Earl Highlough is the chief man in the kingdom of Thumbumbia. When the King of Thumbumbia died, the crown was offered to his nearest relative, the Prince of Thumbumbia. It was reported back that neither the Prince nor his cousin Lady Lindeva had a shadow, and thus were disqualified to rule the kingdom. Earl Highlough refused to believe the report and traveled out to investigate the matter for himself. On arriving he saw that the children did indeed have shadows and the Prince was crowned king at once. ("The Runaway Shadows or A Trick of Jack Frost")