Ẃl ɖ Wŭdmn wz mcñ a ladr fṛm wŭd ẃć h faund in ɖ forist Doṛʈi le dǎn n slept, fr ś wz tîrd bî ɖ loñ wōc. Ɖ Layn olso crld himslf p t slīp n Toto le bsd him.
Ɖ Scercro woćt ɖ Wŭdmn ẃl h wrct, n sd t him:
“I canot ʈnc ẃ ɖs wōl z hir, nr ẃt it z md v.”
“Rest yr brenz n d nt wuri abt ɖ wōl,” rplaid ɖ Wŭdmn. “Ẃn w hv clîmd ovr it, w śl nǒ ẃt z on ɖ uɖr sîd.”
Aftr a tîm ɖ ladr wz finiśt. It lct clumzi, bt ɖ Tin Wŭdmn wz śr it wz stroñ n wd ansr ɖer prṗs. Ɖ Scercro wect Doṛʈi n ɖ Layn n Toto, n tld ɖm ɖt ɖ ladr wz redi. Ɖ Scercro clîmd p ɖ ladr frst, bt h wz so ōcẉd ɖt Doṛʈi hd t folo clos bhnd n cīp him fṛm fōlñ of. Ẃn h got hiz hed ovr ɖ top v ɖ wōl ɖ Scercro sd, “Ǒ, mî!”
“G on,” xclemd Doṛʈi.
So ɖ Scercro clîmd farɖr p n sat dǎn on ɖ top v ɖ wōl, n Doṛʈi pt hr hed ovr n craid, “Ǒ, mî!” jst az ɖ Scercro hd dn.
Ɖen Toto cem p, n imīɉtli bgan t barc, bt Doṛʈi md him b stl.
Ɖ Layn clîmd ɖ ladr nxt, n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn cem last; bt bʈ v ɖm craid, “Ǒ, mî!” az sn az ɖe lct ovr ɖ wōl. Ẃn ɖe wr ol sitñ in a ro on ɖ top v ɖ wōl, ɖe lct dǎn n sw a strenj sît.
Bfr ɖm wz a gret streć v cuntri hvñ a flor az smuɖ n śînñ n ẃît az ɖ botm v a big platr. Scatrd arnd wr mni hǎzz md intîrli v ćîna n pentd in ɖ brîtist culrz. Ɖz hǎzz wr qt smōl, ɖ bigist v ɖm rīćñ onli az hî az Doṛʈi’z weist. Ɖr wr olso priti litl barnz, wɖ ćîna fnsz arnd ɖm; n mni cǎz n śīp n horsz n pigz n ćicinz, ol md v ćîna, wr standñ abt in grūps.
Bt ɖ strenjist v ol wr ɖ ppl hu livd in ɖs qir cuntri. Ɖr wr milcmeidz n śepdesz, wɖ brîtli culrd boḍsz n goldn spots ol ovr ɖer gǎnz; n prinsesz wɖ most gorjs frocs v silvr n gold n prpl; n śeṗdz drest in nībrìćz wɖ pnc n yelo n blu strîps dǎn ɖm, n goldn buclz on ɖer śuz; n prinsz wɖ juwld crǎnz upn ɖer hedz, wẹrñ ŕmin rǒbz n satin dublits; n funi clǎnz in rufld gǎnz, wɖ rǎnd red spots upn ɖer ćīcs n tōl, pôntd caps. N, strenjist v ol, ɖz ppl wr ol md v ćîna, īvn t ɖer cloɖz, n wr so smōl ɖt ɖ tōlist v ɖm wz no hayr ɖn Doṛʈi’z ni.
Nwn dd so mć az lc at ɖ travlrz at frst, xpt wn litl prpl ćîna dog wɖ an xtṛlarj hed, ẃć cem t ɖ wōl n barct at ɖm in a tîni vôs, afṭwdz runñ awe agn.
Ɖe faund ɖ ladr so hevi ɖe cd nt pl it p, so ɖ Scercro fél of ɖ wōl n ɖ uɖrz jumt dǎn upn him so ɖt ɖ hard flor wd nt hrt ɖer fīt. V cors ɖe tc penz nt t lît on hiz hed n gt ɖ pinz in ɖer fīt. Ẃn ol wr sefli dǎn ɖe pict p ɖ Scercro, huz bodi wz qt flatnd ǎt, n patd hiz strw intu śep agn.
“W mst cros ɖs strenj ples in ordr t gt t ɖ uɖr sîd,” sd Doṛʈi, “fr it wd b unwîz fr s t g eni uɖr we xpt dy Sǎʈ.”
Ɖe bgan wōcñ ʈru ɖ cuntri v ɖ ćîna ppl, n ɖ frst ʈñ ɖe cem t wz a ćîna milcmeid milcñ a ćîna cǎ. Az ɖe drù nir, ɖ cǎ sudnli gev a cic n cict ovr ɖ stūl, ɖ peil, n īvn ɖ milcmeid hrslf, n ol fél on ɖ ćîna grǎnd wɖ a gret clatr.
Doṛʈi wz śoct t si ɖt ɖ cǎ hd brocn hr leg of, n ɖt ɖ peil wz layñ in sevṛl smōl pìsz, ẃl ɖ pur milcmeid hd a nic in hr left elbo.
“Ɖr!” craid ɖ milcmeid angṛli. “Si ẃt y hv dn! Mî cǎ hz brocn hr leg, n I mst tec hr t ɖ mndr’z śop n hv it glùd on agn. Ẃt d y mīn bî cmñ hir n frîṭnñ mî cǎ?”
“I’m vri sori,” rtrnd Doṛʈi. “Plīz fgiv s.”
Bt ɖ priti milcmeid wz mć tù vxt t mc eni ansr. Ś pict p ɖ leg sulc̣li n léd hr cǎ awe, ɖ pur animl limpñ on ʈri legz. Az ś left ɖm ɖ milcmeid cast mni rproćfl glansz ovr hr śoldr at ɖ clumzi strenjrz, holdñ hr nict elbo clos t hr sîd.
Doṛʈi wz qt grīvd at ɖs mishap.
“W mst b vri cerfl hir,” sd ɖ cînd-hartd Wŭdmn, “or w me hrt ɖz priti litl ppl so ɖe wl nvr gt ovr it.”
A litl farɖr on Doṛʈi met a most bytifli drest yuñ Prinses, hu stopt śort az ś sw ɖ strenjrz n startd t run awe.
Doṛʈi wontd t si mor v ɖ Prinses, so ś ran aftr hr. Bt ɖ ćîna grl craid ǎt:
“D’nt ćes m! D’nt ćes m!”
Ś hd sć a frîtnd litl vôs ɖt Doṛʈi stopt n sd, “Ẃ nt?”
“Bcz,” ansrd ɖ Prinses, olso stopñ, a sef distns awe, “f I run I me fōl dǎn n brec mslf.”
“Bt cd y nt b mndd?” asct ɖ grl.
“Ǒ, yes; bt wn z nvr so priti aftr biyñ mndd, y nǒ,” rplaid ɖ Prinses.
“I s’poz nt,” sd Doṛʈi.
“Nǎ ɖr z Mr Jocr, wn v ǎr clǎnz,” cntinyd ɖ ćîna ledi, “hu z olwz trayñ t stand upn hiz hed. H hz brocn himslf so ofn ɖt h z mndd in a hundṛd plesz, n dz’nt lc at ol priti. Hir h cmz nǎ, so y cn si fr yrslf.”
Indd, a joli litl clǎn cem wōcñ twd ɖm, n Doṛʈi cd si ɖt in spît v hiz priti cloɖz v red n yelo n grīn h wz cmplitli cuvrd wɖ cracs, runñ evri ẃć we n śowñ plenli ɖt h hd bn mndd in mni plesz.
Ɖ Clǎn pt hiz handz in hiz pocits, n aftr pufñ ǎt hiz ćīcs n nodñ hiz hed at ɖm sōṣli, h sd:
“Mî ledi fer,
Ẃ d y stér
At pur old Mr Jocr?
Y’r qt az stif
N prim az f
Y’d ītn p a pǒcr!”
“B qayt, sr!” sd ɖ Prinses. “C’nt y si ɖz r strenjrz, n śd b trītd wɖ rspct?”
“Ǒ, I d’nt mînd him a bit,” sd Doṛʈi. “Bt y r so bytifl,” ś cntinyd, “ɖt I am śr I cd luv y dirli. W’nt y let m cari y bac t Canẓs, n stand y on Ānt Ém’z mantl? I cd cari y in mî bascit.”
“Ɖt wd mc m vri unhapi,” ansrd ɖ ćîna Prinses. “Y si, hir in ǎr cuntri w liv cntntidli, n cn tōc n muv arnd az w plīz. Bt ẃnvr eni v s r tecn awe ǎr jônts at wns stifn, n w cn onli stand stret n lc priti. V cors ɖt z ol ɖt z xpctd v s ẃn w r on mantlz n cabiṇts n drw̃rūm teblz, bt ǎr livz r mć plezntr hir in ǎr ǒn cuntri.”
“I wd nt mc y unhapi fr ol ɖ wrld!” xclemd Doṛʈi. “So I’l jst se gdbî.”
“Gdbî,” rplaid ɖ Prinses.
Ɖe wōct cerḟli ʈru ɖ ćîna cuntri. Ɖ litl animlz n ol ɖ ppl scamprd ǎt v ɖer we, firñ ɖ strenjrz wd brec ɖm, n aftr an aur or so ɖ travlrz rīćt ɖ uɖr sîd v ɖ cuntri n cem t anɖr ćîna wōl.
It wz nt so hî az ɖ frst, hvr, n bî standñ upn ɖ Layn’z bac ɖe ol manijd t scrambl t ɖ top. Ɖen ɖ Layn gaɖrd hiz legz undr him n jumt on ɖ wōl; bt jst az h jumt, h upset a ćîna ćrć wɖ hiz teil n smaśt it ol t pìsz.
“Ɖt wz tù bad,” sd Doṛʈi, “bt riyli I ʈnc w wr luci in nt dwñ ɖz litl ppl mor harm ɖn brecñ a cǎ’z leg n a ćrć. Ɖe r ol so britl!”
“Ɖe r, indd,” sd ɖ Scercro, “n I am ʈancfl I am md v strw n canot b īẓli damijd. Ɖr r wrs ʈñz in ɖ wrld ɖn biyñ a Scercro.”
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