United States or Vatican City ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Once a week, Pokonoket ministers sit in total darkness all day, and eat nothing. "When Toby called, the minister poked his head out of the study window, and asked what he wanted. "Toby told him, and he and the widow stood in front of the study window, and were married in the dark, and Toby gave a phosphorescent button for the fee.
"Now, if you are ready," said uncle Jack, laughing a little to himself as he looked down at her. Then he related as follows: "Toby is a little black fellow, not much taller than you are, and he lives in Pokonoket, and keeps a loon.
An Ogress is an inconceivably hideous creature, yet, like all females, she is inordinately vain, and is extremely susceptible to any insinuations against her personal appearance! H'm! said the minister; 'h'm, h'm! I know what I will do. "Now it was one of the laws in Pokonoket that nobody should have a looking-glass but the minister.
Letitia opened her sober, light gray eyes very wide, and stared reflectively at aunt Malvina. "It was dark as Pokonoket when we came out of church last night," said aunt Malvina after a time, in the course of conversation. Letitia stared reflectively at her again. "There's my car coming around the corner!" cried aunt Malvina, and ran friskily out of the room.
"Well, Toby who kept the loon, lived in a little hut on one of the principal streets. He was a widower, and lived with his six grandchildren who were all quite small and went to school. They were his daughter's children. She had died a few years before of a disease quite common in Pokonoket, and almost always fatal.
"They have never had any wars amongst themselves, and their country has never been invaded by a foreign foe; all that they ever have had to seriously threaten their peace and safety was the Ogress. "A terrible ogress once lived in Pokonoket, and devoured everybody she could catch.
Pokonoket shoemakers make a specialty of squeaky shoes, and the squeakier they are, the higher prices they bring; they can even put in new squeaks when the old ones are worn out. It is a very common thing to see a Pokonoket man with his little boy's shoes under his arm, carrying them to a shoemaker to get them re-squeaked. "Another funny custom is the wearing of phosphorescent buttons.
He looked out of the door, expecting every moment to see his grandchildren coming, one behind the other, swinging their little lanterns. School children always walked one behind the other in Pokonoket. It was against the law to walk two abreast.
There are no jails, and no criminals are executed in its bounds. If occasionally a person commits a crime that would merit such extreme punishment, he puts out his lantern, and rips off his phosphorescent buttons, and nobody can find him to punish. "But commonly, folks in Pokonoket do not commit great crimes, and are a very peaceful, industrious and happy people.
Toby's hair is very short and kinky, and his mouth is wide, and always curves up a little at the corners, as if he were laughing; his eyes are astonishingly bright; but all the people's eyes are bright in Pokonoket. "Pokonoket is a very dark country. It always was dark. The most ancient historians make no mention of its ever being light in Pokonoket.
Word Of The Day