The boy, small and rather delicate in appearance seemed somewhat embarrassed at being called 'father' by the tall, awkward, pumpkinheaded man, but to deny the relationship would involve another long and tedious explanation; so he changed the subject by asking, abruptly: 'Are you tired? ' 'Of course not! ' replied the other.
'But,' he continued, after a pause, 'it is quite certain I shall wear out my wooden joints if I keep on walking. ' Tip reflected, as they journeyed on, that this was true. He began to regret that he had not constructed the wooden limbs more carefully and substantially.
Yet how could he ever have guessed that the man he had made merely to scare old Mombi with would be brought to life by means of a magical powder contained in an old pepper-box?
So he ceased to reproach himself, and began to think how he might yet remedy the deficiencies of Jack’s weak joints. While thus engaged they came to the edge of a wood, and the boy sat down to rest upon an old sawhorse that some woodcutter had left there.
'Why don’t you sit down? ' he asked the Pumpkinhead. 'Won’t it strain my joints? ' inquired the other. 'Of course not. It’ll rest them,' declared the boy.
So Jack tried to sit down; but as soon as he bent his joints farther than usual they gave way altogether, and he came clattering to the ground with such a crash that Tip feared he was entirely ruined.
He rushed to the man, lifted him to his feet, straightened his arms and legs, and felt of his head to see if by chance it had become cracked.
But Jack seemed to be in pretty good shape, after all, and Tip said to him: 'I guess you’d better remain standing, hereafter. It