with a bright smile upon her pretty face and, giving each of them a sweet kiss, she said softly:

"'It won't take them long, dear ones. It won't take them long. We shall have to wait but a few moments.'

"So now, while the beautiful Queen with the children are waiting on top of the rock for a boat to come for them, we will wait here under this tree for a fresh drink of water, that the dear ones gathered about me may keep comfortable and cool."

The Vagabond cast a smile over the excited and anxious faces in the circle, as he brushed the sweat from his brow and ceased speaking.