ids. "Climb in," said the Queen. So he pulled himself up
and awkwardly tumbled forward into the boat. As he did so, he heard
his wooden leg clatter against the seat, and turned around to look
at it wonderingly.

"It's me, all right!" he muttered. "One meat one, an' one hick'ry
one. That's the same as belongs to me!"

"Will you lift Mayre aboard?" asked Princess Clia.

The old sailor aroused himself, and as Trot lifted up her arms, he
seized them and drew her safely into the boat. She was dressed just
as usual, and her chubby legs wore shoes and stockings. Strangely
enough, neither of them were at all wet or even damp in any part of
their clothing.

"I wonder where our legs have been while we've been gone?" mused
Cap'n Bill, gazing at his little friend in great delight.

"And I wonder what's become of our pretty pink and green scaled
tails!" returned the girl, laughing with glee, for it seemed good to
be herself again.

Queen Aquareine and Princess Clia were a little way off, lying with
their pretty faces just out of the water while their hair floated in
soft clouds around them.

"Goodbye, friends!" they called.

"Goodbye!" shouted both Trot and Cap'n Bill, and the little girl
blew two kisses from her fingers toward the mermaids.

Then the faces disappeared, leaving little ripples on the surface of
the water.

Cap'n Bill picked up the oars and slowly headed the boat toward the
mouth of the cave.

"I wonder, Trot, if your ma has missed us," he remarked uneasily.

"Of course not," replied the girl. "She's been sound asleep, you
know."

As the boat crept out into the bright sunlight, they were both
silent, but each sighed with pleasure at beholding their own
everyday world again.

Finally Trot said softly, "The land's the best, Cap'n."

"It is, mate, for livin' on," he answered.

"But I'm glad to have seen the mermaids," she added..

"Well, so'm I, Trot," he agreed. "But I wouldn't 'a' believed any
mortal could ever 'a' seen 'em an'--an'--"

Trot laughed merrily.

"An' lived to tell the tale!" she cried, her eyes dancing with
mischief. "Oh, Cap'n Bill, how little we mortals know!"

"True enough, mate," he replied, "but we're a-learnin' something
ev'ry day."

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Sea Fairies, by L. Frank Baum

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEA FAIRIES ***

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