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"We had a lesson 'bout that, in Sunday school today," Marmaduke told him, "all about 'he who taketh the city. But the teacher said 'he who conquers his spirit is greater'n he who taketh the city. How can you conquer a spirit, Toyman, when you can't see it? Did you ever conquer your spirit?"
And he didn't have much money for fares, either. It was hard to tell just how he managed all these journeys, but sometimes, do you know, I suspect he paid for his fare with a ticket of dreams. What do you think? Well, anyway, one day he went to China. And this is the way it all came about: First he went to town with the Toyman, of course, and Old Methusaleh.
Marmaduke climbed up and looked down into the big hole in the top of his head. In it was a thick candle, dancing inside his old yellow skull, and he seemed a good comrade, that Ole Man Pumpkin. But what was the Toyman doing now? He had a tub in his arms. He set it down, filled it with water, then popped three red apples in it.
He came over, and squinted his eyes thoughtfully like a judge, while Fatty twisted and squirmed and squirmed and twisted. "I wouldn't hit him," said the Toyman, "Fatty's so fat it wouldn't do any good anyway. Your fists would only sink into him like dough. So I guess you'd better wash his face in the snow hard now." So they did very hard, as the Toyman had told them.
But the Toyman never appeared until long after five. He had his cornhusking to do, and he wanted to get all the fall jobs finished before cold weather. One week went by, then another. It was very provoking, thought the boys, to have to wait so long for that secret. Jehosophat did try once to find out about it. He stopped the Toyman as he was coming from the barn with a pail full of bubbly milk.
It was pretty steep and Jehosophat and Marmaduke wanted to get off and walk up so as to make it easier for the Toyman. He wouldn't hear of that, but just set his shoulders like Teddy in the shafts and puffed and pulled up hill. On the fields the snow was light and feathery like powdered sugar, but on the hill it had been packed down hard by the coasters.
"I'm off my game," the Toyman explained a little later, as he threw the knife over his left shoulder and failed, "and you're in rare form!" Now this was strange, for the Toyman was so good at work and games and everything, but I'm thinking it was like that time they played marbles he did it on purpose, just to let the little boy have the fun of winning. That would have been like the Toyman.
Well then, if you won't tell, when Hepzebiah put her two fists to her eyes, quick as a wink the Toyman placed three of his marbles in her pile, and when Marmaduke saw him do that, why he put in four, and Jehosophat, not to be outdone, slipped in five. "Better than slipping duck's eggs under the old hen, isn't it?" whispered Jehosophat to his brother, who agreed with a nod.
Perhaps he was only teasing, but Marmaduke didn't take it quite that way. It seemed very serious. Then suddenly he had a bright idea. "You forgot the Toyman," he shouted, "and that makes another two, for the Toyman an' I are just alike. Didn't Mother say, 'He's nothing but a boy. So I'd sneak Wienie under my coat if it was ol' Noah's ark an' if it was the Toyman's, why he'd let me in anyway."
"You're good as anybody in the world." "Thank you, little feller," replied the Toyman, patting his head. "But they said I would, just the same. They talked just like those old Wyandottes there. "But I fooled them all," he went on. "And one night, when it was dark, just a few stars out, I climbed out of bed and jumped out of the window and ran away.
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