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The Emerald City Of Oz
By
L. Frank Baum
(AKA Edith Van Dyne)
=
Contents:
1. Ho=
w the
Nome King Became Angry
2. Ho=
w Uncle
Henry Got Into Trouble
3. Ho=
w Ozma
Granted Dorothy's Request
4. Ho=
w The
Nome King Planned Revenge
5. How
Dorothy Became a Princess
6. Ho=
w Guph
Visited the Whimsies
7. Ho=
w Aunt
Em Conquered the Lion
8. Ho=
w the
Grand Gallipoot Joined The Nomes.
9. Ho=
w the
Wogglebug Taught Athletics
10. H=
ow the
Cuttenclips Lived
11. H=
ow the
General Met the First and Foremost.
12. H=
ow they
Matched the Fuddles
13. H=
ow the
General Talked to the King
14. H=
ow the
Wizard Practiced Sorcery
15. H=
ow
Dorothy Happened to Get Lost
16. H=
ow
Dorothy Visited Utensia
17. H=
ow They
Came to Bunbury
18. H=
ow Ozma
Looked into the Magic Picture
19. H=
ow
Bunnybury Welcomed the Strangers.
20. H=
ow
Dorothy Lunched With a King
21. H=
ow the
King Changed His Mind
22. H=
ow the
Wizard Found Dorothy
23. H=
ow They
Encountered the Flutterbudgets
24. H=
ow the
Tin Woodman Told the Sad News
25. H=
ow the
Scarecrow Displayed His Wisdom
26. H=
ow Ozma
Refused to Fight for Her Kingdom..
27. H=
ow the
Fierce Warriors Invaded Oz
28. H=
ow They
Drank at the Forbidden Fountain
29. H=
ow
Glinda Worked a Magic Spell
30. H=
ow the
Story of Oz Came to an End
Perhaps I should admit on the title page that =
this
book is "By L. Frank Baum and his correspondents," for I have used
many suggestions conveyed to me in letters from children. Once on a time I really imagined m=
yself
"an author of fairy tales," but now I am merely an editor or priv=
ate
secretary for a host of youngsters whose ideas I am requestsed to weave into
the thread of my stories.
These ideas are often clever. They are also logical and interest=
ing. So
I have used them whenever I could find an opportunity, and it is but just t=
hat
I acknowledge my indebtedness to my little friends.
My, what imaginations these children have
developed! Sometimes I am fai=
rly
astounded by their daring and genius.
There will be no lack of fairy-tale authors in the future, I am
sure. My readers have told me=
what
to do with Dorothy, and Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and I have obeyed their
mandates. They have also give=
n me a
variety of subjects to write about in the future: enough, in fact, to keep =
me
busy for some time. I am very=
proud
of this alliance. Children lo=
ve
these stories because children have helped to create them. My readers know what they want and
realize that I try to please them.
The result is very satisfactory to the publishers, to me, and (I am
quite sure) to the children.
I hope, my dears, it will be a long time befor=
e we
are obliged to dissolve partnership.
=
L.
FRANK BAUM.
Coronado, 1910
The Nome King was in an angry mood, and at such
times he was very disagreeable.
Every one kept away from him, even his Chief Steward Kaliko.
Therefore the King stormed and raved all by hi=
mself,
walking up and down in his jewel-studded cavern and getting angrier all the
time. Then he remembered that it was no fun being angry unless he had some =
one
to frighten and make miserable, and he rushed to his big gong and made it
clatter as loud as he could.
In came the Chief Steward, trying not to show =
the
Nome King how frightened he was.
"Send the Chief Counselor here!" sho=
uted
the angry monarch.
Kaliko ran out as fast as his spindle legs cou=
ld
carry his fat, round body, and soon the Chief Counselor entered the
cavern. The King scowled and =
said
to him:
"I'm in great trouble over the loss of my
Magic Belt. Every little whil=
e I
want to do something magical, and find I can't because the Belt is gone.
"Some people," said the Chief Counse=
lor,
"enjoy getting angry."
"But not all the time," declared the
King. "To be angry once =
in a while
is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. But to be angry morning, noon and =
night,
as I am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in
life. Now what do you advise?=
"
"Why, if you are angry because you want t=
o do
magical things and can't, and if you don't want to get angry at all, my adv=
ice
is not to want to do magical things."
Hearing this, the King glared at his Counselor
with a furious expression and tugged at his own long white whiskers until he
pulled them so hard that he yelled with pain.
"You are a fool!" he exclaimed.
"I share that honor with your Majesty,&qu=
ot;
said the Chief Counselor.
The King roared with rage and stamped his foot=
.
"Ho, there, my guards!" he cried.
"Take this Chief Counselor and throw him
away."
Then the guards took the Chief Counselor, and
bound him with chains to prevent his struggling, and threw him away. And the King paced up and down his
cavern more angry than before.
Finally he rushed to his big gong and made it
clatter like a fire alarm. Ka=
liko
appeared again, trembling and white with fear.
"Fetch my pipe!" yelled the King.
"Your pipe is already here, your
Majesty," replied Kaliko.
"Then get my tobacco!" roared the Ki=
ng.
"The tobacco is in your pipe, your
Majesty," returned the Steward.
"Then bring a live coal from the
furnace!" commanded the King.
"The tobacco is lighted, and your Majesty=
is
already smoking your pipe," answered the Steward.
"Why, so I am!" said the King, who h=
ad
forgotten this fact; "but you are very rude to remind me of it." =
"I am a lowborn, miserable villain,"
declared the Chief Steward, humbly.
The Nome King could think of nothing to say ne=
xt,
so he puffed away at his pipe and paced up and down the room. Finally, he remembered how angry h=
e was,
and cried out:
"What do you mean, Kaliko, by being so
contented when your monarch is unhappy?"
"What makes you unhappy?" asked the
Steward.
"I've lost my Magic Belt. A little girl named Dorothy, who w=
as
here with Ozma of Oz, stole my Belt and carried it away with her," said
the King, grinding his teeth with rage.
"She captured it in a fair fight,"
Kaliko ventured to say.
"But I want it! I must have it! Half my power is gone with that Be=
lt!"
roared the King.
"You will have to go to the Land of Oz to
recover it, and your Majesty can't get to the Land of Oz in any possible
way," said the Steward, yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six
hours, and was sleepy.
"Why not?" asked the King.
"Because there is a deadly desert all aro=
und
that fairy country, which no one is able to cross. You know that fact as well as I do=
, your
Majesty. Never mind the lost
Belt. You have plenty of power
left, for you rule this underground kingdom like a tyrant, and thousands of
Nomes obey your commands. I a=
dvise
you to drink a glass of melted silver, to quiet your nerves, and then go to
bed."
The King grabbed a big ruby and threw it at
Kaliko's head. The Steward du=
cked
to escape the heavy jewel, which crashed against the door just over his left
ear.
"Get out of my sight! Vanish! Go away--and send General Blug
here," screamed the Nome King.
Kaliko hastily withdrew, and the Nome King sta=
mped
up and down until the General of his armies appeared.
This Nome was known far and wide as a terrible
fighter and a cruel, desperate commander.&=
nbsp;
He had fifty thousand Nome soldiers, all well drilled, who feared
nothing but their stern master. Yet
General Blug was a trifle uneasy when he arrived and saw how angry the Nome
King was.
"Ha!&nbs=
p;
So you're here!" cried the King.
"So I am," said the General.
"March your army at once to the Land of O=
z,
capture and destroy the Emerald City, and bring back to me my Magic Belt!&q=
uot;
roared the King.
"You're crazy," calmly remarked the
General.
"What's that? What's that? What's that?" And the Nome King danced around on=
his
pointed toes, he was so enraged.
"You don't know what you're talking
about," continued the General, seating himself upon a large cut
diamond. "I advise you to
stand in a corner and count sixty before you speak again. By that time you may be more
sensible."
The King looked around for something to throw =
at
General Blug, but as nothing was handy he began to consider that perhaps the
man was right and he had been talking foolishly. So he merely threw himself into hi=
s glittering
throne and tipped his crown over his ear and curled his feet up under him a=
nd
glared wickedly at Blug.
"In the first place," said the Gener=
al,
"we cannot march across the deadly desert to the Land of Oz. And if we could, the Ruler of that=
country,
Princess Ozma, has certain fairy powers that would render my army
helpless. Had you not lost yo=
ur
Magic Belt we might have some chance of defeating Ozma; but the Belt is
gone."
"I want it!" screamed the King. "I must have it."
"Well, then, let us try in a sensible way=
to
get it," replied the General.
"The Belt was captured by a little girl named Dorothy, who live=
s in
Kansas, in the United States of America."
"But she left it in the Emerald City, with
Ozma," declared the King.
"How do you know that?" asked the
General.
"One of my spies, who is a Blackbird, flew
over the desert to the Land of Oz, and saw the Magic Belt in Ozma's
palace," replied the King with a groan.
"Now that gives me an idea," said
General Blug, thoughtfully.
"There are two ways to get to the Land of Oz without traveling
across the sandy desert."
"What are they?" demanded the King,
eagerly.
"One way is OVER the desert, through the =
air;
and the other way is UNDER the desert, through the earth."
Hearing this the Nome King uttered a yell of j=
oy
and leaped from his throne, to resume his wild walk up and down the cavern.=
"That's it, Blug!" he shouted. "That's the idea, General!
"Softly, softly, your Majesty. Don't go too fast," warned the
General. "My Nomes are good fighters, but they are not strong enough to
conquer the Emerald City."
"Are you sure?" asked the King.
"Absolutely certain, your Majesty." =
"Then what am I to do?"
"Give up the idea and mind your own
business," advised the General. "You have plenty to do trying to =
rule
your underground kingdom."
"But I want the Magic Belt--and I'm going=
to
have it!" roared the Nome King.
"I'd like to see you get it," replied
the General, laughing maliciously.
The King was by this time so exasperated that =
he
picked up his scepter, which had a heavy ball, made from a sapphire, at the=
end
of it, and threw it with all his force at General Blug. The sapphire hit the General upon =
his
forehead and knocked him flat upon the ground, where he lay motionless. Then the King rang his gong and to=
ld his
guards to drag out the General and throw him away; which they did.
This Nome King was named Roquat the Red, and no
one loved him. He was a bad m=
an and
a powerful monarch, and he had resolved to destroy the Land of Oz and its
magnificent Emerald City, to enslave Princess Ozma and little Dorothy and a=
ll
the Oz people, and recover his Magic Belt. This same Belt had once enabled
Roquat the Red to carry out many wicked plans; but that was before Ozma and=
her
people marched to the underground cavern and captured it. The Nome King could not forgive Do=
rothy
or Princess Ozma, and he had determined to be revenged upon them.
But they, for their part, did not know they ha=
d so
dangerous an enemy. Indeed, Ozma and Dorothy had both almost forgotten that
such a person as the Nome King yet lived under the mountains of the Land of
Ev--which lay just across the deadly desert to the south of the Land of Oz.=
An unsuspected enemy is doubly dangerous.
Dorothy Gale lived on a farm in Kansas, with h=
er
Aunt Em and her Uncle Henry. =
It was
not a big farm, nor a very good one, because sometimes the rain did not come
when the crops needed it, and then everything withered and dried up. Once a cyclone had carried away Un=
cle
Henry's house, so that he was obliged to build another; and as he was a poo=
r man
he had to mortgage his farm to get the money to pay for the new house. Then his health became bad and he =
was
too feeble to work. The doctor
ordered him to take a sea voyage and he went to Australia and took Dorothy =
with
him. That cost a lot of money=
, too.
Uncle Henry grew poorer every year, and the cr=
ops
raised on the farm only bought food for the family. Therefore the mortgage could not b=
e paid. At last the banker who had loaned =
him
the money said that if he did not pay on a certain day, his farm would be t=
aken
away from him.
This worried Uncle Henry a good deal, for with=
out
the farm he would have no way to earn a living. He was a good man, and worked in t=
he field
as hard as he could; and Aunt Em did all the housework, with Dorothy's
help. Yet they did not seem t=
o get
along.
This little girl, Dorothy, was like dozens of
little girls you know. She was loving and usually sweet-tempered, and had a
round rosy face and earnest eyes.
Life was a serious thing to Dorothy, and a wonderful thing, too, for=
she
had encountered more strange adventures in her short life than many other g=
irls
of her age.
Aunt Em once said she thought the fairies must
have marked Dorothy at her birth, because she had wandered into strange pla=
ces
and had always been protected by some unseen power. As for Uncle Henry, he thought his
little niece merely a dreamer, as her dead mother had been, for he could not
quite believe all the curious stories Dorothy told them of the Land of Oz,
which she had several times visited.
He did not think that she tried to deceive her uncle and aunt, but he
imagined that she had dreamed all of those astonishing adventures, and that=
the
dreams had been so real to her that she had come to believe them true.
Whatever the explanation might be, it was cert=
ain
that Dorothy had been absent from her Kansas home for several long periods,
always disappearing unexpectedly, yet always coming back safe and sound, wi=
th amazing
tales of where she had been and the unusual people she had met. Her uncle a=
nd
aunt listened to her stories eagerly and in spite of their doubts began to =
feel
that the little girl had gained a lot of experience and wisdom that were
unaccountable in this age, when fairies are supposed no longer to exist.
Most of Dorothy's stories were about the Land =
of
Oz, with its beautiful Emerald City and a lovely girl Ruler named Ozma, who=
was
the most faithful friend of the little Kansas girl. When Dorothy told about the riches=
of
this fairy country Uncle Henry would sigh, for he knew that a single one of=
the
great emeralds that were so common there would pay all his debts and leave =
his
farm free. But Dorothy never
brought any jewels home with her, so their poverty became greater every yea=
r.
When the banker told Uncle Henry that he must =
pay
the money in thirty days or leave the farm, the poor man was in despair, as=
he
knew he could not possibly get the money.&=
nbsp;
So he told his wife, Aunt Em, of his trouble, and she first cried a
little and then said that they must be brave and do the best they could, an=
d go
away somewhere and try to earn an honest living. But they were getting old and feeb=
le and
she feared that they could not take care of Dorothy as well as they had
formerly done. Probably the l=
ittle
girl would also be obliged to go to work.
They did not tell their niece the sad news for
several days, not wishing to make her unhappy; but one morning the little g=
irl
found Aunt Em softly crying while Uncle Henry tried to comfort her. Then Dorothy asked them to tell he=
r what
was the matter.
"We must give up the farm, my dear,"
replied her uncle sadly, "and wander away into the world to work for o=
ur
living."
The girl listened quite seriously, for she had=
not
known before how desperately poor they were.
"We don't mind for ourselves," said =
her
aunt, stroking the little girl's head tenderly; "but we love you as if=
you
were our own child, and we are heart-broken to think that you must also end=
ure
poverty, and work for a living before you have grown big and strong." =
"What could I do to earn money?" ask=
ed
Dorothy.
"You might do housework for some one, dea=
r,
you are so handy; or perhaps you could be a nurse-maid to little children.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I'm sure I don't know exactly what=
you
CAN do to earn money, but if your uncle and I are able to support you we wi=
ll
do it willingly, and send you to school. We fear, though, that we shall have
much trouble in earning a living for ourselves. No one wants to employ old people =
who
are broken down in health, as we are."
Dorothy smiled.
"Wouldn't it be funny," she said,
"for me to do housework in Kansas, when I'm a Princess in the Land of
Oz?"
"A Princess!" they both exclaimed,
astonished.
"Yes; Ozma made me a Princess some time a=
go,
and she has often begged me to come and live always in the Emerald City,&qu=
ot;
said the child.
Her uncle and aunt looked at her in
amazement. Then the man said:=
"Do you suppose you could manage to retur=
n to
your fairyland, my dear?"
"Oh yes," replied Dorothy; "I c=
ould
do that easily."
"How?" asked Aunt Em.
"Ozma sees me every day at four o'clock, =
in
her Magic Picture. She can se=
e me
wherever I am, no matter what I am doing.&=
nbsp;
And at that time, if I make a certain secret sign, she will send for=
me
by means of the Magic Belt, which I once captured from the Nome King. Then, in the wink of an eye, I sha=
ll be
with Ozma in her palace."
The elder people remained silent for some time
after Dorothy had spoken. Fin=
ally,
Aunt Em said, with another sigh of regret:
"If that is the case, Dorothy, perhaps yo=
u'd
better go and live in the Emerald City.&nb=
sp;
It will break our hearts to lose you from our lives, but you will be=
so
much better off with your fairy friends that it seems wisest and best for y=
ou
to go."
"I'm not so sure about that," remark=
ed
Uncle Henry, shaking his gray head doubtfully. "These things all seem real to
Dorothy, I know; but I'm afraid our little girl won't find her fairyland ju=
st
what she had dreamed it to be. It
would make me very unhappy to think that she was wandering among strangers =
who
might be unkind to her."
Dorothy laughed merrily at this speech, and th=
en
she became very sober again, for she could see how all this trouble was
worrying her aunt and uncle, and knew that unless she found a way to help t=
hem
their future lives would be quite miserable and unhappy. She knew that she COULD help them.=
She had thought of a way already.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Yet she did not tell them at once =
what
it was, because she must ask Ozma's consent before she would be able to car=
ry
out her plans.
So she only said:
"If you will promise not to worry a bit a=
bout
me, I'll go to the Land of Oz this very afternoon. And I'll make a promise, too; that=
you shall
both see me again before the day comes when you must leave this farm."=
"The day isn't far away, now," her u=
ncle
sadly replied. "I did no=
t tell
you of our trouble until I was obliged to, dear Dorothy, so the evil time is
near at hand. But if you are =
quite
sure your fairy friends will give you a home, it will be best for you to go=
to
them, as your aunt says."
That was why Dorothy went to her little room in
the attic that afternoon, taking with her a small dog named Toto. The dog had curly black hair and b=
ig
brown eyes and loved Dorothy very dearly.
The child had kissed her uncle and aunt
affectionately before she went upstairs, and now she looked around her litt=
le
room rather wistfully, gazing at the simple trinkets and worn calico and
gingham dresses, as if they were old friends. She was tempted at first to make a
bundle of them, yet she knew very well that they would be of no use to her =
in
her future life.
She sat down upon a broken-backed chair--the o=
nly
one the room contained--and holding Toto in her arms waited patiently until=
the
clock struck four.
Then she made the secret signal that had been
agreed upon between her and Ozma.
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em waited downstairs. They were uneasy and a good deal
excited, for this is a practical humdrum world, and it seemed to them quite
impossible that their little niece could vanish from her home and travel
instantly to fairyland.
So they watched the stairs, which seemed to be=
the
only way that Dorothy could get out of the farmhouse, and they watched them=
a
long time. They heard the clo=
ck
strike four but there was no sound from above.
Half-past four came, and now they were too
impatient to wait any longer.
Softly, they crept up the stairs to the door of the little girl's ro=
om.
"Dorothy! Dorothy!" they called.
There was no answer.
They opened the door and looked in.
The room was empty.
I suppose you have read so much about the
magnificent Emerald City that there is little need for me to describe it
here. It is the Capital City =
of the
Land of Oz, which is justly considered the most attractive and delightful
fairyland in all the world.
The Emerald City is built all of beautiful mar=
bles
in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of =
very
great size. There are other j=
ewels
used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diam=
onds,
sapphires, amethysts and turquoises.
But in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeral=
ds
appear, from which circumstance the place is named the Emerald City of Oz.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It has nine thousand, six hundred =
and
fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and=
eighteen
people, up to the time my story opens.
All the surrounding country, extending to the
borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty=
and
comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of Oz who prefer=
red country
to city life.
Altogether there were more than half a million
people in the Land of Oz--although some of them, as you will soon learn, we=
re
not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored
country was happy and prosperous.
No disease of any sort was ever known among the
Ozites, and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevent=
ed
him from living. This happene=
d very
seldom, indeed. There were no=
poor
people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all=
property
of every sort belonged to the Ruler.
The people were her children, and she cared for them. Each person was given freely by hi=
s neighbors
whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably
desire. Some tilled the lands=
and
raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire
population, so that all had enough.
There were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like,=
who
made things that any who desired them might wear. Likewise there were jewel=
ers
who made ornaments for the person, which pleased and beautified the people,=
and
these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. Each man and woman, no matter what=
he or
she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbors w=
ith
food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran s=
hort,
more was taken from the great storehouses of the Ruler, which were afterwar=
d filled
up again when there was more of any article than the people needed.
Every one worked half the time and played half=
the
time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play, because=
it
is good to be occupied and to have something to do. There were no cruel overseers set =
to
watch them, and no one to rebuke them or to find fault with them. So each one was proud to do all he=
could
for his friends and neighbors, and was glad when they would accept the thin=
gs
he produced.
You will know by what I have here told you, th=
at
the Land of Oz was a remarkable country.&n=
bsp;
I do not suppose such an arrangement would be practical with us, but
Dorothy assures me that it works finely with the Oz people.
Oz being a fairy country, the people were, of
course, fairy people; but that does not mean that all of them were very unl=
ike
the people of our own world. =
There
were all sorts of queer characters among them, but not a single one who was
evil, or who possessed a selfish or violent nature. They were peaceful, kind hearted, =
loving
and merry, and every inhabitant adored the beautiful girl who ruled them and
delighted to obey her every command.
In spite of all I have said in a general way,
there were some parts of the Land of Oz not quite so pleasant as the farming
country and the Emerald City which was its center. Far away in the South Country ther=
e lived
in the mountains a band of strange people called Hammer-Heads, because they=
had
no arms and used their flat heads to pound any one who came near them. Their necks were like rubber, so t=
hat
they could shoot out their heads to quite a distance, and afterward draw th=
em
back again to their shoulders. The
Hammer-Heads were called the "Wild People," but never harmed any =
but
those who disturbed them in the mountains where they lived.
In some of the dense forests there lived great
beasts of every sort; yet these were for the most part harmless and even
sociable, and conversed agreeably with those who visited their haunts. The Kalidahs--beasts with bodies l=
ike
bears and heads like tigers--had once been fierce and bloodthirsty, but even
they were now nearly all tamed, although at times one or another of them wo=
uld
get cross and disagreeable.
Not so tame were the Fighting Trees, which had= a forest of their own. If any one approached them these curious trees would b= end down their branches, twine them around the intruders, and hurl them away. <= o:p>
But these unpleasant things existed only in a =
few
remote parts of the Land of Oz. I
suppose every country has some drawbacks, so even this almost perfect fairy=
land
could not be quite perfect. O=
nce
there had been wicked witches in the land, too; but now these had all been =
destroyed;
so, as I said, only peace and happiness reigned in Oz. For some time Ozma had ruled over this fair
country, and never was Ruler more popular or beloved. She is said to be the most beautif=
ul girl
the world has ever known, and her heart and mind are as lovely as her perso=
n. Dorothy Gale had several times visited the Eme=
rald
City and experienced adventures in the Land of Oz, so that she and Ozma had=
now
become firm friends. The girl=
Ruler
had even made Dorothy a Princess of Oz, and had often implored her to come =
to
Ozma's stately palace and live there always; but Dorothy had been loyal to =
her
Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who had cared for her since she was a baby, and she
had refused to leave them because she knew they would be lonely without her=
. However, Dorothy now realized that things were
going to be different with her uncle and aunt from this time forth, so after
giving the matter deep thought she decided to ask Ozma to grant her a very
great favor. A few seconds after she had made the secret si=
gnal
in her little bedchamber, the Kansas girl was seated in a lovely room in Oz=
ma's
palace in the Emerald City of Oz.
When the first loving kisses and embraces had been exchanged, the fa=
ir
Ruler inquired: "What is the matter, dear? I know something unpleasant has ha=
ppened
to you, for your face was very sober when I saw it in my Magic Picture. And
whenever you signal me to transport you to this safe place, where you are
always welcome, I know you are in danger or in trouble." Dorothy sighed. "This time, Ozma, it isn't I," she
replied. "But it's worse=
, I
guess, for Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are in a heap of trouble, and there seem=
s no
way for them to get out of it--anyhow, not while they live in Kansas."=
"Tell me about it, Dorothy," said Oz=
ma,
with ready sympathy. "Why, you see Uncle Henry is poor; for the
farm in Kansas doesn't 'mount to much, as farms go. So one day Uncle Henry borrowed so=
me money,
and wrote a letter saying that if he didn't pay the money back they could t=
ake
his farm for pay. Course he
'spected to pay by making money from the farm; but he just couldn't. An' so they're going to take the f=
arm,
and Uncle Henry and Aunt Em won't have any place to live. They're pretty old to do much hard=
work,
Ozma; so I'll have to work for them, unless--" Ozma had been thoughtful during the story, but=
now
she smiled and pressed her little friend's hand. "Unless what, dear?" she asked. Dorothy hesitated, because her request meant so
much to them all. "Well," said she, "I'd like to =
live
here in the Land of Oz, where you've often 'vited me to live. But I can't, you know, unless Uncl=
e Henry
and Aunt Em could live here too." "Of course not," exclaimed the Ruler=
of
Oz, laughing gaily. "So,=
in order
to get you, little friend, we must invite your Uncle and Aunt to live in Oz,
also." "Oh, will you, Ozma?" cried Dorothy,
clasping her chubby little hands eagerly.&=
nbsp;
"Will you bring them here with the Magic Belt, and give them a =
nice
little farm in the Munchkin Country, or the Winkie Country--or some other
place?" "To be sure," answered Ozma, full of=
joy
at the chance to please her little friend.=
"I have long been thinking of this very thing, Dorothy dear, and
often I have had it in my mind to propose it to you. I am sure your uncle and aunt must=
be
good and worthy people, or you would not love them so much; and for YOUR
friends, Princess, there is always room in the Land of Oz." Dorothy was delighted, yet not altogether
surprised, for she had clung to the hope that Ozma would be kind enough to
grant her request. When, inde=
ed,
had her powerful and faithful friend refused her anything? "But you must not call me 'Princess',&quo=
t;
she said; "for after this I shall live on the little farm with Uncle H=
enry
and Aunt Em, and princesses ought not to live on farms." "Princess Dorothy will not," replied
Ozma with her sweet smile.
"You are going to live in your own rooms in this palace, and be=
my
constant companion." "But Uncle Henry--" began Dorothy. <=
o:p> "Oh, he is old, and has worked enough in =
his
lifetime," interrupted the girl Ruler; "so we must find a place f=
or
your uncle and aunt where they will be comfortable and happy and need not w=
ork
more than they care to. When shall we transport them here, Dorothy?" <=
o:p> "I promised to go and see them again befo=
re
they were turned out of the farmhouse," answered Dorothy;
"so--perhaps next Saturday--" "But why wait so long?" asked Ozma.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "And why make the journey bac=
k to Kansas
again? Let us surprise them, =
and
bring them here without any warning."
"I'm not sure that they believe in the La=
nd
of Oz," said Dorothy, "though I've told 'em 'bout it lots of
times."
"They'll believe when they see it,"
declared Ozma; "and if they are told they are to make a magical journe=
y to
our fairyland, it may make them nervous.&n=
bsp;
I think the best way will be to use the Magic Belt without warning t=
hem,
and when they have arrived you can explain to them whatever they do not
understand."
"Perhaps that's best," decided
Dorothy. "There isn't mu=
ch use
in their staying at the farm until they are put out, 'cause it's much nicer=
here."
"Then to-morrow morning they shall come
here," said Princess Ozma.
"I will order Jellia Jamb, who is the palace housekeeper, to ha=
ve
rooms all prepared for them, and after breakfast we will get the Magic Belt=
and
by its aid transport your uncle and aunt to the Emerald City."
"Thank you, Ozma!" cried Dorothy,
kissing her friend gratefully.
"And now," Ozma proposed, "let =
us
take a walk in the gardens before we dress for dinner. Come, Dorothy dear!"
The reason most people are bad is because they=
do
not try to be good. Now, the Nome King had never tried to be good, so he was
very bad indeed. Having decid=
ed to
conquer the Land of Oz and to destroy the Emerald City and enslave all its
people, King Roquat the Red kept planning ways to do this dreadful thing, a=
nd
the more he planned the more he believed he would be able to accomplish it.=
About the time Dorothy went to Ozma the Nome K=
ing
called his Chief Steward to him and said:
"Kaliko, I think I shall make you the Gen=
eral
of my armies."
"I think you won't," replied Kaliko,
positively.
"Why not?" inquired the King, reachi=
ng
for his scepter with the big sapphire.
"Because I'm your Chief Steward and know
nothing of warfare," said Kaliko, preparing to dodge if anything were
thrown at him. "I manage=
all
the affairs of your kingdom better than you could yourself, and you'll never
find another Steward as good as I am.
But there are a hundred Nomes better fitted to command your army, and
your Generals get thrown away so often that I have no desire to be one of
them."
"Ah, there is some truth in your remarks,
Kaliko," remarked the King, deciding not to throw the scepter. "Summon my army to assemble i=
n the Great
Cavern."
Kaliko bowed and retired, and in a few minutes
returned to say that the army was assembled. So the King went out upon a balcon=
y that
overlooked the Great Cavern, where fifty thousand Nomes, all armed with swo=
rds
and pikes, stood marshaled in military array.
When they were not required as soldiers all th=
ese
Nomes were metal workers and miners, and they had hammered so much at the
forges and dug so hard with pick and shovel that they had acquired great
muscular strength. They were
strangely formed creatures, rather round and not very tall. Their toes were curly and their ea=
rs
broad and flat.
In time of war every Nome left his forge or mi=
ne
and became part of the great army of King Roquat. The soldiers wore rock-colored uni=
forms
and were excellently drilled.
The King looked upon this tremendous army, whi=
ch
stood silently arrayed before him, and a cruel smile curled the corners of =
his
mouth, for he saw that his legions were very powerful. Then he addressed them from the ba=
lcony,
saying:
"I have thrown away General Blug, because=
he
did not please me. So I want
another General to command this army.
Who is next in command?"
"I am," replied Colonel Crinkle, a
dapper-looking Nome, as he stepped forward to salute his monarch.
The King looked at him carefully and said:
"I want you to march this army through an
underground tunnel, which I am going to bore, to the Emerald City of Oz.
"No, your Majesty," replied the Nome;
"for it can't be done."
"Oh indeed!" exclaimed the King. Then he turned to his servants and=
said:
"Please take General Crinkle to the torture chamber. There you will kindly slice him in=
to
thin slices. Afterward you ma=
y feed
him to the seven-headed dogs."
"Anything to oblige your Majesty,"
replied the servants, politely, and led the condemned man away.
When they had gone, the King addressed the army
again.
"Listen!" said he. "The General who is to comman=
d my
armies must promise to carry out my orders. If he fails he will share the fate=
of poor
Crinkle. Now, then, who will
volunteer to lead my hosts to the Emerald City?"
For a time no one moved and all were silent. Then an old Nome with white whiske=
rs so
long that they were tied around his waist to prevent their tripping him up,
stepped out of the ranks and saluted the King.
"I'd like to ask a few questions, your
Majesty," he said.
"Go ahead," replied the King.
"These Oz people are quite good, are they
not?"
"As good as apple pie," said the Kin=
g.
"And they are happy, I suppose?"
continued the old Nome.
"Happy as the day is long," said the
King.
"And contented and prosperous?" inqu=
ired
the Nome.
"Very much so," said the King.
"Well, your Majesty," remarked he of=
the
white whiskers, "I think I should like to undertake the job, so I'll be
your General. I hate good peo=
ple; I
detest happy people; I'm opposed to any one who is contented and
prosperous. That is why I am =
so
fond of your Majesty. Make me=
your
General and I'll promise to conquer and destroy the Oz people. If I fail I'm ready to be sliced t=
hin
and fed to the seven-headed dogs."
"Very good! Very good, indeed! That's the way to talk!" cried
Roquat the Red, who was greatly pleased.&n=
bsp;
"What is your name, General?"
"I'm called Guph, your Majesty."
"Well, Guph, come with me to my private c=
ave,
and we'll talk it over." Then he turned to the army. "Nomes and soldiers," sa=
id he,
"you are to obey the commands of General Guph until he becomes
dog-feed. Any man who fails t=
o obey
his new General will be promptly thrown away. You are now dismissed."
Guph went to the King's private cave and sat d=
own
upon an amethyst chair and put his feet on the arm of the King's ruby
throne. Then he lighted his p=
ipe
and threw the live coal he had taken from his pocket upon the King's left f=
oot
and puffed the smoke into the King's eyes and made himself comfortable. For he was a wise old Nome, and he=
knew
that the best way to get along with Roquat the Red was to show that he was =
not
afraid of him.
"I'm ready for the talk, your Majesty,&qu=
ot;
he said.
The King coughed and looked at his new General
fiercely.
"Do you not tremble to take such liberties
with your monarch?" he asked.
"Oh no," replied Guph, calmly, and he
blew a wreath of smoke that curled around the King's nose and made him
sneeze. "You want to con=
quer
the Emerald City, and I'm the only Nome in all your dominions who can conqu=
er
it. So you will be very caref=
ul not
to hurt me until I have carried out your wishes. After that--"
"Well, what then?" inquired the King=
.
"Then you will be so grateful to me that =
you
won't care to hurt me," replied the General.
"That is a very good argument," said
Roquat. "But suppose you
fail?"
"Then it's the slicing machine. I agree to that," announced G=
uph. "But
if you do as I tell you there will be no failure. The trouble with you, Roquat, is t=
hat
you don't think carefully enough. =
span>I
do. You would go ahead and ma=
rch
through your tunnel into Oz, and get defeated and driven back. I won't. And the reason I won't is because =
when I
march I'll have all my plans made, and a host of allies to assist my Nomes.=
"
"What do you mean by that?" asked the
King.
"I'll explain, King Roquat. You're going to attack a fairy cou=
ntry, and
a mighty fairy country, too. =
They
haven't much of an army in Oz, but the Princess who ruled them has a fairy
wand; and the little girl Dorothy has your Magic Belt; and at the North of =
the
Emerald City lives a clever sorceress called Glinda the Good, who commands =
the
spirits of the air. Also I ha=
ve
heard that there is a wonderful Wizard in Ozma's palace, who is so skillful
that people used to pay him money in America to see him perform. So you see it will be no easy thin=
g to
overcome all this magic."
"We have fifty thousand soldiers!" c=
ried
the King proudly.
"Yes; but they are Nomes," remarked
Guph, taking a silk handkerchief from the King's pocket and wiping his own
pointed shoes with it. "Nomes are immortals, but they are not strong on
magic. When you lost your fam=
ous
Belt the greater part of your own power was gone from you. Against Ozma you=
and
your Nomes would have no show at all."
Roquat's eyes flashed angrily.
"Then away you go to the slicing
machine!" he cried.
"Not yet," said the General, filling=
his
pipe from the King's private tobacco pouch.
"What do you propose to do?" asked t=
he
monarch.
"I propose to obtain the power we need,&q=
uot;
answered Guph. "There ar=
e a good
many evil creatures who have magic powers sufficient to destroy and conquer=
the
Land of Oz. We will get them =
on our
side, band them all together, and then take Ozma and her people by
surprise. It's all very simpl=
e and
easy when you know how. Alone=
, we
should be helpless to injure the Ruler of Oz, but with the aid of the evil
powers we can summon we shall easily succeed."
King Roquat was delighted with this idea, for =
he
realized how clever it was.
"Surely, Guph, you are the greatest Gener=
al I
have ever had!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with joy. "You must go at once and make=
arrangements
with the evil powers to assist us, and meantime I'll begin to dig the
tunnel."
"I thought you'd agree with me, Roquat,&q=
uot;
replied the new General. "I'll start this very afternoon to visit the
Chief of the Whimsies."
When the people of the Emerald City heard that
Dorothy had returned to them every one was eager to see her, for the little
girl was a general favorite in the Land of Oz. From time to time some of the folk=
from the
great outside world had found their way into this fairyland, but all except=
one
had been companions of Dorothy and had turned out to be very agreeable
people. The exception I speak=
of
was the wonderful Wizard of Oz, a sleight-of-hand performer from Omaha who =
went
up in a balloon and was carried by a current of air to the Emerald City.
In addition to the Wizard two other personages
from the outside world had been allowed to make their home in the Emerald
City. The first was a quaint =
Shaggy
Man, whom Ozma had made the Governor of the Royal Storehouses, and the seco=
nd a
Yellow Hen named Billina, who had a fine house in the gardens back of the
palace, where she looked after a large family. Both these had been old comrades of
Dorothy, so you see the little girl was quite an important personage in Oz,=
and
the people thought she had brought them good luck, and loved her next best =
to Ozma. During her several visits this lit=
tle
girl had been the means of destroying two wicked witches who oppressed the
people, and she had discovered a live scarecrow who was now one of the most
popular personages in all the fairy country. With the Scarecrow's help she had =
rescued
Nick Chopper, a Tin Woodman, who had rusted in a lonely forest, and the tin=
man
was now the Emperor of the Country of the Winkies and much beloved because =
of
his kind heart. No wonder the
people thought Dorothy had brought them good luck! Yet, strange as it may seem, she h=
ad
accomplished all these wonders not because she was a fairy or had any magic=
al
powers whatever, but because she was a simple, sweet and true little girl w=
ho
was honest to herself and to all whom she met. In this world in which we live
simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders, and in =
the
Land of Oz Dorothy found these same qualities had won for her the love and
admiration of the people. Indeed, the little girl had made many warm friend=
s in
the fairy country, and the only real grief the Ozites had ever experienced =
was when
Dorothy left them and returned to her Kansas home.
Now she received a joyful welcome, although no=
one
except Ozma knew at first that she had finally come to stay for good and al=
l.
That evening Dorothy had many callers, and amo=
ng
them were such important people as Tiktok, a machine man who thought and sp=
oke
and moved by clockwork; her old companion the genial Shaggy Man; Jack Pumpk=
inhead,
whose body was brush-wood and whose head was a ripe pumpkin with a face car=
ved
upon it; the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, two great beasts from the
forest, who served Princess Ozma, and Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T.E. This wogglebug was a remarkable cr=
eature. He had once been a tiny little bug,
crawling around in a school-room, but he was discovered and highly magnifie=
d so
that he could be seen more plainly, and while in this magnified condition h=
e had
escaped. He had always remain=
ed
big, and he dressed like a dandy and was so full of knowledge and informati=
on
(which are distinct acquirements) that he had been made a Professor and the
head of the Royal College.
Dorothy had a nice visit with these old friend=
s,
and also talked a long time with the Wizard, who was little and old and
withered and dried up, but as merry and active as a child. Afterward, she went to see Billina=
's
fast-growing family of chicks.
Toto, Dorothy's little black dog, also met wit=
h a
cordial reception. Toto was an especial friend of the Shaggy Man, and he kn=
ew
every one else. Being the onl=
y dog
in the Land of Oz, he was highly respected by the people, who believed anim=
als
entitled to every consideration if they behaved themselves properly.
Dorothy had four lovely rooms in the palace, w=
hich
were always reserved for her use and were called "Dorothy's
rooms." These consisted =
of a beautiful
sitting room, a dressing room, a dainty bedchamber and a big marble
bathroom. And in these rooms =
were
everything that heart could desire, placed there with loving thoughtfulness=
by
Ozma for her little friend's use.
The royal dressmakers had the little girl's measure, so they kept the
closets in her dressing room filled with lovely dresses of every description
and suitable for every occasion. No
wonder Dorothy had refrained from bringing with her her old calico and ging=
ham dresses! Here everything that was dear to a
little girl's heart was supplied in profusion, and nothing so rich and
beautiful could ever have been found in the biggest department stores in Am=
erica. Of course Dorothy enjoyed all these
luxuries, and the only reason she had heretofore preferred to live in Kansas
was because her uncle and aunt loved her and needed her with them.
Now, however, all was to be changed, and Dorot=
hy
was really more delighted to know that her dear relatives were to share in =
her
good fortune and enjoy the delights of the Land of Oz, than she was to poss=
ess
such luxury for herself.
Next morning, at Ozma's request, Dorothy dress=
ed
herself in a pretty sky-blue gown of rich silk, trimmed with real pearls. The buckles of her shoes were set =
with
pearls, too, and more of these priceless gems were on a lovely coronet which
she wore upon her forehead.
"For," said her friend Ozma, "from this time forth, my
dear, you must assume your rightful rank as a Princess of Oz, and being my
chosen companion you must dress in a way befitting the dignity of your
position."
Dorothy agreed to this, although she knew that
neither gowns nor jewels could make her anything else than the simple, unaf=
fected
little girl she had always been.
As soon as they had breakfasted--the girls eat=
ing
together in Ozma's pretty boudoir--the Ruler of Oz said:
"Now, dear friend, we will use the Magic =
Belt
to transport your uncle and aunt from Kansas to the Emerald City. But I think it would be fitting, in
receiving such distinguished guests, for us to sit in my Throne Room."=
"Oh, they're not very 'stinguished,
Ozma," said Dorothy.
"They're just plain people, like me."
"Being your friends and relatives, Prince=
ss Dorothy,
they are certainly distinguished," replied the Ruler, with a smile.
"They--they won't hardly know what to mak=
e of
all your splendid furniture and things," protested Dorothy, gravely. "It may scare 'em to see your=
grand
Throne Room, an' p'raps we'd better go into the back yard, Ozma, where the
cabbages grow an' the chickens are playing. Then it would seem more natural to=
Uncle
Henry and Aunt Em."
"No; they shall first see me in my Throne
Room," replied Ozma, decidedly; and when she spoke in that tone Dorothy
knew it was not wise to oppose her, for Ozma was accustomed to having her o=
wn
way.
So together they went to the Throne Room, an
immense domed chamber in the center of the palace. Here stood the royal throne, made =
of
solid gold and encrusted with enough precious stones to stock a dozen jewel=
ry stores
in our country.
Ozma, who was wearing the Magic Belt, seated
herself in the throne, and Dorothy sat at her feet. In the room were assembled many la=
dies
and gentlemen of the court, clothed in rich apparel and wearing fine jewelr=
y. Two immense animals squatted, one =
on
each side of the throne--the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. In a balcony high up in the dome an
orchestra played sweet music, and beneath the dome two electric fountains s=
ent sprays
of colored perfumed water shooting up nearly as high as the arched ceiling.=
"Are you ready, Dorothy?" asked the
Ruler.
"I am," replied Dorothy; "but I
don't know whether Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are ready."
"That won't matter," declared Ozma.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "The old life can have very l=
ittle to
interest them, and the sooner they begin the new life here the happier they
will be. Here they come, my
dear!"
As she spoke, there before the throne appeared
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who for a moment stood motionless, glaring with wh=
ite
and startled faces at the scene that confronted them. If the ladies and gentlemen presen=
t had
not been so polite I am sure they would have laughed at the two strangers. =
Aunt Em had her calico dress skirt "tucked
up," and she wore a faded, blue-checked apron. Her hair was rather straggly and s=
he had
on a pair of Uncle Henry's old slippers.&n=
bsp;
In one hand she held a dish-towel and in the other a cracked earthen=
ware
plate, which she had been engaged in wiping when so suddenly transported to=
the
Land of Oz.
Uncle Henry, when the summons came, had been o=
ut
in the barn "doin' chores."
He wore a ragged and much soiled straw hat, a checked shirt without =
any
collar and blue overalls tucked into the tops of his old cowhide boots.
"By gum!" gasped Uncle Henry, looking
around as if bewildered.
"Well, I swan!" gurgled Aunt Em in a
hoarse, frightened voice. The=
n her
eyes fell upon Dorothy, and she said: "D-d-d-don't that look like our
little girl--our Dorothy, Henry?"
"Hi, there--look out, Em!" exclaimed=
the
old man, as Aunt Em advanced a step; "take care o' the wild beastses, =
or
you're a goner!"
But now Dorothy sprang forward and embraced and
kissed her aunt and uncle affectionately, afterward taking their hands in h=
er
own.
"Don't be afraid," she said to
them. "You are now in th=
e Land
of Oz, where you are to live always, and be comfer'ble an' happy. You'll never have to worry over an=
ything
again, 'cause there won't be anything to worry about. And you owe it all to the kindness=
of my
friend Princess Ozma."
Here she led them before the throne and contin=
ued:
"Your Highness, this is Uncle Henry. And this is Aunt Em. They want to thank you for bringin=
g them
here from Kansas."
Aunt Em tried to "slick" her hair, a=
nd
she hid the dish-towel and dish under her apron while she bowed to the love=
ly
Ozma. Uncle Henry took off his
straw hat and held it awkwardly in his hands.
But the Ruler of Oz rose and came from her thr=
one
to greet her newly arrived guests, and she smiled as sweetly upon them as if
they had been a king and queen.
"You are very welcome here, where I have
brought you for Princess Dorothy's sake," she said, graciously, "=
and
I hope you will be quite happy in your new home." Then she turned to her courtiers, =
who
were silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: "I present t=
o my
people our Princess Dorothy's beloved Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who will her=
eafter
be subjects of our kingdom. I=
t will
please me to have you show them every kindness and honor in your power, and=
to
join me in making them happy and contented."
Hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and
respectfully to the old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in
return.
"And now," said Ozma to them,
"Dorothy will show you the rooms prepared for you. I hope you will like them, and sha=
ll
expect you to join me at luncheon."
So Dorothy led her relatives away, and as soon=
as
they were out of the Throne Room and alone in the corridor, Aunt Em squeezed
Dorothy's hand and said:
"Child, child! How in the world did we ever get h=
ere so
quick? And is it all real?
Dorothy laughed.
"Why didn't you tell us what you were goi=
n'
to do?" inquired Uncle Henry, reproachfully. "If I'd known about it, I'd '=
a put
on my Sunday clothes."
"I'll 'splain ever'thing as soon as we ge=
t to
your rooms," promised Dorothy.
"You're in great luck, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em; an' so am I! And
oh! I'm so happy to have got you here, at last!"
As he walked by the little girl's side, Uncle
Henry stroked his whiskers thoughtfully.&n=
bsp;
"'Pears to me, Dorothy, we won't make bang-up fairies," he
remarked.
"An' my back hair looks like a fright!&qu=
ot;
wailed Aunt Em.
"Never mind," returned the little gi=
rl,
reassuringly. "You won't=
have anything
to do now but to look pretty, Aunt Em; an' Uncle Henry won't have to work t=
ill
his back aches, that's certain."
"Sure?" they asked, wonderingly, and=
in
the same breath.
"Course I'm sure," said Dorothy. "You're in the Fairyland of O=
z,
now; an' what's more, you belong to it!"
The new General of the Nome King's army knew perfectly well that to fail in his plans meant death for him. Yet he was not at all anxious or worried. He hated every one w= ho was good and longed to make all who were happy unhappy. Therefore he had accepted this dan= gerous position as General quite willingly, feeling sure in his evil mind that he would be able to do a lot of mischief and finally conquer the Land of Oz. <= o:p>
Yet Guph determined to be careful, and to lay =
his
plans well, so as not to fail. He
argued that only careless people fail in what they attempt to do.
The mountains underneath which the Nome King's
extensive caverns were located lay grouped just north of the Land of Ev, wh=
ich
lay directly across the deadly desert to the east of the Land of Oz. As the mountains were also on the =
edge
of the desert the Nome King found that he had only to tunnel underneath the
desert to reach Ozma's dominions. He did not wish his armies to appear above
ground in the Country of the Winkies, which was the part of the Land of Oz
nearest to King Roquat's own country, as then the people would give the ala=
rm
and enable Ozma to fortify the Emerald City and assemble an army. He wanted to take all the Oz peopl=
e by
surprise; so he decided to run the tunnel clear through to the Emerald City,
where he and his hosts could break through the ground without warning and
conquer the people before they had time to defend themselves.
Roquat the Red began work at once upon his tun=
nel,
setting a thousand miners at the task and building it high and broad enough=
for
his armies to march through it with ease.&=
nbsp;
The Nomes were used to making tunnels, as all the kingdom in which t=
hey
lived was under ground; so they made rapid progress.
While this work was going on General Guph star=
ted
out alone to visit the Chief of the Whimsies.
These Whimsies were curious people who lived i=
n a
retired country of their own. They
had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than
door-knobs. Of course, such t=
iny
heads could not contain any great amount of brains, and the Whimsies were so
ashamed of their personal appearance and lack of commonsense that they wore=
big
heads made of pasteboard, which they fastened over their own little heads.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> On these pasteboard heads they sew=
ed
sheep's wool for hair, and the wool was colored many tints--pink, green and
lavender being the favorite colors.
The faces of these false heads were painted in many ridiculous ways,
according to the whims of the owners, and these big, burly creatures looked=
so
whimsical and absurd in their queer masks that they were called
"Whimsies." They
foolishly imagined that no one would suspect the little heads that were ins=
ide
the imitation ones, not knowing that it is folly to try to appear otherwise
than as nature has made us.
The Chief of the Whimsies had as little wisdom=
as
the others, and had been chosen chief merely because none among them was any
wiser or more capable of ruling.
The Whimsies were evil spirits and could not be killed. They were hated and feared by ever=
y one
and were known as terrible fighters because they were so strong and muscular
and had not sense enough to know when they were defeated.
General Guph thought the Whimsies would be a g=
reat
help to the Nomes in the conquest of Oz, for under his leadership they coul=
d be
induced to fight as long so they could stand up. So he traveled to their country and
asked to see the Chief, who lived in a house that had a picture of his grot=
esque
false head painted over the doorway.
The Chief's false head had blue hair, a turned=
-up
nose, and a mouth that stretched half across the face. Big green eyes had been painted up=
on it,
but in the center of the chin were two small holes made in the pasteboard, =
so
that the Chief could see through them with his own tiny eyes; for when the =
big
head was fastened upon his shoulders the eyes in his own natural head were =
on a
level with the false chin.
Said General Guph to the Chief of the Whimsies=
:
"We Nomes are going to conquer the Land o=
f Oz
and capture our King's Magic Belt, which the Oz people stole from him. Then we are going to plunder and d=
estroy
the whole country. And we wan=
t the
Whimsies to help us."
"Will there be any fighting?" asked =
the
Chief.
"Plenty," replied Guph.
That must have pleased the Chief, for he got up
and danced around the room three times.&nb=
sp;
Then he seated himself again, adjusted his false head, and said:
"We have no quarrel with Ozma of Oz."=
;
"But you Whimsies love to fight, and here=
is
a splendid chance to do so," urged Guph.
"Wait till I sing a song," said the
Chief. Then he lay back in hi=
s chair
and sang a foolish song that did not seem to the General to mean anything,
although he listened carefully.
When he had finished, the Chief Whimsie looked at him through the ho=
les
in his chin and asked:
"What reward will you give us if we help
you?"
The General was prepared for this question, fo=
r he
had been thinking the matter over on his journey. People often do a good deed withou=
t hope
of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment.
"When we get our Magic Belt," he made
reply, "our King, Roquat the Red, will use its power to give every Whi=
msie
a natural head as big and fine as the false head he now wears. Then you will no longer be ashamed=
because
your big strong bodies have such teenty-weenty heads."
"Oh!&nbs=
p;
Will you do that?" asked the Chief, eagerly.
"We surely will," promised the Gener=
al.
"I'll talk to my people," said the
Chief.
So he called a meeting of all the Whimsies and
told them of the offer made by the Nomes.&=
nbsp;
The creatures were delighted with the bargain, and at once agreed to
fight for the Nome King and help him to conquer Oz.
One Whimsie alone seemed to have a glimmer of
sense, for he asked:
"Suppose we fail to capture the Magic
Belt? What will happen then, =
and what
good will all our fighting do?"
But they threw him into the river for asking
foolish questions, and laughed when the water ruined his pasteboard head be=
fore
he could swim out again.
So the compact was made and General Guph was
delighted with his success in gaining such powerful allies.
But there were other people, too, just as
important as the Whimsies, whom the clever old Nome had determined to win to
his side.
"These are your rooms," said Dorothy,
opening a door.
Aunt Em drew back at the sight of the splendid
furniture and draperies.
"Ain't there any place to wipe my feet?&q=
uot;
she asked.
"You will soon change your slippers for n=
ew
shoes," replied Dorothy. "Don't be afraid, Aunt Em. Here is where you are to live, so =
walk right
in and make yourself at home."
Aunt Em advanced hesitatingly.
"It beats the Topeka Hotel!" she cri=
ed
admiringly. "But this pl=
ace is
too grand for us, child. Can'=
t we
have some back room in the attic, that's more in our class?"
"No," said Dorothy. "You've got to live here, 'ca=
use
Ozma says so. And all the rooms in this palace are just as fine as these, a=
nd
some are better. It won't do =
any
good to fuss, Aunt Em. You've=
got
to be swell and high-toned in the Land of Oz, whether you want to or not; s=
o you
may as well make up your mind to it."
"It's hard luck," replied her aunt,
looking around with an awed expression; "but folks can get used to
anything, if they try. Eh, He=
nry?"
"Why, as to that," said Uncle Henry,
slowly, "I b'lieve in takin' what's pervided us, an' askin' no
questions. I've traveled some=
, Em, in
my time, and you hain't; an' that makes a difference atween us."
Then Dorothy showed them through the rooms.
Uncle Henry had nine suits of clothes, cut in =
the
popular Munchkin fashion, with knee-breeches, silk stockings, and low shoes
with jeweled buckles. The hat=
s to
match these costumes had pointed tops and wide brims with small gold bells
around the edges. His shirts =
were
of fine linen with frilled bosoms, and his vests were richly embroidered wi=
th colored
silks.
Uncle Henry decided that he would first take a
bath and then dress himself in a blue satin suit that had caught his
fancy. He accepted his good f=
ortune
with calm composure and refused to have a servant to assist him. But Aunt Em was "all of a
flutter," as she said, and it took Dorothy and Jellia Jamb, the
housekeeper, and two maids a long time to dress her and do up her hair and =
get
her "rigged like a popinjay," as she quaintly expressed it. She wanted to stop and admire ever=
ything
that caught her eye, and she sighed continually and declared that such fine=
ry
was too good for an old country woman, and that she never thought she would
have to "put on airs" at her time of life.
Finally she was dressed, and when she went into
the sitting-room there was Uncle Henry in his blue satin, walking gravely up
and down the room. He had tri=
mmed
his beard and mustache and looked very dignified and respectable.
"Tell me, Dorothy," he said; "do
all the men here wear duds like these?"
"Yes," she replied; "all 'cept =
the
Scarecrow and the Shaggy Man--and of course the Tin Woodman and Tiktok, who=
are
made of metal. You'll find al=
l the
men at Ozma's court dressed just as you are--only perhaps a little finer.&q=
uot;
"Henry, you look like a play-actor,"
announced Aunt Em, looking at her husband critically.
"An' you, Em, look more highfalutin' than=
a
peacock," he replied.
"I guess you're right," she said
regretfully; "but we're helpless victims of high-toned royalty." =
Dorothy was much amused.
"Come with me," she said, "and =
I'll
show you 'round the palace."
She took them through the beautiful rooms and
introduced them to all the people they chanced to meet. Also she showed them her own prett=
y rooms,
which were not far from their own.
"So it's all true," said Aunt Em,
wide-eyed with amazement, "and what Dorothy told us of this fairy coun=
try
was plain facts instead of dreams!
But where are all the strange creatures you used to know here?"=
"Yes, where's the Scarecrow?" inquir=
ed
Uncle Henry.
"Why, he's just now away on a visit to the
Tin Woodman, who is Emp'ror of the Winkie Country," answered the little
girl. "You'll see him wh=
en he
comes back, and you're sure to like him."
"And where's the Wonderful Wizard?"
asked Aunt Em.
"You'll see him at Ozma's luncheon, for he
lives here in this palace," was the reply.
"And Jack Pumpkinhead?"
"Oh, he lives a little way out of town, in
his own pumpkin field. We'll go there some time and see him, and we'll call=
on
Professor Wogglebug, too. The
Shaggy Man will be at the luncheon, I guess, and Tiktok. And now I'll take you out to see
Billina, who has a house of her own."
So they went into the back yard, and after wal=
king
along winding paths some distance through the beautiful gardens they came t=
o an
attractive little house where the Yellow Hen sat on the front porch sunning=
herself.
"Good morning, my dear Mistress," ca=
lled
Billina, fluttering down to meet them.&nbs=
p;
"I was expecting you to call, for I heard you had come back and
brought your uncle and aunt with you."
"We're here for good and all, this time,
Billina," cried Dorothy, joyfully.&nb=
sp;
"Uncle Henry and Aunt Em belong to Oz now as much as I do!"=
;
"Then they are very lucky people,"
declared Billina; "for there couldn't be a nicer place to live. But come, my dear; I must show you=
all
my Dorothys. Nine are living =
and
have grown up to be very respectable hens; but one took cold at Ozma's birt=
hday
party and died of the pip, and the other two turned out to be horrid rooste=
rs,
so I had to change their names from Dorothy to Daniel. They all had the letter 'D' engrav=
ed
upon their gold lockets, you remember, with your picture inside, and 'D' st=
ands
for Daniel as well as for Dorothy."
"Did you call both the roosters Daniel?&q=
uot;
asked Uncle Henry.
"Yes, indeed. I've nine Dorothys and two Daniels=
; and
the nine Dorothys have eighty-six sons and daughters and over three hundred=
grandchildren,"
said Billina, proudly.
"What names do you give 'em all, dear?&qu=
ot;
inquired the little girl.
"Oh, they are all Dorothys and Daniels, s=
ome
being Juniors and some Double-Juniors.&nbs=
p;
Dorothy and Daniel are two good names, and I see no object in hunting
for others," declared the Yellow Hen.=
"But just think, Dorothy, what a big chicken family we've grown=
to
be, and our numbers increase nearly every day! Ozma doesn't know what to do with =
all
the eggs we lay, and we are never eaten or harmed in any way, as chickens a=
re
in your country. They give us
everything to make us contented and happy, and I, my dear, am the acknowled=
ged
Queen and Governor of every chicken in Oz, because I'm the eldest and start=
ed
the whole colony."
"You ought to be very proud, ma'am,"
said Uncle Henry, who was astonished to hear a hen talk so sensibly.
"Oh, I am," she replied. "I've the loveliest pearl nec=
klace
you ever saw. Come in the hou=
se and
I'll show it to you. And I've=
nine
leg bracelets and a diamond pin for each wing. But I only wear them on state
occasions."
They followed the Yellow Hen into the house, w=
hich
Aunt Em declared was neat as a pin.
They could not sit down, because all Billina's chairs were
roosting-poles made of silver; so they had to stand while the hen fussily
showed them her treasures.
Then they had to go into the back rooms occupi=
ed
by Billina's nine Dorothys and two Daniels, who were all plump yellow chick=
ens
and greeted the visitors very politely.&nb=
sp;
It was easy to see that they were well bred and that Billina had loo=
ked
after their education.
In the yards were all the children and
grandchildren of these eleven elders and they were of all sizes, from
well-grown hens to tiny chickens just out of the shell. About fifty fluffy yellow youngste=
rs were
at school, being taught good manners and good grammar by a young hen who wo=
re
spectacles. They sang in chor=
us a
patriotic song of the Land of Oz, in honor of their visitors, and Aunt Em w=
as
much impressed by these talking chickens.
Dorothy wanted to stay and play with the young=
chickens
for awhile, but Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had not seen the palace grounds and
gardens yet and were eager to get better acquainted with the marvelous and =
delightful
land in which they were to live.
"I'll stay here, and you can go for a
walk," said Dorothy.
"You'll be perfec'ly safe anywhere, and may do whatever you want
to. When you get tired, go ba=
ck to
the palace and find your rooms, and I'll come to you before luncheon is
ready."
So Uncle Henry and Aunt Em started out alone to
explore the grounds, and Dorothy knew that they couldn't get lost, because =
all
the palace grounds were enclosed by a high wall of green marble set with
emeralds.
It was a rare treat to these simple folk, who =
had
lived in the country all their lives and known little enjoyment of any sort=
, to
wear beautiful clothes and live in a palace and be treated with respect and=
consideration
by all around them. They were=
very
happy indeed as they strolled up the shady walks and looked upon the gorgeo=
us
flowers and shrubs, feeling that their new home was more beautiful than any
tongue could describe.
Suddenly, as they turned a corner and walked
through a gap in a high hedge, they came face to face with an enormous Lion,
which crouched upon the green lawn and seemed surprised by their appearance=
.
They stopped short, Uncle Henry trembling with
horror and Aunt Em too terrified to scream. Next moment the poor woman clasped=
her
husband around the neck and cried:
"Save me, Henry, save me!"
"Can't even save myself, Em," he
returned, in a husky voice, "for the animile looks as if it could eat =
both
of us an' lick its chops for more!
If I only had a gun--"
"Haven't you, Henry? Haven't you?" she asked anxio=
usly.
"Nary gun, Em. So let's die as brave an' graceful=
as we
can. I knew our luck couldn't
last!"
"I won't die. I won't be eaten by a lion!" =
wailed
Aunt Em, glaring upon the huge beast.
Then a thought struck her, and she whispered, "Henry, I've hear=
d as
savage beastses can be conquered by the human eye. I'll eye that lion out o' countena=
nce
an' save our lives."
"Try it, Em," he returned, also in a
whisper. "Look at him as=
you
do at me when I'm late to dinner."
Aunt Em turned upon the Lion a determined
countenance and a wild dilated eye.
She glared at the immense beast steadily, and the Lion, who had been
quietly blinking at them, began to appear uneasy and disturbed.
"Is anything the matter, ma'am?" he
asked, in a mild voice.
At this speech from the terrible beast Aunt Em=
and
Uncle Henry both were startled, and then Uncle Henry remembered that this m=
ust
be the Lion they had seen in Ozma's Throne Room.
"Hold on, Em!" he exclaimed. "Quit the eagle eye conquest =
an'
take courage. I guess this is=
the
same Cowardly Lion Dorothy has told us about."
"Oh, is it?" she cried, much relieve=
d.
"When he spoke, I got the idea; and when =
he
looked so 'shamed like, I was sure of it," Uncle Henry continued.
Aunt Em regarded the animal with new interest.=
"Are you the Cowardly Lion?" she
inquired. "Are you Dorot=
hy's
friend?"
"Yes'm," answered the Lion, meekly.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "Dorothy and I are old chums =
and are
very fond of each other. I'm =
the
King of Beasts, you know, and the Hungry Tiger and I serve Princess Ozma as=
her
body guards."
"To be sure," said Aunt Em,
nodding. "But the King of
Beasts shouldn't be cowardly."
"I've heard that said before," remar=
ked
the Lion, yawning till he showed two great rows of sharp white teeth; "=
;but
that does not keep me from being frightened whenever I go into battle."=
;
"What do you do, run?" asked Uncle
Henry.
"No; that would be foolish, for the enemy
would run after me," declared the Lion. "So I tremble with fear and p=
itch
in as hard as I can; and so far I have always won my fight."
"Ah, I begin to understand," said Un=
cle
Henry.
"Were you scared when I looked at you just
now?" inquired Aunt Em.
"Terribly scared, madam," answered t=
he
Lion, "for at first I thought you were going to have a fit. Then I noticed you were trying to =
overcome
me by the power of your eye, and your glance was so fierce and penetrating =
that
I shook with fear."
This greatly pleased the lady, and she said qu=
ite
cheerfully:
"Well, I won't hurt you, so don't be scar=
ed
any more. I just wanted to se=
e what
the human eye was good for."
"The human eye is a fearful weapon,"
remarked the Lion, scratching his nose softly with his paw to hide a
smile. "Had I not known =
you
were Dorothy's friends I might have torn you both into shreds in order to e=
scape
your terrible gaze."
Aunt Em shuddered at hearing this, and Uncle H=
enry
said hastily:
"I'm glad you knew us. Good morning, Mr. Lion; we'll hope=
to
see you again--by and by--some time in the future."
"Good morning," replied the Lion,
squatting down upon the lawn again. "You are likely to see a good deal=
of
me, if you live in the Land of Oz."
After leaving the Whimsies, Guph continued on =
his
journey and penetrated far into the Northwest. He wanted to get to the Country of=
the
Growleywogs, and in order to do that he must cross the Ripple Land, which w=
as a
hard thing to do. For the Rip=
ple
Land was a succession of hills and valleys, all very steep and rocky, and t=
hey
changed places constantly by rippling.&nbs=
p;
While Guph was climbing a hill it sank down under him and became a
valley, and while he was descending into a valley it rose up and carried hi=
m to
the top of a hill. This was v=
ery perplexing
to the traveler, and a stranger might have thought he could never cross the
Ripple Land at all. But Guph =
knew
that if he kept steadily on he would get to the end at last; so he paid no
attention to the changing hills and valleys and plodded along as calmly as =
if walking
upon the level ground.
The result of this wise persistence was that t=
he
General finally reached firmer soil and, after penetrating a dense forest, =
came
to the Dominion of the Growleywogs.
No sooner had he crossed the border of this do=
main
when two guards seized him and carried him before the Grand Gallipoot of th=
e Growleywogs,
who scowled upon him ferociously and asked him why he dared intrude upon hi=
s territory.
"I'm the Lord High General of the Invinci=
ble
Army of the Nomes, and my name is Guph," was the reply. "All the world trembles when =
that
name is mentioned."
The Growleywogs gave a shout of jeering laught=
er
at this, and one of them caught the Nome in his strong arms and tossed him =
high
into the air. Guph was consid=
erably
shaken when he fell upon the hard ground, but he appeared to take no notice=
of
the impertinence and composed himself to speak again to the Grand Gallipoot=
.
"My master, King Roquat the Red, has sent=
me
here to confer with you. He wishes your assistance to conquer the Land of
Oz."
Here the General paused, and the Grand Gallipo=
ot
scowled upon him more terribly than ever and said:
"Go on!"
The voice of the Grand Gallipoot was partly a =
roar
and partly a growl. He mumbled his words badly and Guph had to listen caref=
ully
in order to understand him.
These Growleywogs were certainly remarkable
creatures. They were of gigan=
tic
size, yet were all bone and skin and muscle, there being no meat or fat upon
their bodies at all. Their po=
werful
muscles lay just underneath their skins, like bunches of tough rope, and the
weakest Growleywog was so strong that he could pick up an elephant and toss=
it seven
miles away.
It seems unfortunate that strong people are
usually so disagreeable and overbearing that no one cares for them. In fact, to be different from your
fellow creatures is always a misfortune.&n=
bsp;
The Growleywogs knew that they were disliked and avoided by every on=
e,
so they had become surly and unsociable even among themselves. Guph knew that they hated all peop=
le,
including the Nomes; but he hoped to win them over, nevertheless, and knew =
that
if he succeeded they would afford him very powerful assistance.
"The Land of Oz is ruled by a namby-pamby
girl who is disgustingly kind and good," he continued. "Her people are all happy and
contented and have no care or worries whatever."
"Go on!" growled the Grand Gallipoot=
.
"Once the Nome King enslaved the Royal Fa=
mily
of Ev--another goody-goody lot that we detest," said the General. "But Ozma interfered, althoug=
h it
was none of her business, and marched her army against us. With her was a Kansas girl named
Dorothy, and a Yellow Hen, and they marched directly into the Nome King's
cavern. There they liberated =
our
slaves from Ev and stole King Roquat's Magic Belt, which they carried away =
with
them. So now our King is maki=
ng a
tunnel under the deadly desert, so we can march through it to the Emerald C=
ity.
When we get there we mean to conquer and destroy all the land and recapture=
the
Magic Belt."
Again he paused, and again the Grand Gallipoot
growled:
"Go on!"
Guph tried to think what to say next, and a ha=
ppy
thought soon occurred to him.
"We want you to help us in this
conquest," he announced, "for we need the mighty aid of the
Growleywogs in order to make sure that we shall not be defeated. You are the strongest people in al=
l the
world, and you hate good and happy creatures as much as we Nomes do. I am sure it will be a real pleasu=
re to you
to tear down the beautiful Emerald City, and in return for your valuable
assistance we will allow you to bring back to your country ten thousand peo=
ple
of Oz, to be your slaves."
"Twenty thousand!" growled the Grand
Gallipoot.
"All right, we promise you twenty
thousand," agreed the General.
The Gallipoot made a signal and at once his
attendants picked up General Guph and carried him away to a prison, where t=
he
jailer amused himself by sticking pins in the round fat body of the old Nom=
e,
to see him jump and hear him yell.
But while this was going on the Grand Gallipoot
was talking with his counselors, who were the most important officials of t=
he
Growleywogs. When he had stated to them the proposition of the Nome King, he
said:
"My advice is to offer to help them. Then, when we have conquered the L=
and of
Oz, we will take not only our twenty thousand prisoners but all the gold and
jewels we want."
"Let us take the Magic Belt, too,"
suggested one counselor.
"And rob the Nome King and make him our s=
lave,"
said another.
"That is a good idea," declared the
Grand Gallipoot. "I'd li=
ke
King Roquat for my own slave. He
could black my boots and bring me my porridge every morning while I am in
bed."
"There is a famous Scarecrow in Oz. I'll take him for my slave," =
said a
counselor.
"I'll take Tiktok, the machine man,"
said another.
"Give me the Tin Woodman," said a th=
ird.
They went on for some time, dividing up the pe=
ople
and the treasure of Oz in advance of the conquest. For they had no doubt at all that =
they would
be able to destroy Ozma's domain.
Were they not the strongest people in all the world?
"The deadly desert has kept us out of Oz
before," remarked the Grand Gallipoot, "but now that the Nome Kin=
g is
building a tunnel we shall get into the Emerald City very easily. So let us send the little fat Gene=
ral
back to his King with our promise to assist him. We will not say that we intend to
conquer the Nomes after we have conquered Oz, but we will do so, just the
same."
This plan being agreed upon, they all went hom=
e to
dinner, leaving General Guph still in prison. The Nome had no idea that he had s=
ucceeded
in his mission, for finding himself in prison he feared the Growleywogs
intended to put him to death.
By this time the jailer had tired of sticking =
pins
in the General, and was amusing himself by carefully pulling the Nome's
whiskers out by the roots, one at a time.&=
nbsp;
This enjoyment was interrupted by the Grand Gallipoot sending for the
prisoner.
"Wait a few hours," begged the
jailer. "I haven't pulle=
d out
a quarter of his whiskers yet."
"If you keep the Grand Gallipoot waiting,
he'll break your back," declared the messenger.
"Perhaps you're right," sighed the
jailer. "Take the prison=
er
away, if you will, but I advise you to kick him at every step he takes. It will be good fun, for he is as =
soft
as a ripe peach."
So Guph was led away to the royal castle, where
the Grand Gallipoot told him that the Growleywogs had decided to assist the
Nomes in conquering the Land of Oz.
"Whenever you are ready," he added,
"send me word and I will march with eighteen thousand of my most power=
ful
warriors to your aid."
Guph was so delighted that he forgot all the
smarting caused by the pins and the pulling of whiskers. He did not even complain of the tr=
eatment
he had received, but thanked the Grand Gallipoot and hurried away upon his
journey.
He had now secured the assistance of the Whims=
ies
and the Growleywogs; but his success made him long for still more allies. His own life depended upon his
conquering Oz, and he said to himself:
"I'll take no chances. I'll be certain of success. Then, when Oz is destroyed, perhap=
s I
shall be a greater man than old Roquat, and I can throw him away and be Kin=
g of
the Nomes myself. Why not?
It did not take Dorothy long to establish hers=
elf
in her new home, for she knew the people and the manners and customs of the
Emerald City just as well as she knew the old Kansas farm.
But Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had some trouble in
getting used to the finery and pomp and ceremony of Ozma's palace, and felt
uneasy because they were obliged to be "dressed up" all the
time. Yet every one was very
courteous and kind to them and endeavored to make them happy. Ozma, especia=
lly,
made much of Dorothy's relatives, for her little friend's sake, and she well
knew that the awkwardness and strangeness of their new mode of life would a=
ll
wear off in time.
The old people were chiefly troubled by the fa=
ct
that there was no work for them to do.
"Ev'ry day is like Sunday, now,"
declared Aunt Em, solemnly, "and I can't say I like it. If they'd only let me do up the di=
shes
after meals, or even sweep an' dust my own rooms, I'd be a deal happier. He=
nry
don't know what to do with himself either, and once when he stole out an' f=
ed
the chickens Billina scolded him for letting 'em eat between meals. I never knew before what a hardshi=
p it
is to be rich and have everything you want."
These complaints began to worry Dorothy; so she
had a long talk with Ozma upon the subject.
"I see I must find them something to do,&=
quot;
said the girlish Ruler of Oz, seriously.&n=
bsp;
"I have been watching your uncle and aunt, and I believe they w=
ill
be more contented if occupied with some light tasks. While I am considering this matter,
Dorothy, you might make a trip with them through the Land of Oz, visiting s=
ome
of the odd corners and introducing your relatives to some of our curious
people."
"Oh, that would be fine!" exclaimed
Dorothy, eagerly.
"I will give you an escort befitting your
rank as a Princess," continued Ozma; "and you may go to some of t=
he
places you have not yet visited yourself, as well as some others that you
know. I will mark out a plan =
of the
trip for you and have everything in readiness for you to start to-morrow
morning. Take your time, dear=
, and
be gone as long as you wish. =
By the
time you return I shall have found some occupation for Uncle Henry and Aunt=
Em
that will keep them from being restless and dissatisfied."
Dorothy thanked her good friend and kissed the
lovely Ruler gratefully. Then she ran to tell the joyful news to her uncle =
and
aunt.
Next morning, after breakfast, everything was
found ready for their departure.
The escort included Omby Amby, the Captain Gen=
eral
of Ozma's army, which consisted merely of twenty-seven officers besides the
Captain General. Once Omby Am=
by had
been a private soldier--the only private in the army--but as there was never
any fighting to do Ozma saw no need of a private, so she made Omby Amby the
highest officer of them all. He was very tall and slim and wore a gay unifo=
rm and
a fierce mustache. Yet the mustache was the only fierce thing about Omby Am=
by,
whose nature was as gentle as that of a child.
The wonderful Wizard had asked to join the par=
ty,
and with him came his friend the Shaggy Man, who was shaggy but not ragged,=
being
dressed in fine silks with satin shags and bobtails. The Shaggy Man had shaggy whiskers=
and
hair, but a sweet disposition and a soft, pleasant voice.
There was an open wagon, with three seats for =
the
passengers, and the wagon was drawn by the famous wooden Sawhorse which had
once been brought to life by Ozma by means of a magic powder. The Sawhorse wore wooden shoes to =
keep
his wooden legs from wearing away, and he was strong and swift. As this curious creature was Ozma'=
s own
favorite steed, and very popular with all the people of the Emerald City, D=
orothy
knew that she had been highly favored by being permitted to use the Sawhors=
e on
her journey.
In the front seat of the wagon sat Dorothy and=
the
Wizard. Uncle Henry and Aunt =
Em sat
in the next seat and the Shaggy Man and Omby Amby in the third seat. Of course Toto was with the party,
curled up at Dorothy's feet, and just as they were about to start, Billina =
came
fluttering along the path and begged to be taken with them. Dorothy readily agreed, so the Yel=
low
Hen flew up and perched herself upon the dashboard. She wore her pearl necklace and th=
ree
bracelets upon each leg, in honor of the occasion.
Dorothy kissed Ozma good-bye, and all the peop=
le
standing around waved their handkerchiefs, and the band in an upper balcony
struck up a military march. T=
hen
the Wizard clucked to the Sawhorse and said: "Gid-dap!" and the
wooden animal pranced away and drew behind him the big red wagon and all the
passengers, without any effort at all.&nbs=
p;
A servant threw open a gate of the palace enclosure, that they might
pass out; and so, with music and shouts following them, the journey was beg=
un.
"It's almost like a circus," said Au=
nt
Em, proudly. "I can't he=
lp feelin'
high an' mighty in this kind of a turn-out."
Indeed, as they passed down the street, all the
people cheered them lustily, and the Shaggy Man and the Wizard and the Capt=
ain
General all took off their hats and bowed politely in acknowledgment.
When they came to the great wall of the Emerald
City, the gates were opened by the Guardian who always tended them. Over the gateway hung a dull-color=
ed
metal magnet shaped like a horse-shoe, placed against a shield of polished
gold.
"That," said the Shaggy Man,
impressively, "is the wonderful Love Magnet. I brought it to the Emerald City m=
yself,
and all who pass beneath this gateway are both loving and beloved."
"It's a fine thing," declared Aunt E=
m,
admiringly. "If we'd had=
it in
Kansas I guess the man who held a mortgage on the farm wouldn't have turned=
us
out."
"Then I'm glad we didn't have it,"
returned Uncle Henry. "I=
like
Oz better than Kansas, even; an' this little wood Sawhorse beats all the cr=
itters
I ever saw. He don't have to =
be
curried, or fed, or watered, an' he's strong as an ox. Can he talk, Dorothy?"
"Yes, Uncle," replied the child. "But the Sawhorse never says =
much. He
told me once that he can't talk and think at the same time, so he prefers to
think."
"Which is very sensible," declared t=
he
Wizard, nodding approvingly. "Which way do we go, Dorothy?"
"Straight ahead into the Quadling
Country," she answered.
"I've got a letter of interduction to Miss Cuttenclip."
"Oh!" exclaimed the Wizard, much
interested. "Are we going
there? Then I'm glad I came, for I've always wanted to meet the Cuttenclips=
."
"Who are they?" inquired Aunt Em.
"Wait till we get there," replied
Dorothy, with a laugh; "then you'll see for yourself. I've never seen the Cuttenclips, y=
ou
know, so I can't 'zactly 'splain 'em to you."
Once free of the Emerald City the Sawhorse das=
hed
away at tremendous speed. Ind=
eed,
he went so fast that Aunt Em had hard work to catch her breath, and Uncle H=
enry
held fast to the seat of the red wagon.
"Gently--gently, my boy!" called the
Wizard, and at this the Sawhorse slackened his speed.
"What's wrong?" asked the animal,
slightly turning his wooden head to look at the party with one eye, which w=
as a
knot of wood.
"Why, we wish to admire the scenery, that=
's
all," answered the Wizard.
"Some of your passengers," added the
Shaggy Man, "have never been out of the Emerald City before, and the
country is all new to them."
"If you go too fast you'll spoil all the
fun," said Dorothy.
"There's no hurry."
"Very well; it is all the same to me,&quo=
t;
observed the Sawhorse; and after that he went at a more moderate pace.
Uncle Henry was astonished.
"How can a wooden thing be so
intelligent?" he asked.
"Why, I gave him some sawdust brains the =
last
time I fitted his head with new ears," explained the Wizard. "The sawdust was made from ha=
rd knots,
and now the Sawhorse is able to think out any knotty problem he meets
with."
"I see," said Uncle Henry.
"I don't," remarked Aunt Em; but no =
one
paid any attention to this statement.
Before long they came to a stately building th=
at
stood upon a green plain with handsome shade trees grouped here and there. =
"What is that?" asked Uncle Henry. <= o:p>
"That," replied the Wizard, "is=
the
Royal Athletic College of Oz, which is directed by Professor H. M. Wogglebu=
g,
T.E."
"Let's stop and make a call," sugges=
ted
Dorothy.
So the Sawhorse drew up in front of the great
building and they were met at the door by the learned Wogglebug himself.
"Welcome, Dorothy," said the Woggleb=
ug;
"and welcome to all your friends.&nbs=
p;
We are indeed pleased to receive you at this great Temple of Learnin=
g."
"I thought it was an Athletic College,&qu=
ot;
said the Shaggy Man.
"It is, my dear sir," answered the
Wogglebug, proudly. "Her=
e it
is that we teach the youth of our great land scientific College Athletics--=
in
all their purity."
"Don't you teach them anything else?"
asked Dorothy. "Don't th=
ey get
any reading, writing and 'rithmetic?"
"Oh, yes; of course. They get all those, and more,"
returned the Professor. "=
;But
such things occupy little of their time.&n=
bsp;
Please follow me and I will show you how my scholars are usually
occupied. This is a class hour and they are all busy."
They followed him to a big field back of the
college building, where several hundred young Ozites were at their
classes. In one place they pl=
ayed
football, in another baseball. Some
played tennis, some golf; some were swimming in a big pool. Upon a river which wound through t=
he grounds
several crews in racing boats were rowing with great enthusiasm. Other groups of students played ba=
sketball
and cricket, while in one place a ring was roped in to permit boxing and
wrestling by the energetic youths.
All the collegians seemed busy and there was much laughter and shout=
ing.
"This college," said Professor
Wogglebug, complacently, "is a great success. Its educational value is undispute=
d, and
we are turning out many great and valuable citizens every year."
"But when do they study?" asked Doro=
thy.
"Study?" said the Wogglebug, looking
perplexed at the question.
"Yes; when do they get their 'rithmetic, =
and
jogerfy, and such things?"
"Oh, they take doses of those every night=
and
morning," was the reply.
"What do you mean by doses?" Dorothy
inquired, wonderingly.
"Why, we use the newly invented School Pi=
lls,
made by your friend the Wizard. These
pills we have found to be very effective, and they save a lot of time. Please step this way and I will sh=
ow you
our Laboratory of Learning."
He led them to a room in the building where ma=
ny
large bottles were standing in rows upon shelves.
"These are the Algebra Pills," said =
the
Professor, taking down one of the bottles.=
"One at night, on retiring, is equal to four hours of study.
"Your scholars must have to take a lot of
pills," remarked Dorothy, thoughtfully. "How do they take 'em, in
applesauce?"
"No, my dear. They are sugar-coated and are quic=
kly
and easily swallowed. I belie=
ve the
students would rather take the pills than study, and certainly the pills ar=
e a
more effective method. You se=
e, until
these School Pills were invented we wasted a lot of time in study that may =
now
be better employed in practicing athletics."
"Seems to me the pills are a good
thing," said Omby Amby, who remembered how it used to make his head ac=
he
as a boy to study arithmetic.
"They are, sir," declared the Woggle=
bug,
earnestly. "They give us=
an advantage
over all other colleges, because at no loss of time our boys become thoroug=
hly
conversant with Greek and Latin, Mathematics and Geography, Grammar and
Literature. You see they are =
never
obliged to interrupt their games to acquire the lesser branches of
learning."
"It's a great invention, I'm sure," =
said
Dorothy, looking admiringly at the Wizard, who blushed modestly at this pra=
ise.
"We live in an age of progress,"
announced Professor Wogglebug, pompously.&=
nbsp;
"It is easier to swallow knowledge than to acquire it laborious=
ly
from books. Is it not so, my
friends?"
"Some folks can swallow anything," s=
aid
Aunt Em, "but to me this seems too much like taking medicine."
"Young men in college always have to take
their medicine, one way or another," observed the Wizard, with a smile;
"and, as our Professor says, these School Pills have proved to be a gr=
eat
success. One day while I was =
making
them I happened to drop one of them, and one of Billina's chickens gobbled =
it
up. A few minutes afterward t=
his
chick got upon a roost and recited 'The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck' with=
out
making a single mistake. Then=
it
recited 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' and afterwards 'Excelsior.' You see, the chicken had eaten an
Elocution Pill."
They now bade good-bye to the Professor, and
thanking him for his kind reception mounted again into the red wagon and
continued their journey.
The travelers had taken no provisions with them
because they knew that they would be welcomed wherever they might go in the
Land of Oz, and that the people would feed and lodge them with genuine
hospitality. So about noon th=
ey
stopped at a farm-house and were given a delicious luncheon of bread and mi=
lk,
fruits and wheat cakes with maple syrup. After resting a while and strolling
through the orchards with their host--a round, jolly farmer--they got into =
the
wagon and again started the Sawhorse along the pretty, winding road.
There were signposts at all the corners, and
finally they came to one which read:
=
TAKE
THIS ROAD TO THE CUTTENCLIPS
=
There
was also a hand pointing in the right direction, so they turned the Sawhorse
that way and found it a very good road, but seemingly little traveled.
"I've never seen the Cuttenclips before,&=
quot;
remarked Dorothy.
"Nor I," said the Captain General. <= o:p>
"Nor I," said the Wizard.
"Nor I," said Billina.
"I've hardly been out of the Emerald City
since I arrived in this country," added the Shaggy Man.
"Why, none of us has been there, then,&qu=
ot;
exclaimed the little girl. &q=
uot;I wonder
what the Cuttenclips are like."
"We shall soon find out," said the
Wizard, with a sly laugh.
"I've heard they are rather flimsy things."
The farm-houses became fewer as they proceeded,
and the path was at times so faint that the Sawhorse had hard work to keep =
in
the road. The wagon began to jounce, too; so they were obliged to go slowly=
.
After a somewhat wearisome journey they came in
sight of a high wall, painted blue with pink ornaments. This wall was circular, and seemed=
to
enclose a large space. It was=
so
high that only the tops of the trees could be seen above it.
The path led up to a small door in the wall, w=
hich
was closed and latched. Upon =
the
door was a sign in gold letters reading as follows:
=
VISITORS
are requested to MOVE SLOWLY and CAREFULLY, and to avoid COUGHING or making=
any
BREEZE or DRAUGHT.
=
"That's
strange," said the Shaggy Man, reading the sign aloud. "Who ARE the Cuttenclips,
anyhow?"
"Why, they're paper dolls," answered
Dorothy. "Didn't you know
that?"
"Paper dolls! Then let's go somewhere else,"=
; said
Uncle Henry. "We're all =
too
old to play with dolls, Dorothy."
"But these are different," declared =
the
girl. "They're alive.&qu=
ot;
"Alive!" gasped Aunt Em, in amazemen=
t.
"Yes.&nb=
sp;
Let's go in," said Dorothy.
So they all got out of the wagon, since the do=
or
in the wall was not big enough for them to drive the Sawhorse and wagon thr=
ough
it.
"You stay here, Toto!" commanded
Dorothy, shaking her finger at the little dog. "You're so careless that you =
might
make a breeze if I let you inside."
Toto wagged his tail as if disappointed at bei=
ng
left behind; but he made no effort to follow them. The Wizard unlatched the door, whi=
ch opened
outward, and they all looked eagerly inside.
Just before the entrance was drawn up a line of
tiny soldiers, with uniforms brightly painted and paper guns upon their
shoulders. They were exactly =
alike,
from one end of the line to the other, and all were cut out of paper and jo=
ined
together in the centers of their bodies.
As the visitors entered the enclosure the Wiza=
rd
let the door swing back into place, and at once the line of soldiers tumbled
over, fell flat upon their backs, and lay fluttering upon the ground.
"Hi there!" called one of them;
"what do you mean by slamming the door and blowing us over?"
"I beg your pardon, I'm sure," said =
the
Wizard, regretfully. "I =
didn't
know you were so delicate."
"We're not delicate!" retorted anoth=
er
soldier, raising his head from the ground.=
"We are strong and healthy; but we can't stand draughts." =
"May I help you up?" asked Dorothy. =
"If you please," replied the end
soldier. "But do it gent=
ly,
little girl."
Dorothy carefully stood up the line of soldier=
s,
who first dusted their painted clothes and then saluted the visitors with t=
heir
paper muskets. From the end it was easy to see that the entire line had been
cut out of paper, although from the front the soldiers looked rather solid =
and imposing.
"I've a letter of introduction from Princ=
ess
Ozma to Miss Cuttenclip," announced Dorothy.
"Very well," said the end soldier, a=
nd
blew upon a paper whistle that hung around his neck. At once a paper soldier in a Capta=
in's
uniform came out of a paper house near by and approached the group at the e=
ntrance. He was not very big, and he walked
rather stiffly and uncertainly on his paper legs; but he had a pleasant fac=
e,
with very red cheeks and very blue eyes, and he bowed so low to the strange=
rs that
Dorothy laughed, and the breeze from her mouth nearly blew the Captain
over. He wavered and struggle=
d and
finally managed to remain upon his feet.
"Take care, Miss!" he said,
warningly. "You're break=
ing
the rules, you know, by laughing."
"Oh, I didn't know that," she replie=
d.
"To laugh in this place is nearly as
dangerous as to cough," said the Captain. "You'll have to breathe very
quietly, I assure you."
"We'll try to," promised the girl. "May we see Miss Cuttenclip, =
please?"
"You may," promptly returned the
Captain. "This is one of=
her reception
days. Be good enough to follo=
w me."
He turned and led the way up a path, and as th=
ey
followed slowly, because the paper Captain did not move very swiftly, they =
took
the opportunity to gaze around them at this strange paper country.
Beside the path were paper trees, all cut out =
very
neatly and painted a brilliant green color. And back of the trees were rows of
cardboard houses, painted in various colors but most of them having green
blinds. Some were large and some small, and in the front yards were beds of=
paper
flowers quite natural in appearance.
Over some of the porches paper vines were twined, giving them a cozy=
and
shady look.
As the visitors passed along the street a good
many paper dolls came to the doors and windows of their houses to look at t=
hem
curiously. These dolls were n=
early
all the same height, but were cut into various shapes, some being fat and s=
ome
lean. The girl dolls wore man=
y beautiful
costumes of tissue paper, making them quite fluffy; but their heads and han=
ds
were no thicker than the paper of which they were made.
Some of the paper people were on the street,
walking along or congregated in groups and talking together; but as soon as
they saw the strangers they all fluttered into the houses as fast as they c=
ould
go, so as to be out of danger.
"Excuse me if I go edgewise," remark=
ed
the Captain as they came to a slight hill.=
"I can get along faster that way and not flutter so much."=
"That's all right," said Dorothy.
At one side of the street was a paper pump, an=
d a
paper boy was pumping paper water into a paper pail. The Yellow Hen happened to brush a=
gainst
this boy with her wing, and he flew into the air and fell into a paper tree,
where he stuck until the Wizard gently pulled him out. At the same time, the
pail went into the air, spilling the paper water, while the paper pump bent
nearly double.
"Goodness me!" said the Hen. "If I should flop my wings I
believe I'd knock over the whole village!"
"Then don't flop them--please don't!"
entreated the Captain. "=
Miss Cuttenclip
would be very much distressed if her village was spoiled."
"Oh, I'll be careful," promised Bill=
ina.
"Are not all these paper girls and women
named Miss Cuttenclips?" inquired Omby Amby.
"No indeed," answered the Captain, w=
ho
was walking better since he began to move edgewise. "There is but one Miss Cutten=
clip,
who is our Queen, because she made us all.=
These girls are Cuttenclips, to be sure, but their names are Emily a=
nd
Polly and Sue and Betty and such things.&n=
bsp;
Only the Queen is called Miss Cuttenclip."
"I must say that this place beats anythin=
g I
ever heard of," observed Aunt Em.&nbs=
p;
"I used to play with paper dolls myself, an' cut 'em out; but I
never thought I'd ever see such things alive."
"I don't see as it's any more curious than
hearing hens talk," returned Uncle Henry.
"You're likely to see many queer things in
the Land of Oz, sir," said the Wizard. "But a fairy country is extre=
mely
interesting when you get used to being surprised."
"Here we are!" called the Captain,
stopping before a cottage.
This house was made of wood, and was remarkably
pretty in design. In the Emer=
ald
City it would have been considered a tiny dwelling, indeed; but in the mids=
t of
this paper village it seemed immense.
Real flowers were in the garden and real trees grew beside it. Upon the front door was a sign rea=
ding:
=
MISS
CUTTENCLIP.
=
Just
as they reached the porch the front door opened and a little girl stood bef=
ore
them. She appeared to be abou=
t the
same age as Dorothy, and smiling upon her visitors she said, sweetly:
"You are welcome."
All the party seemed relieved to find that here
was a real girl, of flesh and blood.
She was very dainty and pretty as she stood there welcoming them.
"May we see Miss Cuttenclip, please?"
asked Dorothy.
"I am Miss Cuttenclip," was the
reply. "Won't you come
in?"
She held the door open while they all entered a
pretty sitting-room that was littered with all sorts of paper--some stiff, =
some
thin, and some tissue. The sh=
eets
and scraps were of all colors. Upon
a table were paints and brushes, while several pair of scissors, of differe=
nt sizes,
were lying about.
"Sit down, please," said Miss
Cuttenclip, clearing the paper scraps off some of the chairs. "It is so long since I have h=
ad any
visitors that I am not properly prepared to receive them. But I'm sure you will pardon my unt=
idy
room, for this is my workshop."
"Do you make all the paper dolls?"
inquired Dorothy.
"Yes; I cut them out with my scissors, and
paint the faces and some of the costumes.&=
nbsp;
It is very pleasant work, and I am happy making my paper village
grow."
"But how do the paper dolls happen to be
alive?" asked Aunt Em.
"The first dolls I made were not alive,&q=
uot;
said Miss Cuttenclip. "I=
used to
live near the castle of a great Sorceress named Glinda the Good, and she sa=
w my
dolls and said they were very pretty.
I told her I thought I would like them better if they were alive, and
the next day the Sorceress brought me a lot of magic paper. 'This is live paper,' she said, 'a=
nd all
the dolls you cut out of it will be alive, and able to think and to talk. When you have used it all up, come=
to me
and I will give you more.'
"Of course I was delighted with this
present," continued Miss Cuttenclip, "and at once set to work and
made several paper dolls, which, as soon as they were cut out, began to walk
around and talk to me. But th=
ey
were so thin that I found that any breeze would blow them over and scatter =
them
dreadfully; so Glinda found this lonely place for me, where few people ever
come. She built the wall to k=
eep
any wind from blowing away my people, and told me I could build a paper vil=
lage
here and be its Queen. That i=
s why
I came here and settled down to work and started the village you now see. It was many years ago that I built=
the
first houses, and I've kept pretty busy and made my village grow finely; an=
d I
need not tell you that I am very happy in my work."
"Many years ago!" exclaimed Aunt
Em. "Why, how old are yo=
u,
child?"
"I never keep track of the years," s=
aid
Miss Cuttenclip, laughing. "You see, I don't grow up at all, but stay =
just
the same as I was when first I came here.&=
nbsp;
Perhaps I'm older even than you are, madam; but I couldn't say for
sure."
They looked at the lovely little girl wonderin=
gly,
and the Wizard asked:
"What happens to your paper village when =
it rains?"
"It does not rain here," replied Miss
Cuttenclip. "Glinda keep=
s all the
rain storms away; so I never worry about my dolls getting wet. But now, if you will come with me,=
it
will give me pleasure to show you over my paper kingdom. Of course you must go slowly and
carefully, and avoid making any breeze."
They left the cottage and followed their guide
through the various streets of the village. It was indeed an amazing place, wh=
en one
considered that it was all made with scissors, and the visitors were not on=
ly
greatly interested but full of admiration for the skill of little Miss
Cuttenclip.
In one place a large group of especially nice
paper dolls assembled to greet their Queen, whom it was easy to see they lo=
ved
early. These dolls marched an=
d danced
before the visitors, and then they all waved their paper handkerchiefs and =
sang
in a sweet chorus a song called "The Flag of Our Native Land."
At the conclusion of the song they ran up a
handsome paper flag on a tall flagpole, and all of the people of the village
gathered around to cheer as loudly as they could--although, of course, their
voices were not especially strong.
Miss Cuttenclip was about to make her subjects=
a
speech in reply to this patriotic song, when the Shaggy Man happened to sne=
eze.
He was a very loud and powerful sneezer at any
time, and he had tried so hard to hold in this sneeze that when it suddenly
exploded the result was terrible.
The paper dolls were mowed down by dozens, and
flew and fluttered in wild confusion in every direction, tumbling this way =
and
that and getting more or less wrinkled and bent.
A wail of terror and grief came from the scatt=
ered
throng, and Miss Cuttenclip exclaimed:
"Dear me! dear me!" and hurried at o=
nce
to the rescue of her overturned people.
"Oh, Shaggy Man! How could you?" asked Dorothy,
reproachfully.
"I couldn't help it--really I couldn't,&q=
uot;
protested the Shaggy Man, looking quite ashamed. "And I had no idea it took so
little to upset these paper dolls."
"So little!" said Dorothy. "Why, it was 'most as bad as a
Kansas cyclone." And the=
n she
helped Miss Cuttenclip rescue the paper folk and stand them on their feet
again. Two of the cardboard h=
ouses
had also tumbled over, and the little Queen said she would have to repair t=
hem
and paste them together before they could be lived in again.
And now, fearing they might do more damage to =
the
flimsy paper people, they decided to go away. But first they thanked Miss Cutten=
clip
very warmly for her courtesy and kindness to them.
"Any friend of Princess Ozma is always
welcome here--unless he sneezes," said the Queen with a rather severe =
look
at the Shaggy Man, who hung his head.
"I like to have visitors admire my wonderful village, and I hope
you will call again."
Miss Cuttenclip herself led them to the door in
the wall, and as they passed along the street the paper dolls peeped at them
half fearfully from the doors and windows.=
Perhaps they will never forget the Shaggy Man's awful sneeze, and I =
am
sure they were all glad to see the meat people go away.
On leaving the Growleywogs General Guph had to
recross the Ripple Lands, and he did not find it a pleasant thing to do.
But when he reached the plains again and the
ground was firm under his feet he began to feel better, and instead of going
back home he turned directly west.
A squirrel, perched in a tree, saw him take this road and called to =
him
warningly: "Look out!"
But he paid no attention. An
eagle paused in its flight through the air to look at him wonderingly and s=
ay:
"Look out!" But on =
he
went.
No one can say that Guph was not brave, for he=
had
determined to visit those dangerous creatures the Phanfasms, who resided up=
on
the very top of the dread Mountain of Phantastico. The Phanfasms were Erbs, and so dr=
eaded
by mortals and immortals alike that no one had been near their mountain home
for several thousand years. Y=
et
General Guph hoped to induce them to join in his proposed warfare against t=
he
good and happy Oz people.
Guph knew very well that the Phanfasms would be
almost as dangerous to the Nomes as they would to the Ozites, but he thought
himself so clever that he believed he could manage these strange creatures =
and
make them obey him. And there=
was
no doubt at all that if he could enlist the services of the Phanfasms, their
tremendous power, united to the strength of the Growleywogs and the cunning=
of
the Whimsies would doom the Land of Oz to absolute destruction.
So the old Nome climbed the foothills and trud=
ged
along the wild mountain paths until he came to a big gully that encircled t=
he
Mountain of Phantastico and marked the boundary line of the dominion of the=
Phanfasms. This gully was about a third of th=
e way
up the mountain, and it was filled to the brim with red-hot molten lava in
which swam fire-serpents and poisonous salamanders. The heat from this mass and its
poisonous smell were both so unbearable that even birds hesitated to fly ov=
er
the gully, but circled around it.
All living things kept away from the mountain.
Now Guph had heard, during his long lifetime, =
many
tales of these dreaded Phanfasms; so he had heard of this barrier of melted
lava, and also he had been told that there was a narrow bridge that spanned=
it
in one place. So he walked al=
ong
the edge until he found the bridge.
It was a single arch of gray stone, and lying flat upon the bridge w=
as a
scarlet alligator, seemingly fast asleep.
When Guph stumbled over the rocks in approachi=
ng
the bridge the creature opened its eyes, from which tiny flames shot in all=
directions,
and after looking at the intruder very wickedly the scarlet alligator closed
its eyelids again and lay still.
Guph saw there was no room for him to pass the
alligator on the narrow bridge, so he called out to it:
"Good morning, friend. I don't wish to hurry you, but ple=
ase
tell me if you are coming down, or going up?"
"Neither," snapped the alligator,
clicking its cruel jaws together.
The General hesitated.
"Are you likely to stay there long?"=
he
asked.
"A few hundred years or so," said the
alligator.
Guph softly rubbed the end of his nose and tri=
ed
to think what to do.
"Do you know whether the First and Foremo=
st
Phanfasm of Phantastico is at home or not?" he presently inquired.
"I expect he is, seeing he is always at
home," replied the alligator.
"Ah; who is that coming down the
mountain?" asked the Nome, gazing upward.
The alligator turned to look over its shoulder,
and at once Guph ran to the bridge and leaped over the sentinel's back befo=
re
it could turn back again. The
scarlet monster made a snap at the Nome's left foot, but missed it by fully=
an
inch.
"Ah ha!" laughed the General, who was
now on the mountain path. &qu=
ot;I fooled
you that time."
"So you did; and perhaps you fooled
yourself," retorted the alligator. "Go up the mountain, if you da=
re,
and find out what the First and Foremost will do to you!"
"I will," declared Guph, boldly; and=
on
he went up the path.
At first the scene was wild enough, but gradua=
lly
it grew more and more awful in appearance.=
All the rocks had the shapes of frightful beings and even the tree
trunks were gnarled and twisted like serpents.
Suddenly there appeared before the Nome a man =
with
the head of an owl. His body was hairy like that of an ape, and his only
clothing was a scarlet scarf twisted around his waist. He bore a huge club in his hand an=
d his
round owl eyes blinked fiercely upon the intruder.
"What are you doing here?" he demand=
ed,
threatening Guph with his club.
"I've come to see the First and Foremost
Phanfasm of Phantastico," replied the General, who did not like the way
this creature looked at him, but still was not afraid.
"Ah; you shall see him!" the man sai=
d,
with a sneering laugh. "=
The First
and Foremost shall decide upon the best way to punish you."
"He will not punish me," returned Gu=
ph,
calmly, "for I have come here to do him and his people a rare favor. Lead on, fellow, and take me direc=
tly to
your master."
The owl-man raised his club with a threatening
gesture.
"If you try to escape," he said,
"beware--"
But here the General interrupted him.
"Spare your threats," said he, "=
;and
do not be impertinent, or I will have you severely punished. Lead on, and keep silent!"
This Guph was really a clever rascal, and it s=
eems
a pity he was so bad, for in a good cause he might have accomplished much.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He realized that he had put himsel=
f into
a dangerous position by coming to this dreadful mountain, but he also knew =
that
if he showed fear he was lost. So he adopted a bold manner as his best
defense. The wisdom of this p=
lan
was soon evident, for the Phanfasm with the owl's head turned and led the w=
ay
up the mountain.
At the very top was a level plain upon which w=
ere
heaps of rock that at first glance seemed solid. But on looking closer Guph discove=
red
that these rock heaps were dwellings, for each had an opening.
Not a person was to be seen outside the rock
huts. All was silent.
The owl-man led the way among the groups of
dwellings to one standing in the center.&n=
bsp;
It seemed no better and no worse than any of the others. Outside the entrance to this rock =
heap
the guide gave a low wail that sounded like "Lee-ow-ah!"
Suddenly there bounded from the opening another
hairy man. This one wore the =
head
of a bear. In his hand he bor=
e a
brass hoop. He glared at the
stranger in evident surprise.
"Why have you captured this foolish wande=
rer
and brought him here?" he demanded, addressing the owl-man.
"I did not capture him," was the
answer. "He passed the s=
carlet
alligator and came here of his own free will and accord."
The First and Foremost looked at the General. =
"Have you tired of life, then?" he
asked.
"No indeed," answered Guph. "I am a Nome, and the Chief G=
eneral
of King Roquat the Red's great army of Nomes. I come of a long-lived race, and I=
may
say that I expect to live a long time yet.=
Sit down, you Phanfasms--if you can find a seat in this wild haunt--=
and
listen to what I have to say."
With all his knowledge and bravery General Guph
did not know that the steady glare from the bear eyes was reading his inmost
thoughts as surely as if they had been put into words. He did not know that these despise=
d rock
heaps of the Phanfasms were merely deceptions to his own eyes, nor could he
guess that he was standing in the midst of one of the most splendid and
luxurious cities ever built by magic power. All that he saw was a barren waste=
of
rock heaps, a hairy man with an owl's head and another with a bear's head.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The sorcery of the Phanfasms permi=
tted
him to see no more.
Suddenly the First and Foremost swung his brass
hoop and caught Guph around the neck with it. The next instant, before the Gener=
al
could think what had happened to him, he was dragged inside the rock hut. H=
ere,
his eyes still blinded to realities, he perceived only a dim light, by which
the hut seemed as rough and rude inside as it was outside. Yet he had a strange feeling that =
many
bright eyes were fastened upon him and that he stood in a vast and extensive
hall.
The First and Foremost now laughed grimly and
released his prisoner.
"If you have anything to say that is
interesting," he remarked, "speak out, before I strangle you.&quo=
t;
So Guph spoke out. He tried not to pay any attention =
to a
strange rustling sound that he heard, as of an unseen multitude drawing nea=
r to
listen to his words. His eyes=
could
see only the fierce bear-man, and to him he addressed his speech. First he told of his plan to conqu=
er the
Land of Oz and plunder the country of its riches and enslave its people, wh=
o,
being fairies, could not be killed.
After relating all this, and telling of the tunnel the Nome King was
building, he said he had come to ask the First and Foremost to join the Nom=
es,
with his band of terrible warriors, and help them to defeat the Oz people. =
The General spoke very earnestly and impressiv=
ely,
but when he had finished the bear-man began to laugh as if much amused, and=
his
laughter seemed to be echoed by a chorus of merriment from an unseen multit=
ude. Then, for the first time, Guph beg=
an to
feel a trifle worried.
"Who else has promised to help you?"
finally asked the First and Foremost.
"The Whimsies," replied the General.=
Again the bear-headed Phanfasm laughed.
"Any others?" he inquired.
"Only the Growleywogs," said Guph. <= o:p>
This answer set the First and Foremost laughing
anew.
"What share of the spoils am I to have?&q=
uot;
was the next question.
"Anything you like, except King Roquat's
Magic Belt," replied Guph.
At this the Phanfasm set up a roar of laughter,
which had its echo in the unseen chorus, and the bear-man seemed so amused =
that
he actually rolled upon the ground and shouted with merriment.
"Oh, these blind and foolish Nomes!"=
he
said. "How big they seem=
to themselves
and how small they really are!"
Suddenly he arose and seized Guph's neck with =
one
hairy paw, dragging him out of the hut into the open.
Here he gave a curious wailing cry, and, as if=
in
answer, from all the rocky huts on the mountain-top came flocking a horde of
Phanfasms, all with hairy bodies, but wearing heads of various animals, bir=
ds
and reptiles. All were feroci=
ous
and repulsive-looking to the deceived eyes of the Nome, and Guph could not
repress a shudder of disgust as he looked upon them.
The First and Foremost slowly raised his arms,=
and
in a twinkling his hairy skin fell from him and he appeared before the
astonished Nome as a beautiful woman, clothed in a flowing gown of pink
gauze. In her dark hair flowe=
rs
were entwined, and her face was noble and calm.
At the same instant the entire band of Phanfas=
ms
was transformed into a pack of howling wolves, running here and there as th=
ey
snarled and showed their ugly yellow fangs.
The woman now raised her arms, even as the
man-bear had done, and in a twinkling the wolves became crawling lizards, w=
hile
she herself changed into a huge butterfly.
Guph had only time to cry out in fear and take=
a
step backward to avoid the lizards when another transformation occurred, and
all returned instantly to the forms they had originally worn.
Then the First and Foremost, who had resumed h=
is
hairy body and bear head, turned to the Nome and asked:
"Do you still demand our assistance?"=
;
"More than ever," answered the Gener=
al,
firmly.
"Then tell me: what can you offer the
Phanfasms that they have not already?" inquired the First and Foremost=
.
Guph hesitated. He really did not know what to say=
. The Nome King's vaunted Magic Belt
seemed a poor thing compared to the astonishing magical powers of these
people. Gold, jewels and slav=
es
they might secure in any quantity without especial effort. He felt that he was dealing with p=
owers
greatly beyond him. There was=
but
one argument that might influence the Phanfasms, who were creatures of evil=
.
"Permit me to call your attention to the
exquisite joy of making the happy unhappy," said he at last. "Consider the pleasure of
destroying innocent and harmless people."
"Ah! you have answered me," cried the
First and Foremost. "For=
that reason
alone we will aid you. Go hom=
e, and
tell your bandy-legged king that as soon as his tunnel is finished the
Phanfasms will be with him and lead his legions to the conquest of Oz. The deadly desert alone has kept u=
s from
destroying Oz long ago, and your underground tunnel is a clever thought.
Guph was very glad to be permitted to go with =
this
promise. The owl-man led him =
back
down the mountain path and ordered the scarlet alligator to crawl away and
allow the Nome to cross the bridge in safety.
After the visitor had gone a brilliant and
gorgeous city appeared upon the mountain top, clearly visible to the eyes of
the gaily dressed multitude of Phanfasms that lived there. And the First and Foremost, beauti=
fully
arrayed, addressed the others in these words:
"It is time we went into the world and
brought sorrow and dismay to its people.&n=
bsp;
Too long have we remained for ourselves upon this mountain top, for
while we are thus secluded many nations have grown happy and prosperous, and
the chief joy of the race of Phanfasms is to destroy happiness. So I think it is lucky that this
messenger from the Nomes arrived among us just now, to remind us that the
opportunity has come for us to make trouble. We will use King Roquat's tunnel to
conquer the Land of Oz. Then =
we
will destroy the Whimsies, the Growleywogs and the Nomes, and afterward go =
out
to ravage and annoy and grieve the whole world."
The multitude of evil Phanfasms eagerly applau=
ded
this plan, which they fully approved.
I am told that the Erbs are the most powerful =
and
merciless of all the evil spirits, and the Phanfasms of Phantastico belong =
to
the race of Erbs.
Dorothy and her fellow travelers rode away from
the Cuttenclip village and followed the indistinct path as far as the
sign-post. Here they took the=
main
road again and proceeded pleasantly through the pretty farming country. When evening came they stopped at a
dwelling and were joyfully welcomed and given plenty to eat and good beds f=
or
the night.
Early next morning, however, they were up and
eager to start, and after a good breakfast they bade their host good-bye and
climbed into the red wagon, to which the Sawhorse had been hitched all
night. Being made of wood, th=
is
horse never got tired nor cared to lie down. Dorothy was not quite sure whether=
he
ever slept or not, but it was certain that he never did when anybody was
around.
The weather is always beautiful in Oz, and this
morning the air was cool and refreshing and the sunshine brilliant and
delightful.
In about an hour they came to a place where
another road branched off. There was a sign-post here which read:
=
THIS
WAY TO FUDDLECUMJIG
=
"Oh,
here is where we turn," said Dorothy, observing the sign.
"What!&n=
bsp;
Are we going to Fuddlecumjig?" asked the Captain General.
"Yes; Ozma thought we might enjoy the
Fuddles. They are said to be =
very
interesting," she replied.
"No one would suspect it from their
name," said Aunt Em. &qu=
ot;Who
are they, anyhow? More paper
things?"
"I think not," answered Dorothy,
laughing; "but I can't say 'zactly, Aunt Em, what they are. We'll find out when we get there.&=
quot;
"Perhaps the Wizard knows," suggested
Uncle Henry.
"No; I've never been there before," =
said
the Wizard. "But I've of=
ten heard
of Fuddlecumjig and the Fuddles, who are said to be the most peculiar peopl=
e in
all the Land of Oz."
"In what way?" asked the Shaggy Man.=
"I don't know, I'm sure," said the
Wizard.
Just then, as they rode along the pretty green
lane toward Fuddlecumjig, they espied a kangaroo sitting by the roadside. The poor animal had its face cover=
ed
with both its front paws and was crying so bitterly that the tears coursed =
down
its cheeks in two tiny streams and trickled across the road, where they for=
med
a pool in a small hollow.
The Sawhorse stopped short at this pitiful sig=
ht,
and Dorothy cried out, with ready sympathy:
"What's the matter, Kangaroo?"
"Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!" wailed the Kangaroo;
"I've lost my mi--mi--mi--Oh, boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!"--
"Poor thing," said the Wizard,
"she's lost her mister. =
It's
probably her husband, and he's dead."
"No, no, no!" sobbed the kangaroo. "It--it isn't that. I've lost my mi--mi--Oh, boo,
boo-hoo!"
"I know," said the Shaggy Man;
"she's lost her mirror."
"No; it's my mi--mi--mi--Boo-hoo! My mi--Oh, Boo-hoo!" and the =
kangaroo
cried harder than ever.
"It must be her mince-pie," suggested
Aunt Em.
"Or her milk-toast," proposed Uncle
Henry.
"I've lost my mi--mi--mittens!" said=
the
kangaroo, getting it out at last.
"Oh!" cried the Yellow Hen, with a
cackle of relief. "Why d=
idn't
you say so before?"
"Boo-hoo! I--I--couldn't," answered the
kangaroo.
"But, see here," said Dorothy, "=
;you
don't need mittens in this warm weather."
"Yes, indeed I do," replied the anim=
al,
stopping her sobs and removing her paws from her face to look at the little
girl reproachfully. "My =
hands
will get all sunburned and tanned without my mittens, and I've worn them so
long that I'll probably catch cold without them."
"Nonsense!" said Dorothy. "I never heard of any kangaroo
wearing mittens."
"Didn't you?" asked the animal, as if
surprised.
"Never!" repeated the girl. "And you'll probably make you=
rself
sick if you don't stop crying.
Where do you live?"
"About two miles beyond Fuddlecumjig,&quo=
t;
was the answer. "Grandmo=
ther Gnit
made me the mittens, and she's one of the Fuddles."
"Well, you'd better go home now, and perh=
aps
the old lady will make you another pair," suggested Dorothy. "We're on our way to Fuddlecu=
mjig, and
you may hop along beside us."
So they rode on, and the kangaroo hopped beside
the red wagon and seemed quickly to have forgotten her loss. By and by the Wizard said to the a=
nimal:
"Are the Fuddles nice people?"
"Oh, very nice," answered the kangar=
oo;
"that is, when they're properly put together. But they get dreadfully scattered =
and
mixed up, at times, and then you can't do anything with them."
"What do you mean by their getting
scattered?" inquired Dorothy.
"Why, they're made in a good many small
pieces," explained the kangaroo; "and whenever any stranger comes
near them they have a habit of falling apart and scattering themselves arou=
nd. That's when they get so dreadfully
mixed, and it's a hard puzzle to put them together again."
"Who usually puts them together?" as=
ked
Omby Amby.
"Any one who is able to match the
pieces. I sometimes put Grand=
mother
Gnit together myself, because I know her so well I can tell every piece that
belongs to her. Then, when sh=
e's
all matched, she knits for me, and that's how she made my mittens. But it took a good many days hard =
knitting,
and I had to put Grandmother together a good many times, because every time=
I
came near, she'd scatter herself."
"I should think she would get used to your
coming, and not be afraid," said Dorothy.
"It isn't that," replied the
kangaroo. "They're not a=
bit
afraid, when they're put together, and usually they're very jolly and pleas=
ant.
It's just a habit they have, to scatter themselves, and if they didn't do it
they wouldn't be Fuddles."
The travelers thought upon this quite seriously
for a time, while the Sawhorse continued to carry them rapidly forward. Then Aunt Em remarked:
"I don't see much use our visitin' these
Fuddles. If we find them scat=
tered,
all we can do is to sweep 'em up, and then go about our business."
"Oh, I b'lieve we'd better go on,"
replied Dorothy. "I'm ge=
tting hungry,
and we must try to get some luncheon at Fuddlecumjig. Perhaps the food won't be scattere=
d as
badly as the people."
"You'll find plenty to eat there,"
declared the kangaroo, hopping along in big bounds because the Sawhorse was
going so fast; "and they have a fine cook, too, if you can manage to p=
ut
him together. There's the town
now--just ahead of us!"
They looked ahead and saw a group of very pret=
ty
houses standing in a green field a little apart from the main road.
"Some Munchkins came here a few days ago =
and
matched a lot of people together," said the kangaroo. "I think they are together ye=
t, and
if you go softly, without making any noise, perhaps they won't scatter.&quo=
t;
"Let's try it," suggested the Wizard=
.
So they stopped the Sawhorse and got out of the
wagon, and, after bidding good bye to the kangaroo, who hopped away home, t=
hey
entered the field and very cautiously approached the group of houses.
So silently did they move that soon they saw
through the windows of the houses, people moving around, while others were =
passing
to and fro in the yards between the buildings. They seemed much like other people=
from
a distance, and apparently they did not notice the little party so quietly
approaching.
They had almost reached the nearest house when
Toto saw a large beetle crossing the path and barked loudly at it. Instantly a wild clatter was heard=
from
the houses and yards. Dorothy
thought it sounded like a sudden hailstorm, and the visitors, knowing that
caution was no longer necessary, hurried forward to see what had happened. =
After the clatter an intense stillness reigned=
in
the town. The strangers enter=
ed the
first house they came to, which was also the largest, and found the floor
strewn with pieces of the people who lived there. They looked much like fragments of=
wood
neatly painted, and were of all sorts of curious and fantastic shapes, no t=
wo
pieces being in any way alike.
They picked up some of these pieces and looked=
at
them carefully. On one which
Dorothy held was an eye, which looked at her pleasantly but with an interes=
ted
expression, as if it wondered what she was going to do with it. Quite near by she discovered and p=
icked
up a nose, and by matching the two pieces together found that they were par=
t of
a face.
"If I could find the mouth," she sai=
d,
"this Fuddle might be able to talk, and tell us what to do next."=
"Then let us find it," replied the
Wizard, and so all got down on their hands and knees and began examining the
scattered pieces.
"I've found it!" cried the Shaggy Ma=
n,
and ran to Dorothy with a queer-shaped piece that had a mouth on it. But when they tried to fit it to t=
he eye
and nose they found the parts wouldn't match together.
"That mouth belongs to some other
person," said Dorothy.
"You see we need a curve here and a point there, to make it fit=
the
face."
"Well, it must be here some place,"
declared the Wizard; "so if we search long enough we shall find it.&qu=
ot;
Dorothy fitted an ear on next, and the ear had=
a
little patch of red hair above it.
So while the others were searching for the mouth she hunted for piec=
es
with red hair, and found several of them which, when matched to the other
pieces, formed the top of a man's head.&nb=
sp;
She had also found the other eye and the ear by the time Omby Amby i=
n a
far corner discovered the mouth.
When the face was thus completed, all the parts joined together with=
a
nicety that was astonishing.
"Why, it's like a picture puzzle!"
exclaimed the little girl.
"Let's find the rest of him, and get him all together."
"What's the rest of him like?" asked=
the
Wizard. "Here are some p=
ieces of
blue legs and green arms, but I don't know whether they are his or not.&quo=
t;
"Look for a white shirt and a white
apron," said the head which had been put together, speaking in a rather
faint voice. "I'm the
cook."
"Oh, thank you," said Dorothy. "It's lucky we started you fi=
rst,
for I'm hungry, and you can be cooking something for us to eat while we mat=
ch
the other folks together."
It was not so very difficult, now that they ha=
d a
hint as to how the man was dressed, to find the other pieces belonging to h=
im,
and as all of them now worked on the cook, trying piece after piece to see =
if
it would fit, they finally had the cook set up complete.
When he was finished he made them a low bow and
said:
"I will go at once to the kitchen to prep=
are
your dinner. You will find it
something of a job to get all the Fuddles together, so I advise you to begi=
n on
the Lord High Chigglewitz, whose first name is Larry. He's a bald-headed fat
man and is dressed in a blue coat with brass buttons, a pink vest and drab
breeches. A piece of his left=
knee
is missing, having been lost years ago when he scattered himself too carele=
ssly. That makes him limp a little, but =
he
gets along very well with half a knee.&nbs=
p;
As he is the chief personage in this town of Fuddlecumjig, he will be
able to welcome you and assist you with the others. So it will be best to work on him =
while
I'm getting your dinner."
"We will," said the Wizard; "and
thank you very much, Cook, for the suggestion."
Aunt Em was the first to discover a piece of t=
he
Lord High Chigglewitz.
"It seems to me like a fool business, this
matching folks together," she remarked; "but as we haven't anythi=
ng
to do till dinner's ready, we may as well get rid of some of this rubbish.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Here, Henry, get busy and look for
Larry's bald head. I've got h=
is
pink vest, all right."
They worked with eager interest, and Billina
proved a great help to them. =
The
Yellow Hen had sharp eyes and could put her head close to the various pieces
that lay scattered around. She
would examine the Lord High Chigglewitz and see which piece of him was next
needed, and then hunt around until she found it. So before an hour had passed old L=
arry
was standing complete before them.
"I congratulate you, my friends," he
said, speaking in a cheerful voice.
"You are certainly the cleverest people who ever visited us.
"Well," said Dorothy, "there us=
ed
to be a picture puzzle craze in Kansas, and so I've had some 'sperience
matching puzzles. But the pic=
tures
were flat, while you are round, and that makes you harder to figure out.&qu=
ot;
"Thank you, my dear," replied old La=
rry,
greatly pleased. "I feel=
highly
complimented. Were I not a re=
ally
good puzzle, there would be no object in my scattering myself."
"Why do you do it?" asked Aunt Em,
severely. "Why don't you
behave yourself, and stay put together?"
The Lord High Chigglewitz seemed annoyed by th=
is
speech; but he replied, politely:
"Madam, you have perhaps noticed that eve=
ry
person has some peculiarity. =
Mine
is to scatter myself. What yo=
ur own
peculiarity is I will not venture to say; but I shall never find fault with
you, whatever you do."
"Now you've got your diploma, Em," s=
aid
Uncle Henry, with a laugh, "and I'm glad of it. This is a queer country, and we ma=
y as
well take people as we find them."
"If we did, we'd leave these folks
scattered," she returned, and this retort made everybody laugh
good-naturedly.
Just then Omby Amby found a hand with a knitti=
ng
needle in it, and they decided to put Grandmother Gnit together. She proved an easier puzzle than o=
ld
Larry, and when she was completed they found her a pleasant old lady who
welcomed them cordially. Doro=
thy
told her how the kangaroo had lost her mittens, and Grandmother Gnit promis=
ed
to set to work at once and make the poor animal another pair.
Then the cook came to call them to dinner, and
they found an inviting meal prepared for them. The Lord High Chigglewitz sat at t=
he
head of the table and Grandmother Gnit at the foot, and the guests had a me=
rry time
and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
After dinner they went out into the yard and
matched several other people together, and this work was so interesting that
they might have spent the entire day at Fuddlecumjig had not the Wizard
suggested that they resume their journey.
"But I don't like to leave all these poor
people scattered," said Dorothy, undecided what to do.
"Oh, don't mind us, my dear," return=
ed
old Larry. "Every day or=
so some
of the Gillikins, or Munchkins, or Winkies come here to amuse themselves by
matching us together, so there will be no harm in leaving these pieces where
they are for a time. But I ho=
pe you
will visit us again, and if you do you will always be welcome, I assure
you."
"Don't you ever match each other?" s=
he
inquired.
"Never; for we are no puzzles to ourselve=
s,
and so there wouldn't be any fun in it."
They now said goodbye to the queer Fuddles and=
got
into their wagon to continue their journey.
"Those are certainly strange people,"
remarked Aunt Em, thoughtfully, as they drove away from Fuddlecumjig, "=
;but
I really can't see what use they are, at all."
"Why, they amused us all for several
hours," replied the Wizard.
"That is being of use to us, I'm sure."
"I think they're more fun than playing
solitaire or mumbletypeg," declared Uncle Henry, soberly. "For my part, I'm glad we vis=
ited
the Fuddles."
When General Guph returned to the cavern of the
Nome King his Majesty asked:
"Well, what luck? Will the Whimsies join us?" <= o:p>
"They will," answered the General. "They will fight for us with =
all their
strength and cunning."
"Good!" exclaimed the King. "What reward did you promise
them?"
"Your Majesty is to use the Magic Belt to
give each Whimsie a large, fine head, in place of the small one he is now
obliged to wear."
"I agree to that," said the King.
"But I have other news for you,"
announced the General.
"Good or bad?"
"Good, your Majesty."
"Then I will hear it," said the King,
with interest.
"The Growleywogs will join us."
"No!" cried the astonished King.
"Yes, indeed," said the General. "I have their promise." =
"But what reward do they demand?"
inquired the King, suspiciously, for he knew how greedy the Growleywogs wer=
e.
"They are to take a few of the Oz people =
for
their slaves," replied Guph.
He did not think it necessary to tell Roquat that the Growleywogs de=
manded
twenty thousand slaves. It wo=
uld be
time enough for that when Oz was conquered.
"A very reasonable request, I'm sure,&quo=
t;
remarked the King. "I mu=
st congratulate
you, Guph, upon the wonderful success of your journey."
"But that is not all," said the Gene=
ral,
proudly.
The King seemed astonished. "Speak out, sir!" he
commanded.
"I have seen the First and Foremost Phanf=
asm
of the Mountain of Phantastico, and he will bring his people to assist
us."
"What!" cried the King. "The Phanfasms! You don't mean it, Guph!"
"It is true," declared the General,
proudly.
The King became thoughtful, and his brows
wrinkled.
"I'm afraid, Guph," he said rather
anxiously, "that the First and Foremost may prove as dangerous to us a=
s to
the Oz people. If he and his =
terrible
band come down from the mountain they may take the notion to conquer the
Nomes!"
"Pah!&nb=
sp;
That is a foolish idea," retorted Guph, irritably, but he knew =
in
his heart that the King was right.
"The First and Foremost is a particular friend of mine, and wil=
l do
us no harm. Why, when I was t=
here,
he even invited me into his house."
The General neglected to tell the King how he =
had
been jerked into the hut of the First and Foremost by means of the brass
hoop. So Roquat the Red looke=
d at
his General admiringly and said:
"You are a wonderful Nome, Guph. I'm sorry I did not make you my Ge=
neral
before. But what reward did t=
he
First and Foremost demand?"
"Nothing at all," answered Guph. "Even the Magic Belt itself c=
ould
not add to his powers of sorcery.
All the Phanfasms wish is to destroy the Oz people, who are good and
happy. This pleasure will amp=
ly
repay them for assisting us."
"When will they come?" asked Roquat,
half fearfully.
"When the tunnel is completed," said=
the
General.
"We are nearly halfway under the desert
now," announced the King; "and that is fast work, because the tun=
nel
has to be drilled through solid rock.
But after we have passed the desert it will not take us long to exte=
nd
the tunnel to the walls of the Emerald City."
"Well, whenever you are ready, we shall be
joined by the Whimsies, the Growleywogs and the Phanfasms," said Guph;
"so the conquest of Oz is assured without a doubt."
Again, the King seemed thoughtful.
"I'm almost sorry we did not undertake the
conquest alone," said he. "All of these allies are dangerous peop=
le,
and they may demand more than you have promised them. It might have been better to have =
conquered
Oz without any outside assistance."
"We could not do it," said the Gener=
al,
positively.
"Why not, Guph?"
"You know very well. You have had one experience with t=
he Oz
people, and they defeated you."
"That was because they rolled eggs at
us," replied the King, with a shudder. "My Nomes cannot stand eggs, =
any
more than I can myself. They are poison to all who live underground." =
"That is true enough," agreed Guph. =
"But we might have taken the Oz people by
surprise, and conquered them before they had a chance to get any eggs. Our former defeat was due to the f=
act
that the girl Dorothy had a Yellow Hen with her. I do not know what ever became of =
that
hen, but I believe there are no hens at all in the Land of Oz, and so there
could be no eggs there."
"On the contrary," said Guph,
"there are now hundreds of chickens in Oz, and they lay heaps of those
dangerous eggs. I met a gosha=
wk on
my way home, and the bird informed me that he had lately been to Oz to capt=
ure
and devour some of the young chickens.&nbs=
p;
But they are protected by magic, so the hawk did not get a single on=
e of
them."
"That is a very bad report," said the
King, nervously. "Very b=
ad, indeed. My Nomes are willing to fight, but=
they
simply can't face hen's eggs--and I don't blame them."
"They won't need to face them," repl=
ied
Guph. "I'm afraid of egg=
s myself,
and don't propose to take any chances of being poisoned by them. My plan is to send the Whimsies th=
rough
the tunnel first, and then the Growleywogs and the Phanfasms. By the time we Nomes get there the=
eggs
will all be used up, and we may then pursue and capture the inhabitants at =
our
leisure."
"Perhaps you are right," returned the
King, with a dismal sigh. &qu=
ot;But
I want it distinctly understood that I claim Ozma and Dorothy as my own pri=
soners. They are rather nice girls, and I =
do not
intend to let any of those dreadful creatures hurt them, or make them their
slaves. When I have captured =
them I
will bring them here and transform them into china ornaments to stand on my
mantle. They will look very p=
retty--Dorothy
on one end of the mantle and Ozma on the other--and I shall take great care=
to
see they are not broken when the maids dust them."
"Very well, your Majesty. Do what you will with the girls fo=
r all
I care. Now that our plans are
arranged, and we have the three most powerful bands of evil spirits in the
world to assist us, let us make haste to get the tunnel finished as soon as
possible."
"It will be ready in three days,"
promised the King, and hurried away to inspect the work and see that the No=
mes
kept busy.
"Where next?" asked the Wizard when =
they
had left the town of Fuddlecumjig and the Sawhorse had started back along t=
he
road.
"Why, Ozma laid out this trip," repl=
ied
Dorothy, "and she 'vised us to see the Rigmaroles next, and then visit=
the
Tin Woodman."
"That sounds good," said the
Wizard. "But what road d=
o we
take to get to the Rigmaroles?"
"I don't know, 'zactly," returned the
little girl; "but it must be somewhere just southwest from here."=
"Then why need we go way back to the
crossroads?" asked the Shaggy Man. "We might save a lot of time by
branching off here."
"There isn't any path," asserted Unc=
le
Henry.
"Then we'd better go back to the signpost=
s,
and make sure of our way," decided Dorothy.
But after they had gone a short distance farth=
er
the Sawhorse, who had overheard their conversation, stopped and said:
"Here is a path."
Sure enough, a dim path seemed to branch off f=
rom
the road they were on, and it led across pretty green meadows and past leafy
groves, straight toward the southwest.
"That looks like a good path," said =
Omby
Amby. "Why not try it?&q=
uot;
"All right," answered Dorothy. "I'm anxious to see what the
Rigmaroles are like, and this path ought to take us there the quickest
way."
No one made any objection to this plan, so the
Sawhorse turned into the path, which proved to be nearly as good as the one
they had taken to get to the Fuddles.
As first they passed a few retired farm houses, but soon these scatt=
ered
dwellings were left behind and only the meadows and the trees were before
them. But they rode along in =
cheerful
contentment, and Aunt Em got into an argument with Billina about the proper=
way
to raise chickens.
"I do not care to contradict you," s=
aid
the Yellow Hen, with dignity, "but I have an idea I know more about
chickens than human beings do."
"Pshaw!" replied Aunt Em. "I've raised chickens for nea=
rly
forty years, Billina, and I know you've got to starve 'em to make 'em lay l=
ots
of eggs, and stuff 'em if you want good broilers."
"Broilers!" exclaimed Billina, in
horror. "Broil my
chickens!"
"Why, that's what they're for, ain't
it?" asked Aunt Em, astonished.
"No, Aunt, not in Oz," said
Dorothy. "People do not =
eat
chickens here. You see, Billina was the first hen that was ever seen in this
country, and I brought her here myself.&nb=
sp;
Everybody liked her an' respected her, so the Oz people wouldn't any
more eat her chickens than they would eat Billina."
"Well, I declare," gasped Aunt Em. "How about the eggs?"
"Oh, if we have more eggs than we want to
hatch, we allow people to eat them," said Billina. "Indeed, I am very glad the Oz
folks like our eggs, for otherwise they would spoil."
"This certainly is a queer country,"
sighed Aunt Em.
"Excuse me," called the Sawhorse,
"the path has ended and I'd like to know which way to go."
They looked around and sure enough there was no
path to be seen.
"Well," said Dorothy, "we're go=
ing
southwest, and it seems just as easy to follow that direction without a pat=
h as
with one."
"Certainly," answered the Sawhorse.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "It is not hard to draw the w=
agon over
the meadow. I only want to kn=
ow
where to go."
"There's a forest over there across the
prairie," said the Wizard, "and it lies in the direction we are
going. Make straight for the
forest, Sawhorse, and you're bound to go right."
So the wooden animal trotted on again and the
meadow grass was so soft under the wheels that it made easy riding. But Dorothy was a little uneasy at
losing the path, because now there was nothing to guide them.
No houses were to be seen at all, so they could
not ask their way of any farmer; and although the Land of Oz was always
beautiful, wherever one might go, this part of the country was strange to a=
ll
the party.
"Perhaps we're lost," suggested Aunt=
Em,
after they had proceeded quite a way in silence.
"Never mind," said the Shaggy Man;
"I've been lost many a time--and so has Dorothy--and we've always been
found again."
"But we may get hungry," remarked Om=
by
Amby. "That is the worst=
of getting
lost in a place where there are no houses near."
"We had a good dinner at the Fuddle
town," said Uncle Henry, "and that will keep us from starving to
death for a long time."
"No one ever starved to death in Oz,"
declared Dorothy, positively; "but people may get pretty hungry
sometimes."
The Wizard said nothing, and he did not seem e=
specially
anxious. The Sawhorse was tro=
tting
along briskly, yet the forest seemed farther away than they had thought when
they first saw it. So it was =
nearly
sundown when they finally came to the trees; but now they found themselves =
in a
most beautiful spot, the wide-spreading trees being covered with flowering
vines and having soft mosses underneath them. "This will be a good place to
camp," said the Wizard, as the Sawhorse stopped for further instructio=
ns.
"Camp!" they all echoed.
"Certainly," asserted the Wizard.
They all looked at the little man in astonishm=
ent,
and Aunt Em said, with a sniff:
"A pretty camp we'll have, I must say!
"And chew grass for our supper," add=
ed
the Shaggy Man, laughing.
But Dorothy seemed to have no doubts and was q=
uite
cheerful
"It's lucky we have the wonderful Wizard =
with
us," she said; "because he can do 'most anything he wants to.&quo=
t;
"Oh, yes; I forgot we had a Wizard,"
said Uncle Henry, looking at the little man curiously.
"I didn't," chirped Billina,
contentedly.
The Wizard smiled and climbed out of the wagon,
and all the others followed him.
"In order to camp," said he, "t=
he
first thing we need is tents. Will some
one please lend me a handkerchief?"
The Shaggy Man offered him one, and Aunt Em
another. He took them both an=
d laid
them carefully upon the grass near to the edge of the forest. Then he laid =
his
own handkerchief down, too, and standing a little back from them he waved h=
is
left hand toward the handkerchiefs and said:
"Tents of canvas, white as snow, Let me see how fast you grow!=
"
=
Then,
lo and behold! the handkerchiefs became tiny tents, and as the travelers lo=
oked
at them the tents grew bigger and bigger until in a few minutes each one was
large enough to contain the entire party.
"This," said the Wizard, pointing to=
the
first tent, "is for the accommodation of the ladies. Dorothy, you and your Aunt may ste=
p inside
and take off your things."
Every one ran to look inside the tent, and they
saw two pretty white beds, all ready for Dorothy and Aunt Em, and a silver
roost for Billina. Rugs were =
spread
upon the grassy floor and some camp chairs and a table completed the furnit=
ure.
"Well, well, well! This beats anything I ever saw or =
heard
of!" exclaimed Aunt Em, and she glanced at the Wizard almost fearfully=
, as
if he might be dangerous because of his great powers.
"Oh, Mr. Wizard! How did you manage to do it?"=
asked
Dorothy.
"It's a trick Glinda the Sorceress taught=
me,
and it is much better magic than I used to practice in Omaha, or when I fir=
st
came to Oz," he answered. "When
the good Glinda found I was to live in the Emerald City always, she promise=
d to
help me, because she said the Wizard of Oz ought really to be a clever Wiza=
rd,
and not a humbug. So we have =
been much
together and I am learning so fast that I expect to be able to accomplish s=
ome
really wonderful things in time."
"You've done it now!" declared
Dorothy. "These tents ar=
e just
wonderful!"
"But come and see the men's tent," s=
aid
the Wizard. So they went to t=
he
second tent, which had shaggy edges because it has been made from the Shaggy
Man's handkerchief, and found that completely furnished also. It contained four neat beds for Un=
cle
Henry, Omby Amby, the Shaggy Man and the Wizard. Also there was a soft rug for Toto=
to
lie upon.
"The third tent," explained the Wiza=
rd,
"is our dining room and kitchen."
They visited that next, and found a table and
dishes in the dining tent, with plenty of those things necessary to use in
cooking. The Wizard carried o=
ut a
big kettle and set it swinging on a crossbar before the tent. While he was doing this Omby Amby =
and
the Shaggy Man brought a supply of twigs from the forest and then they buil=
t a
fire underneath the kettle.
"Now, Dorothy," said the Wizard,
smiling, "I expect you to cook our supper."
"But there is nothing in the kettle,"
she cried.
"Are you sure?" inquired the Wizard.=
"I didn't see anything put in, and I'm al=
most
sure it was empty when you brought it out," she replied.
"Nevertheless," said the little man,
winking slyly at Uncle Henry, "you will do well to watch our supper, my
dear, and see that it doesn't boil over."
Then the men took some pails and went into the
forest to search for a spring of water, and while they were gone Aunt Em sa=
id
to Dorothy:
"I believe the Wizard is fooling us. I saw the kettle myself, and when =
he
hung it over the fire there wasn't a thing in it but air."
"Don't worry," remarked Billina,
confidently, as she nestled in the grass before the fire. "You'll find something in the
kettle when it's taken off--and it won't be poor, innocent chickens,
either."
"Your hen has very bad manners,
Dorothy," said Aunt Em, looking somewhat disdainfully at Billina. "It seems too bad she ever le=
arned how
to talk."
There might have been another unpleasant quarr=
el
between Aunt Em and Billina had not the men returned just then with their p=
ails
filled with clear, sparkling water.
The Wizard told Dorothy that she was a good cook and he believed the=
ir
supper was ready.
So Uncle Henry lifted the kettle from the fire=
and
poured its contents into a big platter which the Wizard held for him. The platter was fairly heaped with=
a
fine stew, smoking hot, with many kinds of vegetables and dumplings and a r=
ich,
delicious gravy.
The Wizard triumphantly placed the platter upon
the table in the dining tent and then they all sat down in camp chairs to t=
he
feast.
There were several other dishes on the table, =
all
carefully covered, and when the time came to remove these covers they found
bread and butter, cakes, cheese, pickles and fruits--including some of the =
luscious
strawberries of Oz.
No one ventured to ask a question as to how th=
ese
things came there. They contented themselves by eating heartily the good th=
ings
provided, and Toto and Billina had their full share, you may be sure. After the meal was over, Aunt Em
whispered to Dorothy:
"That may have been magic food, my dear, =
and
for that reason perhaps it won't be very nourishing; but I'm willing to say=
it
tasted as good as anything I ever et." Then she added, in a louder voice:
"Who's going to do the dishes?"
"No one, madam," answered the
Wizard. "The dishes have
'done' themselves."
"La sakes!" ejaculated the good lady,
holding up her hands in amazement.
For, sure enough, when she looked at the dishes they had a moment be=
fore
left upon the table, she found them all washed and dried and piled up into =
neat
stacks.
It was a beautiful evening, so they drew their
camp chairs in a circle before one of the tents and began to tell stories to
amuse themselves and pass away the time before they went to bed.
Pretty soon a zebra was seen coming out of the
forest, and he trotted straight up to them and said politely:
"Good evening, people."
The zebra was a sleek little animal and had a
slender head, a stubby mane and a paint-brush tail--very like a donkey's. His neatly shaped white body was c=
overed
with regular bars of dark brown, and his hoofs were delicate as those of a
deer.
"Good evening, friend Zebra," said O=
mby
Amby, in reply to the creature's greeting.=
"Can we do anything for you?"
"Yes," answered the zebra. "I should like you to settle a
dispute that has long been a bother to me, as to whether there is more wate=
r or
land in the world."
"Who are you disputing with?" asked =
the
Wizard.
"With a soft-shell crab," said the
zebra. "He lives in a po=
ol
where I go to drink every day, and he is a very impertinent crab, I assure =
you.
I have told him many times that the land is much greater in extent than the
water, but he will not be convinced.
Even this very evening, when I told him he was an insignificant crea=
ture
who lived in a small pool, he asserted that the water was greater and more
important than the land. So, =
seeing
your camp, I decided to ask you to settle the dispute for once and all, tha=
t I
may not be further annoyed by this ignorant crab."
When they had listened to this explanation Dor=
othy
inquired:
"Where is the soft-shell crab?"
"Not far away," replied the zebra. "If you will agree to judge b=
etween
us I will run and get him."
"Run along, then," said the little g=
irl.
So the animal pranced into the forest and soon
came trotting back to them. W=
hen he
drew near they found a soft-shell crab clinging fast to the stiff hair of t=
he
zebra's head, where it held on by one claw.
"Now then, Mr. Crab," said the zebra,
"here are the people I told you about; and they know more than you do,=
who
lives in a pool, and more than I do, who lives in a forest. For they have been travelers all o=
ver
the world, and know every part of it."
"There is more of the world than Oz,"
declared the crab, in a stubborn voice.
"That is true," said Dorothy; "=
but
I used to live in Kansas, in the United States, and I've been to California=
and
to Australia and so has Uncle Henry."
"For my part," added the Shaggy Man,
"I've been to Mexico and Boston and many other foreign countries."=
;
"And I," said the Wizard, "have
been to Europe and Ireland."
"So you see," continued the zebra,
addressing the crab, "here are people of real consequence, who know wh=
at
they are talking about."
"Then they know there's more water in the
world than there is land," asserted the crab, in a shrill, petulant vo=
ice.
"They know you are wrong to make such an
absurd statement, and they will probably think you are a lobster instead of=
a
crab," retorted the animal.
At this taunt the crab reached out its other c=
law
and seized the zebra's ear, and the creature gave a cry of pain and began
prancing up and down, trying to shake off the crab, which clung fast.
"Stop pinching!" cried the zebra.
"And you promised to treat me
respectfully," said the crab, letting go the ear.
"Well, haven't I?" demanded the zebr=
a.
"No; you called me a lobster," said =
the
crab.
"Ladies and gentlemen," continued the
zebra, "please pardon my poor friend, because he is ignorant and stupi=
d,
and does not understand. Also the pinch of his claw is very annoying. So pray tell him that the world co=
ntains
more land than water, and when he has heard your judgment I will carry him =
back
and dump him into his pool, where I hope he will be more modest in the
future."
"But we cannot tell him that," said
Dorothy, gravely, "because it would not be true."
"What!" exclaimed the zebra, in
astonishment; "do I hear you aright?"
"The soft-shell crab is correct,"
declared the Wizard. "Th=
ere is
considerably more water than there is land in the world."
"Impossible!" protested the zebra. "Why, I can run for days upon=
the land,
and find but little water."
"Did you ever see an ocean?" asked
Dorothy.
"Never," admitted the zebra. "There is no such thing as an=
ocean
in the Land of Oz."
"Well, there are several oceans in the
world," said Dorothy, "and people sail in ships upon these oceans=
for
weeks and weeks, and never see a bit of land at all. And the joggerfys will tell you th=
at all
the oceans put together are bigger than all the land put together."
At this the crab began laughing in queer chuck=
les
that reminded Dorothy of the way Billina sometimes cackled.
"NOW will you give up, Mr. Zebra?" it
cried, jeeringly; "now will you give up?"
The zebra seemed much humbled.
"Of course I cannot read geographys,"=
; he
said.
"You could take one of the Wizard's School
Pills," suggested Billina, "and that would make you learned and w=
ise
without studying."
The crab began laughing again, which so provok=
ed
the zebra that he tried to shake the little creature off. This resulted in more ear-pinching=
, and
finally Dorothy told them that if they could not behave they must go back to
the forest.
"I'm sorry I asked you to decide this
question," said the zebra, crossly.&n=
bsp;
"So long as neither of us could prove we were right we quite en=
joyed
the dispute; but now I can never drink at that pool again without the
soft-shell crab laughing at me. So
I must find another drinking place."
"Do!&nbs= p; Do, you ignoramus!" shouted the crab, as loudly as his little v= oice would carry. "Rile some = other pool with your clumsy hoofs, and let your betters alone after this!" <= o:p>
Then the zebra trotted back to the forest, bea=
ring
the crab with him, and disappeared amid the gloom of the trees. And as it was now getting dark the
travelers said good night to one another and went to bed.
Dorothy awoke just as the light was beginning =
to
get strong next morning, and not caring to sleep any later she quietly got =
out
of bed, dressed herself, and left the tent where Aunt Em was yet peacefully=
slumbering.
Outside she noticed Billina busily pecking aro=
und
to secure bugs or other food for breakfast, but none of the men in the other
tent seemed awake. So the lit=
tle girl
decided to take a walk in the woods and try to discover some path or road t=
hat
they might follow when they again started upon their journey.
She had reached the edge of the forest when the
Yellow Hen came fluttering along and asked where she was going.
"Just to take a walk, Billina; and maybe =
I'll
find some path," said Dorothy.
"Then I'll go along," decided Billin=
a,
and scarcely had she spoken when Toto ran up and joined them.
Toto and the Yellow Hen had become quite frien=
dly
by this time, although at first they did not get along well together. Billina had been rather suspicious=
of
dogs, and Toto had had an idea that it was every dog's duty to chase a hen =
on
sight. But Dorothy had talked=
to them
and scolded them for not being agreeable to one another until they grew bet=
ter
acquainted and became friends.
I won't say they loved each other dearly, but =
at
least they had stopped quarreling and now managed to get on together very w=
ell.
The day was growing lighter every minute and
driving the black shadows out of the forest; so Dorothy found it very pleas=
ant
walking under the trees. She =
went
some distance in one direction, but not finding a path, presently turned in=
a
different direction. There wa=
s no
path here, either, although she advanced quite a way into the forest, windi=
ng
here and there among the trees and peering through the bushes in an endeavo=
r to
find some beaten track.
"I think we'd better go back," sugge=
sted
the Yellow Hen, after a time. "The people will all be up by this time =
and
breakfast will be ready."
"Very well," agreed Dorothy. "Let's see--the camp must be =
over
this way."
She had probably made a mistake about that, for
after they had gone far enough to have reached the camp they still found
themselves in the thick of the woods.
So the little girl stopped short and looked around her, and Toto gla=
nced
up into her face with his bright little eyes and wagged his tail as if he k=
new
something was wrong. He could=
n't
tell much about direction himself, because he had spent his time prowling a=
mong
the bushes and running here and there; nor had Billina paid much attention =
to
where they were going, being interested in picking bugs from the moss as th=
ey
passed along. The Yellow Hen =
now
turned one eye up toward the little girl and asked:
"Have you forgotten where the camp is,
Dorothy?"
"Yes," she admitted; "have you,
Billina?"
"I didn't try to remember," returned
Billina. "I'd no idea you
would get lost, Dorothy."
"It's the thing we don't expect, Billina,
that usually happens," observed the girl, thoughtfully. "But it's no use standing her=
e. Let's
go in that direction," pointing a finger at random. "It may be we'll get out of t=
he
forest over there."
So on they went again, but this way the trees =
were
closer together, and the vines were so tangled that often they tripped Doro=
thy
up.
Suddenly a voice cried sharply:
"Halt!"
At first, Dorothy could see nothing, although =
she
looked around very carefully. But
Billina exclaimed:
"Well, I declare!"
"What is it?" asked the little girl:=
for
Toto began barking at something, and following his gaze she discovered what=
it
was.
A row of spoons had surrounded the three, and
these spoons stood straight up on their handles and carried swords and
muskets. Their faces were out=
lined
in the polished bowls and they looked very stern and severe.
Dorothy laughed at the queer things.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"We're the Spoon Brigade," said one.=
"In the service of his Majesty King
Kleaver," said another.
"And you are our prisoners," said a
third.
Dorothy sat down on an old stump and looked at
them, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"What would happen," she inquired,
"if I should set my dog on your Brigade?"
"He would die," replied one of the
spoons, sharply. "One sh=
ot
from our deadly muskets would kill him, big as he is."
"Don't risk it, Dorothy," advised the
Yellow Hen. "Remember th=
is is
a fairy country, yet none of us three happens to be a fairy."
Dorothy grew sober at this.
"P'raps you're right, Billina," she
answered. "But how funny=
it
is, to be captured by a lot of spoons!"
"I do not see anything very funny about
it," declared a spoon.
"We're the regular military brigade of the kingdom."
"What kingdom?" she asked.
"Utensia," said he.
"I never heard of it before," assert=
ed
Dorothy. Then she added thoug=
htfully,
"I don't believe Ozma ever heard of Utensia, either. Tell me, are you =
not
subjects of Ozma of Oz?"
"We have never heard of her," retort=
ed a
spoon. "We are subjects =
of King
Kleaver, and obey only his orders, which are to bring all prisoners to him =
as
soon as they are captured. So=
step
lively, my girl, and march with us, or we may be tempted to cut off a few of
your toes with our swords."
This threat made Dorothy laugh again. She did not believe she was in any danger; but here was a new and interesting adventure, so she was willing to= be taken to Utensia that she might see what King Kleaver's kingdom was like. <= o:p>
There must have been from six to eight dozen
spoons in the Brigade, and they marched away in the shape of a hollow squar=
e,
with Dorothy, Billina and Toto in the center of the square. Before they had gone very far Toto
knocked over one of the spoons by wagging his tail, and then the Captain of=
the
Spoons told the little dog to be more careful, or he would be punished. So Toto was careful, and the Spoon
Brigade moved along with astonishing swiftness, while Dorothy really had to=
walk
fast to keep up with it.
By and by they left the woods and entered a big
clearing, in which was the Kingdom of Utensia.
Standing all around the clearing were a good m=
any
cookstoves, ranges and grills, of all sizes and shapes, and besides these t=
here
were several kitchen cabinets and cupboards and a few kitchen tables. These things were crowded with ute=
nsils
of all sorts: frying pans, sauce pans, kettles, forks, knives, basting and =
soup
spoons, nutmeg graters, sifters, colanders, meat saws, flat irons, rolling =
pins
and many other things of a like nature.
When the Spoon Brigade appeared with the priso=
ners
a wild shout arose and many of the utensils hopped off their stoves or their
benches and ran crowding around Dorothy and the hen and the dog.
"Stand back!" cried the Captain,
sternly, and he led his captives through the curious throng until they came
before a big range that stood in the center of the clearing. Beside this range was a butcher bl=
ock
upon which lay a great cleaver with a keen edge. It rested upon the flat of its bac=
k, its
legs were crossed and it was smoking a long pipe.
"Wake up, your Majesty," said the
Captain. "Here are
prisoners."
Hearing this, King Kleaver sat up and looked at
Dorothy sharply.
"Gristle and fat!" he cried. "Where did this girl come
from?"
"I found her in the forest and brought her
here a prisoner," replied the Captain.
"Why did you do that?" inquired the
King, puffing his pipe lazily.
"To create some excitement," the Cap=
tain
answered. "It is so quie=
t here
that we are all getting rusty for want of amusement. For my part, I prefer to see stirr=
ing
times."
"Naturally," returned the cleaver, w=
ith
a nod. "I have always sa=
id, Captain,
without a bit of irony, that you are a sterling officer and a solid citizen,
bowled and polished to a degree.
But what do you expect me to do with these prisoners?"
"That is for you to decide," declared
the Captain. "You are the
King."
"To be sure; to be sure," muttered t=
he
cleaver, musingly. "As y=
ou
say, we have had dull times since the steel and grindstone eloped and left =
us. Command my Counselors and the Royal
Courtiers to attend me, as well as the High Priest and the Judge. We'll then decide what can be done=
."
The Captain saluted and retired and Dorothy sat
down on an overturned kettle and asked:
"Have you anything to eat in your
kingdom?"
"Here!&n=
bsp;
Get up! Get off from
me!" cried a faint voice, at which his Majesty the cleaver said:
"Excuse me, but you're sitting on my frie=
nd
the Ten-quart Kettle."
Dorothy at once arose, and the kettle turned r=
ight
side up and looked at her reproachfully.
"I'm a friend of the King, so no one dare=
s sit
on me," said he.
"I'd prefer a chair, anyway," she
replied.
"Sit on that hearth," commanded the
King.
So Dorothy sat on the hearth-shelf of the big
range, and the subjects of Utensia began to gather around in a large and
inquisitive throng. Toto lay at Dorothy's feet and Billina flew upon the ra=
nge,
which had no fire in it, and perched there as comfortably as she could.
When all the Counselors and Courtiers had
assembled--and these seemed to include most of the inhabitants of the
kingdom--the King rapped on the block for order and said:
"Friends and Fellow Utensils! Our worthy Commander of the Spoon =
Brigade,
Captain Dipp, has captured the three prisoners you see before you and broug=
ht
them here for--for--I don't know what for.=
So I ask your advice how to act in this matter, and what fate I shou=
ld
mete out to these captives. J=
udge
Sifter, stand on my right. It=
is
your business to sift this affair to the bottom. High Priest Colender, stand on my =
left
and see that no one testifies falsely in this matter."
As these two officials took their places, Doro=
thy
asked:
"Why is the colander the High Priest?&quo=
t;
"He's the holiest thing we have in the
kingdom," replied King Kleaver.
"Except me," said a sieve. "I'm the whole thing when it =
comes
to holes."
"What we need," remarked the King,
rebukingly, "is a wireless sieve.&nbs=
p;
I must speak to Marconi about it.&n=
bsp;
These old-fashioned sieves talk too much. Now, it is the duty of the King's
Counselors to counsel the King at all times of emergency, so I beg you to s=
peak
out and advise me what to do with these prisoners."
"I demand that they be killed several tim=
es,
until they are dead!" shouted a pepperbox, hopping around very excited=
ly.
"Compose yourself, Mr. Paprica," adv=
ised
the King. "Your remarks =
are piquant
and highly-seasoned, but you need a scattering of commonsense. It is only
necessary to kill a person once to make him dead; but I do not see that it =
is
necessary to kill this little girl at all."
"I don't, either," said Dorothy.
"Pardon me, but you are not expected to
advise me in this matter," replied King Kleaver.
"Why not?" asked Dorothy.
"You might be prejudiced in your own favo=
r,
and so mislead us," he said.
"Now then, good subjects, who speaks next?"
"I'd like to smooth this thing over, in s=
ome
way," said a flatiron, earnestly.&nbs=
p;
"We are supposed to be useful to mankind, you know."
"But the girl isn't mankind! She's womankind!" yelled a
corkscrew.
"What do you know about it?" inquired
the King.
"I'm a lawyer," said the corkscrew,
proudly. "I am accustome=
d to appear
at the bar."
"But you're crooked," retorted the K=
ing,
"and that debars you. Yo=
u may be
a corking good lawyer, Mr. Popp, but I must ask you to withdraw your remark=
s."
"Very well," said the corkscrew, sad=
ly;
"I see I haven't any pull at this court."
"Permit me," continued the flatiron,
"to press my suit, your Majesty. I do not wish to gloss over any fault=
the
prisoner may have committed, if such a fault exists; but we owe her some
consideration, and that's flat!"
"I'd like to hear from Prince Karver,&quo=
t;
said the King.
At this a stately carvingknife stepped forward=
and
bowed.
"The Captain was wrong to bring this girl
here, and she was wrong to come," he said. "But now that the foolish dee=
d is
done let us all prove our mettle and have a slashing good time."
"That's it! that's it!" screamed a f=
at
choppingknife. "We'll ma=
ke mincemeat
of the girl and hash of the chicken and sausage of the dog!"
There was a shout of approval at this and the =
King
had to rap again for order.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" he said,
"your remarks are somewhat cutting and rather disjointed, as might be
expected from such acute intellects. But you give me no reasons for your
demands."
"See here, Kleaver; you make me tired,&qu=
ot;
said a saucepan, strutting before the King very impudently. "You're about the worst King =
that ever
reigned in Utensia, and that's saying a good deal. Why don't you run things yourself,
instead of asking everybody's advice, like the big, clumsy idiot you are?&q=
uot;
The King sighed.
"I wish there wasn't a saucepan in my kingdom," he said. "= ;You fellows are always stewing, over something, and every once in a while you s= lop over and make a mess of it. Go hang yourself, sir--by the handle--and don't let me hear from you again." <= o:p>
Dorothy was much shocked by the dreadful langu=
age
the utensils employed, and she thought that they must have had very little
proper training. So she said,
addressing the King, who seemed very unfit to rule his turbulent subjects: =
"I wish you'd decide my fate right away.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I can't stay here all day, trying =
to
find out what you're going to do with me."
"This thing is becoming a regular broil, =
and
it's time I took part in it," observed a big gridiron, coming forward.=
"What I'd like to know," said a
can-opener, in a shrill voice, "is why the little girl came to our for=
est
anyhow and why she intruded upon Captain Dipp--who ought to be called
Dippy--and who she is, and where she came from, and where she is going, and=
why
and wherefore and therefore and when."
"I'm sorry to see, Sir Jabber," rema=
rked
the King to the can-opener, "that you have such a prying disposition.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> As a matter of fact, all the thing=
s you
mention are none of our business."
Having said this the King relighted his pipe,
which had gone out.
"Tell me, please, what IS our business?&q=
uot;
inquired a potato-masher, winking at Dorothy somewhat impertinently. "I'm fond of little girls, my=
self,
and it seems to me she has as much right to wander in the forest as we
have."
"Who accuses the little girl, anyway?&quo=
t;
inquired a rolling-pin. "=
;What has
she done?"
"I don't know," said the King. "What has she done, Captain
Dipp?"
"That's the trouble, your Majesty. She hasn't done anything," re=
plied the
Captain.
"What do you want me to do?" asked
Dorothy.
This question seemed to puzzle them all. Finally, a chafingdish, exclaimed
irritably:
"If no one can throw any light on this
subject you must excuse me if I go out."
At this, a big kitchen fork pricked up its ears
and said in a tiny voice:
"Let's hear from Judge Sifter."
"That's proper," returned the King. =
So Judge Sifter turned around slowly several t=
imes
and then said:
"We have nothing against the girl except =
the
stove-hearth upon which she sits.
Therefore I order her instantly discharged."
"Discharged!" cried Dorothy. "Why, I never was discharged =
in my
life, and I don't intend to be. If
it's all the same to you, I'll resign."
"It's all the same," declared the
King. "You are free--you=
and
your companions--and may go wherever you like."
"Thank you," said the little girl. "But haven't you anything to =
eat in
your kingdom? I'm hungry.&quo=
t;
"Go into the woods and pick
blackberries," advised the King, lying down upon his back again and
preparing to go to sleep.
"There isn't a morsel to eat in all Utensia, that I know of.&qu=
ot;
So Dorothy jumped up and said:
"Come on, Toto and Billina. If we can't find the camp, we may =
find some
blackberries."
The utensils drew back and allowed them to pass
without protest, although Captain Dipp marched the Spoon Brigade in close o=
rder
after them until they had reached the edge of the clearing.
There the spoons halted; but Dorothy and her
companions entered the forest again and began searching diligently for a way
back to the camp, that they might rejoin their party.
Wandering through the woods, without knowing w=
here
you are going or what adventure you are about to meet next, is not as pleas=
ant
as one might think. The woods=
are
always beautiful and impressive, and if you are not worried or hungry you m=
ay
enjoy them immensely; but Dorothy was worried and hungry that morning, so s=
he
paid little attention to the beauties of the forest, and hurried along as f=
ast
as she could go. She tried to=
keep
in one direction and not circle around, but she was not at all sure that the
direction she had chosen would lead her to the camp.
By and by, to her great joy, she came upon a
path. It ran to the right and=
to
the left, being lost in the trees in both directions, and just before her, =
upon
a big oak, were fastened two signs, with arms pointing both ways. One sign read:
=
TAKE
THE OTHER ROAD TO BUNBURY
=
and
the second sign read:
=
TAKE
THE OTHER ROAD TO BUNNYBURY
=
"Well!"
exclaimed Billina, eyeing the signs, "this looks as if we were getting
back to civilization again."
"I'm not sure about the civil'zation,
dear," replied the little girl; "but it looks as if we might get
SOMEWHERE, and that's a big relief, anyhow."
"Which path shall we take?" inquired=
the
Yellow Hen.
Dorothy stared at the signs thoughtfully.
"Bunbury sounds like something to eat,&qu=
ot;
she said. "Let's go
there."
"It's all the same to me," replied
Billina. She had picked up en=
ough bugs
and insects from the moss as she went along to satisfy her own hunger, but =
the
hen knew Dorothy could not eat bugs; nor could Toto.
The path to Bunbury seemed little traveled, bu=
t it
was distinct enough and ran through the trees in a zigzag course until it
finally led them to an open space filled with the queerest houses Dorothy h=
ad
ever seen. They were all made of crackers laid out in tiny squares, and wer=
e of
many pretty and ornamental shapes, having balconies and porches with posts =
of
bread-sticks and roofs shingled with wafer-crackers.
There were walks of bread-crusts leading from
house to house and forming streets, and the place seemed to have many
inhabitants.
When Dorothy, followed by Billina and Toto,
entered the place, they found people walking the streets or assembled in gr=
oups
talking together, or sitting upon the porches and balconies.
And what funny people they were!
Men, women and children were all made of buns =
and
bread. Some were thin and oth=
ers
fat; some were white, some light brown and some very dark of complexion.
There was something of a commotion in Bunbury =
when
the strangers suddenly appeared among them. Women caught up their children and=
hurried
into their houses, shutting the cracker doors carefully behind them. Some men ran so hastily that they
tumbled over one another, while others, more brave, assembled in a group and
faced the intruders defiantly.
Dorothy at once realized that she must act with
caution in order not to frighten these shy people, who were evidently unuse=
d to
the presence of strangers. Th=
ere
was a delightful fragrant odor of fresh bread in the town, and this made the
little girl more hungry than ever.
She told Toto and Billina to stay back while she slowly advanced tow=
ard
the group that stood silently awaiting her.
"You must 'scuse me for coming
unexpected," she said, softly, "but I really didn't know I was co=
ming
here until I arrived. I was l=
ost in
the woods, you know, and I'm as hungry as anything."
"Hungry!" they murmured, in a horrif=
ied
chorus.
"Yes; I haven't had anything to eat since
last night's supper," she exclaimed.&=
nbsp;
"Are there any eatables in Bunbury?"
They looked at one another undecidedly, and th=
en
one portly bun man, who seemed a person of consequence, stepped forward and
said:
"Little girl, to be frank with you, we are
all eatables. Everything in B=
unbury
is eatable to ravenous human creatures like you. But it is to escape being eaten and
destroyed that we have secluded ourselves in this out-of-the-way place, and
there is neither right nor justice in your coming here to feed upon us.&quo=
t;
Dorothy looked at him longingly.
"You're bread, aren't you?" she aske=
d.
"Yes; bread and butter. The butter is inside me, so it won=
't
melt and run. I do the running
myself."
At this joke all the others burst into a choru=
s of
laughter, and Dorothy thought they couldn't be much afraid if they could la=
ugh
like that.
"Couldn't I eat something besides
people?" she asked.
"Couldn't I eat just one house, or a side-walk or something?
"This is not a public bakery, child,"
replied the man, sternly.
"It's private property."
"I know Mr.--Mr.--"
"My name is C. Bunn, Esquire," said =
the
man. "'C' stands for Cin=
namon,
and this place is called after my family, which is the most aristocratic in=
the
town."
"Oh, I don't know about that," objec=
ted
another of the queer people. "The Grahams and the Browns and Whites are
all excellent families, and there is none better of their kind. I'm a Boston Brown, myself." =
"I admit you are all desirable
citizens," said Mr. Bunn rather stiffly; "but the fact remains th=
at
our town is called Bunbury."
"'Scuse me," interrupted Dorothy;
"but I'm getting hungrier every minute. Now, if you're polite and kind, as=
I'm
sure you ought to be, you'll let me eat SOMETHING. There's so much to eat here that y=
ou
will never miss it."
Then a big, puffed-up man, of a delicate brown
color, stepped forward and said:
"I think it would be a shame to send this
child away hungry, especially as she agrees to eat whatever we can spare and
not touch our people."
"So do I, Pop," replied a Roll who s=
tood
near.
"What, then, do you suggest, Mr. Over?&qu=
ot;
inquired Mr. Bunn.
"Why, I'll let her eat my back fence, if =
she
wants to. It's made of waffle=
s, and
they're very crisp and nice."
"She may also eat my wheelbarrow," a=
dded
a pleasant looking Muffin. "It's made of nabiscos with a zuzu wheel.&q=
uot;
"Very good; very good," remarked Mr.
Bunn. "That is certainly=
very kind
of you. Go with Pop Over and =
Mr.
Muffin, little girl, and they will feed you."
"Thank you very much," said Dorothy,
gratefully. "May I bring=
my
dog Toto, and the Yellow Hen?
They're hungry, too."
"Will you make them behave?" asked t=
he
Muffin.
"Of course," promised Dorothy.
"Then come along," said Pop Over.
So Dorothy and Billina and Toto walked up the
street and the people seemed no longer to be at all afraid of them. Mr. Muffin's house came first, and=
as
his wheelbarrow stood in the front yard the little girl ate that first. It didn't seem very fresh, but she=
was
so hungry that she was not particular.&nbs=
p;
Toto ate some, too, while Billina picked up the crumbs.
While the strangers were engaged in eating, ma=
ny
of the people came and stood in the street curiously watching them. Dorothy noticed six roguish looking
brown children standing all in a row, and she asked:
"Who are you, little ones?"
"We're the Graham Gems," replied one;
"and we're all twins."
"I wonder if your mother could spare one =
or
two of you?" asked Billina, who decided that they were fresh baked; bu=
t at
this dangerous question the six little gems ran away as fast as they could =
go.
"You musn't say such things, Billina,&quo=
t;
said Dorothy, reprovingly.
"Now let's go into Pop Over's back yard and get the waffles.&qu=
ot;
"I sort of hate to let that fence go,&quo=
t;
remarked Mr. Over, nervously, as they walked toward his house. "The neighbors back of us are=
Soda Biscuits,
and I don't care to mix with them."
"But I'm hungry yet," declared the
girl. "That wheelbarrow =
wasn't
very big."
"I've got a shortcake piano, but none of =
my
family can play on it," he said, reflectively. "Suppose you eat that." =
"All right," said Dorothy; "I d=
on't
mind. Anything to be accommod=
ating."
So Mr. Over led her into the house, where she =
ate
the piano, which was of an excellent flavor.
"Is there anything to drink here?" s=
he
asked.
"Yes; I've a milk pump and a water pump; =
which
will you have?" he asked.
"I guess I'll try 'em both," said
Dorothy.
So Mr. Over called to his wife, who brought in=
to
the yard a pail made of some kind of baked dough, and Dorothy pumped the pa=
il
full of cool, sweet milk and drank it eagerly.
The wife of Pop Over was several shades darker
than her husband.
"Aren't you overdone?" the little gi=
rl
asked her.
"No indeed," answered the woman. "I'm neither overdone nor done
over; I'm just Mrs. Over, and I'm the President of the Bunbury Breakfast Ba=
nd."
Dorothy thanked them for their hospitality and
went away. At the gate Mr. Ci=
nnamon
Bunn met her and said he would show her around the town. "We have some
very interesting inhabitants," he remarked, walking stiffly beside her=
on
his stick-cinnamon legs; "and all of us who are in good health are well
bred. If you are no longer hu=
ngry
we will call upon a few of the most important citizens."
Toto and Billina followed behind them, behaving
very well, and a little way down the street they came to a handsome residen=
ce
where Aunt Sally Lunn lived. =
The
old lady was glad to meet the little girl and gave her a slice of white bre=
ad
and butter which had been used as a door-mat. It was almost fresh and tasted
better than anything Dorothy had eaten in the town.
"Where do you get the butter?" she
inquired.
"We dig it out of the ground, which, as y=
ou
may have observed, is all flour and meal," replied Mr. Bunn. "There is a butter mine just =
at the
opposite side of the village. The
trees which you see here are all doughleanders and doughderas, and in the
season we get quite a crop of dough-nuts off them."
"I should think the flour would blow arou=
nd
and get into your eyes," said Dorothy.
"No," said he; "we are bothered
with cracker dust sometimes, but never with flour."
Then he took her to see Johnny Cake, a cheerful
old gentleman who lived near by.
"I suppose you've heard of me," said=
old
Johnny, with an air of pride. "I'm a great favorite all over the
world."
"Aren't you rather yellow?" asked
Dorothy, looking at him critically.
"Maybe, child. But don't think I'm bilious, for I=
was
never in better health in my life," replied the old gentleman. "If anything ailed me, I'd
willingly acknowledge the corn."
"Johnny's a trifle stale," said Mr.
Bunn, as they went away; "but he's a good mixer and never gets
cross-grained. I will now tak=
e you
to call upon some of my own relatives." They visited the Sugar Bunns, the =
Currant
Bunns and the Spanish Bunns, the latter having a decidedly foreign
appearance. Then they saw the=
French
Rolls, who were very polite to them, and made a brief call upon the Parker =
H.
Rolls, who seemed a bit proud and overbearing.
"But they're not as stuck up as the Frost=
ed
Jumbles," declared Mr. Bunn, "who are people I really can't
abide. I don't like to be sus=
picious
or talk scandal, but sometimes I think the Jumbles have too much baking pow=
der
in them."
Just then a dreadful scream was heard, and Dor=
othy
turned hastily around to find a scene of great excitement a little way down=
the
street. The people were crowd=
ing
around Toto and throwing at him everything they could find at hand. They pelted the little dog with ha=
rd-tack,
crackers, and even articles of furniture which were hard baked and heavy en=
ough
for missiles.
Toto howeled a little as the assortment of bake
stuff struck him; but he stood still, with head bowed and tail between his
legs, until Dorothy ran up and inquired what the matter was.
"Matter!" cried a rye loafer,
indignantly, "why the horrid beast has eaten three of our dear Crumpet=
s,
and is now devouring a Salt-rising Biscuit!"
"Oh, Toto! How could you?" exclaimed Dor=
othy,
much distressed.
Toto's mouth was full of his salt-rising victi=
m;
so he only whined and wagged his tail.&nbs=
p;
But Billina, who had flown to the top of a cracker house to be in a =
safe
place, called out:
"Don't blame him, Dorothy; the Crumpets d=
ared
him to do it."
"Yes, and you pecked out the eyes of a Ra=
isin
Bunn--one of our best citizens!" shouted a bread pudding, shaking its =
fist
at the Yellow Hen.
"What's that! What's that?" wailed Mr. Cinn=
amon
Bunn, who had now joined them.
"Oh, what a misfortune--what a terrible misfortune!"
"See here," said Dorothy, determined=
to
defend her pets, "I think we've treated you all pretty well, seeing yo=
u're
eatables an' reg'lar food for us.
I've been kind to you and eaten your old wheelbarrows and pianos and
rubbish, an' not said a word. But
Toto and Billina can't be 'spected to go hungry when the town's full of good
things they like to eat, 'cause they can't understand your stingy ways as I
do."
"You must leave here at once!" said =
Mr.
Bunn, sternly.
"Suppose we won't go?" said Dorothy,=
who
was now much provoked.
"Then," said he, "we will put y=
ou
into the great ovens where we are made, and bake you."
Dorothy gazed around and saw threatening looks
upon the faces of all. She had not noticed any ovens in the town, but they
might be there, nevertheless, for some of the inhabitants seemed very
fresh. So she decided to go, =
and
calling to Toto and Billina to follow her she marched up the street with as
much dignity as possible, considering that she was followed by the hoots and
cries of the buns and biscuits and other bake stuff.
Princess Ozma was a very busy little ruler, for
she looked carefully after the comfort and welfare of her people and tried =
to
make them happy. If any quarr=
els
arose she decided them justly; if any one needed counsel or advice she was
ready and willing to listen to them.
For a day or two after Dorothy and her compani=
ons
had started on their trip, Ozma was occupied with the affairs of her
kingdom. Then she began to th=
ink of
some manner of occupation for Uncle Henry and Aunt Em that would be light a=
nd
easy and yet give the old people something to do.
She soon decided to make Uncle Henry the Keepe=
r of
the Jewels, for some one really was needed to count and look after the bins=
and
barrels of emeralds, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones that were in
the Royal Storehouses. That w=
ould
keep Uncle Henry busy enough, but it was harder to find something for Aunt =
Em
to do. The palace was full of=
servants,
so there was no detail of housework that Aunt Em could look after.
While Ozma sat in her pretty room engaged in
thought she happened to glance at her Magic Picture.
This was one of the most important treasures in
all the Land of Oz. It was a =
large
picture, set in a beautiful gold frame, and it hung in a prominent place up=
on a
wall of Ozma's private room.
Usually this picture seemed merely a country
scene, but whenever Ozma looked at it and wished to know what any of her
friends or acquaintances were doing, the magic of this wonderful picture wa=
s straightway
disclosed. For the country sc=
ene
would gradually fade away and in its place would appear the likeness of the
person or persons Ozma might wish to see, surrounded by the actual scenes in
which they were then placed. =
In
this way the Princess could view any part of the world she wished, and watch
the actions of any one in whom she was interested.
Ozma had often seen Dorothy in her Kansas home=
by
this means, and now, having a little leisure, she expressed a desire to see=
her
little friend again. It was w=
hile
the travelers were at Fuddlecumjig, and Ozma laughed merrily as she watched=
in
the picture her friends trying to match the pieces of Grandmother Gnit.
"They seem happy and are doubtless having=
a
good time," the girl Ruler said to herself; and then she began to thin=
k of
the many adventures she herself had encountered with Dorothy.
The image of her friends now faded from the Ma=
gic
Picture and the old landscape slowly reappeared.
Ozma was thinking of the time when with Dorothy
and her army she marched to the Nome King's underground cavern, beyond the =
Land
of Ev, and forced the old monarch to liberate his captives, who belonged to=
the
Royal Family of Ev. That was =
the
time when the Scarecrow nearly frightened the Nome King into fits by throwi=
ng
one of Billina's eggs at him, and Dorothy had captured King Roquat's Magic =
Belt
and brought it away with her to the Land of Oz.
The pretty Princess smiled at the recollection=
of
this adventure, and then she wondered what had become of the Nome King since
then. Merely because she was
curious and had nothing better to do, Ozma glanced at the Magic Picture and
wished to see in it the King of the Nomes.
Roquat the Red went every day into his tunnel =
to
see how the work was getting along and to hurry his workmen as much as
possible. He was there now, a=
nd
Ozma saw him plainly in the Magic Picture.
She saw the underground tunnel, reaching far
underneath the Deadly Desert which separated the Land of Oz from the mounta=
ins
beneath which the Nome King had his extensive caverns. She saw that the tunnel was being =
made
in the direction of the Emerald City, and knew at once it was being dug so =
that
the army of Nomes could march through it and attack her own beautiful and
peaceful country.
"I suppose King Roquat is planning revenge
against us," she said, musingly, "and thinks he can surprise us a=
nd
make us his captives and slaves. How
sad it is that any one can have such wicked thoughts! But I must not blame King Roquat t=
oo
severely, for he is a Nome, and his nature is not so gentle as my own."=
;
Then she dismissed from her mind further thoug=
ht
of the tunnel, for that time, and began to wonder if Aunt Em would not be h=
appy
as Royal Mender of the Stockings of the Ruler of Oz. Ozma wore few holes in her stockin=
gs;
still, they sometimes needed mending.
Aunt Em ought to be able to do that very nicely.
Next day, the Princess watched the tunnel agai=
n in
her Magic Picture, and every day afterward she devoted a few minutes to
inspecting the work. It was n=
ot
especially interesting, but she felt that it was her duty.
Slowly but surely the big, arched hole crept
through the rocks underneath the deadly desert, and day by day it drew near=
er
and nearer to the Emerald City.
Dorothy left Bunbury the same way she had ente=
red
it and when they were in the forest again she said to Billina:
"I never thought that things good to eat
could be so dis'gree'ble."
"Often I've eaten things that tasted good=
but
were disagreeable afterward," returned the Yellow Hen. "I think, Dorothy, if eatable=
s are
going to act badly, it's better before than after you eat them."
"P'raps you're right," said the litt=
le
girl, with a sigh. "But =
what shall
we do now?"
"Let us follow the path back to the
signpost," suggested Billina. "That will be better than getting l=
ost
again."
"Why, we're lost anyhow," declared
Dorothy; "but I guess you're right about going back to that signpost,
Billina."
They returned along the path to the place where
they had first found it, and at once took "the other road" to
Bunnybury. This road was a me=
re
narrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough for Dorothy's feet to
tread. Still, it was a guide,=
and
the walking through the forest was not at all difficult.
Before long they reached a high wall of solid
white marble, and the path came to an end at this wall.
At first Dorothy thought there was no opening =
at
all in the marble, but on looking closely she discovered a small square door
about on a level with her head, and underneath this closed door was a
bell-push. Near the bell-push=
a
sign was painted in neat letters upon the marble, and the sign read:
=
NO
ADMITTANCE
EXCEPT ON BUSINESS
=
This
did not discourage Dorothy, however, and she rang the bell.
Pretty soon a bolt was cautiously withdrawn and
the marble door swung slowly open.
Then she saw it was not really a door, but a window, for several bra=
ss
bars were placed across it, being set fast in the marble and so close toget=
her
that the little girl's fingers might barely go between them. Back of the bars appeared the face=
of a
white rabbit--a very sober and sedate face--with an eye-glass held in his l=
eft
eye and attached to a cord in his button-hole.
"Well! what is it?" asked the rabbit,
sharply.
"I'm Dorothy," said the girl, "=
and
I'm lost, and--"
"State your business, please,"
interrupted the rabbit.
"My business," she replied, "is=
to find
out where I am, and to--"
"No one is allowed in Bunnybury without an
order or a letter of introduction from either Ozma of Oz or Glinda the
Good," announced the rabbit; "so that settles the matter," a=
nd
he started to close the window.
"Wait a minute!" cried Dorothy. "I've got a letter from Ozma.=
"
"From the Ruler of Oz?" asked the
rabbit, doubtingly.
"Of course. Ozma's my best friend, you know; a=
nd I'm
a Princess myself," she announced, earnestly.
"Hum--ha! Let me see your letter," retu=
rned
the rabbit, as if he still doubted her.
So she hunted in her pocket and found the lett=
er
Ozma had given her. Then she handed it through the bars to the rabbit, who =
took
it in his paws and opened it. He
read it aloud in a pompous voice, as if to let Dorothy and Billina see that=
he
was educated and could read writing. The letter was as follows:
=
"It
will please me to have my subjects greet Princess Dorothy, the bearer of th=
is
royal missive, with the same courtesy and consideration they would extend to
me."
=
"Ha--hum! It is signed 'Ozma of Oz,'"
continued the rabbit, "and is sealed with the Great Seal of the Emerald
City. Well, well, well! How strange! How remarkable!"
"What are you going to do about it?"
inquired Dorothy, impatiently.
"We must obey the royal mandate,"
replied the rabbit. "We =
are
subjects of Ozma of Oz, and we live in her country. Also we are under the protection o=
f the
great Sorceress Glinda the Good, who made us promise to respect Ozma's
commands."
"Then may I come in?" she asked.
"I'll open the door," said the
rabbit. He shut the window an=
d disappeared,
but a moment afterward a big door in the wall opened and admitted Dorothy t=
o a
small room, which seemed to be a part of the wall and built into it.
Here stood the rabbit she had been talking wit=
h,
and now that she could see all of him, she gazed at the creature in
surprise. He was a good sized=
white
rabbit with pink eyes, much like all other white rabbits. But the astonishi=
ng
thing about him was the manner in which he was dressed. He wore a white satin jacket embro=
idered
with gold, and having diamond buttons.&nbs=
p;
His vest was rose-colored satin, with tourmaline buttons. His trousers were white, to corres=
pond
with the jacket, and they were baggy at the knees--like those of a zouave--=
being
tied with knots of rose ribbons.
His shoes were of white plush with diamond buckles, and his stockings
were rose silk.
The richness and even magnificence of the rabb=
it's
clothing made Dorothy stare at the little creature wonderingly. Toto and Billina had followed her =
into
the room and when he saw them the rabbit ran to a table and sprang upon it
nimbly. Then he looked at the=
three
through his monocle and said:
"These companions, Princess, cannot enter
Bunnybury with you."
"Why not?" asked Dorothy.
"In the first place they would frighten o=
ur
people, who dislike dogs above all things on earth; and, secondly, the lett=
er
of the Royal Ozma does not mention them."
"But they're my friends," persisted
Dorothy, "and go wherever I go."
"Not this time," said the rabbit,
decidedly. "You, yoursel=
f,
Princess, are a welcome visitor, since you come so highly recommended; but
unless you consent to leave the dog and the hen in this room I cannot permi=
t you
to enter the town."
"Never mind us, Dorothy," said Billi=
na. "Go inside and see what the p=
lace
is like. You can tell us abou=
t it
afterward, and Toto and I will rest comfortably here until you return."=
;
This seemed the best thing to do, for Dorothy =
was
curious to see how the rabbit people lived and she was aware of the fact th=
at
her friends might frighten the timid little creatures. She had not forgotten how Toto and
Billina had misbehaved in Bunbury, and perhaps the rabbit was wise to insis=
t on
their staying outside the town.
"Very well," she said, "I'll go=
in
alone. I s'pose you're the Ki=
ng of this
town, aren't you?"
"No," answered the rabbit, "I'm
merely the Keeper of the Wicket, and a person of little importance, althoug=
h I
try to do my duty. I must now=
inform
you, Princess, that before you enter our town you must consent to reduce.&q=
uot;
"Reduce what?" asked Dorothy.
"Your size. You must become the size of the ra=
bbits,
although you may retain your own form."
"Wouldn't my clothes be too big for me?&q=
uot;
she inquired.
"No; they will reduce when your body does=
."
"Can YOU make me smaller?" asked the
girl.
"Easily," returned the rabbit.
"And will you make me big again, when I'm
ready to go away?"
"I will," said he.
"All right, then; I'm willing," she
announced.
The rabbit jumped from the table and ran--or r=
ather
hopped--to the further wall, where he opened a door so tiny that even Toto
could scarcely have crawled through it.
"Follow me," he said.
Now, almost any other little girl would have
declared that she could not get through so small a door; but Dorothy had
already encountered so many fairy adventures that she believed nothing was
impossible in the Land of Oz. So
she quietly walked toward the door, and at every step she grew smaller and
smaller until, by the time the opening was reached, she could pass through =
it
with ease. Indeed, as she sto=
od beside
the rabbit, who sat upon his hind legs and used his paws as hands, her head=
was
just about as high as his own.
Then the Keeper of the Wicket passed through a=
nd
she followed, after which the door swung shut and locked itself with a sharp
click.
Dorothy now found herself in a city so strange=
and
beautiful that she gave a gasp of surprise. The high marble wall extended all =
around
the place and shut out all the rest of the world. And here were marble houses of cur=
ious
forms, most of them resembling overturned kettles but with delicate slender
spires and minarets running far up into the sky. The streets were paved with
white marble and in front of each house was a lawn of rich green clover.
But the rabbit people were, after all, the most
amazing things Dorothy saw. T=
he
streets were full of them, and their costumes were so splendid that the rich
dress of the Keeper of the Wicket was commonplace when compared with the
others. Silks and satins of d=
elicate
hues seemed always used for material, and nearly every costume sparkled with
exquisite gems.
But the lady rabbits outshone the gentlemen
rabbits in splendor, and the cut of their gowns was really wonderful. They wore bonnets, too, with feath=
ers
and jewels in them, and some wheeled baby carriages in which the girl could=
see
wee bunnies. Some were lying =
asleep
while others lay sucking their paws and looking around them with big pink e=
yes.
As Dorothy was no bigger in size than the grow=
n-up
rabbits she had a chance to observe them closely before they noticed her
presence. Then they did not s=
eem at
all alarmed, although the little girl naturally became the center of attrac=
tion
and regarded her with great curiosity.
"Make way!" cried the Keeper of the
Wicket, in a pompous voice; "make way for Princess Dorothy, who comes =
from
Ozma of Oz."
Hearing this announcement, the throng of rabbi=
ts
gave place to them on the walks, and as Dorothy passed along they all bowed
their heads respectfully.
Walking thus through several handsome streets =
they
came to a square in the center of the City. In this square were some pretty tr=
ees
and a statue in bronze of Glinda the Good, while beyond it were the portals=
of
the Royal Palace--an extensive and imposing building of white marble covered
with a filigree of frosted gold.
A line of rabbit soldiers was drawn up before =
the
palace entrance, and they wore green and gold uniforms with high shakos upon
their heads and held tiny spears in their hands. The Captain had a sword and a whit=
e plume
in his shako.
"Salute!" called the Keeper of the
Wicket. "Salute Princess
Dorothy, who comes from Ozma of Oz!"
"Salute!" yelled the Captain, and all
the soldiers promptly saluted.
They now entered the great hall of the palace,
where they met a gaily dressed attendant, from whom the Keeper of the Wicket
inquired if the King were at leisure.
"I think so," was the reply. "I heard his Majesty blubberi=
ng and
wailing as usual only a few minutes ago.&n=
bsp;
If he doesn't stop acting like a cry-baby I'm going to resign my
position here and go to work."
"What's the matter with your King?"
asked Dorothy, surprised to hear the rabbit attendant speak so disrespectfu=
lly
of his monarch.
"Oh, he doesn't want to be King, that's a=
ll;
and he simply HAS to," was the reply.
"Come!" said the Keeper of the Wicke=
t,
sternly; "lead us to his Majesty; and do not air our troubles before
strangers, I beg of you."
"Why, if this girl is going to see the Ki=
ng,
he'll air his own troubles," returned the attendant.
"That is his royal privilege," decla=
red
the Keeper.
So the attendant led them into a room all drap=
ed
with cloth-of-gold and furnished with satin-covered gold furniture. There was a throne in this room, s=
et on
a dais and having a big, cushioned seat, and on this seat reclined the Rabb=
it
King. He was lying on his bac=
k,
with his paws in the air, and whining very like a puppy-dog.
"Your Majesty! your Majesty! Get up. Here's a visitor," called out=
the
attendant.
The King rolled over and looked at Dorothy with
one watery pink eye. Then he sat up and wiped his eyes carefully with a silk
handkerchief and put on his jeweled crown, which had fallen off.
"Excuse my grief, fair stranger," he
said, in a sad voice. "Y=
ou
behold in me the most miserable monarch in all the world. What time is it, Blinkem?"
"One o'clock, your Majesty," replied=
the
attendant to whom the question was addressed.
"Serve luncheon at once!" commanded =
the
King. "Luncheon for two-=
-that's
for my visitor and me--and see that the human has some sort of food she's
accustomed to."
"Yes, your Majesty," answered the
attendant, and went away.
"Tie my shoe, Bristle," said the Kin=
g to
the Keeper of the Wicket. &qu=
ot;Ah me!
how unhappy I am!"
"What seems to be worrying your
Majesty?" asked Dorothy.
"Why, it's this king business, of
course," he returned, while the Keeper tied his shoe. "I didn't want to be King of
Bunnybury at all, and the rabbits all knew it. So they elected me--to save themse=
lves from
such a dreadful fate, I suppose--and here I am, shut up in a palace, when I
might be free and happy."
"Seems to me," said Dorothy, "i=
t's
a great thing to be a King."
"Were you ever a King?" inquired the
monarch.
"No," she answered, laughing.
"Then you know nothing about it," he
said. "I haven't inquire=
d who
you are, but it doesn't matter.
While we're at luncheon, I'll tell you all my troubles. They're a great deal more interest=
ing
than anything you can say about yourself."
"Perhaps they are, to you," replied
Dorothy.
"Luncheon is served!" cried Blinkem,
throwing open the door, and in came a dozen rabbits in livery, all bearing
trays which they placed upon the table, where they arranged the dishes in an
orderly manner.
"Now clear out--all of you!" exclaim=
ed
the King. "Bristle, you =
may wait
outside, in case I want you."
When they had gone and the King was alone with
Dorothy he came down from his throne, tossed his crown into a corner and ki=
cked
his ermine robe under the table.
"Sit down," he said, "and try t=
o be
happy. It's useless for me to=
try, because
I'm always wretched and miserable.
But I'm hungry, and I hope you are."
"I am," said Dorothy. "I've only eaten a wheelbarro=
w and
a piano to-day--oh, yes! and a slice of bread and butter that used to be a =
door-mat."
"That sounds like a square meal,"
remarked the King, seating himself opposite her; "but perhaps it wasn'=
t a
square piano. Eh?"
Dorothy laughed.
"You don't seem so very unhappy now,"
she said.
"But I am," protested the King, fresh
tears gathering in his eyes. "Even my jokes are miserable. I'm wretched, woeful, afflicted, d=
istressed
and dismal as an individual can be.
Are you not sorry for me?"
"No," answered Dorothy, honestly,
"I can't say I am. Seems=
to me
that for a rabbit you're right in clover.&=
nbsp;
This is the prettiest little city I ever saw."
"Oh, the city is good enough," he
admitted. "Glinda, the G=
ood Sorceress,
made it for us because she was fond of rabbits. I don't mind the City so much, alt=
hough
I wouldn't live here if I had my choice.&n=
bsp;
It is being King that has absolutely ruined my happiness."
"Why wouldn't you live here by choice?&qu=
ot;
she asked.
"Because it is all unnatural, my dear.
"I've often thought," said Dorothy, =
who
was busily eating, "that it would be fun to be a rabbit."
"It IS fun--when you're the genuine
article," agreed his Majesty.
"But look at me now! I
live in a marble palace instead of a hole in the ground. I have all I want to eat, without =
the
joy of hunting for it. Every day I must dress in fine clothes and wear that
horrible crown till it makes my head ache.=
Rabbits come to me with all sorts of troubles, when my own troubles =
are
the only ones I care about. W=
hen I walk
out I can't hop and run; I must strut on my rear legs and wear an ermine
robe! And the soldiers salute=
me
and the band plays and the other rabbits laugh and clap their paws and cry =
out:
'Hail to the King!' Now let m=
e ask
you, as a friend and a young lady of good judgment: isn't all this pomp and
foolishness enough to make a decent rabbit miserable?"
"Once," said Dorothy, reflectively,
"men were wild and unclothed and lived in caves and hunted for food as
wild beasts do. But they got =
civ'lized,
in time, and now they'd hate to go back to the old days."
"That is an entirely different case,"
replied the King. "None =
of you
Humans were civilized in one lifetime.&nbs=
p;
It came to you by degrees.
But I have known the forest and the free life, and that is why I res=
ent being
civilized all at once, against my will, and being made a King with a crown =
and
an ermine robe. Pah!"
"If you don't like it, why don't you
resign?" she asked.
"Impossible!" wailed the Rabbit, wip=
ing
his eyes again with his handkerchief.
"There's a beastly law in this town that forbids it. When one is
elected a King, there's no getting out of it."
"Who made the laws?" inquired Doroth=
y.
"The same Sorceress who made the town--Gl=
inda
the Good. She built the wall,=
and
fixed up the City, and gave us several valuable enchantments, and made the
laws. Then she invited all the
pink-eyed white rabbits of the forest to come here, after which she left us=
to
our fate."
"What made you 'cept the invitation, and =
come
here?" asked the child.
"I didn't know how dreadful city life was,
and I'd no idea I would be elected King," said he, sobbing bitterly. "And--and--now I'm It--with a
capital I--and can't escape!"
"I know Glinda," remarked Dorothy,
eating for dessert a dish of charlotte russe, "and when I see her agai=
n,
I'll ask her to put another King in your place."
"Will you? Will you, indeed?" asked the =
King,
joyfully.
"I will if you want me to," she repl=
ied.
"Hurroo--huray!" shouted the King; a=
nd
then he jumped up from the table and danced wildly about the room, waving h=
is
napkin like a flag and laughing with glee.
After a time he managed to control his delight=
and
returned to the table.
"When are you likely to see Glinda?"=
he
inquired.
"Oh, p'raps in a few days," said
Dorothy.
"And you won't forget to ask her?" <= o:p>
"Of course not."
"Princess," said the Rabbit King,
earnestly, "you have relieved me of a great unhappiness, and I am very
grateful. Therefore I propose=
to entertain
you, since you are my guest and I am the King, as a slight mark of my
appreciation. Come with me to=
my
reception hall."
He then summoned Bristle and said to him:
"Assemble all the nobility in the great reception hall, and also tell
Blinkem that I want him immediately."
The Keeper of the Wicket bowed and hurried awa=
y,
and his Majesty turned to Dorothy and continued: "We'll have time for a
walk in the gardens before the people get here."
The gardens were back of the palace and were
filled with beautiful flowers and fragrant shrubs, with many shade and fruit
trees and marble-paved walks running in every direction. As they entered this place Blinkem=
came
running to the King, who gave him several orders in a low voice. Then his Majesty rejoined Dorothy =
and
led her through the gardens, which she admired very much.
"What lovely clothes your Majesty
wears!" she said, glancing at the rich blue satin costume, embroidered,
with pearls in which the King was dressed.
"Yes," he returned, with an air of
pride, "this is one of my favorite suits; but I have a good many that =
are
even more elaborate. We have =
excellent
tailors in Bunnybury, and Glinda supplies all the material. By the way, you
might ask the Sorceress, when you see her, to permit me to keep my
wardrobe."
"But if you go back to the forest you will
not need clothes," she said.
"N--o!" he faltered; "that may =
be
so. But I've dressed up so lo=
ng
that I'm used to it, and I don't imagine I'd care to run around naked again=
. So
perhaps the Good Glinda will let me keep the costumes."
"I'll ask her," agreed Dorothy.
Then they left the gardens and went into a fin=
e,
big reception hall, where rich rugs were spread upon the tiled floors and t=
he
furniture was exquisitely carved and studded with jewels. The King's chair was an especially
pretty piece of furniture, being in the shape of a silver lily with one leaf
bent over to form the seat. T=
he
silver was everywhere thickly encrusted with diamonds and the seat was
upholstered in white satin.
"Oh, what a splendid chair!" cried
Dorothy, clasping her hands admiringly.
"Isn't it?" answered the King,
proudly. "It is my favor=
ite
seat, and I think it especially becoming to my complexion. While I think of it, I wish you'd =
ask
Glinda to let me keep this lily chair when I go away."
"It wouldn't look very well in a hole in =
the
ground, would it?" she suggested.
"Maybe not; but I'm used to sitting in it=
and
I'd like to take it with me," he answered. "But here come the ladies and
gentlemen of the court; so please sit beside me and be presented."
Just then a rabbit band of nearly fifty pieces
marched in, playing upon golden instruments and dressed in neat uniforms. Following the band came the nobili=
ty of
Bunnybury, all richly dressed and hopping along on their rear legs. Both the ladies and the gentlemen =
wore
white gloves upon their paws, with their rings on the outside of the gloves=
, as
this seemed to be the fashion here.
Some of the lady rabbits carried lorgnettes, while many of the gentl=
emen
rabbits wore monocles in their left eyes.
The courtiers and their ladies paraded past the
King, who introduced Princess Dorothy to each couple in a very graceful
manner. Then the company seat=
ed
themselves in chairs and on sofas and looked expectantly at their monarch. =
"It is our royal duty, as well as our roy=
al
pleasure," he said, "to provide fitting entertainment for our
distinguished guest. We will =
now present
the Royal Band of Whiskered Friskers."
As he spoke the musicians, who had arranged
themselves in a corner, struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced
the Whiskered Friskers. They =
were
eight pretty rabbits dressed only in gauzy purple skirts fastened around th=
eir
waists with diamond bands. Th=
eir
whiskers were colored a rich purple, but otherwise they were pure white.
After bowing before the King and Dorothy the
Friskers began their pranks, and these were so comical that Dorothy laughed
with real enjoyment. They not=
only
danced together, whirling and gyrating around the room, but they leaped over
one another, stood upon their heads and hopped and skipped here and there so
nimbly that it was hard work to keep track of them. Finally, they all made double
somersaults and turned handsprings out of the room.
The nobility enthusiastically applauded, and
Dorothy applauded with them.
"They're fine!" she said to the King=
.
"Yes, the Whiskered Friskers are really v=
ery
clever," he replied. &qu=
ot;I shall
hate to part with them when I go away, for they have often amused me when I=
was
very miserable. I wonder if y=
ou
would ask Glinda--"
"No, it wouldn't do at all," declared
Dorothy, positively. "Th=
ere wouldn't
be room in your hole in the ground for so many rabbits, 'spec'ly when you g=
et
the lily chair and your clothes there.&nbs=
p;
Don't think of such a thing, your Majesty."
The King sighed. Then he stood up and announced to =
the
company:
"We will now hold a military drill by my
picked Bodyguard of Royal Pikemen."
Now the band played a march and a company of
rabbit soldiers came in. They wore green and gold uniforms and marched very
stiffly but in perfect time. =
Their
spears, or pikes, had slender shafts of polished silver with golden heads, =
and
during the drill they handled these weapons with wonderful dexterity.
"I should think you'd feel pretty safe wi=
th
such a fine Bodyguard," remarked Dorothy.
"I do," said the King. "They protect me from every
harm. I suppose Glinda
wouldn't--"
"No," interrupted the girl; "I'm
sure she wouldn't. It's the K=
ing's own
Bodyguard, and when you are no longer King you can't have 'em."
The King did not reply, but he looked rather
sorrowful for a time.
When the soldiers had marched out he said to t=
he
company:
"The Royal Jugglers will now appear."=
;
Dorothy had seen many jugglers in her lifetime,
but never any so interesting as these.&nbs=
p;
There were six of them, dressed in black satin embroidered with queer
symbols in silver--a costume which contrasted strongly with their snow-white
fur.
First, they pushed in a big red ball and three=
of
the rabbit jugglers stood upon its top and made it roll. Then two of them caught up a third=
and
tossed him into the air, all vanishing, until only the two were left. Then one of these tossed the other
upward and remained alone of all his fellows. This last juggler now touched the =
red
ball, which fell apart, being hollow, and the five rabbits who had disappea=
red
in the air scrambled out of the hollow ball.
Next they all clung together and rolled swiftly
upon the floor. When they cam=
e to a
stop only one fat rabbit juggler was seen, the others seeming to be inside =
him. This one leaped lightly into the a=
ir and
when he came down he exploded and separated into the original six. Then fou=
r of
them rolled themselves into round balls and the other two tossed them around
and played ball with them.
These were but a few of the tricks the rabbit
jugglers performed, and they were so skillful that all the nobility and even
the King applauded as loudly as did Dorothy.
"I suppose there are no rabbit jugglers in
all the world to compare with these," remarked the King. "And since I may not have the
Whiskers Friskers or my Bodyguard, you might ask Glinda to let me take away
just two or three of these jugglers.
Will you?"
"I'll ask her," replied Dorothy,
doubtfully.
"Thank you," said the King; "th=
ank
you very much. And now you sh=
all listen
to the Winsome Waggish Warblers, who have often cheered me in my moments of
anguish."
The Winsome Waggish Warblers proved to be a
quartette of rabbit singers, two gentlemen and two lady rabbits. The gentlemen Warblers wore full-d=
ress
swallow-tailed suits of white satin, with pearls for buttons, while the lady
Warblers were gowned in white satin dresses with long trails.
The first song they sang began in this way:
=
"When a rabbit gets a habit <=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Of living in a ci=
ty And wearing clothes and furbe=
lows And jewels rare a=
nd
pretty, He scorns the B=
un who
has to run =
And
burrow in the ground And
pities those whose watchful foes Are man and gun a=
nd
hound."
=
Dorothy
looked at the King when she heard this song and noticed that he seemed dist=
urbed
and ill at ease.
"I don't like that song," he said to=
the
Warblers. "Give us somet=
hing jolly
and rollicking."
So they sang to a joyous, tinkling melody as
follows:
=
"Bunn=
ies
gay Delig=
ht to
play In their fairy town
secure; Ev'ry
frisker Flirt=
s his
whisker At a pink-eyed =
girl
demure. Ev'ry=
maid In si=
lk
arrayed At her partner =
shyly
glances, Paws =
are
grasped, Waist=
s are
clasped As they whirl in
giddy dances. Then
together Throu=
gh the
heather 'Neath the moon=
light
soft they stroll; Each =
is
very Blith=
e and
merry, Gamboling with
laughter droll. Life =
is fun
To
ev'ry one Guarded by our
magic charm For to
dangers We are
strangers, Safe from an=
y thought
of harm."
=
"You
see," said Dorothy to the King, when the song ended, "the rabbits=
all
seem to like Bunnybury except you.
And I guess you're the only one that ever has cried or was unhappy a=
nd
wanted to get back to your muddy hole in the ground."
His Majesty seemed thoughtful, and while the
servants passed around glasses of nectar and plates of frosted cakes their =
King
was silent and a bit nervous.
When the refreshments had been enjoyed by all =
and
the servants had retired Dorothy said:
"I must go now, for it's getting late and=
I'm
lost. I've got to find the Wi=
zard
and Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and all the rest sometime before night comes, i=
f I
poss'bly can."
"Won't you stay with us?" asked the
King. "You will be very
welcome."
"No, thank you," she replied. "I must get back to my
friends. And I want to see Gl=
inda
just as soon as I can, you know."
So the King dismissed his court and said he wo=
uld
himself walk with Dorothy to the gate.&nbs=
p;
He did not weep nor groan any more, but his long face was quite sole=
mn
and his big ears hung dejectedly on each side of it. He still wore his crown and his er=
mine
and walked with a handsome gold-headed cane.
When they arrived at the room in the wall the
little girl found Toto and Billina waiting for her very patiently. They had been liberally fed by som=
e of
the attendants and were in no hurry to leave such comfortable quarters.
The Keeper of the Wicket was by this time back=
in
his old place, but he kept a safe distance from Toto. Dorothy bade good bye to the King =
as they
stood just inside the wall.
"You've been good to me," she said,
"and I thank you ever so much.
As soon as poss'ble I'll see Glinda and ask her to put another King =
in your
place and send you back into the wild forest. And I'll ask her to let you keep s=
ome of
your clothes and the lily chair and one or two jugglers to amuse you. I'm sure she will do it, 'cause sh=
e's so
kind she doesn't like any one to be unhappy."
"Ahem!" said the King, looking rather
downcast. "I don't like =
to trouble
you with my misery; so you needn't see Glinda."
"Oh, yes I will," she replied. "It won't be any trouble at
all."
"But, my dear," continued the King, =
in
an embarrassed way, "I've been thinking the subject over carefully, an=
d I
find there are a lot of pleasant things here in Bunnybury that I would miss=
if
I went away. So perhaps I'd b=
etter
stay."
Dorothy laughed. Then she looked grave.
"It won't do for you to be a King and a
cry-baby at the same time," she said.=
"You've been making all the other rabbits unhappy and disconten=
ted
with your howls about being so miserable.&=
nbsp;
So I guess it's better to have another King."
"Oh, no indeed!" exclaimed the King,
earnestly. "If you won't=
say anything
to Glinda I'll promise to be merry and gay all the time, and never cry or w=
ail
again."
"Honor bright?" she asked.
"On the royal word of a King I promise
it!" he answered.
"All right," said Dorothy. "You'd be a reg'lar lunatic t=
o want
to leave Bunnybury for a wild life in the forest, and I'm sure any rabbit o=
utside
the city would be glad to take your place."
"Forget it, my dear; forget all my
foolishness," pleaded the King, earnestly. "Hereafter I'll try to enjoy =
myself
and do my duty by my subjects."
So then she left him and entered through the
little door into the room in the wall, where she grew gradually bigger and
bigger until she had resumed her natural size.
The Keeper of the Wicket let them out into the
forest and told Dorothy that she had been of great service to Bunnybury bec=
ause
she had brought their dismal King to a realization of the pleasure of rulin=
g so
beautiful a city.
"I shall start a petition to have your st=
atue
erected beside Glinda's in the public square," said the Keeper. "I hope you will come again, =
some
day, and see it."
"Perhaps I shall," she replied.
Then, followed by Toto and Billina, she walked
away from the high marble wall and started back along the narrow path toward
the sign-post.
When they came to the signpost, there, to their
joy, were the tents of the Wizard pitched beside the path and the kettle
bubbling merrily over the fire. The
Shaggy Man and Omby Amby were gathering firewood while Uncle Henry and Aunt=
Em
sat in their camp chairs talking with the Wizard.
They all ran forward to greet Dorothy, as she
approached, and Aunt Em exclaimed: "Goodness gracious, child! Where have you been?"
"You've played hookey the whole day,"
added the Shaggy Man, reproachfully.
"Well, you see, I've been lost,"
explained the little girl, "and I've tried awful hard to find the way =
back
to you, but just couldn't do it."
"Did you wander in the forest all day?&qu=
ot;
asked Uncle Henry.
"You must be a'most starved!" said A=
unt
Em.
"No," said Dorothy, "I'm not
hungry. I had a wheelbarrow a=
nd a
piano for breakfast, and lunched with a King."
"Ah!" exclaimed the Wizard, nodding =
with
a bright smile. "So you'=
ve been
having adventures again."
"She's stark crazy!" cried Aunt Em.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "Whoever heard of eating a wh=
eelbarrow?"
"It wasn't very big," said Dorothy;
"and it had a zuzu wheel."
"And I ate the crumbs," said Billina,
soberly.
"Sit down and tell us about it," beg=
ged
the Wizard. "We've hunte=
d for you
all day, and at last I noticed your footsteps in this path--and the tracks =
of
Billina. We found the path by
accident, and seeing it only led to two places I decided you were at either=
one
or the other of those places. So we
made camp and waited for you to return.&nb=
sp;
And now, Dorothy, tell us where you have been--to Bunbury or to
Bunnybury?"
"Why, I've been to both," she replie=
d;
"but first I went to Utensia, which isn't on any path at all."
She then sat down and related the day's
adventures, and you may be sure Aunt Em and Uncle Henry were much astonishe=
d at
the story.
"But after seeing the Cuttenclips and the
Fuddles," remarked her uncle, "we ought not to wonder at anything=
in
this strange country."
"Seems like the only common and ordinary
folks here are ourselves," rejoined Aunt Em, diffidently.
"Now that we're together again, and one
reunited party," observed the Shaggy Man, "what are we to do
next?"
"Have some supper and a night's rest,&quo=
t;
answered the Wizard promptly, "and then proceed upon our journey."=
;
"Where to?" asked the Captain Genera=
l.
"We haven't visited the Rigmaroles or the
Flutterbudgets yet," said Dorothy. "I'd like to see them--wouldn't
you?"
"They don't sound very interesting,"
objected Aunt Em. "But p=
erhaps
they are."
"And then," continued the little Wiz=
ard,
"we will call upon the Tin Woodman and Jack Pumpkinhead and our old fr=
iend
the Scarecrow, on our way home."
"That will be nice!" cried Dorothy,
eagerly.
"Can't say THEY sound very interesting,
either," remarked Aunt Em.
"Why, they're the best friends I have!&qu=
ot;
asserted the little girl, "and you're sure to like them, Aunt Em, 'cau=
se
EVER'body likes them."
By this time twilight was approaching, so they=
ate
the fine supper which the Wizard magically produced from the kettle and then
went to bed in the cozy tents.
They were all up bright and early next morning,
but Dorothy didn't venture to wander from the camp again for fear of more
accidents.
"Do you know where there's a road?" =
she
asked the little man.
"No, my dear," replied the Wizard;
"but I'll find one."
After breakfast he waved his hand toward the t=
ents
and they became handkerchiefs again, which were at once returned to the poc=
kets
of their owners. Then they all
climbed into the red wagon and the Sawhorse inquired:
"Which way?"
"Never mind which way," replied the
Wizard. "Just go as you =
please
and you're sure to be right. =
I've
enchanted the wheels of the wagon, and they will roll in the right directio=
n,
never fear."
As the Sawhorse started away through the trees
Dorothy said:
"If we had one of those new-fashioned
airships we could float away over the top of the forest, and look down and =
find
just the places we want."
"Airship? Pah!" retorted the little man,
scornfully. "I hate thos=
e things,
Dorothy, although they are nothing new to either you or me. I was a balloonist for many years,=
and
once my balloon carried me to the Land of Oz, and once to the Vegetable
Kingdom. And once Ozma had a =
Gump
that flew all over this kingdom and had sense enough to go where it was told
to--which airships won't do. =
The
house which the cyclone brought to Oz all the way from Kansas, with you and
Toto in it--was a real airship at the time; so you see we've got plenty of
experience flying with the birds."
"Airships are not so bad, after all,"
declared Dorothy. "Some =
day they'll
fly all over the world, and perhaps bring people even to the Land of Oz.&qu=
ot;
"I must speak to Ozma about that," s=
aid
the Wizard, with a slight frown.
"It wouldn't do at all, you know, for the Emerald City to becom=
e a
way-station on an airship line."
"No," said Dorothy, "I don't s'=
pose
it would. But what can we do =
to prevent
it?"
"I'm working out a magic recipe to fuddle
men's brains, so they'll never make an airship that will go where they want=
it
to go," the Wizard confided to her.&n=
bsp;
"That won't keep the things from flying, now and then, but it'll
keep them from flying to the Land of Oz."
Just then the Sawhorse drew the wagon out of t=
he
forest and a beautiful landscape lay spread before the travelers' eyes. Moreover, right before them was a =
good
road that wound away through the hills and valleys.
"Now," said the Wizard, with evident
delight, "we are on the right track again, and there is nothing more to
worry about."
"It's a foolish thing to take chances in a
strange country," observed the Shaggy Man. "Had we kept to the roads we =
never
would have been lost. Roads a=
lways
lead to some place, else they wouldn't be roads."
"This road," added the Wizard,
"leads to Rigmarole Town. I'm
sure of that because I enchanted the wagon wheels."
Sure enough, after riding along the road for an
hour or two they entered a pretty valley where a village was nestled among =
the
hills. The houses were Munchkin shaped, for they were all domes, with windo=
ws wider
than they were high, and pretty balconies over the front doors.
Aunt Em was greatly relieved to find this town
"neither paper nor patch-work," and the only surprising thing abo=
ut
it was that it was so far distant from all other towns.
As the Sawhorse drew the wagon into the main
street the travelers noticed that the place was filled with people, standin=
g in
groups and seeming to be engaged in earnest conversation. So occupied with themselves were t=
he
inhabitants that they scarcely noticed the strangers at all. So the Wizard stopped a boy and as=
ked:
"Is this Rigmarole Town?"
"Sir," replied the boy, "if you
have traveled very much you will have noticed that every town differs from
every other town in one way or another and so by observing the methods of t=
he
people and the way they live as well as the style of their dwelling places =
it
ought not to be a difficult thing to make up your mind without the trouble =
of
asking questions whether the town bears the appearance of the one you inten=
ded to
visit or whether perhaps having taken a different road from the one you sho=
uld
have taken you have made an error in your way and arrived at some point whe=
re--"
"Land sakes!" cried Aunt Em,
impatiently; "what's all this rigmarole about?"
"That's it!" said the Wizard, laughi=
ng
merrily. "It's a rigmaro=
le because
the boy is a Rigmarole and we've come to Rigmarole Town."
"Do they all talk like that?" asked =
Dorothy,
wonderingly.
"He might have said 'yes' or 'no' and set=
tled
the question," observed Uncle Henry.
"Not here," said Omby Amby. "I don't believe the Rigmarol=
es
know what 'yes' or 'no' means."
While the boy had been talking several other
people had approached the wagon and listened intently to his speech. Then they began talking to one ano=
ther
in long, deliberate speeches, where many words were used but little was
said. But when the strangers
criticized them so frankly one of the women, who had no one else to talk to,
began an address to them, saying:
"It is the easiest thing in the world for=
a
person to say 'yes' or 'no' when a question that is asked for the purpose of
gaining information or satisfying the curiosity of the one who has given
expression to the inquiry has attracted the attention of an individual who =
may
be competent either from personal experience or the experience of others to
answer it with more or less correctness or at least an attempt to satisfy t=
he
desire for information on the part of the one who has made the inquiry
by--"
"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy,
interrupting the speech. &quo=
t;I've
lost all track of what you are saying."
"Don't let her begin over again, for good=
ness
sake!" cried Aunt Em.
But the woman did not begin again. She did not even stop talking, but=
went
right on as she had begun, the words flowing from her mouth in a stream.
"I'm quite sure that if we waited long en=
ough
and listened carefully, some of these people might be able to tell us
something, in time," said the Wizard.
"Let's don't wait," returned
Dorothy. "I've heard of =
the
Rigmaroles, and wondered what they were like; but now I know, and I'm ready=
to
move on."
"So am I," declared Uncle Henry;
"we're wasting time here."
"Why, we're all ready to go," said t=
he
Shaggy Man, putting his fingers to his ears to shut out the monotonous babb=
le
of those around the wagon.
So the Wizard spoke to the Sawhorse, who trott=
ed
nimbly through the village and soon gained the open country on the other si=
de
of it. Dorothy looked back, as they rode away, and noticed that the woman h=
ad not
yet finished her speech but was talking as glibly as ever, although no one =
was
near to hear her.
"If those people wrote books," Omby =
Amby
remarked with a smile, "it would take a whole library to say the cow
jumped over the moon."
"Perhaps some of 'em do write books,"
asserted the little Wizard. "I've read a few rigmaroles that might have
come from this very town."
"Some of the college lecturers and minist=
ers
are certainly related to these people," observed the Shaggy Man; "=
;and
it seems to me the Land of Oz is a little ahead of the United States in som=
e of
its laws. For here, if one ca=
n't
talk clearly, and straight to the point, they send him to Rigmarole Town; w=
hile
Uncle Sam lets him roam around wild and free, to torture innocent people.&q=
uot;
Dorothy was thoughtful. The Rigmaroles had made a strong
impression upon her. She deci=
ded
that whenever she spoke, after this, she would use only enough words to exp=
ress
what she wanted to say.
They were soon among the pretty hills and vall=
eys
again, and the Sawhorse sped up hill and down at a fast and easy pace, the
roads being hard and smooth. =
Mile
after mile was speedily covered, and before the ride had grown at all tires=
ome
they sighted another village. The
place seemed even larger than Rigmarole Town, but was not so attractive in =
appearance.
"This must be Flutterbudget Center,"
declared the Wizard. "Yo=
u see,
it's no trouble at all to find places if you keep to the right road." =
"What are the Flutterbudgets like?"
inquired Dorothy.
"I do not know, my dear. But Ozma has given them a town all=
their
own, and I've heard that whenever one of the people becomes a Flutterbudget=
he
is sent to this place to live."
"That is true," Omby Amby added;
"Flutterbudget Center and Rigmarole Town are called 'the Defensive
Settlements of Oz.'"
The village they now approached was not built =
in a
valley, but on top of a hill, and the road they followed wound around the h=
ill,
like a corkscrew, ascending the hill easily until it came to the town.
"Look out!" screamed a voice. "Look out, or you'll run over=
my
child!"
They gazed around and saw a woman standing upon
the sidewalk nervously wringing her hands as she gazed at them appealingly.=
"Where is your child?" asked the
Sawhorse.
"In the house," said the woman, burs=
ting
into tears; "but if it should happen to be in the road, and you ran ov=
er
it, those great wheels would crush my darling to jelly. Oh dear! oh dear! Think of my darling child being cr=
ushed
into jelly by those great wheels!"
"Gid-dap!" said the Wizard sharply, =
and
the Sawhorse started on.
They had not gone far before a man ran out of a
house shouting wildly, "Help!
Help!"
The Sawhorse stopped short and the Wizard and
Uncle Henry and the Shaggy Man and Omby Amby jumped out of the wagon and ra=
n to
the poor man's assistance. Do=
rothy
followed them as quickly as she could.
"What's the matter?" asked the Wizar=
d.
"Help! help!" screamed the man; &quo=
t;my
wife has cut her finger off and she's bleeding to death!"
Then he turned and rushed back to the house, a=
nd
all the party went with him. =
They
found a woman in the front dooryard moaning and groaning as if in great pai=
n.
"Be brave, madam!" said the Wizard,
consolingly. "You won't =
die
just because you have cut off a finger, you may be sure."
"But I haven't cut off a finger!" she
sobbed.
"Then what HAS happened?" asked Doro=
thy.
"I--I pricked my finger with a needle whi=
le I
was sewing, and--and the blood came!" she replied. "And now I'll have blood-pois=
oning,
and the doctors will cut off my finger, and that will give me a fever and I=
shall
die!"
"Pshaw!" said Dorothy; "I've
pricked my finger many a time, and nothing happened."
"Really?" asked the woman, brighteni=
ng
and wiping her eyes upon her apron.
"Why, it's nothing at all," declared=
the
girl. "You're more scare=
d than
hurt."
"Ah, that's because she's a
Flutterbudget," said the Wizard, nodding wisely. "I think I know now what these
people are like."
"So do I," announced Dorothy.
"Oh, boo-hoo-hoo!" sobbed the woman,
giving way to a fresh burst of grief.
"What's wrong now?" asked the Shaggy
Man.
"Oh, suppose I had pricked my foot!"=
she
wailed. "Then the doctor=
s would
have cut my foot off, and I'd be lamed for life!"
"Surely, ma'am," replied the Wizard,
"and if you'd pricked your nose they might cut your head off. But you see you didn't."
"But I might have!" she exclaimed, a=
nd
began to cry again. So they l=
eft
her and drove away in their wagon.
And her husband came out and began calling "Help!" as he h=
ad
before; but no one seemed to pay any attention to him.
As the travelers turned into another street th=
ey
found a man walking excitedly up and down the pavement. He appeared to be in a very nervou=
s condition
and the Wizard stopped him to ask:
"Is anything wrong, sir?"
"Everything is wrong," answered the =
man,
dismally. "I can't
sleep."
"Why not?" inquired Omby Amby.
"If I go to sleep I'll have to shut my
eyes," he explained; "and if I shut my eyes they may grow togethe=
r,
and then I'd be blind for life!"
"Did you ever hear of any one's eyes grow=
ing
together?" asked Dorothy.
"No," said the man, "I never
did. But it would be a dreadf=
ul
thing, wouldn't it? And the t=
hought
of it makes me so nervous I'm afraid to go to sleep."
"There's no help for this case,"
declared the Wizard; and they went on.
At the next street corner a woman rushed up to
them crying:
"Save my baby! Oh, good, kind people, save my
baby!"
"Is it in danger?" asked Dorothy, no=
ticing
that the child was clasped in her arms and seemed sleeping peacefully.
"Yes, indeed," said the woman,
nervously. "If I should =
go
into the house and throw my child out of the window, it would roll way down=
to the
bottom of the hill; and then if there were a lot of tigers and bears down
there, they would tear my darling babe to pieces and eat it up!"
"Are there any tigers and bears in this
neighborhood?" the Wizard asked.
"I've never heard of any," admitted =
the
woman, "but if there were--"
"Have you any idea of throwing your baby =
out
of the window?" questioned the little man.
"None at all," she said; "but
if--"
"All your troubles are due to those
'ifs'," declared the Wizard.
"If you were not a Flutterbudget you wouldn't worry."
"There's another 'if'," replied the
woman. "Are you a
Flutterbudget, too?"
"I will be, if I stay here long,"
exclaimed the Wizard, nervously.
"Another 'if'!" cried the woman.
But the Wizard did not stop to argue with
her. He made the Sawhorse can=
ter
all the way down the hill, and only breathed easily when they were miles aw=
ay
from the village.
After they had ridden in silence for a while
Dorothy turned to the little man and asked:
"Do 'ifs' really make Flutterbudgets?&quo=
t;
"I think the 'ifs' help," he answered
seriously. "Foolish fear=
s, and
worries over nothing, with a mixture of nerves and ifs, will soon make a
Flutterbudget of any one."
Then there was another long silence, for all t=
he
travelers were thinking over this statement, and nearly all decided it must=
be
true.
The country they were now passing through was
everywhere tinted purple, the prevailing color of the Gillikin Country; but=
as
the Sawhorse ascended a hill they found that upon the other side everything=
was
of a rich yellow hue.
"Aha!" cried the Captain General;
"here is the Country of the Winkies. We are just crossing the boundary
line."
"Then we may be able to lunch with the Tin
Woodman," announced the Wizard, joyfully.
"Must we lunch on tin?" asked Aunt E=
m.
"Oh, no;" replied Dorothy. "Nick Chopper knows how to fe=
ed
meat people, and he will give us plenty of good things to eat, never fear. =
I've
been to his castle before."
"Is Nick Chopper the Tin Woodman's
name?" asked Uncle Henry.
"Yes; that's one of his names," answ=
ered
the little girl; "and another of his names is 'Emp'ror of the
Winkies.' He's the King of th=
is country,
you know, but Ozma rules over all the countries of Oz."
"Does the Tin Woodman keep any Flutterbud=
gets
or Rigmaroles at his castle?" inquired Aunt Em, uneasily.
"No indeed," said Dorothy,
positively. "He lives in=
a new
tin castle, all full of lovely things."
"I should think it would rust," said
Uncle Henry.
"He has thousands of Winkies to keep it
polished for him," explained the Wizard. "His people love to do anythi=
ng in
their power for their beloved Emperor, so there isn't a particle of rust on=
all
the big castle."
"I suppose they polish their Emperor,
too," said Aunt Em.
"Why, some time ago he had himself
nickel-plated," the Wizard answered; "so he only needs rubbing up
once in a while. He's the bri=
ghtest
man in all the world, is dear Nick Chopper; and the kindest-hearted." =
"I helped find him," said Dorothy,
reflectively. "Once the
Scarecrow and I found the Tin Woodman in the woods, and he was just rusted
still, that time, an' no mistake.
But we oiled his joints an' got 'em good and slippery, and after tha=
t he
went with us to visit the Wizard at the Em'rald City."
"Was that the time the Wizard scared
you?" asked Aunt Em.
"He didn't treat us well, at first,"
acknowledged Dorothy; "for he made us go away and destroy the Wicked
Witch. But after we found out=
he
was only a humbug wizard we were not afraid of him."
The Wizard sighed and looked a little ashamed.=
"When we try to deceive people we always =
make
mistakes," he said. &quo=
t;But I'm
getting to be a real wizard now, and Glinda the Good's magic, that I am try=
ing
to practice, can never harm any one."
"You were always a good man," declar=
ed
Dorothy, "even when you were a bad wizard."
"He's a good wizard now," asserted A=
unt
Em, looking at the little man admiringly.&=
nbsp;
"The way he made those tents grow out of handkerchiefs was just
wonderful! And didn't he ench=
ant
the wagon wheels so they'd find the road?"
"All the people of Oz," said the Cap=
tain
General, "are very proud of their Wizard. He once made some soap-bubbles that
astonished the world."
The Wizard blushed at this praise, yet it plea=
sed
him. He no longer looked sad,=
but
seemed to have recovered his usual good humor.
The country through which they now rode was
thickly dotted with farmhouses, and yellow grain waved in all the fields. Many of the Winkies could be seen
working on their farms and the wild and unsettled parts of Oz were by this =
time
left far behind.
These Winkies appeared to be happy, light-hear=
ted
folk, and all removed their caps and bowed low when the red wagon with its =
load
of travelers passed by.
It was not long before they saw something
glittering in the sunshine far ahead.
"See!" cried Dorothy; "that's t=
he
Tin Castle, Aunt Em!"
And the Sawhorse, knowing his passengers were
eager to arrive, broke into a swift trot that soon brought them to their
destination.
The Tin Woodman received Princess Dorothy's pa=
rty
with much grace and cordiality, yet the little girl decided that something =
must
be worrying with her old friend, because he was not so merry as usual.
But at first she said nothing about this, for
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em were fairly bubbling over with admiration for the
beautiful tin castle and its polished tin owner. So her suspicion that something
unpleasant had happened was for a time forgotten.
"Where is the Scarecrow?" she asked,
when they had all been ushered into the big tin drawing-room of the castle,=
the
Sawhorse being led around to the tin stable in the rear.
"Why, our old friend has just moved into =
his
new mansion," explained the Tin Woodman. "It has been a long time in
building, although my Winkies and many other people from all parts of the
country have been busily working upon it.&=
nbsp;
At last, however, it is completed, and the Scarecrow took possession=
of
his new home just two days ago."
"I hadn't heard that he wanted a home of =
his
own," said Dorothy. &quo=
t;Why doesn't
he live with Ozma in the Emerald City?&nbs=
p;
He used to, you know; and I thought he was happy there."
"It seems," said the Tin Woodman,
"that our dear Scarecrow cannot be contented with city life, however
beautiful his surroundings might be. Originally he was a farmer, for he pas=
sed
his early life in a cornfield, where he was supposed to frighten away the
crows."
"I know," said Dorothy, nodding. "I found him, and lifted him =
down from
his pole."
"So now, after a long residence in the Emerald City, his tastes have turned to farm life again," continued the Tin Man. "He feels that = he cannot be happy without a farm of his own, so Ozma gave him some land and every one helped him build his mansion, and now he is settled there for good." <= o:p>
"Who designed his house?" asked the
Shaggy Man.
"I believe it was Jack Pumpkinhead, who is
also a farmer," was the reply.
They were now invited to enter the tin dining
room, where luncheon was served.
Aunt Em found, to her satisfaction, that Dorot=
hy's
promise was more than fulfilled; for, although the Tin Woodman had no appet=
ite
of his own, he respected the appetites of his guests and saw that they were=
bountifully
fed.
They passed the afternoon in wandering through=
the
beautiful gardens and grounds of the palace. The walks were all paved with shee=
ts of tin,
brightly polished, and there were tin fountains and tin statues here and th=
ere
among the trees. The flowers =
were
mostly natural flowers and grew in the regular way; but their host showed t=
hem
one flower bed which was his especial pride.
"You see, all common flowers fade and die=
in
time," he explained, "and so there are seasons when the pretty bl=
ooms
are scarce. Therefore I decid=
ed to
make one tin flower bed all of tin flowers, and my workmen have created them
with rare skill. Here you see=
tin
camelias, tin marigolds, tin carnations, tin poppies and tin hollyhocks gro=
wing
as naturally as if they were real."
Indeed, they were a pretty sight, and glistened
under the sunlight like spun silver.
"Isn't this tin hollyhock going to seed?" asked the Wizard,
bending over the flowers.
"Why, I believe it is!" exclaimed the
Tin Woodman, as if surprised.
"I hadn't noticed that before.=
But I shall plant the tin seeds and raise another bed of tin
hollyhocks."
In one corner of the gardens Nick Chopper had
established a fish-pond in which they saw swimming and disporting themselves
many pretty tin fishes.
"Would they bite on hooks?" asked Au=
nt
Em, curiously.
The Tin Woodman seemed hurt at this question. =
"Madam," said he, "do you suppo=
se I
would allow anyone to catch my beautiful fishes, even if they were foolish
enough to bite on hooks? No, indeed!
Every created thing is safe from harm in my domain, and I would as s=
oon
think of killing my little friend Dorothy as killing one of my tin
fishes."
"The Emperor is very kind-hearted,
ma'am," explained the Wizard.
"If a fly happens to light upon his tin body he doesn't rudely
brush it off, as some people might do; he asks it politely to find some oth=
er
resting place."
"What does the fly do then?" enquired
Aunt Em.
"Usually it begs his pardon and goes
away," said the Wizard, gravely. "Flies like to be treated polite=
ly
as well as other creatures, and here in Oz they understand what we say to t=
hem,
and behave very nicely."
"Well," said Aunt Em, "the flie=
s in
Kansas, where I came from, don't understand anything but a swat. You have to smash 'em to make 'em =
behave;
and it's the same way with 'skeeters.
Do you have 'skeeters in Oz?"
"We have some very large mosquitoes here,
which sing as beautifully as song birds," replied the Tin Woodman. "But they never bite or annoy=
our
people, because they are well fed and taken care of. The reason they bite people in your
country is because they are hungry--poor things!"
"Yes," agreed Aunt Em; "they're
hungry, all right. An' they a=
in't
very particular who they feed on.
I'm glad you've got the 'skeeters educated in Oz."
That evening after dinner they were entertaine=
d by
the Emperor's Tin Cornet Band, which played for them several sweet
melodies. Also the Wizard did=
a few
sleight-of-hand tricks to amuse the company; after which they all retired to
their cozy tin bedrooms and slept soundly until morning.
After breakfast Dorothy said to the Tin Woodma=
n:
"If you'll tell us which way to go we'll
visit the Scarecrow on our way home."
"I will go with you, and show you the
way," replied the Emperor; "for I must journey to-day to the Emer=
ald
City."
He looked so anxious, as he said this, that the
little girl asked:
"There isn't anything wrong with Ozma, is
there?"
"Not yet," said he; "but I'm af=
raid
the time has come when I must tell you some very bad news, little friend.&q=
uot;
"Oh, what is it?" cried Dorothy.
"Do you remember the Nome King?" ask=
ed
the Tin Woodman.
"I remember him very well," she repl=
ied.
"The Nome King has not a kind heart,"
said the Emperor, sadly, "and he has been harboring wicked thoughts of
revenge, because we once defeated him and liberated his slaves and you took
away his Magic Belt. So he has
ordered his Nomes to dig a long tunnel underneath the deadly desert, so tha=
t he
may march his hosts right into the Emerald City. When he gets there he inte=
nds
to destroy our beautiful country."
Dorothy was much surprised to hear this.
"How did Ozma find out about the
tunnel?" she asked.
"She saw it in her Magic Picture." <= o:p>
"Of course," said Dorothy; "I m=
ight
have known that. And what is =
she going
to do?"
"I cannot tell," was the reply.
"Pooh!" cried the Yellow Hen. "We're not afraid of the
Nomes. If we roll a few of ou=
r eggs
down the tunnel they'll run away back home as fast as they can go."
"Why, that's true enough!" exclaimed
Dorothy. "The Scarecrow =
once conquered
all the Nome King's army with some of Billina's eggs."
"But you do not understand all of the
dreadful plot," continued the Tin Woodman. "The Nome King is clever, and=
he
knows his Nomes would run from eggs; so he has bargained with many terrible
creatures to help him. These =
evil
spirits are not afraid of eggs or anything else, and they are very
powerful. So the Nome King wi=
ll
send them through the tunnel first, to conquer and destroy, and then the No=
mes
will follow after to get their share of the plunder and slaves."
They were all startled to hear this, and every
face wore a troubled look.
"Is the tunnel all ready?" asked
Dorothy.
"Ozma sent me word yesterday that the tun=
nel
was all completed except for a thin crust of earth at the end. When our enemies break through this
crust, they will be in the gardens of the royal palace, in the heart of the
Emerald City. I offered to ar=
m all
my Winkies and march to Ozma's assistance; but she said no."
"I wonder why?" asked Dorothy.
"She answered that all the inhabitants of=
Oz,
gathered together, were not powerful enough to fight and overcome the evil
forces of the Nome King. Ther=
efore
she refuses to fight at all."
"But they will capture and enslave us, and
plunder and ruin all our lovely land!" exclaimed the Wizard, greatly
disturbed by this statement.
"I fear they will," said the Tin
Woodman, sorrowfully. "A=
nd I
also fear that those who are not fairies, such as the Wizard, and Dorothy, =
and
her uncle and aunt, as well as Toto and Billina, will be speedily put to de=
ath
by the conquerors."
"What can be done?" asked Dorothy,
shuddering a little at the prospect of this awful fate.
"Nothing can be done!" gloomily repl=
ied
the Emperor of the Winkies. "But since Ozma refuses my army I will go
myself to the Emerald City. The least I may do is to perish beside my belov=
ed
Ruler."
This amazing news had saddened every heart and=
all
were now anxious to return to the Emerald City and share Ozma's fate. So they started without loss of ti=
me,
and as the road led past the Scarecrow's new mansion they determined to mak=
e a
brief halt there and confer with him.
"The Scarecrow is probably the wisest man=
in
all Oz," remarked the Tin Woodman, when they had started upon their
journey. "His brains are=
plentiful
and of excellent quality, and often he has told me things I might never have
thought of myself. I must say=
I
rely a great deal upon the Scarecrow's brains in this emergency."
The Tin Woodman rode on the front seat of the
wagon, where Dorothy sat between him and the Wizard.
"Has the Scarecrow heard of Ozma's
trouble?" asked the Captain General.
"I do not know, sir," was the reply.=
"When I was a private," said Omby Am=
by,
"I was an excellent army, as I fully proved in our war against the
Nomes. But now there is not a=
single
private left in our army, since Ozma made me the Captain General, so there =
is
no one to fight and defend our lovely Ruler."
"True," said the Wizard. "The present army is composed =
only
of officers, and the business of an officer is to order his men to fight. S=
ince
there are no men there can be no fighting."
"Poor Ozma!" whispered Dorothy, with
tears in her sweet eyes. &quo=
t;It's
dreadful to think of all her lovely fairy country being destroyed. I wonder if we couldn't manage to =
escape
and get back to Kansas by means of the Magic Belt? And we might take Ozma with us and=
all
work hard to get money for her, so she wouldn't be so VERY lonely and unhap=
py
about the loss of her fairyland."
"Do you think there would be any work for=
ME
in Kansas?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"If you are hollow, they might use you in=
a
canning factory," suggested Uncle Henry. "But I can't see the use of y=
our
working for a living. You never eat or sleep or need a new suit of
clothes."
"I was not thinking of myself," repl=
ied
the Emperor, with dignity. &q=
uot;I merely
wondered if I could not help to support Dorothy and Ozma."
As they indulged in these sad plans for the fu=
ture
they journeyed in sight of the Scarecrow's new mansion, and even though fil=
led
with care and worry over the impending fate of Oz, Dorothy couldn't help a =
feeling
of wonder at the sight she saw.
The Scarecrow's new house was shaped like an
immense ear of corn. The rows=
of
kernels were made of solid gold, and the green upon which the ear stood upr=
ight
was a mass of sparkling emeralds.
Upon the very top of the structure was perched a figure representing=
the
Scarecrow himself, and upon his extended arms, as well as upon his head, we=
re several
crows carved out of ebony and having ruby eyes. You may imagine how big this ear o=
f corn
was when I tell you that a single gold kernel formed a window, swinging out=
ward
upon hinges, while a row of four kernels opened to make the front
entrance. Inside there were f=
ive stories,
each story being a single room.
The gardens around the mansion consisted of
cornfields, and Dorothy acknowledged that the place was in all respects a v=
ery
appropriate home for her good friend the Scarecrow.
"He would have been very happy here, I'm
sure," she said, "if only the Nome King had left us alone. But if Oz is destroyed of course t=
his place
will be destroyed too."
"Yes," replied the Tin Woodman,
"and also my beautiful tin castle, that has been my joy and pride.&quo=
t;
"Jack Pumpkinhead's house will go too,&qu=
ot;
remarked the Wizard, "as well as Professor Wogglebug's Athletic Colleg=
e,
and Ozma's royal palace, and all our other handsome buildings."
"Yes, Oz will indeed become a desert when=
the
Nome King gets through with it," sighed Omby Amby.
The Scarecrow came out to meet them and gave t=
hem
all a hearty welcome.
"I hear you have decided always to live in
the Land of Oz, after this," he said to Dorothy; "and that will
delight my heart, for I have greatly disliked our frequent partings. But why are you all so downcast?&q=
uot;
"Have you heard the news?" asked the=
Tin
Woodman.
"No news to make me sad," replied the
Scarecrow.
Then Nick Chopper told his friend of the Nome
King's tunnel, and how the evil creatures of the North had allied themselves
with the underground monarch for the purpose of conquering and destroying O=
z. "Well,"
said the Scarecrow, "it certainly looks bad for Ozma, and all of us. But I believe it is wrong to worry=
over
anything before it happens. I=
t is
surely time enough to be sad when our country is despoiled and our people m=
ade
slaves. So let us not deprive
ourselves of the few happy hours remaining to us."
"Ah! that is real wisdom," declared =
the
Shaggy Man, approvingly. "After we become really unhappy we shall regr=
et
these few hours that are left to us, unless we enjoy them to the utmost.&qu=
ot;
"Nevertheless," said the Scarecrow,
"I shall go with you to the Emerald City and offer Ozma my services.&q=
uot;
"She says we can do nothing to oppose our
enemies," announced the Tin Woodman.
"And doubtless she is right, sir," answered the Scarecrow. "Still, she will appreciate our sympathy, and it is the duty of Ozma's friends to stand by her side when the final disaster occurs." <= o:p>
He then led them into his queer mansion and sh=
owed
them the beautiful rooms in all the five stories. The lower room was a grand recepti=
on hall,
with a hand-organ in one corner.
This instrument the Scarecrow, when alone, could turn to amuse himse=
lf,
as he was very fond of music. The walls were hung with white silk, upon whi=
ch
flocks of black crows were embroidered in black diamonds. Some of the chairs were made in the
shape of big crows and upholstered with cushions of corn-colored silk.
The second story contained a fine banquet room=
, where
the Scarecrow might entertain his guests, and the three stories above that =
were
bed-chambers exquisitely furnished and decorated.
"From these rooms," said the Scarecr=
ow,
proudly, "one may obtain fine views of the surrounding cornfields. The corn I grow is always husky, a=
nd I
call the ears my regiments, because they have so many kernels. Of course I
cannot ride my cobs, but I really don't care shucks about that. Taken altogether, my farm will sta=
ck up
with any in the neighborhood."
The visitors partook of some light refreshment=
and
then hurried away to resume the road to the Emerald City. The Scarecrow found a seat in the =
wagon
between Omby Amby and the Shaggy Man, and his weight did not add much to the
load because he was stuffed with straw.
"You will notice I have one oat-field on =
my
property," he remarked, as they drove away. "Oat-straw is, I have found, =
the
best of all straws to re-stuff myself with when my interior gets musty or o=
ut
of shape."
"Are you able to re-stuff yourself without
help?" asked Aunt Em. &q=
uot;I should
think that after the straw was taken out of you there wouldn't be anything =
left
but your clothes."
"You are almost correct, madam," he
answered. "My servants d=
o the stuffing,
under my direction. For my he=
ad, in
which are my excellent brains, is a bag tied at the bottom. My face is neatly painted upon one=
side
of the bag, as you may see. M=
y head
does not need re-stuffing, as my body does, for all that it requires is to =
have
the face touched up with fresh paint occasionally."
It was not far from the Scarecrow's mansion to=
the
farm of Jack Pumpkinhead, and when they arrived there both Uncle Henry and =
Aunt
Em were much impressed. The f=
arm
was one vast pumpkin field, and some of the pumpkins were of enormous
size. In one of them, which h=
ad
been neatly hollowed out, Jack himself lived, and he declared that it was a=
very
comfortable residence. The re=
ason
he grew so many pumpkins was in order that he might change his head as ofte=
n as
it became wrinkled or threatened to spoil.
The pumpkin-headed man welcomed his visitors
joyfully and offered them several delicious pumpkin pies to eat.
"I don't indulge in pumpkin pies myself, =
for
two reasons," he said. "One reason is that were I to eat pumpkins=
I
would become a cannibal, and the other reason is that I never eat, not being
hollow inside."
"Very good reasons," agreed the
Scarecrow.
They told Jack Pumpkinhead of the dreadful news
about the Nome King, and he decided to go with them to the Emerald City and
help comfort Ozma.
"I had expected to live here in ease and
comfort for many centuries," said Jack, dolefully; "but of course=
if
the Nome King destroys everything in Oz I shall be destroyed too. Really, it seems too bad, doesn't
it?"
They were soon on their journey again, and so =
swiftly
did the Sawhorse draw the wagon over the smooth roads that before twilight =
fell
they had reached the royal palace in the Emerald City, and were at their jo=
urney's
end.
Ozma was in her rose garden picking a bouquet =
when
the party arrived, and she greeted all her old and new friends as smilingly=
and
sweetly as ever.
Dorothy's eyes were full of tears as she kissed
the lovely Ruler of Oz, and she whispered to her:
"Oh, Ozma, Ozma! I'm SO sorry!"
Ozma seemed surprised.
"Sorry for what, Dorothy?" she asked=
.
"For all your trouble about the Nome
King," was the reply.
Ozma laughed with genuine amusement.
"Why, that has not troubled me a bit, dear
Princess," she replied. Then, looking around at the sad faces of her
friends, she added: "Have you all been worrying about this tunnel?&quo=
t;
"We have!" they exclaimed in a choru=
s.
"Well, perhaps it is more serious than I
imagined," admitted the fair Ruler; "but I haven't given the matt=
er
much thought. After dinner we=
will
all meet together and talk it over."
So they went to their rooms and prepared for
dinner, and Dorothy dressed herself in her prettiest gown and put on her
coronet, for she thought that this might be the last time she would ever ap=
pear
as a Princess of Oz.
The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and Jack
Pumpkinhead all sat at the dinner table, although none of them was made so =
he
could eat. Usually they serve=
d to
enliven the meal with their merry talk, but to-night all seemed strangely
silent and uneasy.
As soon as the dinner was finished Ozma led the
company to her own private room in which hung the Magic Picture. When they had seated themselves the
Scarecrow was the first to speak.
"Is the Nome King's tunnel finished,
Ozma?" he asked.
"It was completed to-day," she
replied. "They have buil=
t it
right under my palace grounds, and it ends in front of the Forbidden Founta=
in. Nothing but a crust of earth remai=
ns to
separate our enemies from us, and when they march here, they will easily br=
eak
through this crust and rush upon us."
"Who will assist the Nome King?"
inquired the Scarecrow.
"The Whimsies, the Growleywogs and the
Phanfasms," she replied.
"I watched to-day in my Magic Picture the messengers whom the N=
ome
King sent to all these people to summon them to assemble in his great caver=
ns."
"Let us see what they are doing now,"
suggested the Tin Woodman.
So Ozma wished to see the Nome King's cavern, =
and
at once the landscape faded from the Magic Picture and was replaced by the
scene then being enacted in the jeweled cavern of King Roquat.
A wild and startling scene it was which the Oz
people beheld.
Before the Nome King stood the Chief of the
Whimsies and the Grand Gallipoot of the Growleywogs, surrounded by their mo=
st
skillful generals. Very fierc=
e and
powerful they looked, so that even the Nome King and General Guph, who stood
beside his master, seemed a bit fearful in the presence of their allies.
Now a still more formidable creature entered t=
he
cavern. It was the First and
Foremost of the Phanfasms and he proudly sat down in King Roquat's own thro=
ne
and demanded the right to lead his forces through the tunnel in advance of =
all
the others. The First and For=
emost
now appeared to all eyes in his hairy skin and the bear's head. What his real form was even Roquat=
did
not know.
Through the arches leading into the vast serie=
s of
caverns that lay beyond the throne room of King Roquat could be seen ranks =
upon
ranks of the invaders--thousands of Phanfasms, Growleywogs and Whimsies
standing in serried lines, while behind them were massed the thousands upon=
thousands
of General Guph's own army of Nomes.
"Listen!" whispered Ozma. "I think we can hear what the=
y are
saying."
So they kept still and listened.
"Is all ready?" demanded the First a=
nd
Foremost, haughtily.
"The tunnel is finally completed,"
replied General Guph.
"How long will it take us to march to the
Emerald City?" asked the Grand Gallipoot of the Growleywogs.
"If we start at midnight," replied t=
he
Nome King, "we shall arrive at the Emerald City by daybreak. Then, while all the Oz people are =
sleeping,
we will capture them and make them our slaves. After that we will destroy the city
itself and march through the Land of Oz, burning and devastating as we
go."
"Good!" cried the First and
Foremost. "When we get t=
hrough
with Oz it will be a desert wilderness.&nb=
sp;
Ozma shall be my slave."
"She shall be MY slave!" shouted the
Grand Gallipoot, angrily.
"We'll decide that by and by," said =
King
Roquat hastily. "Don't l=
et us quarrel
now, friends. First let us co=
nquer
Oz, and then we will divide the spoils of war in a satisfactory manner.&quo=
t;
The First and Foremost smiled wickedly; but he
only said:
"I and my Phanfasms go first, for nothing=
on
earth can oppose our power."
They all agreed to that, knowing the Phanfasms=
to
be the mightiest of the combined forces.&n=
bsp;
King Roquat now invited them to attend a banquet he had prepared, wh=
ere
they might occupy themselves in eating and drinking until midnight arrived.=
As they had now seen and heard all of the plot
against them that they cared to, Ozma allowed her Magic Picture to fade
away. Then she turned to her
friends and said:
"Our enemies will be here sooner than I
expected. What do you advise =
me to
do?"
"It is now too late to assemble our
people," said the Tin Woodman, despondently. "If you had allowed me to arm=
and
drill my Winkies, we might have put up a good fight and destroyed many of o=
ur
enemies before we were conquered."
"The Munchkins are good fighters, too,&qu=
ot;
said Omby Amby; "and so are the Gillikins."
"But I do not wish to fight," declar=
ed
Ozma, firmly. "No one ha=
s the right
to destroy any living creatures, however evil they may be, or to hurt them =
or
make them unhappy. I will not
fight, even to save my kingdom."
"The Nome King is not so particular,"
remarked the Scarecrow. "=
;He intends
to destroy us all and ruin our beautiful country."
"Because the Nome King intends to do evil=
is
no excuse for my doing the same," replied Ozma.
"Self-preservation is the first law of
nature," quoted the Shaggy Man.
"True," she said, readily. "I would like to discover a p=
lan to
save ourselves without fighting."
That seemed a hopeless task to them, but reali=
zing
that Ozma was determined not to fight, they tried to think of some means th=
at
might promise escape.
"Couldn't we bribe our enemies, by giving
them a lot of emeralds and gold?" asked Jack Pumpkinhead.
"No, because they believe they are able to
take everything we have," replied the Ruler.
"I have thought of something," said
Dorothy.
"What is it, dear?" asked Ozma.
"Let us use the Magic Belt to wish all of=
us
in Kansas. We will put some
emeralds in our pockets, and can sell them in Topeka for enough to pay off =
the
mortgage on Uncle Henry's farm.
Then we can all live together and be happy."
"A clever idea!" exclaimed the
Scarecrow.
"Kansas is a very good country. I've been there," said the Sh=
aggy
Man.
"That seems to me an excellent plan,"
approved the Tin Woodman.
"No!" said Ozma, decidedly. "Never will I desert my peopl=
e and
leave them to so cruel a fate. I
will use the Magic Belt to send the rest of you to Kansas, if you wish, but=
if
my beloved country must be destroyed and my people enslaved I will remain a=
nd
share their fate."
"Quite right," asserted the Scarecro=
w,
sighing. "I will remain =
with you."
"And so will I," declared the Tin
Woodman and the Shaggy Man and Jack Pumpkinhead, in turn. Tiktok, the machine man, also said=
he
intended to stand by Ozma.
"For," said he, "I should be of no use at all in Kan-=
sas."
"For my part," announced Dorothy,
gravely, "if the Ruler of Oz must not desert her people, a Princess of=
Oz
has no right to run away, either. I'm willing to become a slave with the re=
st
of you; so all we can do with the Magic Belt is to use it to send Uncle Hen=
ry
and Aunt Em back to Kansas."
"I've been a slave all my life," Aun=
t Em
replied, with considerable cheerfulness, "and so has Henry. I guess we won't go back to Kansas=
, anyway. I'd rather take my chances with th=
e rest
of you."
Ozma smiled upon them all gratefully.
"There is no need to despair just yet,&qu=
ot;
she said. "I'll get up e=
arly to-morrow
morning and be at the Forbidden Fountain when the fierce warriors break thr=
ough
the crust of the earth. I will
speak to them pleasantly and perhaps they won't be so very bad, after
all."
"Why do they call it the Forbidden
Fountain?" asked Dorothy, thoughtfully.
"Don't you know, dear?" returned Ozm=
a,
surprised.
"No," said Dorothy. "Of course I've seen the foun=
tain
in the palace grounds, ever since I first came to Oz; and I've read the sign
which says: 'All Persons are Forbidden to Drink at this Fountain.' But I never knew WHY they were
forbidden. The water seems cl=
ear
and sparkling and it bubbles up in a golden basin all the time."
"That water," declared Ozma, gravely,
"is the most dangerous thing in all the Land of Oz. It is the Water of Oblivion."=
"What does that mean?" asked Dorothy=
.
"Whoever drinks at the Forbidden Fountain=
at
once forgets everything he has ever known," Ozma asserted.
"It wouldn't be a bad way to forget our
troubles," suggested Uncle Henry.
"That is true; but you would forget
everything else, and become as ignorant as a baby," returned Ozma.
"Does it make one crazy?" asked Doro=
thy.
"No; it only makes one forget," repl=
ied
the girl Ruler. "It is s=
aid that
once--long, long ago--a wicked King ruled Oz, and made himself and all his
people very miserable and unhappy.
So Glinda, the Good Sorceress, placed this fountain here, and the Ki=
ng
drank of its water and forgot all his wickedness. His mind became innocent and vacan=
t, and
when he learned the things of life again they were all good things. But the
people remembered how wicked their King had been, and were still afraid of
him. Therefore, he made them =
all
drink of the Water of Oblivion and forget everything they had known, so that
they became as simple and innocent as their King. After that, they all grew wise tog=
ether,
and their wisdom was good, so that peace and happiness reigned in the
land. But for fear some one m=
ight
drink of the water again, and in an instant forget all he had learned, the =
King
put that sign upon the fountain, where it has remained for many centuries u=
p to
this very day."
They had all listened intently to Ozma's story,
and when she finished speaking there was a long period of silence while all
thought upon the curious magical power of the Water of Oblivion.
Finally the Scarecrow's painted face took on a
broad smile that stretched the cloth as far as it would go.
"How thankful I am," he said, "=
that
I have such an excellent assortment of brains!"
"I gave you the best brains I ever
mixed," declared the Wizard, with an air of pride.
"You did, indeed!" agreed the Scarec=
row,
"and they work so splendidly that they have found a way to save Oz--to
save us all!"
"I'm glad to hear that," said the
Wizard. "We never needed
saving more than we do just now."
"Do you mean to say you can save us from
those awful Phanfasms, and Growleywogs and Whimsies?" asked Dorothy
eagerly.
"I'm sure of it, my dear," asserted =
the
Scarecrow, still smiling genially.
"Tell us how!" cried the Tin Woodman=
.
"Not now," said the Scarecrow. "You may all go to bed, and I
advise you to forget your worries just as completely as if you had drunk of=
the
Water of Oblivion in the Forbidden Fountain. I'm going to stay here and tell my=
plan
to Ozma alone, but if you will all be at the Forbidden Fountain at daybreak,
you'll see how easily we will save the kingdom when our enemies break throu=
gh
the crust of earth and come from the tunnel."
So they went away and let the Scarecrow and Oz=
ma
alone; but Dorothy could not sleep a wink all night.
"He is only a Scarecrow," she said to
herself, "and I'm not sure that his mixed brains are as clever as he
thinks they are."
But she knew that if the Scarecrow's plan fail=
ed
they were all lost; so she tried to have faith in him.
The Nome King and his terrible allies sat at t=
he
banquet table until midnight. There
was much quarreling between the Growleywogs and Phanfasms, and one of the w=
ee-headed
Whimsies got angry at General Guph and choked him until he nearly stopped
breathing. Yet no one was ser=
iously
hurt, and the Nome King felt much relieved when the clock struck twelve and
they all sprang up and seized their weapons.
"Aha!" shouted the First and
Foremost. "Now to conque=
r the
Land of Oz!"
He marshaled his Phanfasms in battle array and=
at
his word of command they marched into the tunnel and began the long journey
through it to the Emerald City. The
First and Foremost intended to take all the treasures of Oz for himself; to
kill all who could be killed and enslave the rest; to destroy and lay waste=
the
whole country, and afterward to conquer and enslave the Nomes, the Growleyw=
ogs
and the Whimsies. And he knew=
his
power was sufficient to enable him to do all these things easily.
Next marched into the tunnel the army of gigan=
tic
Growleywogs, with their Grand Gallipoot at their head. They were dreadful beings, indeed,=
and
longed to get to Oz that they might begin to pilfer and destroy. The Grand Gallipoot was a little a=
fraid
of the First and Foremost, but had a cunning plan to murder or destroy that
powerful being and secure the wealth of Oz for himself. Mighty little of the plunder would=
the
Nome King get, thought the Grand Gallipoot.
The Chief of the Whimsies now marched his
false-headed forces into the tunnel.
In his wicked little head was a plot to destroy both the First and
Foremost and the Grand Gallipoot.
He intended to let them conquer Oz, since they insisted on going fir=
st;
but he would afterward treacherously destroy them, as well as King Roquat, =
and
keep all the slaves and treasure of Ozma's kingdom for himself.
After all his dangerous allies had marched into
the tunnel the Nome King and General Guph started to follow them, at the he=
ad
of fifty thousand Nomes, all fully armed.
"Guph," said the King, "those
creatures ahead of us mean mischief. They intend to get everything for
themselves and leave us nothing."
"I know," replied the General; "=
;but
they are not as clever as they think they are. When you get the Magic Belt you mu=
st at
once wish the Whimsies and Growleywogs and Phanfasms all back into their ow=
n countries--and
the Belt will surely take them there."
"Good!" cried the King. "An excellent plan, Guph. I'll do it. While they are conquering Oz I'll =
get
the Magic Belt, and then only the Nomes will remain to ravage the
country."
So you see there was only one thing that all w=
ere
agreed upon--that Oz should be destroyed.
On, on, on the vast ranks of invaders marched,
filling the tunnel from side to side.
With a steady tramp, tramp, they advanced, every step taking them ne=
arer
to the beautiful Emerald City.
"Nothing can save the Land of Oz!"
thought the First and Foremost, scowling until his bear face was as black as
the tunnel.
"The Emerald City is as good as destroyed
already!" muttered the Grand Gallipoot, shaking his war club fiercely.=
"In a few hours Oz will be a desert!"
said the Chief of the Whimsies, with an evil laugh.
"My dear Guph," remarked the Nome Ki=
ng
to his General, "at last my vengeance upon Ozma of Oz and her people is
about to be accomplished."
"You are right!" declared the
General. "Ozma is surely
lost."
And now the First and Foremost, who was in adv=
ance
and nearing the Emerald City, began to cough and to sneeze.
"This tunnel is terribly dusty," he
growled, angrily. "I'll =
punish
that Nome King for not having it swept clean. My throat and eyes are getting ful=
l of
dust and I'm as thirsty as a fish!"
The Grand Gallipoot was coughing too, and his
throat was parched and dry.
"What a dusty place!" he cried. "I'll be glad when we reach O=
z,
where we can get a drink."
"Who has any water?" asked the Whims=
ie
Chief, gasping and choking. B=
ut none
of his followers carried a drop of water, so he hastened on to get through =
the
dusty tunnel to the Land of Oz.
"Where did all this dust come from?"
demanded General Guph, trying hard to swallow but finding his throat so dry=
he
couldn't.
"I don't know," answered the Nome
King. "I've been in the =
tunnel
every day while it was being built, but I never noticed any dust before.&qu=
ot;
"Let's hurry!" cried the General.
The dust grew thicker and thicker, and the thr=
oats
and eyes and noses of the invaders were filled with it. But not one halted or turned back.=
They hurried forward more fierce a=
nd
vengeful than ever.
The Scarecrow had no need to sleep; neither had
the Tin Woodman or Tiktok or Jack Pumpkinhead. So they all wandered out into the =
palace
grounds and stood beside the sparkling water of the Forbidden Fountain until
daybreak. During this time th=
ey
indulged in occasional conversation.
"Nothing could make me forget what I
know," remarked the Scarecrow, gazing into the fountain, "for I
cannot drink the Water of Oblivion or water of any kind. And I am glad that this is so, for=
I
consider my wisdom unexcelled."
"You are cer-tain-ly ve-ry wise," ag=
reed
Tiktok. "For my part, I =
can on-ly
think by ma-chin-er-y, so I do not pre-tend to know as much as you do."=
;
"My tin brains are very bright, but that =
is
all I claim for them," said Nick Chopper, modestly. "Yet I do not aspire to being=
very
wise, for I have noticed that the happiest people are those who do not let
their brains oppress them."
"Mine never worry me," Jack Pumpkinh=
ead
acknowledged. "There are=
many seeds
of thought in my head, but they do not sprout easily. I am glad that it is so, for if I
occupied my days in thinking I should have no time for anything else."=
In this cheery mood they passed the hours until
the first golden streaks of dawn appeared in the sky. Then Ozma joined them, as fresh and
lovely as ever and robed in one of her prettiest gowns.
"Our enemies have not yet arrived," = said the Scarecrow, after greeting affectionately the sweet and girlish Ruler. <= o:p>
"They will soon be here," she said,
"for I have just glanced at my Magic Picture, and have seen them cough=
ing
and choking with the dust in the tunnel."
"Oh, is there dust in the tunnel?" a=
sked
the Tin Woodman.
"Yes; Ozma placed it there by means of the
Magic Belt," explained the Scarecrow, with one of his broad smiles.
Then Dorothy came to them, Uncle Henry and Aun=
t Em
following close after her. The
little girl's eyes were heavy because she had had a sleepless and anxious
night. Toto walked by her sid=
e, but
the little dog's spirits were very much subdued. Billina, who was always up by dayb=
reak,
was not long in joining the group by the fountain.
The Wizard and the Shaggy Man next arrived, and
soon after appeared Omby Amby, dressed in his best uniform.
"There lies the tunnel," said Ozma,
pointing to a part of the ground just before the Forbidden Fountain, "=
and
in a few moments the dreadful invaders will break through the earth and swa=
rm
over the land. Let us all sta=
nd on
the other side of the Fountain and watch to see what happens."
At once they followed her suggestion and moved
around the fountain of the Water of Oblivion. There they stood silent and expect=
ant
until the earth beyond gave way with a sudden crash and up leaped the power=
ful form
of the First and Foremost, followed by all his grim warriors.
As the leader sprang forward his gleaming eyes
caught the play of the fountain and he rushed toward it and drank eagerly of
the sparkling water. Many of =
the
other Phanfasms drank, too, in order to clear their dry and dusty throats.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Then they stood around and looked =
at one
another with simple, wondering smiles.
The First and Foremost saw Ozma and her compan=
ions
beyond the fountain, but instead of making an effort to capture her he mere=
ly
stared at her in pleased admiration of her beauty--for he had forgotten whe=
re
he was and why he had come there.
But now the Grand Gallipoot arrived, rushing f=
rom
the tunnel with a hoarse cry of mingled rage and thirst. He too saw the fountain and hasten=
ed to
drink of its forbidden waters. The
other Growleywogs were not slow to follow suit, and even before they had
finished drinking the Chief of the Whimsies and his people came to push them
away, while they one and all cast off their false heads that they might sla=
ke
their thirst at the fountain.
When the Nome King and General Guph arrived th=
ey
both made a dash to drink, but the General was so mad with thirst that he
knocked his King over, and while Roquat lay sprawling upon the ground the
General drank heartily of the Water of Oblivion.
This rude act of his General made the Nome Kin=
g so
angry that for a moment he forgot he was thirsty and rose to his feet to gl=
are
upon the group of terrible warriors he had brought here to assist him. He saw Ozma and her people, too, a=
nd
yelled out:
"Why don't you capture them? Why don't you conquer Oz, you idio=
ts? Why
do you stand there like a lot of dummies?"
But the great warriors had become like little
children. They had forgotten =
all
their enmity against Ozma and against Oz.&=
nbsp;
They had even forgotten who they themselves were, or why they were in
this strange and beautiful country.
As for the Nome King, they did not recognize him, and wondered who he
was.
The sun came up and sent its flood of silver r=
ays
to light the faces of the invaders.
The frowns and scowls and evil looks were all gone. Even the most
monstrous of the creatures there assembled smiled innocently and seemed
light-hearted and content merely to be alive.
Not so with Roquat, the Nome King. He had not drunk from the Forbidde=
n Fountain
and all his former rage against Ozma and Dorothy now inflamed him as fierce=
ly
as ever. The sight of General=
Guph
babbling like a happy child and playing with his hands in the cool waters of
the fountain astonished and maddened Red Roquat. Seeing that his terrible allies an=
d his
own General refused to act, the Nome King turned to order his great army of
Nomes to advance from the tunnel and seize the helpless Oz people.
But the Scarecrow suspected what was in the Ki=
ng's
mind and spoke a word to the Tin Woodman.&=
nbsp;
Together they ran at Roquat and grabbing him up tossed him into the
great basin of the fountain.
The Nome King's body was round as a ball, and =
it
bobbed up and down in the Water of Oblivion while he spluttered and screamed
with fear lest he should drown. And
when he cried out, his mouth filled with water, which ran down his throat, =
so
that straightway he forgot all he had formerly known just as completely as =
had
all the other invaders.
Ozma and Dorothy could not refrain from laughi=
ng
to see their dreaded enemies become as harmless as babies. There was no danger now that Oz wo=
uld be
destroyed. The only question
remaining to solve was how to get rid of this horde of intruders.
The Shaggy Man kindly pulled the Nome King out=
of
the fountain and set him upon his thin legs. Roquat was dripping wet, but he
chattered and laughed and wanted to drink more of the water. No thought of injuring any person =
was
now in his mind.
Before he left the tunnel he had commanded his
fifty thousand Nomes to remain there until he ordered them to advance, as he
wished to give his allies time to conquer Oz before he appeared with his own
army. Ozma did not wish all t=
hese
Nomes to overrun her land, so she advanced to King Roquat and taking his ha=
nd
in her own said gently:
"Who are you? What is your name?"
"I don't know," he replied, smiling =
at
her. "Who are you, my
dear?"
"My name is Ozma," she said; "a=
nd
your name is Roquat."
"Oh, is it?" he replied, seeming
pleased.
"Yes; you are King of the Nomes," she
said.
"Ah; I wonder what the Nomes are!"
returned the King, as if puzzled.
"They are underground elves, and that tun=
nel
over there is full of them," she answered. "You have a beautiful cavern =
at the
other end of the tunnel, so you must go to your Nomes and say: 'March
home!' Then follow after them=
and
in time you will reach the pretty cavern where you live."
The Nome King was much pleased to learn this, =
for
he had forgotten he had a cavern.
So he went to the tunnel and said to his army: 'March home!' At once the Nomes turned and march=
ed
back through the tunnel, and the King followed after them, laughing with
delight to find his orders so readily obeyed.
The Wizard went to General Guph, who was tryin=
g to
count his fingers, and told him to follow the Nome King, who was his
master. Guph meekly obeyed, a=
nd so
all the Nomes quitted the Land of Oz forever.
But there were still the Phanfasms and Whimsies
and Growleywogs standing around in groups, and they were so many that they
filled the gardens and trampled upon the flowers and grass because they did=
not
know that the tender plants would be injured by their clumsy feet. But in all other respects they were
perfectly harmless and played together like children or gazed with pleasure
upon the pretty sights of the royal gardens.
After counseling with the Scarecrow Ozma sent =
Omby
Amby to the palace for the Magic Belt, and when the Captain General returned
with it the Ruler of Oz at once clasped the precious Belt around her waist.=
"I wish all these strange people--the
Whimsies and the Growleywogs and the Phanfasms--safe back in their own
homes!" she said.
It all happened in a twinkling, for of course =
the
wish was no sooner spoken than it was granted.
All the hosts of the invaders were gone, and o=
nly
the trampled grass showed that they had ever been in the Land of Oz.
"That was better than fighting," said
Ozma, when all our friends were assembled in the palace after the exciting
events of the morning; and each and every one agreed with her.
"No one was hurt," said the Wizard,
delightedly.
"And no one hurt us," added Aunt Em.=
"But, best of all," said Dorothy,
"the wicked people have all forgotten their wickedness, and will not w=
ish
to hurt any one after this."
"True, Princess," declared the Shaggy
Man. "It seems to me tha=
t to have
reformed all those evil characters is more important than to have saved
Oz."
"Nevertheless," remarked the Scarecr=
ow,
"I am glad Oz is saved. =
I can now
go back to my new mansion and live happily."
"And I am glad and grateful that my pumpk=
in
farm is saved," said Jack.
"For my part," added the Tin Woodman,
"I cannot express my joy that my lovely tin castle is not to be demoli=
shed
by wicked enemies."
"Still," said Tiktok, "o-ther
en-e-mies may come to Oz some day."
"Why do you allow your clock-work brains =
to
interrupt our joy?" asked Omby Amby, frowning at the machine man.
"I say what I am wound up to say,"
answered Tiktok.
"And you are right," declared Ozma.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> "I myself have been thinking =
of this
very idea, and it seems to me there are entirely too many ways for people to
get to the Land of Oz. We use=
d to
think the deadly desert that surrounds us was enough protection; but that i=
s no
longer the case. The Wizard a=
nd
Dorothy have both come here through the air, and I am told the earth people
have invented airships that can fly anywhere they wish them to go."
"Why, sometimes they do, and sometimes th=
ey
don't," asserted Dorothy.
"But in time the airships may cause us
trouble," continued Ozma, "for if the earth folk learn how to man=
age
them we would be overrun with visitors who would ruin our lovely, secluded
fairyland."
"That is true enough," agreed the Wi=
zard.
"Also the desert fails to protect us in o=
ther
ways," Ozma went on, thoughtfully.&nb=
sp;
"Johnny Dooit once made a sand-boat that sailed across it, and =
the
Nome King made a tunnel under it.
So I believe something ought to be done to cut us off from the rest =
of
the world entirely, so that no one in the future will ever be able to intru=
de
upon us."
"How will you do that?" asked the
Scarecrow.
"I do not know; but in some way I am sure=
it
can be accomplished. To-morrow I will make a journey to the castle of Glinda
the Good, and ask her advice."
"May I go with you?" asked Dorothy,
eagerly.
"Of course, my dear Princess; and I also
invite any of our friends here who would like to undertake the journey.&quo=
t;
They all declared they wished to accompany the=
ir
girl Ruler, for this was indeed an important mission, since the future of t=
he
Land of Oz to a great extent depended upon it. So Ozma gave orders to her servant=
s to
prepare for the journey on the morrow.
That day she watched her Magic Picture, and wh=
en
it showed her that all the Nomes had returned through the tunnel to their
underground caverns, Ozma used the Magic Belt to close up the tunnel, so th=
at
the earth underneath the desert sands became as solid as it was before the
Nomes began to dig.
Early the following morning a gay cavalcade set
out to visit the famous Sorceress, Glinda the Good. Ozma and Dorothy rode in a chariot=
drawn
by the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, while the Sawhorse drew the red
wagon in which rode the rest of the party.
With hearts light and free from care they trav=
eled
merrily along through the lovely and fascinating Land of Oz, and in good se=
ason
reached the stately castle in which resided the Sorceress.
Glinda knew that they were coming.
"I have been reading about you in my Magi=
c Book,"
she said, as she greeted them in her gracious way.
"What is your Magic Book like?" inqu=
ired
Aunt Em, curiously.
"It is a record of everything that
happens," replied the Sorceress. "As soon as an event takes place,
anywhere in the world, it is immediately found printed in my Magic Book.
"Did it tell you how our enemies drank the
Water of 'Blivion?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes, my dear; it told all about it. And also it told me you were all c=
oming
to my castle, and why."
"Then," said Ozma, "I suppose y=
ou
know what is in my mind, and that I am seeking a way to prevent any one in =
the
future from discovering the Land of Oz."
"Yes; I know that. And while you were on your journey=
I
have thought of a way to accomplish your desire. For it seems to me unwise to allow=
too
many outside people to come here.
Dorothy, with her uncle and aunt, has now returned to Oz to live alw=
ays,
and there is no reason why we should leave any way open for others to travel
uninvited to our fairyland. L=
et us
make it impossible for any one ever to communicate with us in any way, after
this. Then we may live peacef=
ully
and contentedly."
"Your advice is wise," returned
Ozma. "I thank you, Glin=
da,
for your promise to assist me."
"But how can you do it?" asked
Dorothy. "How can you ke=
ep
every one from ever finding Oz?"
"By making our country invisible to all e=
yes
but our own," replied the Sorceress, smiling. "I have a magic charm powerful
enough to accomplish that wonderful feat, and now that we have been warned =
of
our danger by the Nome King's invasion, I believe we must not hesitate to s=
eparate
ourselves forever from all the rest of the world."
"I agree with you," said the Ruler of
Oz.
"Won't it make any difference to us?"
asked Dorothy, doubtfully.
"No, my dear," Glinda answered,
assuringly. "We shall st=
ill be
able to see each other and everything in the Land of Oz. It won't affect us at all; but tho=
se who
fly through the air over our country will look down and see nothing at all.=
Those who come to the edge of the
desert, or try to cross it, will catch no glimpse of Oz, or know in what
direction it lies. No one wil=
l try
to tunnel to us again because we cannot be seen and therefore cannot be
found. In other words, the La=
nd of
Oz will entirely disappear from the knowledge of the rest of the world.&quo=
t;
"That's all right," said Dorothy,
cheerfully. "You may mak=
e Oz invis'ble
as soon as you please, for all I care."
"It is already invisible," Glinda
stated. "I knew Ozma's w=
ishes,
and performed the Magic Spell before you arrived."
Ozma seized the hand of the Sorceress and pres=
sed
it gratefully.
"Thank you!" she said.
The writer of these Oz stories has received a
little note from Princess Dorothy of Oz which, for a time, has made him feel
rather disconcerted. The note was written on a broad, white feather from a
stork's wing, and it said:
=
"YOU
WILL NEVER HEAR ANYTHING MORE ABOUT OZ, BECAUSE WE ARE NOW CUT OFF FOREVER =
FROM
ALL THE REST OF THE WORLD. BU=
T TOTO
AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU AND ALL THE OTHER CHILDREN WHO LOVE US.
"DOROTHY GALE."
=
This
seemed to me too bad, at first, for Oz is a very interesting fairyland. Still, we have no right to feel gr=
ieved,
for we have had enough of the history of the Land of Oz to fill six story
books, and from its quaint people and their strange adventures we have been
able to learn many useful and amusing things.
So good luck to little Dorothy and her
companions. May they live lon=
g in
their invisible country and be very happy!