furnace and the whole place shook so. As it was they were tossed head
over heels, their feet flying in the air, but their hands held on to
the flatirons like ships to their anchors, and they were saved.

The Giant turned to Marmaduke.

"Have you the time?" he asked, "I've broken the watch my grandfather
gave me."

Marmaduke took out his little Ingersoll with one hand, meanwhile
holding on with the other to the beard.

"It's just twelve," he informed the Giant.

"Noon again--my, how Time does fly!" the Giant exclaimed. "It seems as
if yesterday were the _first_ noon, and yet that was a couple of
million years ago. But we've had only six volcanoes. We must have six
more for a noon whistle, so the little gnomes will know it's time for
lunch."

There were six more gigantic explosions up on the outside of the
earth, then the little gnomes all stopped work, turned up their
wheelbarrows, sat down on them in tailor-fashion, took out their
lunch-pails, and began to eat. Then the three little Chinamen perched
on their irons and took out some bowls and chopsticks. It made the
Giant laugh to see their funny antics.

"Ho! ho!" exclaimed he, but he turned away his head in another
direction before he laughed.