The Curious Adventures of Jimmy McGee (14 page)

"We may all be a new species before we get out of here," said Bullfrog grumpily. "Maybe I'm already a new species and don't know it. If I'm not a frog, what am I? A bull?"

This idea made Frog laugh ... a huge, enormous laugh! His mouth was open very, very wide! He threw back his head and let out a deafening "Bar-room!" His throat puffed in, and it puffed out. His laughter was so catching that everybody had to join in. All kinds of laughter echoed through headquarters.

Frog could not stop laughing. "I'm a bully-frog!" he panted. He held onto his belly. Breathing in a tremendous amount of air, he threw back his head, opened wide his mouth, and let forth an extraordinary "Bar-room!" Laughter of all sorts continued to echo in the cave!

Still the greatest attraction was Snakey, and attention was mainly upon her and her bulge.

Frog started another deep, rolling bar ... that much came out ... but, exactly at that moment, Snakey completed her last go-round on the stovepipe hat of Jimmy McGee! Whatever the bulge was, it sped out with such speed, like a bolt out of the blue, that it landed, as though aimed there, right in the wide open mouth of guffawing Frog!

"My! Oh, my!" exclaimed Jimmy McGee in dismay. "Out of the frying pan into the fire!"—for it
was
Little Lydia in her calico dress and with her frizzy hair who had been shot straight from Snakey's grinning mouth into Frog's wide open mouth!

"What now, what next?" pondered Jimmy McGee. "Harder to get Little Lydia out of a bullfrog than having Snakey do the snake dance round and round my stovepipe hat!"

But Jimmy McGee did not have to worry long, for everything that was happening went on at great speed! Frog, having already said the first half, the "bar" part of his gigantic "Barroom," finished the great roaring second half of his guffaw before Little Lydia could get stuck in his throat and be gulped down into his fat, quivering belly!

That sent Little Lydia zooming back out again! Sending off electric sparks right and left, she leaped from one refugee to another. Because of her light touch wherever she happened to land, each refugee caught a minor case of the thunder-and-lightning-bolt zigzags.

"Voilà!" exclaimed Filibuster and turned a somersault!

What confusion there was now in winter headquarters! A real epidemic of the zoomie-zoomies was rampant here in Jimmy McGee's domain.

"
Fun! Fun! Funny fun!
" bebopped Little Lydia as she sped up and down and here and there. No one could keep up with her, not even Filibuster, who hoped to add a new word to his vocabulary but was instead stricken with such a charge of electricity that all he could do was scream, "Voilà!" sixty-six times and turn somersaults.

Before Jimmy McGee's hat could bounce off his throne and roll away, take on a life of
its
own, Jimmy McGee grabbed it, made sure his thunder and lightning bolts were safely stored in it, and popped it firmly on his head. There his precious bolts were going to stay until he wanted to let them go, and that was not now!

When he caught Little Lydia, he would put her in his bombazine bag, so she would not be recharged in any way by the magic bolt box!

Naturally Snakey, having harbored Little Lydia inside of her for such a long time and also having been so close to the thunder and lightning bolt box in Jimmy McGee's hat while doing her rounds, had the most severe case of the zoomie-zoomies! Now she, too, could be free to enter in the fun!

All tried to control their magic powers for a moment to look at Snakey, who had already proven herself to be the most gifted performer here while she had the Little Lydia bulge inside of her! But now she surpassed herself! She grabbed the tip end of her tail in her grinning mouth, made herself into a hoop, and rolled round and round, a trick that run-of-the-mill ordinary hoop snakes do not often do!

As Snakey rolled past Badger, he gave her a gentle swipe with his banging pipe, and round and round she rolled. She bounced from ledge to ledge. At first just Badger gave the gentle little swat that kept Snakey rolling. But now, all the refugees took part in the game of "keep-our-hoopy-snake-a-rolling!" All gave her a gentle push as she passed and did keep her spinning round and round.

"A pinwheel fireworks," said Owl. His fluffy brown feathers had gone zigzag!

Cardinal Bird sang "Tweet tweet-tweet" as he flew through Snakey, creating a spectacle especially beautiful because he was such a brilliant red!

"
Fun! Fun! Funny fun!
" bebopped Little Lydia and hopped through Snakey over and over again.

Everyone crowded around trying to follow Snakey and to jump through her. Faster and faster she rolled, bouncing from ledge to ledge, so jumping through her was hard.

"Line up! Line up! Take turns!" shouted Badger, who thought he was still in charge.

Beaver was quivering with excitement, but he was too conscientious to leave his post, even though his fur had zigzags and sparkled from the zoomie-zoomies that were affecting everyone, some more, some less. Beaver hoped that, even though he was the doorkeeper, he would be able also to have his turn of jumping through Snakey!

First came Filibuster ... impatient. It really wasn't fair because he had already been through once. But all was forgiven, for he was such a beautiful sight and able, even while jumping, to scream "Voila! Voila!"

Jimmy McGee scolded him, though. "Yield the floor to the next in line!" he said firmly.

This happened to be Ms. Red Hen.

Ms. Red Hen had been reluctant to leave her egg and join the happy hoop-snake game, but she couldn't resist. She asked Cardinal Bird to mind Eggy for a moment, and uttering a "cluck, cluck, catawcut," she fluttered through Snakey. This was not easy, for Snakey was rolling faster and ever faster! There should be a prize for the champion hoop-snake jumper who had gone through the most times!

"
Fun! Fun! Funny fun!
" bebopped Little Lydia. She zoomie-zoomied over to Eggy, where she alighted briefly, and then zoomied off somewhere else, zigzagging around and having a wonderful time.

Ms. Red Hen was filled with pride, having hurled herself through Snakey while she was spinning as fast as a fireworks pinwheel! Ms. Red Hen's feathers crackled as loudly as she cackled while she fluttered back to Eggy!

But instead of Eggy, out stepped a chick, having pecked her shell wide open with the zoomie-zoomie speed she had caught from Little Lydia. After her first astonishment, Ms. Red Hen grabbed the shell, which was in fair condition, to take home with her, if she could manage. She would then lord it over the other stick-at-home hens, keep it as a souvenir, and recount the curious occurrence of the bursting forth of Hurricane Eggy.

"Marvels of science!" observed Owl.

Ms. Red Hen clucked with delight over her chicky, who was growing in zoomie-zoomie time and already had delicate zigzag feathers. Encouraged by Ms. Red Hen, who wanted to brag about her if they ever got home to the barnyard, Chickie followed her mother, who cluck-clucked constantly and egged her on to make the jump through Snakey. She did it! Everybody cheered!

Then Chickie and her mother zoomed up to some high ledge to watch what came next.

Squirrel was next. "Don't I get a turn?" he said
plaintively. He was still clinging to his Hurricane Lobelia tail. It wasn't on him, but he was clutching it tightly in his two little front paws as he leaped through Snakey. Alas! He dropped his tail. But a miracle happened! In falling, his tail had caught an electric charge from Little Lydia as she sped by, and it landed with such an impetus on Squirrel that it attached itself firmly exactly where it belonged. Once through Snakey, Squirrel turned around and saw what had happened. Astonished, he tried to give his tail a twitch. It twitched! It was on a little crooked, but it was his real, right squirrel tail again, and even could make a pretty curve like a question mark!

"Hurricane Lobelia tail-survival incident," said Squirrel proudly.

"It looks distinguished, Mr. Squirrel," said Ms. Red Hen kindly. "You and I have lent great fame to this refugee camp! Me ... Eggy! You ... your tail restored!"

"Voilà!" exclaimed Filibuster.

Everybody clapped and said, "Hooray for hurricane squirrel tail!"

The other refugees now had a turn jumping through Snakey. Some, Filibuster for one, had more than one loop-the-loop through the pinwheel circle. Only Eely from Uruguay, who could not leave his little pool, and Beaver, brave builder of the dam, were not able to join in and had to just watch and applaud.

The electrical effect of the bolt charges was waning, though now and then some refugee had a recurrence of the strange affliction and tottered absurdly or crawled through Snakey for one final fling.

However, Snakey, having had the most severe case, was still rolling around like a hoop, the tip of her tail still in her mouth. The rest of the tired refugees sat back drowsily and contented themselves with simply watching her. They began to long for home.

Jimmy McGee saw that Little Lydia's attack was wearing off, too. Just in time she tottered to the rock near Jimmy McGee's throne before she collapsed. Perhaps Little Lydia was getting back to being her real, right self. Her eyes were fastened seemingly on nothing. She and no other guest were anywhere near the thunder and lightning bolt box, safe and tightly clamped inside the stovepipe hat of Jimmy McGee.

Little Lydia did try to say something. She bebopped the words "
Jimmy McGee, hero...
" Then she remembered and added, "...a
little fellow, a plumber, a banger on pipes...
" But these words grew fainter and fainter and more like a whisper, an echo in a cave.

Jimmy McGee picked her up gently. She was still dressed in the blue-flowered calico dress she had had on when he had rescued her from Monstrous, and her electric blue eyes were focused on nothing and seeing nothing. He put her in his bombazine bag, which he slung over his shoulder. Everything was safe and sound now. He had his thunder and lightning bolt box in his hat ready for what was coming next, and he had a plan about that!

In his headquarters, festivities, hullabaloos, dancing, speeches were nearly over ... just a few of the sturdy ones still trying to do a magical stunt, but to no avail. All were wobbly.