The shaggy
man laughed and walked across the bridge to rejoin his companions.
"It's lucky I learned to play base-ball when I was young," he remarked,
"for I caught all those heads easily and never missed one. But come
along, little ones; the Scoodlers will never bother us or anyone else
any more."
Button-Bright was still frightened and kept insisting, "I don't want
to be soup!" for the victory had been gained so suddenly that the boy
could not realize they were free and safe. But the shaggy man assured
him that all danger of their being made into soup was now past, as the
Scoodlers would be unable to eat soup for some time to come.
So now, anxious to get away from the horrid gloomy cave as soon as
possible, they hastened up the hillside and regained the road just
beyond the place where they had first met the Scoodlers; and you may be
sure they were glad to find their feet on the old familiar path again.
11. Johnny Dooit Does It
"It's getting awful rough walking," said Dorothy, as they trudged
along. Button-Bright gave a deep sigh and said he was hungry.
Indeed, all were hungry, and thirsty, too; for they had eaten nothing
but the apples since breakfast; so their steps lagged and they grew
silent and weary. At last they slowly passed over the crest of a
barren hill and saw before them a line of green trees with a strip of
grass at their feet.
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