Show t s tC C CROCKEY C EY JOY ADVENTURES By nT y RETTY nETT Copyright hL A Crockey Halloween D RUTH UTH wanted to see Jf Jt she really AX could go Into the front door of ot all by herself So she I put the tIle big red velvet covered picture album on the library table and opened It to the time enchanted picture of ot Crockey castle At least she tried to open It to the picture but something was awry The castle only looked like any other of those pictured In the book But listen I What was that Ruth heard a faint little ghost of a tune Or was It a tune It sounded just as though a n tea kettle were bubbling on the fire except that each little purrIng purring purring pur pur- ring note arose as musical as the twang of a n string harp being thumbed Ruth Huth closed the book and started on ona a search for the maker of this odd music Then she saw her little toy cat of silver slIver with the emerald eyes And if It you ou will believe me she surely saw him wink at her and wiggle one ear That hat was enough to show Ruth Huth who had been making the music It was as the cat cat as the name on his collar read rend Now as ns you may know the kindly 01 old 1 Croel had told Ruth that excepting himself Pur alone could I aid her In entering The Theold Theold Theold old fellows fellow's words had slipped her yi 1 I i VI IIII I U I I I I y t I Iy l 7 l p p f I r p li t i ia a mind But now she remembered She picked ed up and carried him across the room to the table This time when she opened the big picture book she saw things as they should be In the time It takes hIkes for tor a cat to arch his back and stretch Ruth had shrunk to the size of Come on said Pars for he lie could speak Just like e a man Hurry We Ve have no time to spare if we are to see the Crockey Folks s celebrate Hal Hal- loween and Ruth went tl down wn th the tho road roid u that led to the e Castle as fast as they could scramble When they reached the Castle moat mont gave the magic pass word The drawbridge was let letdown letdown letdown down for them with a rattle of iron chains The They skipped across it through a tall doorway with steel bands at the sides of ot it then the they burst forth all out of or breath rI right ht Into the main hall of ot the Castle It was night in and the whole place was lI lighted up wIlliman with wIlli man many colored colored jack o Jack o lanterns At the start Ruth thought that these lanterns lanterns lan Inn terns were being carried about They were constantly constantI moving back and forth among the crowd But nut soon foon she saw that no one carried them They moved by their own efforts They were alive And then there were tick tocks tick tocks shaped like birds which climbed up to windows of their accord and rat rat- rattled rattled tied and ticked and scratched away and find seemed to enjoy enjo themselves a lot There were pumpkin heads with shining shin shinS ing lug e eyes es which danced and frolicked and grinned In glee There le were bent bentold bentold bentold old witches with wrinkled faces and knotted hands who rode about on great grent long broomsticks And when lurz gave the cat call dally you ou should have seen the troops of or black cats all nIl sizes all ages which came trotting trotting trotting trot trot- ting up to meet him talked to the cats a while In cat Then rhen he sent theta them all away uway again aguin And here Is how he explained the time strange on goings to RuthIn Ruth In on Halloween all nIl the to toys s 's and und playthings come to life lite l From rom witches and scarecrows to pumpkin pump kin heads the they all nil can cnn live and talk and pIa plug play A long lung long time ago ugo such things also happened In lu the place we call the world But some folks began begun benn be be- gun gan nn to doubt that such things ever could occur There were fights lights and troubles and stoning parties till thes the s c decided that flint It was t host best to stay I n. n noT always o I s 's in n and not to visit the earth except on v very r rare oc oc- oc And that Is what the witch witch- cats told me said sull as the they started start ed for home They hurried through h the gateway and across the drawbridge Just n a athey as the they reached the fur side one of the chains of the drawbridge fell with a D rattle ruttle and the end of It struck Ruth sharply on the foot Oh hOh I 1 oh that hurt she crIed Then Thun she looked about her and saw that she was already back In the li 11 library ll brar at nt home In her pocket rested the toy cat At her feet was the picture picture picture pic pic- ture album It had hud fallen fullen from her lap and struck against her foot In Its ib fall Ruth was tired and sleepy sleep so soshe soshe soshe she knew that the hest best thing tiling to do was waa to get to bed Before she left the room she put Pars buck back In his corner anti and kissed him good goodnight Thank you ou so much she he whispered ns as sho left hInt him Well Voll go o on un other adventures adventures tures together And Antl Just and purred and purred and I winked his left eye and aud was vas quiet j 1 |