Show r s n ll i n T J f Copy Copyright rIght 1906 1306 by I L Frank Frnnk Baum ON when John Dough left Madame Madame Madam NOW N rOW shop and wandered up the street he was was reek reeking reeking ing inS with the delightful odor of fresh ginger gingerbread bread Indeed he was still so hot from the oven that I am positive you could uld not have held your hand against him for more than a second The Great Elixir had brought him to life and given him a certain stand standing standing ing in ln the world but during the first half hour our of ot his existence John Dough was very ver hotheaded Also he was hotfooted for he discovered that by walking fast the thc contact with the fresh morning air drew the heat from his body and made him hlin feel much more comfortable comfort comfortable comfortable able One virtue lent by the Great Elixir was knowledge k and while John Dough felt that he possessed unlimited knowledge having had an overdose of the Elixir he could not very veI well apply it to his surroundings be because because because cause he lacked experience with the world which alone renders knowledge of any value to mankind John Dough could speak all languages modern and classic He had a logical logi 31 and clear mind what is called a level head ll ad you know and this was coupled with good sense fair judgment and md a tangled mass of wisdom that had been dumped into him in a haphazard fashion But these rare qualities were as yet ret of no use to our o our r man because he had acquired no experience It was like put putting putting putting ting tools into a scholars hand and asking him to make a watch John Dough might accomplish wonders in time if he did not grow stale and crumble but Just now he was the freshest individual that ever came out of a a It was still early morning and most folks were in jF bed bcd A prowling dog smelled the gingerbread and came came ca trotting up with the intension ion of having a bite of it ij John Dough raised his candy cane and hit the rog dog og a acUp clip cUp on the end of Its nose nos that sent sen t the animal in Published by permission of It the Reilly Brit ton Co Con Qt n rt r One of them grabbed it and ran r n away aw y another direction with its tail tall between Its legs Then whistling merrily the man walked on He know knew no tune whatever what ver but he could whistle and so he managed to express exPress ex ress an erratic mixture of notes that would have made Herr Wagner very proud His flesh or bread rather was cooling off oft beautifully tully fully ully now row He was growing hard and crisp and felt much more substantial than at first The baker had made him light and the Elixir had made him strong and vigorous rigorous A great future lay before John Dough if no accident happened to him Presently some one ore said Hello John stopped short for in front of him stood a boy with witha a n piece of lighted punk In one hand and a bunch broth b of or fire firecrackers firecrackers firecrackers crackers In the other It was 1 aS Ned Robbins Bobbins who had been b en up since daybreak ak celebrating the Glorious Fourth You sheered me at first said ald the boy with a look of amazement that ho he tried to cover coyer with a laugh I 1 beg bag b g your pardon Im sure returned John Dough politely Been to a n masquerade asked Ned staring bard bardI I at the gingerbread man manNo manNo manNo No indeed replied the other I am not dis pulsed I assure you You see me as Ik 3 am fi Gwan exclaimed Ned But he could smell the ther r f gingerbread anti and he began to grow frightened So h hA hu he I 1 uA A 1 prowling dog g smelled the gingerbread J touched tou hc the punk pInk to the fuse of his biggest firecracker er dr dropped O it on the ground round at the feet of John Dough and c turned and scampered up an alley aIle as fast as he could go goThe goThe goThe 1 The gingerbread In man stood still and looked after alter yN d until the cracker suddenly exploded with a bang that caused Johns candy randy teeth to chatter His whole body was terribly jarred and he nearly fell feU backward lit iii the shock of surprise Then he also started to run It was not fear so 50 much as ignorance of what might happen next that caused him to fly from the spot but buto butle l le o ran with L speed that was simply wonderful consid considering ering that his limbs were wore of gingerbread Truly that Arabian Elixir was a marvelous thing 0 Liang Ban He H had run plump into another group roup of boys boysA knocking two of them over before they the could get set out of A his way His Hiss silk hat was jammed over ov r his eyes and n the tIle candy cand cane struck the wheel of ot a toy cannon and broke broko off ort a n good goo two inches Inch s from its end endA Ag As A he pulled off his hat he heard a shout and saw the buys boys all scrambling for the broken end of the sandy gaudy audye cane e One of ot them grabbed it and ran away and the th 4 others followed In a mad chase and were soon soon out of sight John Dough locked after thorn them wonderingly Then he ho hodrew drew himself up pulled down his fine vest sighed sj hed at dis discovering discovering covering a slight crack in his shirtfront and walked wanted slowly street again His first experience of life was w s not altogether pleasant Good gracious said a voice olce j He paused and saw a woman leaning over over a gate beside him and glaring at him In hi mingled surprise and terror She held a broom in her hand for she had har been sweeping the walk John lifted his hat politely Good morning mornIn madame said he Why Its really alive gasped the tho woman wo n nIs Is a live person so very unusual asked John curiously Surely when lies hes made of ot cake answered the woman still staring as If Ie she could not believe her eyes Pardon me I am not cake calce but gingerbread he an answered answer an answered in a rather dignified dig way Its all the same she answered You any right to be alive Theres no excuse for it But how bow can I help it he asked somewhat puzzled puzzled by this remark Oh I dont suppose its your fault But it isn t right you know Who made mado you Jules the baker he said id for he be has had read the name over the door I always knew there was something wrong with those tho e Frenchies she declared Are you done Before he could reply she had drawn a large straw from the broom and stuck it several inches into his side Dont do that he cried Indignantly as she drew out the bit of broom again I was only you she remarked Youre done to a turn and ought to make good eating while youre fresh John gazed at her In horror Good eating he cried woman would you murder me hI I cant say It would be exactly murder she re replied replied plied looking at him hungrily To destroy life is murder he said sternly But to destroy gingerbread she rejoined And I cant see that its cannibalism to eat a man if he happens en to be cake and fresh resh baked aked And that frosting frost frosting fro t ing looks good Come inside while j get a knife I She opened the gate and tried to grab John Dough byan by byan byan an arm But he gave a sudden backward leap and then sped down the street at a furious run looking neither to right nor left in his eager flight Luckily he was not in the centre of the town but near the outskirts and the houses were few and scat scattered scattered tere By and by he saw a a deserted barn near the roadside The Th door was half open and sagged on its hinges so 50 It could not be closed John darted into the barn and hid behind some hay bay in the far side He H was thoroughly frightened and believed believed be believed he lie must avoid mingling with the people of the town if he would escape instant destruction A knife A knife l nife The word kept ringing in his cars ears and filled him with horror A knife could slice him Into pieces easily eru 11 y He imagined himself sliced and lying on ona ona ona a plate ready rea for hungry folks to eat and the picture made mado ma p him groan aloud All through h the day da he kept securely hidden behind the hay Toward evening he decided to revisit the bakery It was a difficult task for he had passed through ugh many streets and lanes without noticing where he was going and it grow grew darker every minute But at last just as he was beginning to despair he saw a dim light light In a n window and read over the door the sign Jules Baker He lIe opened the door so softly that the little bell scarcely tinkled But no one would have heard it had hadit hadt hadit it t rung loudly for there was a confused murmur of fierce voices coming from the tile little room madame madam usually usually ally all occupied John Dough skipped behind the counter where he could see ee into the room without being seen himself himsel Around the little table stood the Arab Monsieur Jules Tules and madame and they the were all staring angrily Into each others faces But the flask cried All AH Where Is my precious flask V VIt hIt It Js is S here said madame reaching behind the mirror and nd drawing forth something that glittered in the lamplight But this is the silvery silver flask the cure for rheumatism rheumatism exclaimed the Arab Where is my Golden Flask containing the priceless Elixir of Life Lire 1 must have made a mistake said madame lion bon estly for my mv my yes eyes t are arc so queer that I cannot tell gold old from flom silver not Anyway An way the contents of the other flask fia k I emptied emptied into a bowl of water and and rubbed my limbs with it fl The he Arab shouted a despairing cry in his native e tongue tongue and then glared wildly at the woman iWas Was it the brown br wn bowl Leontine asked Jules trembling a aYes with with excitement Jj Yes she answered 9 Where Is It Where Is It iU demanded demanded the Ata Aia In ina a hoarse hoarne voice The precious liquor may yet laved ved Too late monsieur said the baker shaking ing bis his bishea head hea sadly f I used the contents contents of the 1 to mix the dough for my gingerbread man maD manA If j A gingerbread man Irian What do you mean 1 asked askedAll AH AU I 1 baked a man out of ot ea this h morning said d Monsieur Jules and to my horror horr he came alive aliye and spoke to me and walked walk d out of ot the t e shop while he was still smoking hot II It It Is no wonder sad ab dolefully tor for with within within win in him hJ was enough of Great reat Elixir to bring a dozen men to life and give th m strength and energy for far many years years Ab Ah monsieur and madame think of ot what your stupidity has cost the tb world I fl of comprehend said bald madame firmly how the world w dJ ever been benefited by the Great Elixir which you u and arid your selfish countrymen have kept for tor centuries corked up in a 8 golden flask BismIllah I shouted the Arab striking himself fiercely across the forehead with his clinched fist Can Cannot Cannot Cannot not you understand you stupid one that It was mine mino this Wonderful Water of Life I had planned to use It myself drop by drop that I might live forever Im rm sorry said monsieur but it is your own fault You forced my wife to care dire for the flask and you would not let her tell me about it So through your own stu stupidity stupidity I used it in the gingerbread man manAh manAh manAh Ah said All Ali an eager gleam In his eyes where then is that same gingerbread man If I can find him and eat him hi a bit at a q ime e I Z shall get the benefit of the Great Elixir after aIt aW It would not be so powerful perhaps as in its natural natural state but it would enable me to live for many mart many ma years ears John Dough heard this speech with a thrill of at horror Also he now began to understand how he happened to tobe tobe be he alive aUve I do not know where the gingerbread man Is said monsieur He walked out of my shop while he was quite hot But he h can be found said the Arab It Is im impossible impossible possible for a gingerbread man who Is alive t to to escape ese pe notice Come let I t us search for tor him at once I must find him and eat him Ho He fairly dragged monsieur and madame from the room in his desperation and John Dough Do gh crouched out of sight behind the counter until he heard them pass through the door and their footsteps die away up the street str pt The talk he had overheard made the gingerbread man very sad indeed The bakery was was no safe s fe home for him after aft r all i Evidently it was the Arabs intention to find him and insist upon eating him and John Dough did not want to be eaten at all Therefore his enemies must not find him They were no safer to meet with wItt than the awful woman who wanted vented tb to cut him bim into slices and he was learning by degrees that all men were dangerous enemies to him although he be had hud himself the form of a man He Ho left the bakery and stole out Into inlo the street once myre m re walking wanting now in the opposite direction from that t taken by the Arab and the Grogran es of f As s he lie hurried along alon he met with few people on the streets str ts and these in the dark paid little attention to the gingerbread man so gradually his spirits rose and his confidence coni in his future returned By B r and by he herd heard a 3 strange popping and hissing coming from the direction of the square in the centre of the town and then Ulen he saw red and green lights illuminating illuminating the houses and fiery ficI comets go sailing into the sky sJ y to break Into of beautiful colored stars stars The people pe were having baving their Fourth of July fire fir j Jolla Dough became curious to witness the display from froin nearby So forgetting his fears he lie ran J the streets until he to came a big biS crowd of ot peo people people i PJ who were too busy watching s the fireworks to once notice n that a gingerbread man stood beside them John Dough pressed forward until he was quite in the front row and just behind the men who were firing the rockets For a time he watched the rush of the colored fires with much pleasure and thoroughly enjoyed the sputtering sputtering sputtering of a big wheel that refused to go around merely sending sen i g out weak and listless spurts of green and red sparks as Is the manner of such wheels But now the event of the evening was to occur Two men brought out an enormous rocket fully fifteen feat tall tan and filled fined with a tremendous charge harge of powder ponder This they leaned against a wooden trough that stood upright but the rocket was too tall to stay In place and swayed from frem side to side awkwardly Here Here Hold that stick cried one of the men and andA lt i A rush u h of fire Jre and then th ll John Dough stepped forward orward and grasped the stick st of the big rocket firmly not knowing there was any any danger in doing so Then the man ran to get a piece of rope to tic tie the rocket in lri place but the other matt man being excited and an thinking olio the bc rocket was ready to fire touched off the fuse f se without without noticing that John rohn Dough was clinging fast f st to the stick sti k k There was wa a sudden shriek a rush of or fire and then slowly at first lint but with speed the huge rocket mounted far into the sky carrying carr ing with with it o the form of the gingerbread man than man I v r a IL rocket continued to send out fiery sparks Darks of THE I burning powder as it plunged higher and an higher JL into Use the black vault of the heavens but few of these there came cume in contact with John Dough who clung to the far side of the stick and so escaped e being seriously ser u ly damaged Also the rocket curved and presently sped miles away a wa over land and sea impelled by the terrible force of the powder it contained John fully expected that it would wo d burst presently and blow him to bits amid amida a cloud of ot colored stars But the giant rocket was not made In the same way as the other and smaller ones that had been fired the intention being merely to make it go as high and as lS |