"Heh!" ejaculated Mombi, giving a sort of grunt; "that rascally boy has
been playing tricks again! Very good! ve -- ry good! I'll beat him black-
and-blue for trying to scare me in this fashion!"
Angrily she raised her stick to smash in the grinning pumpkin head of the
dummy; but a sudden thought made her pause, the uplifted stick left
motionless in the air.
"Why, here is a good chance to try my new powder!" said she, eagerly. "And
then I can tell whether that crooked wizard has fairly traded secrets, or
whether he has fooled me as wickedly as I fooled him."
18
So she set down her basket and began fumbling in it for one of the precious
powders she had obtained.
While Mombi was thus occupied Tip strolled back, with his pockets full of
nuts, and discovered the old woman standing beside his man and apparently
not the least bit frightened by it.
At first he was generally disappointed; but the next moment he became
curious to know what Mombi was going to do. So he hid behind a hedge, where
he could see without being seen, and prepared to watch.
After some search the woman drew from her basket an old pepper-box, upon the
faded label of which the wizard had written with a lead-pencil:
"Powder of Life.
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