, however, for Scraps sailed far over the top of
the fence and, without being able to grab the Scarecrow at all, tumbled
to the ground in the Horner Country, where her stuffed body knocked over
two men and a woman and made a crowd that had collected there run like
rabbits to get away from her.

[Illustration]

Seeing the next moment that she was harmless, the people slowly returned
and gathered around the Patchwork Girl, regarding her with astonishment.
One of them wore a jeweled star in his hair, just above his horn, and
this seemed a person of importance. He spoke for the rest of his people,
who treated him with great respect.

"Who are you, Unknown Being?" he asked.

"Scraps," she said, rising to her feet and patting her cotton wadding
smooth where it had bunched up.

"And where did you come from?" he continued.

"Over the fence. Don't be silly. There's no other place I _could_ have
come from," she replied.

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"You are not a Hopper," said he, "for you have two legs. They're not
very well shaped, but they are two in number. And that strange creature
on top the fence--why doesn't he stop kicking?--must be your brother, or
father, or son, for he also has two legs."

"You must have been to visit the Wise Donkey," said Scraps, laughing so
merrily that the crowd smiled with her, in sympathy. "But that reminds
me, Captain--or King--"

"I am Chief of the Horners, and my name is Jak."

"Of course; Little Jack Horner; I might have known it. But the reason I
volplaned over the fence was so I could have a talk with you about the
Hoppers."

"What about the Hoppers?" asked the Chief, frowning.

"You've insulted them, and you'd better beg their pardon," said Scraps.
"If you don't, they'll probably hop over here and conquer you."

"We're not afraid--as long as the gate is locked," declared the Chief.
"And we didn't insult them at all. One of us made a joke that the stupid
Hoppers couldn't see."

The Chief smiled as he said this and the smile made his face look quite
jolly.

"What was the joke?" asked Scraps.

"A Horner said they have less understanding than we, because they've
only one leg. Ha, ha! You see the point, don't you? If you stand on your
legs, and your legs are under you, then--ha, ha, ha!--then your legs are
your under-standing. Hee, hee, hee! Ho, ho! My, but that's a fine joke.
And the stupid Hoppers couldn't see it! They couldn't see that with only
one leg they must