THE MAN OF THE MOON 53 



and more solid and their heat became less and 

 their light dim, until at this day almost all of the 

 Sun's family shine merely by the light that they 

 catch from his own face. 



" Now Moons are not children of the Sun, but 

 grandchildren, for they are made of the hot breath 

 of the particular earth or planet they follow. I 

 was of the breath of that planet which is called 

 the Earth ; as I cooled, I naturally followed her, 

 around. So it is with other Moons that follow 

 other planets. 



" It took many years for the Plan to make the 

 Earth ready for Heart of Man to occupy. House 

 People may not count the time from the moment 

 when the vapours cleared away, light dawned upon 

 a solid earth crust, and the waters rolled back, 

 until the day when the earth was ready to yield 

 food suitable for Heart of Man. House People 

 have not numbers enough to reckon it, yet to us 

 of Skyland it seems only a few short days." 



" But Mooney, what was happening to you 

 while your leader, the Earth, was being grown?" 



" I grew also, but my development was swifter. 

 You know that when potatoes are taken from hot 

 ashes a little one will cool much quicker than a 

 big one." 



"Yes, but how do y^" know about potatoes?" 



