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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-22 20:43:13 -0800 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..928eb98 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65849 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65849) diff --git a/old/65849-0.txt b/old/65849-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8413783..0000000 --- a/old/65849-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5625 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Lost King of Oz, by Ruth Plumly Thompson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Lost King of Oz - -Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson - -Illustrator: John R. Neill - -Release Date: July 16, 2021 [eBook #65849] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST KING OF OZ *** - - - - - The Lost King of Oz - - BY RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON - - _Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories_ - - BY - L. FRANK BAUM - "Royal Historian of Oz" - - Illustrated by - JOHN R. NEILL - - The Reilly & Lee Co. - Chicago - - _Printed in the United States of America_ - - Copyright, 1925 - By - The Reilly & Lee Co. - - _All Rights Reserved_ - - _The Lost King of Oz_ - - * * * * * - - This book is dedicated to - My Best Girl--Mother - RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON - - * * * * * - - -Dear Boys and Girls: - -A whole book full of news has happened in Oz since I wrote to you -last year. But before I tell a word of it, I must thank you for the -wonderful letters you have written to me. It is fine to know which -of the dear old Ozzy celebrities you like best, so please do keep on -writing. If you tell me all the Oz news you hear, I'll tell you all -I hear. Is it a bargain? Well, the most surprising news right now is -about the Lost King. - -"Lost! Lost! Lost! What an exciting word!" writes a little girl to whom -I confided the secret. "Who is he? Where was he and will he replace -Ozma on the throne?" - -I could hardly wait to find out the answers to all of these questions -my own self and if it had not been for Snip, the little Button Boy and -Pajuka, the goose, I never would have discovered them. - -Almost everybody is in this adventure--even Kabumpo had a trunk in the -affair. When you have read the whole strange story, let me know what -you think of Mombi's wicked behavior, will you? - -And I cannot say good-bye without a big cheer for every boy and girl -who believes in OZ! Lots of love to you! - - RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON. - 254 S. Farragut Terrace, - Philadelphia, - July, 1925. - - - - - _The Lost King of Oz_ - - -Princess Ozma has ruled so wisely and happily in the wonderful Land of -Oz for so long that most of us have forgotten the strange story of the -Lost King of Oz--Ozma's father. - -As everyone in Oz knows, the King was transformed from his royal self -by Mombi, the wicked old Gilliken witch, and lost his throne and his -crown when he, himself, was lost. - -In this new Oz book the Royal Historian tells how Snip, the little -buttonboy, and Pajuka, the great white goose--who had been the lost -King's prime minister in the good old days--set out from the jolly -Kingdom of Kimbaloo to find the King and to petition Princess Ozma to -punish Mombi for her wicked mischief. - -Princess Dorothy meets Snip and Pajuka, as she returns from a sudden -and curious visit to Hollywood with a funny and friendly moving picture -dummy, and the four adventurers are whisked to the Emerald City by -Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant. At the Court of Ozma the Scarecrow and -the Wizard of Oz join in the attempt to find the Lost King, and the -surprising events that follow make a truly exciting Oz story. - -After many thrilling attempts, the mystery of the Lost King is -magically solved, but you must read for yourself to find out all about -it. - - - - - List of Chapters - - - 1 In Jolly Kimbaloo - - 2 Snip's Great Adventure - - 3 King Kinda Jolly Is Sad - - 4 In the Purple Forest - - 5 The Rolling Hoopers - - 6 In Catty Corners - - 7 The Magic Pudding - - 8 The Mysterious Message - - 9 In the Castle of Morrow - - 10 Dorothy and the Dummy - - 11 A Real Oz Adventure - - 12 The Playful Scooters - - 13 Snip Meets the Blanks - - 14 The Old Tailor's Story - - 15 Kabumpo to the Rescue - - 16 Humpy Hailed as King - - 17 Mombi's Magic - - 18 Ozma's Odd Home-Coming - - 19 The Wizard Takes a Hand - - 20 The Lost King Is Found - - 21 The Grand Procession - - - - - CHAPTER 1 - - In Jolly Kimbaloo - - -The King of Kimbaloo was kind'a jolly, and Kinda Jolly was the King -of Kimbaloo. And no wonder he was kind'a jolly! He had made a great -fortune in buttons, and had one of the coziest castles in Oz. It was -set in the very center of a thick button wood in the Gilliken country, -and had more chimneys and windows than any dozen castles I can think -of. - -The castle owed much of its coziness to Rosa Merry, the quaint little -Queen of Kimbaloo, who kept it spick and spandy and simply blooming -with flowers. This she could easily do, for in the castle garden grew -a simply enormous bouquet bush, where old and new fashioned bouquets -blossomed in bewildering profusion. There were violets and rosebuds -edged with lace paper, lovely red roses tied with satin bows, daisies -and daffodils, pinks and larkspur, and every other sort of delightful -nosegay you could ever imagine. No matter how many were gathered, -others immediately blossomed, so that Rosa Merry had made almost as -much of a fortune in bouquets as Kinda had in buttons, and could have -jelly-roll every lunchtime if she cared to. - -There were some who thought the castle, built as it was of dark purple -button wood, studded with rows and rows of bright buttons, extremely -odd, but it suited Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry right down to the cellar -and the five hundred inhabitants of Kimbaloo thought it extremely -magnificent. No doubt they were right. However that may be, anyone who -had seen Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry walking in the gardens on pleasant -summer evenings would have had to admit they were the most lovable -little couple in the land. Kinda was short and fat and Rosa was short -and merry. They both dressed in the purple costumes of the Gillikens, -but their robes were trimmed all over with buttons that chinked -delightfully when they walked and almost dazzled one by the brilliance -of their colors. - -King Kinda's crown was made of silver buttons to match his whiskers and -Rosa's was of gold to match her curls. Both had cheerful dispositions -to match their crowns, so that life in Kimbaloo was cheerful for -everyone. The Kimbles themselves lived in tiny cottages scattered -about under the trees, and as they were all girls and boys, they were -all happy and light hearted as birds in the button wood. Half of them -worked for the King and half for the Queen. Yes, every morning, the two -hundred and fifty merry little maids would run into the castle garden, -where Rosa Merry would fill their arms with bouquets from the bouquet -bush. Then away down the Queen's Highway, that led through the wood -into the Winkie Country, they would hurry--and so charming and quaint -were the Queen's little flower girls no one could help buying their -posies. So by noon time they would come back with empty arms and heavy -pockets and nothing to do for the rest of the day but swing in the -hammocks or dance in the gardens. - -The boys' work was almost as delightful. Every morning they would -scamper into the button wood with Kinda Jolly and shake down a good -crop of buttons. Then each button boy would fill his button box with -a gay assortment and set off down the King's Highway to sell them to -the good dames in the Gilliken Country. There are no stores in Oz, so -they never had any trouble in disposing of their wares, especially the -collar buttons. The men of the Gilliken country are as good at losing -collar buttons as men in your own town, so by noon time the button -boxes would be full of coins and the button boys would come racing back -to the castle with nothing more to do for the rest of the day but play -quoits or "button-button-who's-got-the-button?" - -Altogether, life in Kimbaloo was as jolly as possible. Indeed, there -was so much laughing to be done that King Kinda had a Town Laugher to -help out on particularly funny days and to keep him from busting all -the buttons from his purple vest. Yes sir, everybody in Kimbaloo was -laughing and happy--excepting one and that person was the King's cook. -Mombi never laughed at all, and how she came to be cook I will tell you -at once. She was not a native of Kimbaloo and, though no one in the -kingdom knew it, Mombi was really an old Gilliken witch. Long ago, for -her wicked transformations, she had been deprived of her magic powers -by Glinda, the good sorceress, and given enough to live on honestly and -comfortably. - -But after you have been a witch all of your life, it is dreadfully hard -to settle down to being just an ugly old woman. Mombi had stood it as -long as she could, and then one day she had closed up her little hut -at the foot of the Gilliken mountains, taken her crooked stick, and set -out to seek a position as cook in one of the castles of Oz--for she -felt that only among a great many kettles and cauldrons could she ever -be contented or at home. Besides being cross and crooked, Mombi was so -ugly and ill-tempered that most of the castle doors were slammed in her -face, but one day she had come to Kimbaloo. Hobbling through the button -wood she found King Kinda Jolly under a shoe button tree. Falling upon -her knees Mombi begged him so hard to let her remain as cook that the -gentle old monarch finally consented, though much against the advice -of Hah Hoh, the Town Laugher. But Kinda, thinking her a poor and needy -old woman, had kept her nevertheless, and as Mombi, like many another -old witch, was an excellent cook, he had never regretted his bargain. -In spite of her wonderful cooking no one had ever grown really fond of -her, but she was treated with consideration and respect and allowed to -do pretty much as she pleased in the castle kitchen. - -[Illustration: MOMBI SETS OUT TO SEEK A POSITION AS COOK] - -So while everyone else in the kingdom was being useful and happy, -Mombi went muttering and sputtering about among the pots and kettles -and every minute when she was not cooking she was trying to remember -her magic formulas, mixing pepper with onions, onions with cinders, -and cinders with suspender buttons. But stir as she would, nothing -ever came of it, for Mombi had forgotten every witch word she had ever -known. She knew a good many other words, however, and said very nearly -all of them when her magic failed to work, flinging her stick into the -air and hopping up and down with rage and disappointment. But as she -never allowed anyone in the kitchen but herself, there was no one to -witness her shocking behavior, until Snip, one of the King's button -boys, climbing through the window one afternoon to steal a cooky, -caught her right in the midst of a frightful incantation. - - "Salt--vinegar--mustard--mutton! - The king shall be a collar button!" - -That was what Snip heard Mombi mumble, bending over a peppery mixture -on the fire. So dreadful was her expression as she scowled into the -frying pan that Snip tumbled from the window sill into a rose bush. -Picking himself up, he rushed down the garden path convinced that the -King was done for. But there was Kinda Jolly, with his silver crown, -walking calmly under the button trees. Snip looked again to be sure -Kinda was not turning to a collar button and then, a little ashamed -of being so easily frightened, he crept back to the ledge to see what -Mombi would do next. He was just in time to see her fling the frying -pan down the cellar steps and kick over a basket of potatoes. Then, -grumbling and snarling and rubbing her shins, she limped into the -garden to fetch the goose Kinda Jolly had bought for dinner--for magic -or no magic the cooking had to be attended to. The goose had come -straight from a neighboring farm and was still in the flimsy wooden -crate. Scowling and scolding, Mombi slammed the crate on the table and -ripped off the top slats. - -As soon as the slats were removed, the goose thrust its head out of the -crate and peered about the kitchen. As he looked at the big white bird, -Snip had a feeling that there was something human about him. The old -witch-cook made a grab at the bobbing white head. - -"Help!" squawked the luckless bird, as Mombi seized it roughly by the -feathers. Then, catching a really good look at Mombi, it reared up -its neck till its eyes were on a level with her own. "YOU!" cried the -goose, so shrilly that Snip's hair rose up and waved to and fro under -his stiff little hat. He was not surprised to hear the goose talk, for -all beasts and birds in the Land of Oz converse, but its next words -were so strange and mysterious the little button boy nearly lost his -balance again. - -"Woman!" hissed the goose, thrusting its bill under Mombi's long nose, -"Woman, what have you done with the King?" - - - - - CHAPTER 2 - - Snip's Great Adventure - - -The King! Poor Snip, crouched uncomfortably on the narrow sill, -trembled with terror, for this time he was sure Mombi's incantation -had taken effect and had turned King Kinda to a collar button. Mombi -herself seemed as astonished as he. Dropping her hands at her sides, -she peered sharply at the great white goose. - -"Well!" wheezed the old witch, blinking her eyes rapidly, "Well, if it -isn't Pajuka, and simple as ever he was!" - -"Whose fault is that?" complained the goose bitterly. "Who took away my -elegant figure and gave me this ridiculous shape?" - -"You always were a goose," sniffed Mombi. "All you needed was a bill -and feathers. You're one of the best transformations I ever did," she -added proudly. "What are you fussing about anyway?" - -"Would _you_ like to be a goose?" asked the bird indignantly. "I should -think you'd be ashamed of yourself, you old Scundermutch!" - -"I don't care a waffle what you think," retorted Mombi, "but if you -care to think anything more, be quick about it, for your time has come." - -"Time?" puffed the goose. "What time?" - -"Dinner time," said Mombi unfeelingly. "You are tired of being a goose. -Well then, you shall be a dinner and I trust you will pan out well!" - -"Dinner!" screamed the goose, fluttering all of his feathers. "You -wouldn't dare serve me for dinner. I'm a Prime Minister and you know -it." - -"Prime goose, you mean," snickered Mombi, reaching behind the table for -the ax. - -Now all this, as you may well imagine, was frightfully interesting to -Snip. Raising himself on his elbow he saw the two glaring furiously at -one another. - -"Don't sass me woman!" hissed Pajuka, flapping his wings. - -"I'll apple sass you," sneered Mombi. "The sooner you're roasted the -better. You know far too much." She made a snatch at the goose, but -Pajuka, with a quick flounce, freed himself from the crate and soared -into the air. - -"Help! Help! This woman is a witch," he honked loudly. "Help! Help!" - -"Hush!" raged the old woman, dropping the ax and running to slam the -door. "Do you want to rouse the castle?" It was her turn to be alarmed -now, for in Kimbaloo Mombi enjoyed more privileges than she would -anywhere else, and she was not anxious to have it known that she was a -witch and so be turned out of the kingdom. "Be quiet I tell you," she -wheezed angrily. "What are you making such a racket about?" - -"Mombi a witch!" Snip could hardly believe his ears, but frightened -as he was he could not help chuckling. "Who wouldn't make a fuss at -roasting," thought Snip, peering around the edge of the sill to see -what Pajuka would do. The goose had settled on a cupboard high above -Mombi's head. - -"Very well," he breathed heavily. "I will be quiet, but now you will -listen to _me_. I demand that you instantly restore my proper shape -or--" He gave a loud squawk that made Mombi leap a foot into the air. - -"How can I? How can I?" chattered the witch, wringing her hands. "I've -forgotten all my witchcraft. Do you suppose I'd be here as a cook if I -had my magic powers, you ridiculous old bird!" Snip could see Pajuka's -eyes grow round as buttons at this dismal news. - -"What?" wailed the unhappy goose. "Must I continue forever to lead this -simple life? Must I associate with ducks and farmers to the end of my -days?" - -"You ought to be glad you're alive at all," mumbled Mombi -uncomfortably. These words had a startling effect on Pajuka. - -"Ah!" groaned the goose remorsefully. "Here I've been thinking of -myself when it is the King who matters." And stretching his long neck -he repeated the question that had so alarmed Snip in the first place. -"Woman!" rasped Pajuka hoarsely, "Woman, what have you done with the -King?" - -"Not so loud," begged Mombi, raising her stick and glancing uneasily -over her shoulder, as if she half suspected someone were listening. -Then, seeing Pajuka was going to honk again, she added defiantly, "I -don't remember what I did with him!" - -Now Snip, who loved King Kinda Jolly with all his heart, was stunned -at this dreadful news. Undecided whether to run for help or stay and -listen, he finally decided to stay and crept close to the inner edge of -the sill. - -Pajuka seemed stunned too. "How frightful," choked the goose dolefully, -"how careless of you to mislay the King. How dare you forget?" - -"Well, there's no use quarreling about it," grumbled Mombi. "Who cares -anyway? Ozma is Queen now and nobody even remembers there was a King of -Oz!" - -"Of Oz!" Snip, between relief at finding nothing had happened to King -Kinda Jolly and shock at the old witch's words, lost his hold on the -window bars and fell straight into Mombi's arms. - -"A spy!" shrieked Mombi, beginning to shake him backward and forward. -"A spy!" - -"Now who's making a racket," demanded Pajuka triumphantly. "Keep that -up and you'll have the whole castle about our ears. Besides, if he's a -spy, where is his spy glass?" - -"Idiot!" hissed Mombi, but she lowered her voice and stopped shaking -Snip. "Why, you're as simple as you look," she muttered contemptuously. - -"And you're as wicked," retorted the goose, staring sharply at Snip. -"Let that boy alone or I'll honk my head off." Snip's ears were buzzing -from the shaking and he looked gratefully at Pajuka. - -"Do you think I'm going to let him carry his tales to Kinda Jolly? No -sir! Into the soup kettle with him," puffed Mombi, rushing Snip toward -the stove. But at her first step, the white goose flung himself at her -head with such an outcry that she stopped at once. - -"Let the boy alone," panted Pajuka. Then, seeing that it was useless to -appeal to Mombi's goodness he began to appeal to her badness. "The King -will reward you generously, if you restore him to the throne," began -Pajuka craftily. "Nothing is to be gained by this quarreling. Let us -put our heads together and find the King of Oz." - -Still holding Snip tightly by the wrist, Mombi sank upon a crooked -stool and, half closing her eyes, began to think of the bad old days -before little Ozma was Queen--the bad old days when witches had been -free to practice their arts and she herself was one of the most -powerful witches in the land. - -"I'll do it!" declared Mombi suddenly. "But how shall we find him when -I forget what I have done with him?" - -"I'd know him anywhere," gulped Pajuka, two tears dropping off the end -of his bill. "Haven't I been hunting him all these years?" - -"Yes, but I think he is transformed," muttered Mombi uneasily. "If the -King is not himself how do you expect to recognize him?" - -"I'd know him in any shape," insisted the goose. "But try--try to -remember. You turned Ozma to a boy and me to a goose. What did you do -with the King?" - -So interested had the two become by this time, they had almost -forgotten the presence of Snip. But Snip was listening with all his -might, his ears fairly tingling with curiosity. The lad, like many -another Gilliken boy, was perfectly familiar with the history of Oz. -For while they gathered buttons in the wood, King Kinda had read them -many a strange chapter from the big purple history books. - -Snip knew that Oz was a great oblong Kingdom divided into four parts -with the capital, a splendid Emerald City, in the exact center. The -Northern Land was the Gilliken country and Kimbaloo was but one of -the many kingdoms in that interesting section. The Eastern part of -Oz belonged to the Winkies; the Southern country was the Quadling -Country; while the Western lands belonged to the Munchkins. Snip knew -the names of the rulers of Oz as well as you know the names of the -Presidents--perhaps even better--for as only a part of Oz history -has been written down there have not been so many. The first ruler -mentioned was the famous Wizard of Oz, who had flown to the marvelous -country in a balloon from Omaha. It was the Wizard who had built the -famous Emerald City, and who had given Ozma, the little girl ruler, -into the keeping of an old witch. This witch had already captured -the King, Ozma's father, and very little was known about the royal -gentleman. - -The Wizard had ruled Oz for years. At last, desiring to return to -America, he had made the Scarecrow Emperor. This lively man of straw -had held the throne until captured by an ambitious girl named Jinjur, -and her army of girls. But Jinjur was only ruler for a few days and -was herself captured by Glinda, the good sorceress of the South, to -whom the Scarecrow had gone for help. Glinda, looking through her magic -record books, had discovered that Ozma, who had been deposed by the -Wizard, was still in the old witch's clutches. So Glinda had compelled -her to restore Ozma to the throne. The witch had transformed the little -Princess into a boy named Tip, but was forced by Glinda to disenchant -her and amid general rejoicing Ozma was proclaimed Queen of Oz and had -been ruler ever since, while the old witch had been deprived of her -magic powers and banished from the Emerald City forever. - -The Wizard of Oz had later returned and become one of Ozma's most -trusted counselors, regretting exceedingly his part in giving her to -the witch. As Snip listened, all of these facts went scurrying through -his head, and while Professor Wogglebug in his history had neglected to -put in the witch's name, looking at the dreadful old woman beside him, -Snip realized with a shudder that Mombi was that witch. - -It had been generally supposed that the King, Ozma's father, had been -utterly destroyed by Mombi's magic, but if what Pajuka said were true, -the King in some shape or other was still alive and the rightful ruler -of Oz, while this faithful goose was his prime minister. Snip longed -to run to Kinda Jolly with the amazing news and to warn him against -Mombi herself, but the old hag had him fast by the wrist, so there was -nothing to do but listen. Even this was becoming harder and harder, for -Mombi and Pajuka had lowered their voices to a whisper. Just as Snip -had determined to jerk away and make a run for it, Mombi sprang to her -feet. - -"We'll start at once!" she cried determinedly, and jerking off her -cook's cap and without releasing her hold on Snip, she snatched her -peaked witch hat from a low cupboard and set it jauntily on the side of -her head. Then, dragging Snip with her, she began hobbling about the -kitchen, collecting pepper shakers, mustard boxes, spices, herbs and -various other supplies from the shelves. These she tossed quickly into -a basket with a loaf of bread, a cold chicken and some cheese. - -"C'mon!" croaked the witch, motioning to Pajuka. "C'mon before anyone -misses us." - -"What about the boy?" asked the goose doubtfully. - -"Let him carry the basket," snapped the witch. - -Thrusting the basket into Snip's hands, Mombi gave him such a glare -that the poor lad's heart dropped into his boots. Then, grabbing him by -the sleeve, she rushed him through the door leading into the kitchen -garden. A high hedge surrounded the garden, so no one saw them go. -The garden ran down to the edge of a gloomy forest. Into this forest -plunged Mombi, Pajuka waddling and flying after her and poor Snip, -casting many longing glances over his shoulder at the dear old castle -of Kimbaloo where life had been so care-free and so merry. - -It is one thing to set out on a journey of adventures yourself, but to -be dragged away against your will by a wicked old witch is another pair -of pickles entirely, and though Snip was as brave as the next fellow he -could not keep back his tears at parting from Kinda Jolly, Rosa Merry -and his many gay comrades in the button wood. - - - - - CHAPTER 3 - - King Kinda Jolly Is Sad - - -While all this was happening in the King's kitchen, Kinda Jolly sat -cheerfully on his throne, talking to his pretty little Queen. - -"Rosa, my dear," smiled Kinda, tugging at his silver whiskers, "guess -what we're going to have for dinner." - -Rosa Merry, who was sewing a button on the King's suspenders, paused -with her needle in the air. - -"What does it begin with?" asked Rosa curiously. The Queen simply doted -on a riddle. - -"With a G," answered Kinda Jolly, leaning down to pat Trippsy, his pet -foot stool. Trippsy is the only live footstool, I think, I have ever -heard of. He followed Kinda wherever he went, which was fortunate, -for the King's legs were so short that no matter how low the chair or -bench, his feet never touched the floor. In some ways Trippsy was a -more useful pet than a dog. He never chased cats, nor got into fights, -nor barked, except a few shins, so that Kinda Jolly was awfully fond of -him. - -"Is it a goat?" giggled Rosa Merry, biting off her thread. - -"Goat!" sputtered Kinda Jolly. "I should say not! Trippsy, old boy, -she says we're going to have goat for dinner." Trippsy, who had been -to market with the King--Kinda being one of those dear old fashioned -fellows who do their own marketing--waved his tassel faintly to show -that he appreciated the joke, while General Whiffenpuff, the King's -body guard, and Hah Hoh, the Town Laugher burst into loud roars of -merriment. - -"Guess again," invited Kinda Jolly, putting his finger tips together, -and beaming on his pretty wife. - -"Grapes, glue, gum drops?" ventured the Queen, puckering up her -forehead. "Gravy, ginger, griddle cakes. I know, it's griddle cakes!" - - "Grapes and glue and griddle cakes - Will give us frightful stomach aches! - Ginger, grapes and glue and gravy - Oh, some kind doctor come and save ye!" - -That was the best that Hah Hoh could think of, but they all laughed so -loud that seven little button boys stuck their heads in the window to -see what all the fun was about. - -"Well, do you give it up?" asked Kinda, after Rosa had made seven more -merry guesses. - -"Yes," said the Queen, shaking her head till the curls flew out in -every direction. "What is it?" - -"A goose!" puffed Kinda Jolly, settling back comfortably on his -throne. "The finest, fattest goose you ever saw in your life. Cost me -a thousand gold buttons," he finished, smacking his lips and winking -at General Whiffenpuff. The General, who was fonder of eating than of -anything else, began to pat his stomach absently and Trippsy, though -far too well stuffed to require food, gave a skip of satisfaction that -nearly upset the King. - -"Roast goose and apple sauce," mused Kinda, regaining his balance. -"Yum-yum, Whiffen, old rascal, just step out to the pantry, and see -how the dinner's progressing. It's high time our goose was cooked, and -I for one am hungry as a hippogriff." They were still laughing at Hah -Hoh's jokes, when Whiffenpuff returned, but one look at the General -sobered them at once. - -"Guess what we're going to have for dinner?" panted Whiffenpuff, very -red in the face from his hurry. - -"What?" asked Rosa in surprise. - -"Nuthin'," gulped the General dolefully. "The dinner's not going, it's -GONE! Our goose is hooked, tooked, crooked," finished Whiffenpuff, -forgetting his grammar entirely. (Of course, we have known this all -along, but it was a great shock to the King.) - -"Gone!" gasped Kinda Jolly. "But where is Mombi?" - -"Gone too!" - -"To where?" - -Whiffenpuff shook his head glumly and immediately Rosa Merry, Kinda -Jolly and all the rest rushed into the kitchen to see for themselves -how gone everything was. Naturally enough they found neither Mombi nor -Pajuka and, on the whole, this was most fortunate, for otherwise they -might have eaten the Prime Minister of Oz and swallowed with him the -whole of this story. - -"Our dinner began with a G and now its gone! Gone begins with a G. Our -dinner is gone with a G! Shall I laugh?" asked Hah Hoh, beginning to -tickle himself in the ribs. - -"I should say not. Why, this is no laughing matter. No cook! No goose! -No dinner! Oh! I'm so disappointed I could cry!" choked Kinda Jolly, -puffing out his cheeks. - -"Don't do that! Don't do that!" begged Rosa Merry, and tumbling off her -high stool she sent a page flying for the Town Crier. I never told you -there was one, but Kimbaloo has a Town Crier as well as a Town Laugher, -for no one in that merry Kingdom ever thinks of shedding tears. - -So before one could wink the Town Crier came running in with a page, -and when Whiffenpuff told him about the lost dinner, the lost goose and -the lost cook, he simply burst into tears. - -"How long shall I cry?" he sobbed, looking around his handkerchief at -Kinda Jolly. - -"Seven minutes for the goose and th-three for Mombi," sniffed the King, -biting his lip to keep from crying himself. So the Town Crier jerked -out another hanky, and while all the rest stood around and looked -solemn and Kinda held his watch, he wept eye after eye full of tears. - -"Do you feel better?" asked Rosa Merry presently, patting Kinda's plump -hand. - -"A little, a little," acknowledged the King, "but do you s'pose Mombi's -gone for good?" - -"Well, I trust so," sniffed the Town Laugher, shrugging his shoulders, -"but I'm afraid she has gone for bad, your Majesty. A more evil -appearing old wretch I've never seen in Oz, and perhaps we are well rid -of her. Only a week ago I had a letter from a sixteenth cousin of mine -in the Emerald City telling of a famous invisible cook who lived near -her. Why not send for this invisible cook, your Highness?" - -"That's what we've got now, isn't it?" put in General Whiffenpuff, -gloomily, but Kinda's eyes began to snap at the Town Laugher's -suggestion. - -"Why an invisible cook would be simply out of sight!" cried the King, -motioning for the Town Crier to cease his lamentations. "Let us send -for her at once!" - -"And meanwhile I'll be cook," smiled Rosa Merry, happy that everything -was turning out so well. "Guess what we're going to have for dinner?" - -"Omelet!" gulped the Town Crier, wringing out his handkerchiefs in a -business-like fashion and immediately the rest began to guess this and -then that till they were all as jolly as possible. But right in the -midst of the merriment, in came ten little button boys to report the -disappearance of Snip. - -"Snip gone," groaned Kinda Jolly, clapping his hand to his head and -falling back against the flour barrel. "Oh! This is the worst of all. -Why he's the brightest boy in Kimbaloo and the best button picker I've -got. Cry! Cry some more, cry a lot!" wailed the poor King, shaking the -Town Crier by the arm. So he did, and the Town Laugher had to blow his -nose hard, to keep from crying himself, for Snip was a great favorite -in the palace. - -As soon as the news got about, all the rest of the Kimbles came -tumbling into the kitchen, and the two hundred and forty-nine little -button boys began to hug Kinda Jolly, and the two hundred and fifty -little flower girls began to hug Rosa Merry. Trippsy, the pet foot -stool, who loved Snip almost as much as Kinda Jolly, was so upset he -dashed here and there till everyone else was that way, too, especially -General Whiffenpuff. Altogether the confusion was terrific. - -"Wait!" grunted the General, picking himself up for the fifth time. -"Wait! I will find them all!" Seizing his gun, and with never a thought -of dinner, he plunged boldly out into the night to find Mombi, the -goose, Snip and an invisible cook. After that things grew calmer, -for the King had great confidence in Whiffenpuff. The boys and girls -trooped back to their cottages and the rest sat down to a picnic supper -out of the ice box. - -"Whiffenpuff will find 'em, no fear," whispered Hah Hoh, squeezing -Kinda Jolly's hand comfortingly, "and if he doesn't just remember that -I also have something up my sleeve!" - -"What is it?" asked the King mournfully, and as clearly as he could, -for he had half a chicken sandwich in the other cheek. - -"A funny bone," confided the Town Laugher, with so comical and -important an expression that Kinda had to be thumped on the back to -keep from choking. - -"A funny bone!" gasped the King, as he recovered his breath. "Let me -see it, you rascal." - -So the Town Laugher showed Kinda Jolly his left elbow and they both -roared at the joke. - - - - - CHAPTER 4 - - In the Purple Forest - - -Snip thought of a great many things to tell Mombi as he was being -dragged along through the forest, but she ran so far and so fast that -by the time she stopped he was too bumped about and breathless to say -any of them. - -"Now what?" puffed Pajuka, settling on the lowest branch of a purple -pine. - -"Well, do you expect to find the King under the first tree we come -to?" panted the old witch, dropping down on a stump and mopping her -forehead with her apron. "Hand over that basket, you!" Before he could -comply, Mombi had snatched the basket from Snip and, loosening her hold -upon his arm, began rummaging among its contents till she found a small -purple scroll. "Keep your eye on the boy," ordered Mombi, snapping the -scroll open, "and if he tries to escape nip off his nose, d'ye hear?" - -"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't do that," said Pajuka, fluttering his wings. -"He'd much rather come with us to find the King and share in the -reward, wouldn't you lad?" - -Snip glanced fearfully around him. The shadows were growing longer and -longer, and in the dim purple twilight the forest looked so grim and -forbidding that he decided even bad company was better than none. So he -shook his head and swallowing the lump in his throat resolved to make -the best of things, and at the same time find out all he could about -this mysterious affair. - -"What did I tell you," clucked Pajuka, preening his feathers. "I -shouldn't be surprised if he'd be a great help to us, Mombi!" - -"Then let him begin by gathering some wood," grunted Mombi, "and none -of your tricks Snip my boy, or I'll turn you to a muffin and eat you -for breakfast." - -"Is Snip your name?" asked Pajuka, waddling after the little button -boy. Snip nodded and began slowly picking up twigs and putting them in -a heap. - -"A heartless old wretch," wheezed the goose, when they were out of ear -shot. "Don't mind her. She can no more turn you to a muffin than I can, -but she is the only one who can help me find the King so we must humor -her. Stick by me, Snip, and I'll stick by you. Is it a bargain?" In the -strange, silent forest, the white goose looked so big and friendly that -Snip dropped his twigs and flung both arms around his neck. - -"I like you Pajuka," said the little button boy, giving him a quick hug. - -"And I like you, Snip," replied the goose, snuggling close to him. -Then, as Mombi glanced up suspiciously, they both fell to gathering -twigs and in a few moments had enough for a fine fire. Mombi was still -poring over the scroll. Looking over her shoulder, Snip saw that it was -a map of Oz--such a map as he had often seen in his geoziphy books at -home. Mombi held the map close to her nose, for in the failing light -it was hard to see anything. - -"If I could only remember! If I could only remember!" muttered Mombi, -rocking backward and forward on the stump. "What did I do with the -King? Where did I put him? What did I use--green magic or blue, word -magic or number magic, fire magic or smoke magic? Can't you remember -anything?" She whirled in great exasperation upon Pajuka. - -"Well, not much," sighed the goose, rubbing his head with his wing. -"You see it was so long ago. I do remember we were in a small greenwood -near where the Emerald City stands to-day when you changed me to a -goose. But as you drove me away immediately, I never knew what became -of the King." - -"Then it was green magic!" cried Mombi, springing up exultantly. "We -must go to the Emerald City and find that wood, for if the King was -transformed by green magic he must be restored by green magic, and the -only place where green magic takes effect is in and around the Emerald -City. Once there I will doubtless remember everything," chuckled -Mombi. "If I don't, I'll just steal some of Ozma's magic. I'll steal -the magic belt, restore the King to the throne and have my revenge for -all these weary years. I'll turn Ozma to a piano and thump her every -day," continued Mombi, rubbing her hands gleefully together. "I'll -turn everyone else in the palace to one object and then destroy that -object--" - -"I object!" spluttered Pajuka, treading on the old witch's toes in his -excitement. - -"So will they," grinned Mombi, showing her yellow tusks, "but it will -do them no good. Don't stand staring at me, simpleton. Light the fire." -Whirling upon Snip, Mombi raised her stick threateningly, and Snip, -who had been staring with open mouth (for he had never heard so much -badness in his whole life) made haste to do as he was told. - -Mombi, still muttering and chuckling, began to lay out the chicken and -cheese upon the tree stump. Though the fire snapped merrily enough, -supper was not very cheerful for Snip, but he ate the chicken wing and -small bit of cheese that Mombi grudgingly gave him and broke up some -bread for Pajuka. - -"Where've you been all these years?" asked the old witch, looking -curiously at the goose over her mug of coffee. - -"Everywhere, everywhere in Oz, searching for you and the King," puffed -Pajuka. "I've lived with miserable barnyard fowls, eating farmers' -scraps, and in constant danger of the ax. You might have made me a wild -goose, then at least I should have had some fun. I shudder when I think -how near I've been to roasting." - -"Well, didn't they roast you in the old days?" replied Mombi -unfeelingly. "Prime ministers are as often roasted as geese!" - -"Yes, but not in the same way." Pajuka rolled his eyes sadly at Snip. - -"Why didn't you tell Ozma or Glinda on her," asked the little button -boy boldly. - -"Aha! Because he knew if he did he'd disappear entirely. That was part -of the trick," shrilled Mombi. "Wasn't it, old feather head?" - -"Yes, it's better to be a goose than nothing at all," admitted Pajuka -mournfully. "But never mind, when we find the King, he will restore -Mombi's powers and she will restore my elegant figure and--" - -"Oh, hold your bill," snapped Mombi crossly. - -Looking very ruffled, Pajuka retired to the other side of the fire, -where he and Snip conversed in low tones, while Mombi cleared away the -supper and began her endless experiments in the old black frying pan. - -"I should think in some ways, being a goose would be rather nice," -observed Snip, looking inquisitively at Pajuka. "Having wings for -instance, and never needing to get undressed or have your hair cut." - -"Well," agreed Pajuka slowly, "feathers are more convenient than -clothes and while the life of a goose is very simple, it is not all -unpleasant. I've enjoyed flying a lot, and I never need to worry about -rubbers or carrying an umbrella. But after all," Pajuka sighed and -gazed sadly into the fire, "after all, my boy, there is nothing like -being yourself." - -Snip considered this for a little while in silence, trying to fancy -himself in Pajuka's place. "Well, what do you miss the most?" he -inquired suddenly. Pajuka had one eye shut and was preparing to close -the other, but at Snip's words both flew wide open. - -"My pockets," gasped Pajuka, with a great groan. "What is a man without -his pockets? No place to put his hands or his bills!" Clapping his wing -to his side, Pajuka looked tragically at Snip, and Snip patting his -own bulging pockets--pockets full of cake crumbs, marbles, pencil stubs -and string--nodded sympathetically. "And not only that," continued -the goose in a grieved voice, "I waken at such ridiculous hours. Hah, -hoh! I find myself falling asleep." Pajuka paused here for a simply -tremendous yawn. "Right after supper, Hoh hum!" finished the goose -apologetically. Then, tucking his head under his wing and drawing up -one leg, he fell fast asleep before Snip could ask him another question. - -Pajuka was so close to the fire that the little button boy was afraid -he would singe his feathers. So, picking him up carefully, he set him -back against a gnarled old tree and, curling up on a pile of leaves -beside him, lay watching old Mombi. The wind fortunately was blowing -away from him, or he certainly would have been choked by the awful -mixtures in the black frying pan. If he had not known positively that -her magic powers were gone, he would have taken to his heels at once, -for the monsters that Mombi was trying to conjure up out of the frying -pan, would have devoured him in a minute. - - "Magicum squadgicum squidgicum squdge - I order a snooch to come out of this smudge!" - -Mombi frowned darkly as she hissed this, but only a dense smoke rose -from the frying pan, and after listening nervously to ten separate -incantations and finding that nothing at all happened, Snip curled down -among the leaves and was soon as fast asleep as Pajuka--asleep and -dreaming he, himself, was a goose being chased up a pink mountain by a -giant with a blue ax. - -Mombi continued her experiments with the frying pan long after Snip and -Pajuka were asleep, but finally she gave up in disgust and then she, -too, lay down for a nap, which lasted until dawn. - - - - - CHAPTER 5 - - The Rolling Hoopers - - -Snip was awakened by a tickling feeling of his nose and, opening his -eyes, saw Pajuka standing over him with a big bunch of grapes in his -bill. "Hello!" yawned Snip, sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily. -"Is it morning?" - -Pajuka dropped the grapes into his lap. - -"Half past it. Been up since five, had a fly and a swim and brought -you these for breakfast," clucked the goose, who seemed to be in a -fine humor. "Mombi's eaten all the rest of the chicken herself, the old -Scundermutch!" - -The sun filtered down cheerily through the tree-tops and a fresh little -breeze had set all the forest leaves to dancing. Snip, himself, felt -curiously light hearted and gay. Perhaps it was the long sleep he had -had in the open, or the friendly presence of Pajuka, or the thought of -the strange adventures that lay ahead. Anyway, he jumped up with a will -and even the scowl old Mombi gave him failed to dampen his spirits. -She had already prepared and eaten her breakfast and was beating out -the fire with her shoe. Following Pajuka to a small sparkling brook, -Snip splashed his face and hands vigorously, ate his grapes and a large -sugar bun that the thoughtful Pajuka had plucked from a nearby bun -bush. By this time Mombi had her basket packed and, shaking her stick -crossly, announced it was time to start. - -"Which way are we going?" asked Snip, taking the basket and falling -into step beside her. - -"My way!" snapped Mombi fiercely. - -"Well, that's a witch way, isn't it," observed Pajuka, flopping along -a few feet overhead and winking down slyly at Snip, as he plodded down -the road. - -"Hold your bill," snapped Mombi, hobbling along so fast that the little -button boy had to skip to keep pace with her. "I told you last night we -were going to the Emerald City." - -"But I thought you were banished from there forever," put in Snip, who -knew his Oz history by heart. - -"I shall disguise myself," shrilled Mombi triumphantly. "I'll pretend -I'm a market woman selling a fat goose and while I'm arguing with the -cook, Pajuka shall fly into the palace and steal some of Ozma's magic." - -"How do you know I shall?" honked Pajuka sulkily. "Ozma has never done -me any harm. The thing for us to do is to find the King. Once we've -come to the little wood where you transformed him you'll remember where -he is. Why, maybe we'll find him before then." - -"Yes, but what good will it do if I don't remember my magic," sniffed -Mombi. "Unless you want to be a goose for the rest of your life, you'd -better make up your mind to do what I say. As for _you_," the old witch -whirled angrily upon Snip, "any more of this supposing and I'll turn -you to a six pence and spend you at the first village." - -Snip merely whistled and turned up his nose at this, for he knew -perfectly well Mombi could not carry out her threat. Besides, Snip had a -plan of his own. The little button boy had decided that as soon as they -reached the famous capital of Oz he would slip away from Mombi and tell -Princess Ozma the whole story. Then she herself could use her magic -to help Pajuka find the King. So he stepped jauntily along, paying no -attention to Mombi's mutterings, looking curiously to the right and -left and thinking how much he should have to tell Kinda Jolly when he -returned to Kimbaloo. - -The forest, like all the northern lands of Oz, was slightly tinged -with purple, the national color of the Gillikens. Pansies and tall -purple flags grew around the bases of the giant trees and here and -there clusters of violets nodded their pretty little heads in the -breeze. Purple birds darted through the leaves overhead and the air was -sweet from hidden beds of lavender, so that nothing could have been -pleasanter than the first part of the day's journey. But toward noon -they reached a portion of the forest so dark and impenetrable that they -had to go single file, and even then had great difficulty in forcing -their way through the trees and dense underbrush. - -Growls and roars added still further to their discomforts, until Snip, -feeling in his pocket for his trusty pen knife, began to wish himself -safely back in the button wood. Pajuka half ran and waddled after him, -giving every now and then a great flop of terror as a particularly -fierce roar came echoing through the forest. Mombi, alone, seemed -perfectly unconcerned and hobbled ahead whacking branches and bushes -out of the way with her crooked stick. - -"Must be lunch time," she called back hoarsely over her shoulder. - -"Howja guess?" panted Pajuka, keeping as close to Snip as he could, -for he was terribly frightened. - -"Don't you hear the lions?" asked the old witch maliciously. - -"Merciful feathers!" gasped the goose. "Have I come all this way to be -a lion's lunch?" - -"Here comes one now," shuddered Snip, flattening himself against a -tree. But it was not a lion that came hurtling out of the brush. It -was a weenix, a wild, bear-like beast with a walrus head. One look at -its tusks set Snip's heart beating like a drum. Pajuka flung into the -air, flapping his wings and hissing furiously, but the weenix came -straight on and Snip, though determined to die with his pen knife in -hand, trembled so violently he could scarcely stand up. Even Mombi -looked frightened. Grabbing the basket from Snip, she fumbled among its -packages and pans and just as the weenix, with outspread paws, leaped -upon her, the old witch snatched out the pepper box and shook the -entire contents upon its nose. It was purple pepper, fortunately, which -is even stronger than red. - -"Kawoosh!" spluttered the weenix falling backwards. "Kawoosh--Kawush! -Kawoo!" With tears streaming down its tusks and trembling whiskers, -it dashed into the shadows, where it could still be heard sneezing -broken-heartedly. It evidently told its family and friends all about -the dangerous travellers, for not another weenix so much as showed a -whisker after that. - -"Humph!" snorted Mombi, settling her hat, which had gone terribly -askew. "I may have forgotten my magic, but I still know a few tricks, -eh Pajuka?" - -"Oh, my feathers," panted the goose, leaning up against a tree, "that -was worse than roasting." - -"How did you ever think of pepper?" asked Snip, who could not help -admiring Mombi's quickness. But Mombi merely gave a grunt, thrust the -basket back into his hands and began limping along faster than ever. -Snip was tired and hungry, but the thought of being left alone in the -forest was so much worse than being in the company of a witch that he -stumbled and ran after her, comforting himself with the thought of the -fine sights he should see in the Emerald City. - -Pajuka was tired too, but he hopped and flopped after Snip and -another hour brought them to the edge of the forest. The countryside, -stretching pleasantly ahead, was shaded with purple, so they knew they -were still in the land of the Gillikens. The old witch ordered a halt, -while she considered the road. - -Mombi pegged her map down on the grass and began studying it carefully. -Snip sat down under a tree and began fanning himself with his hat, -while Pajuka flew off to find a stream, for the poor goose was parched -by his flight through the forest and never felt quite happy out of -water. - -"How far is the Emerald City?" asked Snip, after watching Mombi for a -time in silence. - -"Ought to be there by night time," muttered the witch, forgetting for -once to scowl. "All we have to do is to keep going south-west." Rolling -up the map, Mombi took the rest of the bread and cheese from the -basket. Seeing she meant to give him none, Snip went off in search of a -bite for himself. In Oz this is not difficult, for the most marvelous -plants and trees grow in all of its kingdoms. Scarcely a stone's throw -away Snip found a huckleberry-pie plant. He ate several of the small -tarts, and then picked a pocket full of plums from a pretty little -plum tree that grew by the roadside. The purple Gilliken country is as -famous for its plums as the yellow Winkie Land is for its peaches and -pears. - -Feeling quite refreshed, Snip went to search for Pajuka. Just beyond a -thin fringe of trees ran a shallow stream, and Pajuka, in the strange -manner of geese, was standing on his head, eating his lunch off the -bottom. He looked so comical that Snip nearly burst out laughing, but -remembering just in time that Pajuka was the King's prime minister he -cleared his throat instead. With a great bounce, Pajuka came right side -up and after a few dives and splashes waded ashore. - -"What did you find to eat?" asked Snip curiously. - -"Oh some water roots and--er other things," answered Pajuka. Seeing he -was embarrassed Snip politely changed the subject. - -"Tell me about the King," said the little button boy, "and about Oz -before Ozma was Queen." - -"Well, there was never a kindlier king anywhere," began Pajuka, shaking -the water from his feathers. - -"What kind?" asked Snip, biting into a plum. "How did he look?" - -"Pleasant," explained Pajuka, putting one foot before the other and -waddling from side to side in his queer goosey fashion. "He was tall -and gentle and very absent-minded, and so kind that he never punished -anyone at all." - -"Then that's why there were so many witches," cried Snip triumphantly. - -"Yes, and that's why it was so easy for Mombi to get him into her -power," sighed Pajuka mournfully. "He would believe evil of no one--not -even of a witch." - -"Seems to me Ozma makes a better ruler," observed Snip, throwing his -plum over a tree and standing on his tip toes to see how far it had -gone. "She doesn't allow anyone to practice magic, excepting herself, -Glinda and the Wizard." This is perfectly true and Oz has enjoyed under -the littlest Princess in history an era of great peace and prosperity. - -"Ozma is a pretender," insisted Pajuka stiffly. - -"But she doesn't even know her father's alive," protested Snip. Though -he had never seen Ozma, he had a great affection for the little Queen. -"What will become of Ozma when we find the King?" he asked doubtfully. - -"Oh, she can go back and play with her dolls. She's only a little girl -anyway," answered the goose carelessly. Snip did not quite approve of -this either, so he changed the subject again. - -"There wasn't any Emerald City then, was there Pajuka?" - -"No, but we had a splendid castle where the Emerald City now stands -and hunting parks in every country of Oz. Ah, those were the good old -days," sighed Pajuka sorrowfully. "If I could but see my dear master -again I'd be content to remain a goose for the rest of my life." - -"I s'pose you _do_ miss him," said Snip sympathetically. - -"Miss him!" Pajuka gave a great gulp and turned his head to wipe his -tears on his feathers. "Why, I miss him even more than my pockets," -groaned the poor goose in a smothered voice. - -Snip would have liked to hear more about the King, but a loud screech -from Mombi interrupted the story. "Where've you been?" croaked the -witch, emerging from a little patch of trees and blinking at them -crossly. "I've been ready for hours. C'mon! Do you think this is a -picnic?" - -"Don't sass me, woman," wheezed Pajuka with great dignity, "or I'll not -help you a mite. Who got us into this ridiculous mess, may I ask?" - -Mombi paid no attention to Pajuka's remarks, but began hobbling down -the road and Snip, who could hardly wait to reach the Emerald City, -hurried after her, still mumbling crossly to herself. The goose -sulkily brought up the rear. The road was fairly good, and zig-zagged -pleasantly enough through meadows and fields. - -"But aren't there any houses?" asked Snip, as they passed through a -deserted stretch of woodland. "Aren't there any people or villages or -towns?" - -"There ought to be," honked Pajuka, who was resting his feet in the -air. (That's one advantage of having wings, when your feet are tired -you can fly.) - -"There are!" snapped Mombi gruffly, and Mombi was right, for just then -the wood came to an end and they found themselves facing a large, -pleasant park, with dazzling white paths running in every direction. -Snip was looking around with deep interest, when six of the strangest -beings he had ever seen rose up from a bench a little distance off and -stood examining them critically. They were certainly ten feet high and -so thin and flat that Snip could scarcely believe they were people at -all. But as they had heads, arms, legs and the usual number of eyes, -ears and noses, he concluded they must be People. As the little button -boy stared at them, the first of the creatures leaned down, caught hold -of its toes and came hurtling at the travelers like a hurricane. - -"Whoop!" shrieked the second one, bending over as the first had done -and turning itself into a sure enough hoop. "Whoop, whoop!" - -"Honk!" screamed Pajuka defiantly, but before Snip and Mombi had time -to recover from their surprise the six Hoopers had rolled upon them -full-speed, knocking them flat upon their backs. Pajuka just saved -himself by a quick flop into the air. Then, without unrolling, the six -whizzed off backwards and by the time Snip and Mombi had scrambled up -were ready for another dash. - -"Get the pepper! Get the pepper!" squawked the goose wildly, but Mombi, -furious at her fall, did nothing but hop and howl with rage and Snip, -seeing that something must be done, snatched up her crooked stick. As -the first Hooper came pelting upon them, he gave it a sharp crack that -sent it whirling down the walk. The second and third he served in the -same fashion. The fourth he missed, so that Mombi again was rolled in -the dust, but the fifth and sixth he caught fairly and, beginning to -enjoy the fun, started rolling them like hoops as fast as he could, -whacking first one and then another and screaming with laughter at the -comical expressions on their faces, when their faces came uppermost. - -"Go it, Snip! Go it!" exulted Pajuka, flapping his wings delightedly. -But Snip needed no encouragement and only stopped at last for lack of -breath. Immediately the Hoopers unrolled and, groaning and whooping -and holding their sides, limped off into the bushes. Hundreds of the -creatures had gathered by this time and, as Snip sank down on a bench -to rest, the very tallest Hooper came rolling toward them. - -"What do you mean by beating my subjects in this heartless fashion?" -demanded the great fellow, unrolling to his full height and glaring -sternly down at the little button boy. - -"Well, they started it," replied Snip, keeping a firm hold on Mombi's -stick. "Didn't they, Pajuka?" - -"They certainly did," asserted the goose, settling down on the bench -beside Snip. "Is it usual to knock down innocent travelers without -reason or ceremony?" - -"Is it usual to sit in the presence of a king?" retorted the Hooper -stiffly. At this all his subjects began whooping faintly, "Bow down to -Rollo the Royal, bow down to King Rollo the Worst!" - -"Oh, roll up!" said Snip scornfully. "You're only a lot of live hoops -anyway. Why should we bow?" - -"Leave the park instantly!" roared Rollo, bouncing up and down with -rage. - -"Let's," said Snip, grinning over at Pajuka. - -"I'm ready," agreed the goose, "but where's Mombi?" - -"Here!" spluttered the witch, rolling out of a bonnet bush. "Any more -nonsense from these creatures and I'll turn them to breakfast rolls and -eat them for supper." - -"A witch!" whooped the King. - -"A witch!" coughed all the others and, seizing their toes, the whole -company of them whirled off together and disappeared in a cloud of -dust. So without further excitement, the three adventurers reached the -other side of the Hoopers' park and, opening a small gate in the fence -that surrounded it, found themselves again on the zig-zag pathway. A -large sign posted on one of the trees immediately attracted Snip's -attention. - -"Fifty leaps to the Corners," announced the sign curiously enough. - -"Leaps!" gasped Snip, while Mombi pushed back her hat and stood on -tip-toe to examine the crooked letters. "Must we leap all the way?" - -"Better look before we do," chuckled Pajuka, scratching his head with -the third toe of his left foot. "I've been in some pretty tight corners -in my time, and prefer to go around the rest of them." - -"We'll go straight on. Who's afraid?" sneered Mombi. Snip, thinking -of the way she had hidden in the bonnet bush while he beat off the -Hoopers, winked at Pajuka and Pajuka, with a little flutter of his -wings, winked back. Then all three started along the narrow path -together. - - - - - CHAPTER 6 - - In Catty Corners - - -"Suppose the King were a goat, do you think you would still remember -him?" asked Snip, as they zig-zagged along the strange pathway. - -"Certainly!" honked Pajuka, fluttering down. "I'd know him in any -shape. But why do you ask? What makes you think the King is a goat? -Are there any goats around here?" Shooting out his neck, Pajuka began -peering this way and that. - -"I don't know," admitted Snip frankly. "I was just wondering." - -"You talk too much," snapped Mombi, stopping to pull up her stocking. -"If I could remember my magic I'd turn you to a parrot!" - -At this several of the trees that edged the pathway burst into loud -roars of laughter, shaking all over and clasping themselves about -the trunk with their branches. Snip was so astonished that he jumped -backward and Pajuka, stepping on his own toes, fell forward on his head. - -"Oh, my dear Will, these are funny ones," chortled the first tree. -"Look at that ridiculous bird and that squidgety old skumpus, and would -you count the buttons on the boy's suit. Oh! Oh! I shall die laughing!" - -Now Snip's suit, like all the suits of the button wood boys, was -generously trimmed with buttons. He had always considered it quite -handsome, but now, as the trees continued to rock and roar with -merriment, he began to feel uncomfortable and a little provoked. - -"Quit your laughing!" puffed Pajuka indignantly. "What right have trees -to laugh at people?" - -"Every right in Oz," chuckled the second tree, leaning down to tickle -Mombi under the chin with one of its twigs. "We're laughing willows, -we are, always looking for a good joke, Hah! Hah! And the laugh is on -us, Ho! Ho! Isn't that funny, Tree He?" - -"Well, we're not jokes," said Snip stiffly. "Come on, Pajuka!" This set -the willows to laughing so heartily that their leaves fell in perfect -showers. Mombi, in a rage, clapped her hands to her ears and hobbled -off and Snip, after a few more remarks which only made the trees laugh -harder, ran after her. - -"I must say I prefer weeping willows," wheezed Pajuka, catching up with -Snip and smoothing out his feathers with his bill. One of the willows -had actually had the temerity to tweak him by the tail. - -"When I find the King, I'll have you chopped down and up!" screamed -Mombi, turning to shake her stick at the offending trees, but neither -Snip nor Pajuka bothered to listen to her. They were staring ahead in -great astonishment, for the last zig in the road had brought them quite -suddenly to the edges of a sparkling inland sea. - -"Water!" exulted the goose, instantly restored to good humor. "Oh, -let's go swimming!" - -"Swimming!" shuddered Mombi, whirling around in a hurry. "Don't you -know water is death and destruction to witches?" - -"Is it?" asked Snip in pleased surprise, and secretly wondered whether -he hadn't better push Mombi in at once. But Pajuka, half guessing what -was in his mind, shook his head reprovingly. - -"But how are we to get across?" demanded the goose. "I don't see any -boats or ferries and--" - -"It's pretty wide to swim," ventured Snip, shading his eyes with his -hands and looking anxiously over the tumbling waves. Snip's only -experience with swimming had been in a small pool in the button wood -and he was not at all sure he would ever reach the other side. - -"I could tug you across," said Pajuka, "but what about Mombi?" - -"Hold your bill!" snapped the witch in her usual pleasant fashion, and -sitting on a stone she scowled down at the sandy beach. Then all at -once she hopped up and, hobbling over to Snip, took the basket again. - -"Now what?" whispered the little button boy. Pajuka shrugged his wings -and rolled up his eyes, but they had not long to wait or wonder, for -Mombi, having found what she wanted, sprang on a big rock and hurled -a small purple can as far as she could into the rippling blue waters. -Then with a grunt of satisfaction, she resumed her seat upon the stone. - -"Well?" wheezed Pajuka inquiringly. - -"What are we waiting for?" demanded Snip. - -"For the sea to jell, idiot!" sniffed Mombi. "In that can is the -strongest gelatin in Oz. It took me six years to refine and collect it. -Watch the sea and we shall see." - -"It _is_ jelling," marvelled Snip, hopping up and down. "Look, Pajuka, -the waves have stopped rolling!" This was quite true. The dancing blue -waters, caught in their liveliest tumbling, had stiffened with their -white frills still upon them and the whole sea was becoming smooth and -glassy as a bowl of gelatin, only no gelatin Snip ever had seen was -half so beautiful, for the blue sea, tinged in spots with purple and -green, sparkled in the sunshine like some large and lovely amethyst. - -"Well, do I know any tricks or not?" shrilled Mombi, snapping her -fingers under Pajuka's bill. "Come on! Let's cross!" She rose stiffly -and Snip, taking up the basket, set one foot experimentally upon the -jelly. It shook a little under his weight, but seemed firm and solid, -so the three stepped out and were soon half way over. - -"How about the fish?" asked Pajuka, looking down through the clear, -jellied water. - -"They'll be jelly fish for a while," snickered Mombi, who was in a fine -humor at the trick she had turned. "I wish the Wizard of Oz could see -this. I'll wager I can get as much magic out of a cook book as he can -out of a whole library of sorcery." - -"It certainly looks good enough to eat," admitted Snip. "Wonder if it -is?" He scooped up a bit to taste, but it was so salty it choked him. -If it was not good to eat it was surely fine to walk on and Snip, -bouncing along beside Pajuka, was quite sorry when they reached the -other side. "I think traveling's pretty interesting," observed the -little button boy, looking back over his shoulder. "Don't you Pajuka?" - -The goose sighed. "I used to think so, Snip, but I've traveled so far -searching for the King, I'm homesick for my slippers, a quiet old -castle and my pipe. Haven't had a smoke since I was a goose," mourned -the poor prime minister, rolling his eyes sadly. Snip couldn't -help thinking how funny Pajuka would look with a pipe and a pair of -slippers, but he stifled this thought quickly. - -"Don't you care!" he whispered comfortingly. "You'll find the King -and when we reach the Emerald City, I'll tell Ozma all about you," he -promised, lowering his voice so Mombi could not hear. "I am sure she'll -help us." - -"What are you whispering about?" snarled the witch, glaring back -suspiciously. - -"About a second," whistled Pajuka, soaring into the air. "Hello, what's -this?" - -"Why, it's the Corners," cried Snip, running ahead to read a large sign -suspended from a pussy willow under the great gray walls. - -"Catty Corners," announced the sign, in black scratchy letters. - -"Catty Corners," hissed the goose. "Well, this is no place for me. Let -us fly at once!" - -"But I adore cats," declared Mombi and, before anyone could stop her, -she thumped hard upon the gates. The walls surrounding Catty Corners -formed a huge triangle and were so high that even by bending backward -Snip could not see the top. As he straightened up, a door in the gray -wall flew open and a simply enormous Tabby Cat, dressed as a guard, -seized Pajuka by the wing and Mombi by the arm. - -"No boys allowed!" bawled the guard, bristling his whiskers at Snip. -Before the little button boy could even wink, the cat had dragged his -two companions in and slammed the door. Snip could hear Pajuka hissing -and Mombi protesting in a shrill voice and next instant the door flew -open and he, himself, was seized by a cat guard and jerked through. - -"He's my prisoner," cried Mombi defiantly, as Snip was lined up beside -her. She had no intention of letting Snip out of her clutches. He knew -entirely too much for that. - -"Well, he's my prisoner now," snarled the guard, giving Snip a shake. -Then, looking more closely at Mombi, his eyes began to sparkle with -pleasure. "Who are you, beauteous being?" purred the cat, doffing his -cap. Pajuka, though badly scared by his predicament, could not restrain -a loud chuckle. - -"I'm a witch!" answered Mombi, drawing herself up proudly. - -"A witch!" cried the second cat guard, releasing his hold on Mombi's -arm. "Oh cousin, how splendid! The Queen must know of this." - -Throwing back his head he began to yowl in a hundred piercing and -alarming cat cries. - -"What's he saying?" gasped Snip. - -"Sounds like cat fish to me," gurgled Pajuka, ducking his head under -his wing. - -At the cat guard's call, hundreds of cats began to race toward the -prisoners. They were as large as Snip himself, and of every kind -and color imaginable. As soon as they saw Mombi, they began to purr -with pleasure and delight, rubbing against her knees, knocking her -hat sideways and pressing so close that Snip and Pajuka were almost -suffocated. Then, forming a triumphant procession, they started for -the center of Catty Corners. Mombi, like all witches, was fonder of -cats than of anything else and walked along fondling first one and then -another, while Snip and Pajuka, still in the clutches of the guards, -followed in huge disgust. Several of the cats cast hungry looks at the -goose, but most of them were too taken up with Mombi to even notice him. - -"Did you ever see such a place?" sniffed the little button boy -scornfully. "Why, it's all fences." - -Even as he spoke, his cat guard sprang up on a white fence, dragging -him along. It was so perfectly unexpected that Snip nearly fell on his -nose but, glancing ahead, he saw Mombi nimbly walking the fence between -two black cats. Pajuka had no trouble walking the fence either, though -he was greatly inconvenienced by the guard who had hold of his wing. - -"If I just had a pair of clothes props," sighed Snip, balancing himself -precariously. - -"Take hold of my tail," advised the guard gruffly, "and if you fall -I'll scratch you." - -Another cat sprang up behind him and put one paw under his arm, so -between the two Snip managed fairly well. He had to keep his eyes so -closely on the fence that he did not see as much of Catty Corners as he -otherwise might have. But he saw enough to interest him tremendously. A -perfect network of fences divided this curious city into a great many -little enclosures. Snip would have called them back yards. In each -yard was a catnip bed, a pussy willow tree, and a lovely fountain of -cream. They passed many ponds well stocked with fish, and Snip shivered -uncomfortably as one of the Tabby Cats jumped down from the fence, -snatched a gold fish from a pond, and began eating it as if it were a -cracker, salting it generously from a shaker he carried around his neck. - -"Hateful things," thought the little button boy, looking anxiously -ahead to see how Pajuka was faring. "I hope we don't have to stay -here long." A sudden yowling and waving of tails told him something -was happening. Stretching his neck, he saw that Mombi had reached the -Queen's garden. - -"Are you prepared to meet The Imperial and Puissant Pussy?" asked the -guard, looking severely over his shoulder. - -"Another cat?" groaned Snip. - -"Scratch him," hissed a big grey Tom, but the Tabby Cat merely reached -down, and clutching Snip by the front of his jacket, jumped down from -the fence. - -Her Majesty lay luxuriously under a catsup tree. Ten small kittens -fanned her with large leaves and there was a Tabby Cat Guard in every -corner of the garden. There was not room for all the other cats, so -they ranged themselves expectantly on the surrounding fences, while -Mombi, Pajuka and Snip were brought forward. The Queen, a sleek -maltese, opened her eyes languidly as they approached, but at sight of -Mombi she sprang up so impulsively, she bumped her head on a catsup -bottle. - -"Why, you dear, beautiful, dreadful old thing!" purred the Queen, -clasping her paws delightedly. - -"Dear, beautiful, dreadful old thing!" purred all the other cats, -waving their tails approvingly. - -"You shall stay and bewitch us forever," murmured her Highness, -stroking Mombi's wrinkled cheek affectionately. "But who let this boy -in?" she screamed furiously, catching a glimpse of Snip. - -"Mean, horrid, naughty little wretch, puller of tails and thrower of -stones!" Her eyes flashed so threateningly Snip was really alarmed and -began to look around for some way to escape. - -"He never pulled a cat-tail in his life," blustered Pajuka indignantly, -"except in a swamp!" - -"In a swamp?" shrieked the Queen. "What right has he to pull cat-tails -in a swamp? Who are _you_?" - -"A Prime Minister when I am myself," answered Pajuka promptly, "but -unfortunately just now I am not myself." - -"A goose!" purred the cat Queen, licking her lips hungrily. "Ah, it's -years since I've tasted a goose. How old are you? How much do you -weigh? Are you tender?" - -At each dreadful question, her Maltese Majesty drew nearer to Pajuka. -Snip looked appealingly at Mombi, but the old witch had forgotten them -both and was seated blissfully under the catsup tree, her lap full of -kittens. - -"As a man I was in my prime, but I'm a very old goose," panted Pajuka, -edging nervously away from the greedy Queen. - -"I don't believe it," said her Majesty, giving Pajuka a playful poke. -"What fun! A guest! A prisoner and a dinner! The witch shall stay, the -boy shall be publicly chased and scratched and the goose, ah the goose -shall be eaten! You may kiss my paw!" purred her Highness, advancing -graciously toward Snip. - -"Mombi! Mombi! Do you hear that?" screamed Pajuka wildly. "I'm to be -served up for dinner!" - -"Serve you right," yawned the witch drowsily. - -"I'll not let them eat you!" shouted Snip, brushing aside the Queen's -paw and struggling to free himself from the cat guard. - -"Take them away!" commanded the Queen, with a wave of her tail. "And -keep tabs on them until wanted." - -"You'll be sorry for this!" honked Pajuka. "I'm very bad for cats. If -you eat me I'll give you fits." - -"Hush!" hissed her Highness haughtily. "You are now the dinner and the -dinner is not supposed to converse." - -"Come along, dinner!" said the guard gruffly, and dragging Pajuka by -the wing and Snip by the arm, he marched them sternly away, while all -the inhabitants of Catty Corners howled with derision and delight. - - - - - CHAPTER 7 - - The Magic Pudding - - -"Snip," wheezed Pajuka mournfully, "when I am cooked and eaten, will -you save a few of my feathers for Ozma? And if you find the King will -you tell him that old Pajuka was faithful to--to--the last?" - -In spite of himself the poor goose's voice broke and ended in a great -gulp. - -"When they get through with me there'll be just enough feathers left -to stuff a pillow," choked Pajuka. - -"Don't!" begged the little button boy, flinging his arms around his -friend's neck. "Besides, if I'm to be chased and scratched by all those -cats, there won't be anything left of me at all." - -"I'll nip off their tails, I'll snatch out their whiskers!" raged -Pajuka, thrusting his bill through the bars of their prison. The two -had been thrown unceremoniously into a small summer house at the end of -the Queen's garden. It was surrounded by cat guards, so their chances -for escape were cut off on every side. - -"Maybe something'll happen," sighed Snip, pressing his nose against the -slats. It had been late afternoon when they reached Catty Corners and -in the gathering gloom the giant cats, parading up and down, looked -like some dreadful sort of goblins. Turning back to Pajuka for comfort, -Snip was horrified to see that the goose had drawn up one foot and -closed his eyes. - -"Don't fall asleep, Pajuka," begged the little boy, shaking him -frantically. "Don't fall asleep and leave me all alone." - -"Can't help it Snip--hah hoh! This is what comes of being a -goose--hum!" yawned the poor prime minister. He blinked rapidly, -stamped both feet and fluttered his feathers, but it was no use. His -eyes simply would not stay open. - -"Well, if I'm to be eaten," gulped Pajuka sadly, with a last monstrous -yawn, "I might as well be asleep anyway." Folding his head away -dejectedly under his wing, he stood perfectly still. At this Snip felt -so down-hearted that he sat on the floor and took the goose in his lap. - -"Wonder what Mombi's doing," he shuddered, trying to catch a glimpse -of the old witch through the chinks in the lattice. To tell the truth, -Mombi was in as tight a catty corner as Snip. Having indulged her -fondness for cats to the fullest extent and, noting with alarm the -approach of night, she had finally risen and bidding the Catty Queen an -affectionate farewell, declared herself ready to depart. "And the goose -and boy must come with me," croaked Mombi, grinning secretly at the -joke she had played on them. - -"With you," cried the Cat Queen, springing up in alarm. "Why, you -dear, ugly old darling, do you suppose I am ever going to let you go? -Never! As for the boy--who cares for boys? He shall entertain us all -day to-morrow. I'll call out my grand army of Maltesers, and they shall -maul and tease him to death. What fun. And the goose! I could hug you -for bringing that goose." - -"But see here," panted Mombi in alarm, "I need that goose. I'm taking -him as a present to Ozma, the Queen." - -"Well, I'm a Queen," sniffed the Cat crossly, "and I don't give a yowl -for Ozma. Come on, let's pluck out his feathers." And away across the -garden scampered her Majesty. Mombi picked up her basket and followed -in great haste. She knew that without Pajuka she would never recognize -the King, nor regain her magic powers. Therefore, though she had no -great love for the goose, she must find some way to save him. - -"Wait!" puffed the old witch, catching up with the Queen. "Wait! I, -myself, will prepare a feast to go with the goose. I am a famous cook -and know more about roasts and sauces than anyone in Oz." Mombi rolled -her eyes boastfully. - -"Do you?" murmured the Imperial Pussy, stopping short and looking -admiringly at the old witch. - -"Did your Highness ever taste rice cream pudding?" inquired Mombi -mysteriously. "No goose should be eaten without a dish of pudding -before-hand. Keeps off the mullygrubs. Just let me make you a -delicious little rice cream pudding!" - -"Rice cream pudding? Why that sounds delicious!" purred the Queen, -waving her tail rapturously. "Make enough for us all, dear old -ugliness, and I'll take a cat nap while you do." - -"Where's the kitchen?" demanded Mombi with a wicked grin. Already -she had thought of a way out of her difficulties. Once in the catty -kitchen, really only an enclosed corner of the garden with a stone -fireplace and iron crane, Mombi set quickly to work. Filling the -largest cauldron with rich cream from the fountain, she poured in all -the boxes of rice she had in her basket and all the raisins. Then, -setting it over the fire, which two tortoise shell cats kept at blazing -point, she stirred and muttered and muttered and stirred, and just -before it was done dropped in the contents of another of her purple -cans. - -Meanwhile, news of the coming treat had spread, and by the time the -pudding was finished, the fences were simply crowded with cats, their -eyes showing like green balls of fire in the darkness. There were only -a few dim lanterns in Catty Corners, for cats can see quite as well -by night as by day. Each cat had brought a saucer, and forming in an -orderly procession, they lined up before the old witch, while Mombi -ladled out helping after helping of the pudding, pausing every now and -then to wipe her forehead on her sleeve and grin wickedly to herself. - -None of the cats dared eat until the Queen arrived, and when her -Highness finally did appear, a long sigh of anticipation went up from -the fences. Mombi had saved a particularly large helping for the Queen, -and when her Maltese Majesty lowered her chin over her saucer and all -the other cats started lapping up the pudding, Mombi could hardly -restrain her chuckles. The pudding really was delicious and the Queen -lapped faster and faster, as did the rest, so that in scarcely a moment -the saucers were quite empty and the company quite the reverse. - -With half-closed eyes the Queen lifted her head to thank Mombi but -before she could purr a purr, she, and that whole collection of cats, -simply catapulted into the air and, while Mombi held her sides and -rocked to and fro with malicious merriment, they rolled and tumbled -toward the clouds like balloons released from their strings. No wonder! -In that purple can was a baking powder powerful enough to raise an -army--baking powder that the old witch had been collecting and refining -for twenty years. - -"Hah," snorted Mombi, rubbing her hands with satisfaction. Leaning -over the fountain, she took a long drink of cream, for stirring the -pudding had made her mighty thirsty. Then, without thought of her -luckless victims, she picked up her basket and hobbled off to the -summer house. Snip, after waiting in terror for the cats to come for -Pajuka, had finally dropped into an uneasy slumber, and when Mombi -flashed a small lantern in his eyes he almost jumped out of his jacket. - -"Come along, you little lazy bones," grumbled the witch, jerking him -roughly by the sleeve. "Is that silly old goose asleep too?" - -"I'll carry him," said Snip stiffly and, bending over, he picked Pajuka -carefully up in his arms. He was quite an armful, but never stirred nor -wakened at all. Snip longed to tell Mombi what he thought of her, but -she looked so fierce he decided not to try it. - -"Where are the cats?" he shivered, tiptoeing nervously after the -old witch. Mombi waved her stick aloft, and you can imagine the -astonishment of the little boy to see a perfect cloud of cats sailing -across the moon. - -"Gave 'em rice pudding and they riz," wheezed the old witch gleefully. -Having no one else to boast to, Mombi condescended to explain her -trick to Snip. Snip, on his part, was glad to escape from the catty -creatures, but he could not help feeling a bit sorry for them. - -"How long will they have to stay up there?" he inquired curiously. - -"Till it rains," grunted Mombi, swinging the lantern carelessly. "But -come on, I can't stand here talking all night. We'll never reach the -Emerald City at this rate." - -"Anyway," thought Snip, stepping along carefully so as not to wake -Pajuka, "anyway they can eat their supper in the milky way and won't it -be raining cats when they do come down though!" - -While Mombi stopped to straighten her hat, Snip took a long drink from -one of the cream fountains. "Nobody knows when we'll get anything to -eat," said the little button boy to himself. - -"Are we going to travel all night?" he puffed, running to catch up with -Mombi. - -"Mind your own buttons," hissed the old witch, lapsing into her usual -ill-temper, and as she refused to say another word, there was nothing -to do but follow the uncertain flicker of her lantern. After an hour of -zig-zagging along the fences, they reached the other side, unbolted the -great iron doors in the wall and found themselves in another forest. - -Snip thought surely Mombi would stop, but the old witch went muttering -and mumbling along, her eyes gleaming like hot coals in the darkness. -Every once in a while, she would glance sideways at Snip in a way that -caused him great uneasiness. To tell the truth, Mombi had about decided -to rid herself of the little button boy. He knew too much and might run -off and tell Ozma her plans before she could reach the Emerald City, -herself. With Pajuka's help, Mombi meant to find the old King, if she -could, but when he had restored her magic powers Mombi intended to be -the real ruler of Oz. So, hurrying along through the inky forest, she -began casting about in her mind for a way to destroy Snip. - -"I'll wait till I reach the center of the forest," hissed Mombi, -stumping along under the silent trees, "and then--" - -"What did you say?" asked Snip anxiously. - -"Nothing," grunted Mombi, smiling sourly to herself, "at least nothing -that concerns you." - - - - - CHAPTER 8 - - The Mysterious Message - - -Scraps, the Patch Work Girl, danced crazily down the flower-bordered -path in Ozma's lovely garden in the Emerald City, shouting this verse: - - "Hank hankers for a hanky - To blow his funny nose, - Hank hankers for a hanky, - I hanker for a rose!" - -"I do not," brayed Hank, Betsy Bobbins' little mule, flapping his ears -sulkily. "You don't know what you are singing about, Scraps. Go away -and stop jeering me. How could I use a hanky, you silly girl?" - -"Hank, you're a crank!" shouted Scraps, and capered on down the path, -stopping to chin herself on a tulip tree and dropping in a wobbly heap -beside the little table where Ozma, Betsy Bobbin and Trot were having -breakfast. - -"You shouldn't tease Hank like that," said Ozma, looking reproachfully -at Scraps over her gold breakfast cup. - - "I'll tease, I'll tease, whom I please, - I'll cross my eyes and cross my knees!" - -chortled Scraps, and she looked so comical doing both of these -crossings at once that the little girls simply burst into laughter, -while Hank, with a snort of disgust, galloped off at full speed. - -"You're awful," sighed Betsy Bobbin, nearly choking on her biscuit, and -Betsy was pretty nearly right, for this ridiculous maiden who lived -luxuriously in Ozma's palace was made entirely of patchwork. She had -been cut from an old quilt, stuffed and sewn together by a wizard's -wife who intended her for a servant. But when the wizard mixed up her -brains, a lot of fun and cleverness had got in, so that Scraps had -refused to be a servant and had run off to the Emerald City. She was -so comical and entertaining that Ozma had allowed her to remain at the -capital, and Scraps is now one of the most celebrated characters in the -castle. - -Betsy Bobbin was a little girl from the United States. She and Hank had -been ship-wrecked on the shores of a strange land near Oz and, after -some terrible adventures with the old Gnome King, had reached Oz itself -and been taken in by the kind-hearted little Queen. Trot also had come -from America and liked Oz so well she had never returned home. These -two, with Princess Dorothy, are the closest friends of the fairy ruler, -for Ozma herself is only a little girl fairy, and these four together -have the merriest times imaginable. - -Living in a green stone castle studded with emeralds is fun enough, -dear knows, but living in a green stone castle with forty-nine -courtiers, thirty-nine footmen, thirty-seven handmen, twenty-six -serving maids, ten cooks and a flock of pages is luxury indeed, -especially in a magical land where adventures are liable to happen -every few minutes. Why, it's the most fun yet! - -Perhaps Dorothy is Ozma's prime favorite, for Dorothy was the first -little girl to discover Oz and has been so mixed up in its magical -history that Ozma would scarcely know how to rule her interesting -subjects without her help. It was of Dorothy that Ozma was thinking, as -she watched Scraps turning reckless handsprings under the tulip trees. - -"I wonder when Dorothy will return?" sighed the little Queen, pushing -back her chair and signalling for the thirty-ninth footman to remove -the gold breakfast plates. Dorothy had gone on a short visit to Perhaps -City and already the others were longing for her return. - -"Let's ask the Scarecrow," proposed Betsy, waving to the jolly straw -man who, arm-in-arm with Sir Hokus of Pokes, was coming down the path. -Both these delightful fellows are great friends of Dorothy's. In fact -she discovered them. The Scarecrow she had lifted down from a pole on -her very first trip to Oz. He had accompanied her to the Emerald City -and been given a splendid set of brains by the Wizard of Oz, so that he -is one of the wittiest and most able of Ozma's courtiers. He has a cozy -corn-ear castle in the Winkie Country, but prefers to spend most of his -time in the capital with the girls. Sir Hokus had been rescued from -Pokes by Dorothy on another of her wonderful adventures, and since the -Knight had taken up his residence in the palace Ozma felt more secure -than ever before, for Sir Hokus was a splendid swordsman and feared -neither man nor monster. It is people like Scraps, Sir Hokus and the -Scarecrow who make life in the Emerald City so jolly and so different. - -"Yoo hoo! Don't you think it's time Dorothy was back?" called Betsy, -as the two came nearer. - -"High time! High time!" answered the Scarecrow, waving his old blue -hat up at the clock in the tallest tower of the castle. "And we'll -have a high time when she does come," he smiled gaily. "I've thought -up a dozen new games and--. What's that?" cried the Scarecrow, -interrupting himself suddenly and blinking his painted eyes so fast -that Betsy bounded out of her chair. - -"What's that?" echoed the little Queen of Oz, springing up in alarm. -Something gold and brilliant had flashed through the air and fallen -upon the walk. - -"A feather!" puffed Sir Hokus. "Odds goblins and hoblins, a feather!" -He stooped creakily to pick it up, but as he did the golden quill -righted itself and began to move rapidly across the marble walk. - -"It's writing!" gasped Trot, clutching the Scarecrow by the arm, and in -dazed fascination they watched the feather tracing a sentence. When it -had set down five words, it made a little gold dot and fell lifelessly -at Ozma's feet. - -"Danger! Go to Morrow to-day!" stuttered the Scarecrow, reading the -golden message aloud. - -"How now," thundered Sir Hokus, letting his visor fall with a crash, -"what means this message?" - -"Go to-_morrow_!" gulped the Scarecrow, clapping on his hat and -squinting down at the golden legend on the walk. - -"Not to-morrow, to-day," corrected Betsy Bobbin breathlessly. - -"But if we go to-day, how can we go to-morrow?" asked Ozma, growing -more bewildered every minute. - -"Danger!" shuddered Trot, pointing a trembling finger at the first -word. - -"What's all the excitement?" demanded Scraps, dancing up on one toe. -Then, seeing they were all staring down at the marble, she bent over -and read the message aloud herself. - - "Go to-morrow to-day. It can never be done! - Just to think of it gives me a pain in the bun." - -screamed the Patch Work Girl, clapping her hand to her cotton forehead. - -"Hush, Scraps!" begged Ozma. "This is serious!" - -"Someone is delirious, or they'd never write such nonsense," declared -Scraps defiantly. "What are you going to do about it?" - -"Think!" mumbled the Scarecrow, dropping down on a gold garden bench. - -"Send for the Wizard!" advised Betsy Bobbin, jumping up and down in her -excitement. "Wait! I'll get him!" - -"It's a goose quill," announced Sir Hokus, as Betsy ran off toward -the palace. He had picked up the golden feather and was examining it -carefully. - -"A goose quill?" gasped Ozma. "Why what can that mean? Oh dear, I do -wish Dorothy were back." - -"My gooseness!" giggled Scraps. "No wonder it's a silly message. Do you -know any geese?" - -"None but you!" sniffed Trot, putting her arms about Ozma. - -"Silence, wench!" commanded Sir Hokus, pushing Scraps aside and seating -himself beside the Scarecrow. "Methinks dark deeds are brewing here. -Hast thought of anything friend?" - -"Not yet," sighed the Scarecrow, rubbing his forehead sadly with his -wobbly finger. "Let me think some more." - -All were silent until Betsy Bobbin came hurrying back, bringing with -her the Wizard of Oz and Tik Tok. As everyone in Oz knows, Tik Tok is -another great celebrity, a machine man of burnished copper who can -talk, walk and even think when properly wound. Betsy was winding up his -think key, as she ran along, for Tik Tok's brains, in spite of their -wheels, worked quite as well as the Scarecrow's, and there certainly -was a lot of thinking to be done. - -"You say it was a golden goose feather?" panted the little Wizard of -Oz, quickening his steps. "A goose feather! Humph!" Next instant he was -bending over the strange inscription on the walk, while Ozma and Trot -breathlessly explained just how and when it had all happened. - -"To-morrow to-day!" murmured the Wizard, mopping his bald head with -his green hanky. "Why that's impossible, there's some trick to it." - -The Wizard drew a small green book from his pocket. It was the book of -magic messages and the little company waited anxiously while he flipped -over the pages. But although every other kind of message was touched -upon, there was nothing at all about goose feathers. With a sigh, the -Wizard returned the book to his pocket, and dropping upon his knees -began to examine the letters through his smallifying glass. - -Tik Tok, except for the chug and whirr of his machinery, had been -perfectly quiet. Now, leaning over so far he nearly tumbled on his -copper nose, he began to read the message aloud. - -"Go--to-morrow--to-day! Go--to-morrow--to-day!" rasped Tik Tok, in -his harsh rasping voice, over and over and over, until Ozma and Betsy -clapped hands to their ears and Trot begged him to stop. "That's -fun-ny--," ticked the copper man at last. "It tells us when to go--but -not--where. Too many times and--no--place. Go--to-mor--" - -Whirr--click! Tik Tok's voice ran down and the sentence stopped in mid -air. - -"Thank goodness!" cried Betsy Bobbin fervently. - -"Well, you'd better thank Tik Tok," spluttered the Scarecrow, leaping -off the golden bench. "Hurrah! I have it now. One's a time and one's a -place. Is there a Kingdom called Morrow anywhere in Oz, my dear?" - -"Morrow!" exclaimed Ozma, "Why, that does sound familiar, somehow. -Morrow? Yes, I feel sure there is." - -"Get a map," ordered the Scarecrow in great excitement, and all but the -Wizard sat down and smiled at the cleverness of the wise straw man. - - - - - CHAPTER 9 - - In the Castle of Morrow - - -The Wizard of Oz knew the geography of Ozma's wonderful land by heart -and he remembered the Kingdom of Morrow perfectly. He felt a bit -jealous that the Scarecrow was about to solve the mystery without his -help and so he popped a small wishing pill into his mouth and began -speaking rapidly in magic. - -Now magic is a language which I do not profess to understand, but the -results of the Wizard's speech were instantaneous and astonishing. So -swiftly that the hair of the three little girls was nearly jerked from -their heads, so swiftly that Sir Hokus lost his sword and Ozma her -crown, they were all hurled through the air and dashed down in a very -short time on the steps of an ancient and gloomy castle. - -Its once splendid garden was choked up with weeds. Vines had run up and -over the entire structure, covering even the windows and chimneys with -a waving curtain of green. Owls hooted dismally from the towers and -the scurry and scamper of frightened feet told that many little forest -animals had made themselves at home within. - -"Mercy," gasped Betsy Bobbin, examining anxiously a long scratch on her -knee, "how did we get here?" - -"Where are we?" inquired Sir Hokus, blinking very fast from his seat -upon a stone lion, where he had landed a little too suddenly and -emphatically for complete comfort. - -"We are in Morrow," replied the Wizard, rising from the last step -of the castle and dusting off his green trousers. "In Morrow, by my -express wish and Dr. Nikidik's wishing pills." - -"Well, you might have told us we were coming," said Trot a bit crossly, -beginning to look around for her side comb. - -"Morrow!" murmured Ozma, walking dreamily up the castle steps. "Why -I've been here before, dozens and dozens of times." - -"Got another pill, Wizard?" asked Scraps grimly. - -"Ahem! No, I don't believe I have," coughed the little man nervously. -"Why?" - -"I wanna go home," shuddered the Patch Work Girl, looking fearfully at -the dismal forest surrounding the castle and a flock of black birds -circling ominously overhead. "I wanna go home!" - -"You should think before you wish, old fellow," gulped the Scarecrow -weakly. "Betsy, my dear, will you give me a shake. All of my straw has -fallen into my left boot. And where's Tik Tok, pray?" - -"I thought he'd better stay home," replied the Wizard, looking around -uneasily. Now that they were really in Morrow, he began to doubt the -wisdom of his quick wish. Why had he not thought to bring his magic bag -or another wishing pill in case of danger? - -"A rare and imposing old edifice!" observed Sir Hokus, dismounting -stiffly from the stone lion, and looking up curiously at the castle. - -"Well, now that we are here, we might as well look around," puffed the -Scarecrow, more cheerful since Betsy had shaken him up and smoothed out -his stuffing. "Come along!" - -Ozma was already standing before the dull golden doors, the only -portion of the castle not overgrown with vines. Stepping up behind her, -Sir Hokus lifted the huge knocker and let it fall with a great clank -against the tarnished metal. - -"What ho, within!" roared the good Knight lustily. But only a hollow -echo and the derisive hoot of an owl came shivering out to them. - -"What makes you think it is a Ho?" chattered Scraps nervously. - - "I wish you'd never wished us here. - This castle's full of spooks, I fear!" - -finished the Patch Work Girl, shaking her finger reproachfully at the -Wizard. - -"Fear nothing," boomed Sir Hokus grandly, "I will protect you." Putting -his mailed shoulder to the doors, he pressed with all his might. The -bolts had evidently not been drawn and when the three little girls and -the Wizard added their strength to his, the doors flew open so suddenly -they all tumbled through together. Three jack rabbits and a tiny fawn -leaped through a broken window pane as the doors crashed open and -several bats, shaken from their hold on the beamed ceiling by the jar, -began to circle round and round, screeching dismally. The hall had once -been furnished with great splendor and magnificence, but now everything -was covered with cobwebs, dust and decay. The dim green light filtering -in through the vine covered windows made everything seem more ghastly -still. - -"I wanna go home!" whispered Scraps plaintively. - -"Oh!" wailed Betsy Bobbin, hiding her face in the Scarecrow's coat, "I -don't like this." - -"Shoo!" coughed the Scarecrow, stamping his foot at a flock of mice -that came scurrying across the floor and whirling his hat about his -head to keep off the bats. "Shoo, I tell you!" - -"What do you s'pose anyone wanted us to come here for?" groaned Trot, -clinging nervously to Scraps. - -"Well, there must be some reason," answered Ozma thoughtfully. "I seem -to remember this castle." Disregarding the grime and dust, the lovely -little Queen walked slowly across the hall and sat down on a golden -chest beside the long table. Sir Hokus, finding nothing better to fight -than mice and bats, began briskly to clear the room of the pests, while -Trot, Betsy and the Patch Work Girl tiptoed here and there talking in -tense whispers, for in the silence of the deserted castle their words -echoed and re-echoed unpleasantly. Having assured themselves that there -was nothing of interest in the great hall, Sir Hokus, the Wizard and -the Scarecrow went bravely off to examine the rest of the castle. - -"I wish they'd come back," whispered Trot, after they'd been gone about -five minutes. "Oooh, what's that?" - -"The wind," quavered Betsy doubtfully. - -"I don't believe it," shuddered Scraps, tripping over the fire irons -and sprawling upon the hearth. "It's a spook. I wanna go home! Just -look at me!" Betsy and Trot giggled nervously, for Scraps, covered with -grime and soot from her fall, was enough to make anyone laugh. - -"Never mind," comforted Ozma, "I'll have you dry cleaned when we get -back home, but now I'm trying to think, so please do be quiet." - -Quiet! Scarcely was the word out of her mouth, before there was such -a shivering slam overhead that all three girls jumped with terror and -Scraps, for greater security leaped clear onto the table, touching as -she did so a hidden spring in the top. At this there was a blinding -flash and while Ozma, Betsy and Trot clung desperately together and -Scraps gave another jump that carried her clear to the chandelier, the -center of the table rose up before their eyes, disclosing a long silver -casket. - -"Don't touch it!" warned the Patch Work Girl, swinging dizzily 'round -and 'round. - - "A goblin, a goblin will jump out and bite us, - There's a giant upstairs and he's coming to smite us!" - -Someone certainly was coming down the stairs. Scarcely daring to look, -they waited anxiously for the next happening. - -"What befell?" It was Sir Hokus of Pokes and not a giant who stuck his -head through the doorway. "Did'st call maidens?" asked the Knight, -looking up at Scraps in vague disapproval. - -Without stopping to explain what had frightened them, Ozma pointed -a trembling finger at the silver casket and before any of them could -beg him not to, Sir Hokus strode forward and opened the mysterious -chest. Scraps hid her head in her arm. Then, hearing no screams nor -explosions, she finally screwed up enough courage to look down. The -Wizard of Oz and the Scarecrow had returned and they were all staring -in amazement at a green velvet robe which Sir Hokus had taken from the -chest. - -"Royal robe of his Majesty, the King of Oz!" boomed the Knight, reading -from a small tag on the ermine collar. - -"The King of Oz?" choked Ozma, clasping her hands in excitement. "Why -that's my father, and I remember now. This is the hunting lodge where -we used to hide from Mombi when I was a little girl!" - -"But I thought Mombi destroyed your father when she turned you to a -boy," puffed Betsy Bobbin, her eyes sticking out with astonishment and -surprise. - -"So did I," muttered the little Wizard. He always felt uneasy and -unhappy when the old witch was mentioned, for he, himself, had given -Ozma into Mombi's keeping when he took possession of the Kingdom. The -old witch had already spirited away the little girl's father and Ozma -herself was too young to rule. But the Wizard, changed very much since -those old days, realized now how wrong it had been and did not like to -recall the part he had played in the affair at all. - -"Well, no wonder you remembered the castle," put in Trot. - -"But wait!" cried Sir Hokus hoarsely. "There is more." And turning over -the tag he read: "This robe has been preserved by the Fairy Lurline, -and if placed upon the King's shoulders with Incantation No. 986 from -the Green Book of Magic, will restore him to his proper shape. If the -incantation is used without the robe a great disaster will befall." - -"Who's Lurline?" asked Trot, her eyes winking very fast indeed. - -"Why Lurline is my Fairy Godmother and the Queen of the fairy band we -are all descended from," explained Ozma breathlessly. "Oh girls! To -think my father is really alive!" The delighted little ruler hugged -Betsy and Trot so hard that they had to squeal for mercy. - -"I should think you'd rather be Queen yourself," sniffed Scraps, -dropping sulkily from the chandelier and coming over to stare at the -King's robe. "He'll want to boss you 'round and make you go to bed at -eight, wear rubbers and all that other fatherish stuff. Let's go home -and not bother with him. Who wants a King anyway, I like you!" - -Betsy looked shocked at the Patch Work Girl's heartless speech, but -Ozma, paying no heed to Scraps, began to confer excitedly with the -Wizard. - -"Who sent the quill? Where shall we look first? What does it mean by -the Green Book of Magic?" she asked, one question following another so -fast the Wizard blinked with discomfort. - -"If you take my advice," observed the Scarecrow, rubbing his nose -wisely, "you'll return immediately to the Emerald City. Once there we -have but to look in the Magic Picture to discover the whereabouts of -your royal parent." - -Among the many treasures in Ozma's palace is the Magic Picture, in -which you may see anyone you wish by merely expressing the desire to -see them. It also shows the country and exact situation they are in, -so you can see how sensible the Scarecrow's suggestion really was. - -"But what made that terrible racket upstairs?" demanded Scraps, -suddenly remembering her scare. - -"Oh that!" Sir Hokus shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "I fell -through a trap door into a closet full of tins," explained the Knight -sheepishly. - -"It's a good thing you did," laughed Betsy Bobbin, "for if you hadn't -frightened Scraps we might never have found the silver chest at all." - -"Now that we have found it," shivered Trot, "let's go. It's cold in -here." - -"And let's hurry!" cried Ozma, seizing the Scarecrow affectionately by -the arm. "Oh, I can scarcely wait to see my father." - -"Why didn't you bring along another wishing pill, Wizard?" sighed -Betsy. "We're in Morrow, sure enough, but where is Morrow? And how do -we get back to the Emerald City, anyway?" No one could answer Betsy's -question, for it had been so long since Ozma had been in the old castle -she remembered nothing of its location. - -"We'll have to walk, I s'pose," said the Scarecrow, detaching a cobweb -from his ear, "and the sooner we start, the sooner we'll arrive." - -"Right, as usual!" approved the Knight, taking the Scarecrow by the -arm. "Forward for the King and for Oz!" - -So, after another short look about, the seven adventurers closed -the castle doors and began to make their way cautiously through the -deserted park. - -"If I only knew who sent the feather," murmured Ozma, holding up her -lace skirts to keep them from catching on the bushes and thorns. - -"I'll bet it was your Fairy Godmother," said Trot, skipping along -excitedly. - -"Well, I wish the goose had come with the feather," sighed Betsy -Bobbin. "I'm hungry as the Hungry Tiger!" - - "If you were stuffed with cotton, you'd never have to eat. - I'm glad I'm made of patch work and not of bone and meat." - -sang Scraps, dancing ahead in her ridiculous fashion. - -"There's a house!" called Betsy, tugging the Knight suddenly by the arm -and pointing to a small red building. - -"Oh!" cried Ozma, clasping her hands, "Perhaps someone lives there who -can tell us about my father!" - -"He may be near and he may be farther," giggled Scraps starting to run -toward the little red house. "Come on everybody!" - -Led by the Patch Work Girl, the little company hurried toward the -little red house. No one was to be seen at the windows, and when Sir -Hokus pounded on the door there was no answer. - -"We are wasting time here," said the Scarecrow at last. "Let us be on -our way." And so the homeward march was resumed. - - - - - CHAPTER 10 - - Dorothy and the Dummy - - -On the same bright morning that the golden goose feather had come -flashing down into Ozma's garden in the Emerald City, Dorothy had said -good-bye to her old friends in Perhaps City and started gaily homeward. - -Her visit on Maybe Mountain, where old Peer Haps holds court and the -Forgetful Poet makes verses from morning until night, had been so -interesting and jolly that Dorothy still felt happy and she went -skipping down the steep mountain path almost as fast as the little -brook that rushed along at her side. As she skipped along she sang this -merry ditty: - - "I saw one day, the last of May, - A foolish and absurd - Old yellow fellow calling 'Hello, - I'm a banana bird!' - - "A banana bird! My eyes grew blurred; - I took to my toes and heels, - Then away he flew with a flap or two, - Of his yellow banana peels." - -"I must try to remember that for Scraps," Dorothy giggled softly to -herself. Her head was full of the Forgetful Poet's ridiculous rhymes, -and she was so busy remembering them and the many bits of news she had -for Ozma that she reached the bottom of the mountain in almost no time -and, without noticing where she was going, turned into an inviting -small lane. There was a sign swinging from a yellow post at the head of -the lane, but Dorothy never saw it. She knew she was in the familiar -Winkie Country, for the wind mills, flapping lazily in the morning -breeze, were yellow, the houses were yellow and if that were not proof -enough, the lane was full of daisies and buttercups and edged with -golden peach and pear trees. - -"I don't believe," sighed Dorothy, hurrying happily along under the -lovely branches, "I don't believe there is any place so interesting as -Oz. How pretty this road is!" - -Stooping down, she scooped up a bit of the sand that made the bed of -the lane sparkle like silver in the sunlight. It _was_ silver, to be -perfectly truthful, and with a little smile Dorothy slipped some into -her pocket. - -"How surprised anyone in Kansas would be to find silver dust in the -road," thought the little girl, recalling her old home with a little -chuckle of amusement. "No, nothing like this ever happens in America at -all, and yet--" Dorothy paused to pick an unusually large buttercup and -twirl it absently under her chin, "and yet I sometimes wish I were in -America again, just to see--" - -Wheee--ee! Off flew her hat, up flew her heels and in a whirl of silver -dust and peach blossoms, off flew Dorothy herself. Off, up, away and -down again, so swiftly she had not even time to swallow. - -"Thirty miles to Hollywood," said the sign near the huge rock where -she sat blinking with shock and astonishment. - -"Hollywood!" panted Dorothy. "Why that's in California and California's -in the United States. But how did I get here?" There was no one to -answer her question, and as she couldn't answer it herself she jumped -up, smoothed out her dress and looked anxiously about. A smooth white -road ran evenly ahead, one side sloped down into a deep ravine, on the -other side was a long, uninteresting stretch of meadow. Through the -trees at the bottom of the ravine, Dorothy caught a glimpse of some -houses. - -Feeling terribly puzzled and not entirely pleased, she left the road -and started down through the trees. Halfway down, she paused to make -sure she was going toward the houses, when the furious clatter of -hoofs on the road above made her glance up in dismay. A great company -of horsemen, armed with pikes, staves, swords and pitch forks were -galloping pell mell along the highway. Giving a scream of fright, -Dorothy saw them turn and plunge down the ravine. With a smash and a -crash they came riding upon her. Gasping in terror, Dorothy sprang -behind a big tree and in a whirl of sticks, dust and color the horsemen -pounded past. They were dressed in green doublets and hose. They wore -wide feathered hats and were not at all the sort of folk Dorothy -expected to find in America. - -With her hand pressed to her heart, Dorothy peered around the tree. -As she did so the wild riders reined up short and two of the most -villainous looking snatched a green-cloaked figure from the saddle and -hurled him violently over the cliff. Then swinging their horses round, -they galloped off as suddenly as they had come, leaving Dorothy, as -she afterwards explained to Sir Hokus of Pokes, perfectly petrified. -Not until the last green doublet flashed out of sight did she dare -stir. Then breathlessly she tiptoed to the edge of the cliff and looked -over. - -"Oooh--they've killed him!" gasped Dorothy, in horrified tones. Now -many another small girl would have run off at once, but Dorothy had -been in too many strange adventures for that. Instead she ran just -as fast as she could down the steep, stony path to the bottom of the -ravine. There on the stones, with his head in a shallow brook, lay the -unfortunate rider. Close beside him was a great jewel-studded crown. - -"A king!" marvelled Dorothy, who had met a great many monarchs in Oz. -"But what is he doing here? And why?" - -Holding her breath, she leaned over and touched the quiet figure. -Then, taking her courage in both hands, she seized him by the arms and -dragged him out of the brook. He came so suddenly and unexpectedly -that Dorothy fell over backwards. More mystified than ever, she picked -herself up. - -"Mercy!" stuttered the little girl, turning him over gingerly. "He's -not alive at all; he's stuffed. Why he's only a dummy." - -Half relieved and half disappointed, she gazed into the bland face -of the fallen king. It was a handsomely painted face, which even the -brook mud could not entirely spoil, and it was topped by a splendid -silver wig. But what on earth did it all mean? If Dorothy had been in -Oz she might have found it more understandable, for strange things are -always happening in Oz. But in America! Dorothy could not puzzle it -out. Sitting down on a fallen tree she stared at the dummy in perfect -astonishment. How had she come here herself? How was she to get back -to the Emerald City? Who were the wild green riders, and why had they -flung the dummy over the cliff? - -"I wish," sighed Dorothy at last, looking pensively at the long green -figure stretched so solemnly at her feet, "I wish you were alive and -then maybe--" - -"Maybe what?" wheezed the dummy, raising his head about an inch and -blinking at her curiously. "Say, who pulled me out of the brook?" - -Dorothy gave a little scream and then, recovering herself and -swallowing hard, answered breathlessly, "I did!" - -"Well, I'm supposed to be dead," puffed the dummy reproachfully. "Try -to get that through your hair, can't you? I've just been thrown over -the cliff by the revolutionists. You shouldn't have rescued me, little -girl. It will spoil the picture. Is there a camera man anywhere about?" - -"Camera?" gasped Dorothy faintly, "Oh, I don't know." It had been a -long time since Dorothy had been in America, and there had been very -few moving pictures in those old days on the Kansas farm. But Trot, -who had come to Oz from San Francisco, had told Dorothy a lot about -the screen stars and moving picture stunts. As she recalled Trot's -stories, Dorothy clapped her hands. Smiling at the dummy she said, "I -know! You're a moving picture dummy, aren't you?" - -"Right the first time," said the dummy, as he raised his head another -inch and smiled approvingly at Dorothy. "I take all the risks," he -explained complacently. "I fall for the stars. Now this star was a -foolish old King, but the last star I fell for was a shooting star--a -cow-boy, you know. I was thrown from a horse under a stampeding herd of -steers," he mused dreamily, "and had to be entirely remade. - -"But you had better run along now, little girl. I'm supposed to be -dead. It doesn't hurt," he observed graciously, as Dorothy continued -to stare at him in amazement. "I've died a hundred times and know all -about it. Run along now, like a good child." Lowering his head, he -settled down resignedly in the mud and stared stolidly up at the sky. - -"Well, of course if you prefer to be dead," began Dorothy a bit -stiffly, "I'll go. But why you should want to lie there in the mud, -when the sun is shining and everything so nice and interesting, I don't -see. You're not dead at all. You're as alive as I am!" - -The dummy sat bolt upright at Dorothy's words and started to pinch -himself curiously. "Why so I am," he puffed, rubbing his nose -thoughtfully with his stuffed and pudgy finger. "Sit down again my -dear, until I get used to the idea of it, will you? It feels very odd -and dangerous!" He shook one leg, then the other and rose unsteadily to -his feet. - -"Hurrah!" cried Dorothy "Why I believe you can walk. Here, lean on -this." She thrust a stick into the dummy's hand and after a few -uncertain wobblings, he began to pace briskly up and down, his green -velvet cloak slapping merrily at his heels. Dorothy was so interested -in his progress that she almost forgot how ridiculous it was for a -dummy to be alive, but as he lowered himself carefully to the log -beside her, she began to wonder again how it had all happened. - -"Were you ever alive before?" asked Dorothy curiously. - -The dummy shook his head. "If talking and walking around like this is -being alive, then I never have," said the dummy positively. "What shall -I do now?" - -"Why anything you like," laughed Dorothy, beginning to enjoy herself. - -"But a dummy can only do as he's told," sighed the stuffed king -doubtfully. "And who are you my dear? Have you run off to go into the -movies?" He looked at Dorothy critically from all sides. "Not bad at -all," he murmured approvingly. "They'll be glad to get you, I'm sure. -Just stay here with me and presently they will come in a truck and -collect us. Yes, that's the ticket, we'll wait until we are collected." - -"Well, I'm not a ticket," giggled Dorothy, "and I don't want to be -collected or go into the movies either. I'm going straight back to Oz, -as soon as I can." - -"Oz?" queried the dummy, pressing his finger to his forehead. "Is that -a place or a tonic?" - -"It's a place," sputtered Dorothy. "Oh dear, wouldn't Ozma be surprised -to see you! You know, you're awfully like Scraps and the Scarecrow." - -"They sound rather awful," smiled the dummy, folding his cloak around -him dubiously. "Are they dummies too?" - -"No, but they're stuffed," explained Dorothy, leaning over to poke him -experimentally in the chest. "You talk very queerly. I do wonder what -you are stuffed with!" - -"Hair, I think," yawned the dummy indifferently, and leaning over he -picked up his crown and set it jauntily upon the side of his head. "I -wouldn't go back to that Oz place if I were you," he advised earnestly. -"Stay here and you can see a moving picture every day--exciting and -adventurous stuff too." - -"But what's the fun of looking at other folks having adventures," -sniffed Dorothy. "In Oz we have adventures ourselves, and in Oz I'm a -Princess and live in a castle." - -The dummy turned and looked at her respectfully. "A Princess," he -murmured in a faint voice. "Oh!" - -"Have you any name?" asked Dorothy, rather ashamed of her boast about -being a Princess. - -"Well, there's a number on the back of my neck, but I don't think I -have any name," answered the stuffed man uneasily. "I'm just a dummy, -you know." - -"But I wouldn't like to call you a dummy," said Dorothy gently. - -"Well that's what I am," insisted the stuffed king cheerfully, "a -regular dummy." - -Tiptoeing round back of him, Dorothy pulled out a little tag on the -back of his collar. "202-B-E-10-B-47" read the little girl. "My, what a -long number." - -"Yes, isn't it," replied the dummy proudly. "Couldn't you call me by -that?" - -"I could never remember it," objected Dorothy. "Let--me--see, I might -call you Clifford 'cause you fell off a cliff, or Cal, 'cause I found -you in California? Do you know, you are dreadfully humpy in spots. -Humpy! Why I believe I'll call you Humpy!" cried Dorothy, clapping her -hands softly. - -"Oooh! Ouch! What's that?" In sudden terror Dorothy clutched at her -left shoe. - -"I don't care what you call me, but I'd call you very odd!" said the -dummy in alarm. "You've grown at least a foot while I've been looking -at you. People in this country are supposed to stay the same size," he -muttered, edging away uneasily. But Dorothy scarcely heard him. There -was a frightful pain in her heart and both shoes pinched so terribly -that she screamed aloud. At the same instant all the buttons flew off -the back her dress. - -"Are you going to burst?" asked the dummy anxiously. - -"Oh! Oh! I'm afraid so," gasped the little girl, clutching herself -about the waist. At each word she shot up another inch, for Dorothy, -who had lived in the Fairy Land of Oz for many years, was suddenly -growing up. - -In Oz, no one ever grows up, but in America Dorothy would be quite -a young lady by this time and, removed from the magical influences -of that magical land, she was growing all at once and finding it, as -most of the rest of us do, an exceedingly uncomfortable business. Her -screams as she grew taller and taller were so piteous that Humpy fell -off the log. - -"Help! Help! Help!" wailed the dummy, beating his flimsy arms up and -down among the leaves. - -"Oh! Oh! Oh!" panted Dorothy desperately. "I can't stand this another -minute. I wish I were back. I wish I were back!" - -Next moment there was not a sound in the ravine, nor a person, nor even -a dummy. Only a startled squirrel ran up and down the log, chattering -with fright and annoyance. Certainly he had seen two people on that -log. Well, where were they now? He frisked his tail, he wiggled his -nose and scratched his head anxiously. Then, with a little bounce, he -gave it up and went off to crack some nuts for supper. - - - - - CHAPTER 11 - - A Real Oz Adventure - - -"The last thing I remember," muttered the dummy thickly, "was a little -girl shooting up like a fountain. Now what happened after that?" -Dorothy raised her head and looked cautiously in the direction from -which the voice was coming. The dummy lay, face down, in a great heap -of leaves and, without making any attempt to rise, went stuffily on -with the conversation. "I don't mind falling for stars, but being -flung around like a bean bag for a person who is one size this minute -and another size the next is all wrong. I wonder where she is now!" - -"Here I am," called Dorothy breathlessly, rolling out of a pile of -leaves on the other side of him. "How do you s'pose we got here?" - -"Little again!" groaned the dummy, just lifting his head long enough to -look at her, and then letting it drop back among the leaves. "Little -again!" - -"Oh, am I?" Dorothy jumped up in great excitement and began measuring -herself as best she could. Her stockings were stretched and torn, her -dress was ripped in several seams and minus all of its buttons. But -outside of this she was her old, or rather her young, sweet self again. - -"Why we must be back in Oz," sighed Dorothy, looking with deep relief -at a stretch of purple hills in the background. "This is the Gilliken -Country." - -"Are you still the same size, or are you going to shoot up into a -young lady again? Don't shoot," begged the dummy quickly. "It makes me -nervous!" - -"Well, I don't know," said Dorothy doubtfully. To tell the truth the -little girl had not had time to think at all, nor did she quite realize -that she was one age in Oz and another age in America. "I'll have to -ask the Wizard about it when we get back to the Emerald City," she -sighed, with a very puzzled expression. "It's all very funny, don't you -think so, Humpy?" - -"Can't get it through my hair at all," puffed the dummy. Sitting up -stiffly he reached for his crown. "Where are we now and when does the -next reel begin?" - -Instead of answering Dorothy plumped down among the leaves and, with -her elbows on her knees, stared thoughtfully at the dummy. - -"I wish I knew how you came to be alive, and how we got back to Oz," -mused Dorothy slowly. There was a flash and flutter in the air and down -at her feet dropped a crisp white card. Humpy promptly toppled over -backward and Dorothy, herself, gave a little gasp of surprise. - -"By wishing," said the card in pink letters, just as if it had heard -her questions. Below there was some smaller printing and picking up -the card Dorothy quickly read on: "Wish Way is at the foot of Maybe -Mountain. This morning you were on Wish Way. You put some of the silver -wishing sand in your pocket. You wished yourself in America." - -"Mercy!" cried Dorothy, dropping the card in her astonishment. "Why so -I did, and I wished you were alive, and I wished we were back and now -I'm going to wish us both straight to the Emerald City. I was on Wish -Way once before and know all about wishing." - -"Wait! Wait a minute," panted the dummy, clutching his crown. "I'm used -to being flung about, to dying and all that sort of thing, but this -wishing business makes me breathless. Wait!" - -Dorothy had already made her wish and, closing her eyes, sat perfectly -still. After a moment she opened them but nothing at all had happened. -She and Humpy were still sitting on the pile of leaves and the white -card had vanished. Blinking rapidly, Dorothy felt in her pocket. "No -wonder it didn't work," muttered Dorothy. "The wishing sand's all gone. -I must have used the last grain when I wished we were back. Oh dear, -we'll have to walk!" - -"Where?" Holding his crown with both hands, the dummy sat up and looked -anxiously at the little girl. - -"To the Emerald City, where I live, in a splendid palace with Ozma, the -Queen," explained Dorothy patiently. - -"Well, I wouldn't mind living in a palace at all. I'm dressed for the -part. Let's go on," said the dummy cheerfully. After a few bends -backwards and a few bends forwards, he rose and started unsteadily down -the road. "You can be the star in this picture," he added generously, -"and I'll be your double and fall for you any time you say." - -"All right!" agreed Dorothy, taking him cozily by the arm. Having -had great experience with stuffed persons, and having brought Humpy -to life, she felt more or less responsible for him. As they walked -along together, she told him a little about herself and as much about -the wonderful Land of Oz as she thought a man with hair brains could -understand. So many marvelous things had happened to Humpy in the -movies that he evinced no surprise at Dorothy's stories. - -As the dummy and Dorothy hurried on, a great screaming and scolding -made them stop short. A scraggy-looking woods cut off the road ahead -and, advancing backward upon them, there came two crooked and curious -woodsmen bearing a flag. As the flag fluttered and rippled in the wind, -Dorothy tried to make out the strange words embroidered in white upon -its purple background. - -"Eht Kcab Sdoow!" said the flag mysteriously. - -"Og yawa! Og yawa!" shouted the woodsmen rudely. "Teg tou! Teg tou! -Teg tou!" - -"Is this Oz talk," gasped Humpy, falling back in dismay, "or Arabic? I -was in an Arabian picture once and it sounded something like this. Tou -teg, yourselves," he shouted defiantly, as the woodsmen drew nearer, -"and none of your back talk either!" - -"Back talk!" cried Dorothy, clutching him suddenly by the sleeve. "Oh, -that's just what they _are_ talking, Humpy. They're talking 'back -talk.' Wait a minute!" Closing her eyes, Dorothy began writing -imaginary letters in the air and, as the two woodsmen reached them, -she burst out triumphantly, "It says 'The Back Woods' on that flag. Oh -dear, I wished we were back and now we are!" - -"You think awful fast," blinked the dummy admiringly. "The mere look of -that language makes me dizzy. So they're talking back talk are they? -Well, what do they say? Are they going to hit us?" - -"They're telling us to go away," muttered Dorothy, putting her fingers -in her ears, for the two leaders had been joined by a hundred more and -all were screaming at the top or rather, I should say, the bottom of -their voices. They kept their backs to the travellers and shouted the -dreadful back talk over their shoulders. They all carried gleaming axes -and, when Dorothy made an attempt to advance, they brandished them -threateningly. - -"If I could only talk back," wailed the little girl, "I'd tell them I -am a Princess. Then maybe they'd let me through." - -"Couldn't you write it?" suggested Humpy, looking at the angry horde -with growing alarm. - -"Why, how did you think of that?" Dorothy stared at him in honest -amazement. Then, feeling in her pocket, she brought out a stub -of pencil and a crumpled piece of paper. The woodsmen watched her -curiously over their shoulders as she slowly wrote her message. - -"I ma Ssecnirp Yhtorod, dneirf fo Amzo fo Zo. Yam ew ssap hguorht ruoy -sdoow?" printed Dorothy after a great many pauses and erasures. Rather -timidly she handed it to one of the flag bearers and after a great -scowling and head-shaking, the woodsmen raised their axes and shouted -in chorus, "Sey! Sey!" - -"That means 'yes'," breathed Dorothy, taking Humpy's arm. "C'mon, let's -hurry, before they change their minds." The woodsmen parted solemnly to -make a path, but when they reached the backwoods itself, Dorothy took -one step and was immediately flung upon her nose. - -"Ah, I see you do your own falling," mumbled the dummy. "Why didn't you -wait for me?" Humpy was several paces behind Dorothy and as he spoke, -he also attempted to enter the woods. But the same hidden force pushed -him over backwards. Immediately the inhabitants of Back began to roar -with delight, and if you have never heard anyone roaring backwards, you -have no idea how horrid it sounds. It was something between a cough and -a choke. Even the dummy knew that he was being insulted, and waved his -arms about indignantly. - -"There's some trick to it," panted Dorothy, sitting up quickly. "Watch!" - -Several of the woodsmen began to move slowly toward her and, observing -them closely, the little girl saw that they were turned backward but -really walking forward. "We have to go backward forward!" cried -Dorothy. "Hurry up, before they catch us." - -"This is worse than dying," groaned Humpy. "How do you go backwards and -forwards at the same time?" - -"Watch me," said Dorothy, springing up determinedly. Turning her back -to the woods, she started to run away from it, and Humpy, goaded into -action by the threatening appearance of the terrible woodsmen, did -the same. For every step they ran backward forward, they went forward -backward two steps, bumping into trees, which had their roots waving -muddily in the air and their leaves underground and crashing into -bushes of the same curious character. Without stopping to examine the -back scenery at all, they ran for their lives, reaching the edge of -the woods just as the woodsmen caught up with them. The wicked fellows -had really no intention of letting them go, and howled most awfully as -Humpy and Dorothy made their escape. Several of the leaders started -in pursuit, but each time they set foot out of their forest they were -flung down by the invisible back wind and finally gave it up. Seeing -that they were safe at last, Dorothy sank down under a tomato tree and -fanned herself vigorously with her hat. - -"Do we do this often?" puffed the dummy, giving himself a shake. "I see -this is going to be a funny picture." - -"It's not a picture at all," answered the little girl a bit crossly. -"It's real. I told you we have lots of adventures in Oz. Well, this is -a real adventure." - -"Really!" smiled the dummy, straightening his crown. "Well, if we're -not in a picture we ought to be. I'll bet we looked ridiculous running -forward backward. I say, if it isn't a funny reel it's real funny and I -hope you'll admit that, Miss Dorothy." - -"Are you sure there's nothing in your head but hair?" asked the little -girl suspiciously. Humpy took off his crown and smoothed his silver -wig solemnly. "I don't think so," he said. "Why do you ask?" - -"Well," Dorothy gave a little chuckle in spite of herself, "you just -made a joke and you thought about writing back. You sound kinda smart -to me." - -"You're wrong," sighed Humpy, gravely replacing his crown. "I'm only a -hair-brained dummy, but I like being alive and I like having you for -my star and after this--" Humpy shook his fist angrily at the still -muttering woodsmen--"after this I'll take all the knocks and hard falls -for you. Then maybe, if you tried hard, you might grow to like me a -little?" - -"Why, I like you already, you dear, generous old thing." Jumping up, -Dorothy gave Humpy an impulsive hug. Then, picking a large tomato, she -ate it hungrily. It seemed a long time since she had breakfasted with -the Forgetful Poet in Perhaps City. - -"We'd better start on now," said the little girl, finishing off the -tomato with a long sigh of satisfaction. "We're in the Gilliken Country -and if we walk fast we may reach the Emerald City before night comes." - -"All right, Miss Star." Picking up a crooked branch to balance himself, -Humpy stepped out cheerfully and, talking of one thing and another, -they journeyed for more than an hour through the pleasant fields and -lanes, causing no small wonder to the Gilliken farmers whom they passed -on the way, for Dorothy in her torn stockings and frock and the dummy -in his regal robes and crown made a strange pair, even for Oz. Without -explaining themselves at all, the two hurried on, never stopping until -they came to a broad purple river. Humpy looked inquiringly at Dorothy -and Dorothy with a puzzled little sigh sat down upon the river bank. - -"I'm sure we ought to cross this river," said Dorothy thoughtfully, -"but how?" - -Humpy put one finger in the water. "Do you want me to fall in for you?" -asked the dummy obligingly. - -"Well, I don't see what good that would do," frowned Dorothy. "Let me -see!" Dorothy looked reflectively at her toes, so of course she saw -nothing but her boots, but Humpy looked off across the river, and so it -was Humpy who saw them first. - -"Oh, look!" stuttered the dummy, grasping Dorothy by the sleeve. "Here -comes another adventure, Miss Star!" - -Jumping up in alarm, Dorothy saw a curious company scooting about upon -the surface of the water. At the very same moment they saw Dorothy, and -came skating and sliding across the river like a swarm of giant water -bugs. - -"Now don't tell me this is real," grunted the dummy, sitting down with -a thud. "I wouldn't believe them, even in a picture." - -"But they're not in a picture," wailed Dorothy. "They're here, whether -you believe them or not. Why they have sails! Oh Humpy, get up quick. -Aren't you going to help me?" With a mighty effort Humpy pulled himself -together and arose. - -"Teg tuo! Teg tuo!" shrilled the dummy, lapsing in his fright and -excitement into the terrible language of Back. "Og yawa! Og yawa! Kcab -Sdoow!" And snatching off his crown, he hurled it violently at the -heads of the approaching rivermen. - - - - - CHAPTER 12 - - The Playful Scooters - - -The first of the rivermen caught the dummy's crown neatly and tossed it -back. "Is it a game?" he called hoarsely. Dorothy had no time to dodge, -so she quickly caught the crown, which came with such force that she -sat down with a jolt. - -The dummy danced up and down and waved his arms threateningly. - -"Come on, Flub Blub. It's a game," called the first riverman to the -man just behind him. "Two Scoots playing a game! Here," he croaked -in his deep, frog-like voice, "throw it to me!" He raised his sails -coaxingly at Dorothy and, partly because she was afraid to have him -come nearer and partly because she didn't know what else to do, the -little girl pitched back the crown with all her might. The one called -Flub Blub caught it immediately. The next throw was to Humpy and -backward and forward between the puzzled travellers on the bank and -curious creatures on the water flew the dummy's crown, and breathlessly -between catches Dorothy examined these strange playfellows. - -They were tall and angular and so sunburned that they almost appeared -to be Indians. They were clad in shiny water proof hats and slickers. -On their long, thin feet, shaped somewhat like skis and somewhat like -narrow boats, they slid over the water as surely and carelessly as we -skate about on ice. Extending from the ankle to the finger tips, and -as much a part of the wearer as wings are part of a bird, were bright -yellow sails. When their arms were down at their sides, the sails were -folded in and almost unnoticeable, but with arms outstretched the -rivermen had two wide-spread sails to help them scoot over the water. -By lowering the right arm or the left, they could turn, tack and get -about faster than any sailing boat you have ever seen. Their faces, -under the broad sou-westers, were child-like and pleasant and, finding -them more interesting than dangerous, Dorothy motioned for Humpy to -hold the crown, which had landed for about the tenth time with a -resounding thwack against his chest. - -"But I was just getting good," objected the dummy, placing the crown -regretfully on his head. "What now?" Humpy had become so engrossed -in catching the crown that he had quite forgotten his fright and, as -the leader came in close to the shore, he looked at him with frank -curiosity. - -"Well, Scoots," bubbled the one called Flub Blub, rocking gently -backward and forward on the water, "who won?" - -"I think it was a tie," answered Dorothy politely, "but why do you call -us Scoots?" - -"Because your sails haven't grown," gurgled the riverman, taking a -white bubble pipe from his mouth and smiling broadly at the little -girl. "But don't mind, my dear. We must all be Scoots before we're -Scooters. Just stick in the mud a little longer and your sails will -grow as large as mine." - -"Dorothy's not a Scoot, she's a star," protested Humpy, "and I'm her -double and do all the hard falling. Don't you know a star when you see -one?" - -The Scooter turned his pale blue eyes curiously on Humpy. "You look -about as much like her as a pumpkin looks like a peach," he observed -mildly. "Why do you call yourself her double? And if she's a star -what's she doing out now? It's only ten o'clock." At this all the other -Scooters removed their pipes and nodded gravely. - -"Is she an out-and-out star, or a down-and-out star?" inquired Flub -Blub, blowing a whole flock of soap bubbles from his pipe and watching -them float lazily up the river. - -"I'm a Princess," put in Dorothy, seeing that everything was becoming -hopelessly confused, "and we're on our way to the Emerald City." - -"A Princess!" exclaimed the Scooter in amazement. He took off his -sou-wester and scratched his head in a puzzled way. Dorothy was so -astonished to find that his hair was moss that she said nothing at all -for a whole minute. - -"If you're a Princess, why are you so shabby?" choked a Scooter named -Mouldy. - -"Don't mind him, he has a bad cold," apologized Flub, putting his hat -on again. "He would go a picking daisies on the shore yesterday and got -his feet dry. Now look at him!" - -The Scooter coughed miserably. "That's right," he wheezed, dabbing at -his eyes with his right sail. "Never get your feet dry little Scoot, -it's turrible!" - -At this Dorothy giggled in spite of herself. Then seeing the poor -fellow was offended she asked quickly, "Is there any way we could cross -this river, Mr. Mouldy?" - -"There's a bridge a bit further on," sniffed the Scooter, waving his -sail sulkily. Following the direction, Dorothy saw what at first looked -like a silver bridge. But on closer inspection it proved to be a great -torrent of water spouting across the river like the stream from a giant -hose. - -"But it's water!" gasped the little girl in dismay. - -"Of course it's water. What should a bridge be but water?" demanded the -leader of the Scooters impatiently. "Just stand on one side and it will -shoot you across." - -"How dreadfully wet," sighed the dummy dolefully, "but I'll cross if -you will Dorothy." - -"That's right," said Flub Blub approvingly, "and here's the way to -do it." Followed by the others, the Scooter sailed up the river and -leaped lightly on the gleaming arch of water. Dorothy, watching them -shoot across with sails outspread, thought she had never seen a more -interesting sight. Just before they reached the opposite bank, they -jumped into the water and in less than a minute they all were back. - -"See," smiled the leader cheerfully, "it's as easy as sailing, Miss -Star or Princess or whatever else you call yourself." - -"Just a little girl, thank you," smiled Dorothy, looking very -doubtfully at the water bridge. - -"Is he a little girl too?" asked the riverman, eyeing Humpy -attentively. At this the poor dummy looked so indignant that Dorothy -quickly told about her fall into America, her meeting with Humpy and -the strange manner in which he had been wished to life. But as the -Scooters had never heard of America, nor of a moving picture dummy, her -story was not at all clear to them. And when she went on to explain -that crossing the river on the water bridge and getting her feet wet -would give _her_ a cold, they were more astonished than ever. - -"Couldn't you carry her across?" asked Humpy, as they stood arguing -excitedly together. "I don't mind the water myself and am quite used to -floating and falling, but Dorothy--" - -"Ever try a water fall?" interrupted Mouldy inquisitively. - -"Let's take her across, boys!" called Flub Blub before Humpy had a -chance to answer. "Come along Princess Little Girl and Mr. Dummy!" With -hoarse shouts the Scooters stretched their long arms. A dozen seized -upon Humpy and, holding him awkwardly between them, started scooting -across the river. Dorothy, standing precariously on Flub Blub's right -foot and balanced by Mouldy's left arm, fairly raced over the waters -between the two rivermen. Their sails flapped merrily in the wind and -the spray from their long ski-like feet spread out like white wings -behind. - -"Won't Ozma and Betsy be surprised when I tell them about this!" -thought Dorothy as they neared the opposite bank. Little did Dorothy -guess of the strange happenings Ozma and the others would soon have to -relate to her! - -"Better stay with us and learn to scoot," advised Flub Blub, seeing the -smile on Dorothy's face. - - "Ah what is more brave than a life on the wave! - No care and no trouble, life goes like a bubble!" - -The Scooter waved his arm jovially, as he recited the couplet. - -"But what do you eat?" inquired Dorothy. She had been puzzling over -this for some time. - -"Water cress, water melons and fish," answered Flub Blub, without -slackening his speed. - -"Raw fish?" asked Dorothy, with a little gasp. - -"Well, rawther," giggled another Scooter just behind them. "Raw fish -make the sails grow. Stay in the water little girl and you'll soon -have a fine pair of sails." - -"That's right," added Flub Blub approvingly. Removing his bubble pipe -he continued earnestly, "Fish will make your feet grow too. Eat fish, -my dear, and grow a beautiful pair like mine!" - -Dorothy looked down at the Scooter's long feet and shuddered. "That -settles it," she whispered, with a little shiver. "I'll never eat fish!" - -They had now reached the opposite side of the river. Thanking the -Scooters for their kindness and bidding them an affectionate farewell, -the little girl scampered quickly up the bank. Humpy had already been -tossed ashore. - -"Good-bye!" shouted the Scooters, cheerfully waving their sails. They -were in mid-stream by this time. - -"Good-bye!" called Dorothy and Humpy, picking himself up clumsily, -waved his crown. - -"Ah, still the same size I see," smiled Humpy, looking amiably at -Dorothy. "Any more adventures coming?" - -"Well, I liked that one," chuckled Dorothy, pulling up her stockings -and straightening her hat. "Didn't you?" - -Humpy nodded, his eyes wandering over the fields and hills, spreading -out invitingly before them. "Is this the way to your palace?" he -demanded, throwing his cloak back over one shoulder and waving his -stick ahead. - -"It's not my palace," explained Dorothy, taking his arm, "it's Ozma's. -She is the Queen of Oz, you know, but I have the dearest little -apartment there, with a hundred fairy tale books, a hundred games, a -hundred dresses, a dog named Toto and a little white kitten." - -"Well, I hope your dog won't chew me," said Humpy uneasily. "I was in a -picture with a dog once. He was supposed to knock me down. Well, he did -and, before they could pull him away he had chewed off my ear and eaten -up my wig. I hate dogs." - -"But Toto's only a little dog, you'll just _love_ Toto," Dorothy -assured him quickly. - -Humpy still looked doubtful and, seeing that dogs made him unhappy, -Dorothy began telling him all about the Scarecrow and Scraps. Chatting -pleasantly, they walked along for more than an hour, when Humpy, ever -on the lookout for adventures, gave Dorothy's arm a quick jerk. Moving -slowly behind a thin fringe of trees to the right was a great gray -shadow. As they stopped, the shadow stopped too and out through the -trees something that looked like a long grey snake came curiously -curling. - -"Run!" puffed the valiant dummy. "Run, Dorothy! This is my part of the -show for it can't bite me!" - -Raising his stick, Humpy brought it down sharply on the thick gray -body. There was an enraged snort and snuffle in the bushes. Then, -before Dorothy could run or Humpy could use his stick again, a -perfectly enormous elephant came charging out between the trees. His -sides were heaving with rage and his tusks were trembling with temper. - -"Who hit me?" screamed the elephant, lashing about furiously with -his trunk. "I'll mash him, I'll crash him! Ah hah!" His little eyes -snapped wickedly as they fell upon Humpy's stick. The next instant the -great beast had seized the dummy in his trunk and flung him fifty feet -into the air. Then, pausing to straighten his pearl head-piece, he -glared indignantly at Dorothy. There is only one elephant in Oz who is -elegant enough to own a headband of pearls and, with a little shriek -of surprise and recognition, Dorothy ran forward just in time to save -Humpy from another toss in the air. - -"Why Kabumpo!" cried the little girl in delight. "Wait! Wait a minute!" -The Elegant Elephant, after a quick look at the little girl, snatched a -huge silk hanky from a pocket in his robe and blew his trunk violently. - -"Well, I'll be blowed if it isn't Dorothy," wheezed Kabumpo, -half-choked between embarrassment and surprise. "What brings you here?" - -Just as he spoke he caught another glimpse of Humpy, who had risen -and was advancing unsteadily. "Excuse me until I mash that idiot," he -roared. - -"Oh please don't mash him," begged Dorothy in alarm. "You see he's only -a dummy and he didn't mean to hit you. Besides he's a friend of mine." - -Kabumpo swayed uncertainly for a moment and then stuffed his -handkerchief back into his pocket. "Well, nobody but a dummy would hit -an elephant on the trunk. Why have such dumb friends?" he asked sulkily. - -As quickly as she could, Dorothy explained her strange meeting with the -dummy, his coming to life and her curious adventures since. It was such -an amazing story that Kabumpo now regarded Humpy with more interest -than anger. Dorothy, seeing that the dummy still thought her in danger, -hastily took away his stick and introduced him to the Elegant Elephant. - -Kabumpo, you know, belongs to the royal family of Pumperdink, a cozy -old-fashioned country in the Gilliken country, and he is one of the -chief ornaments of its court and a prime favorite of Pompadore, the -young Prince. He has a suite of rooms in the palace, and more jewels -and embroidered robes than any other elephant in all of Oz. - -Once upon a time Kabumpo had helped Pompa save Peg Amy, an enchanted -Princess, from a dreadful old wizard named Glegg. This little Princess -had afterwards married the Prince of Pumperdink and it was on this -adventure that Dorothy had first met the Elegant Elephant. - -"But why did he throw me away?" asked Humpy suspiciously, when Dorothy -had told him all that I have just told you. - -"I'll throw you away every time you hit me, so you'd better get that -through your head at once," trumpeted Kabumpo indignantly. - -"Well, just so you don't throw Dorothy, it will be all right," sighed -the dummy resignedly. "I'm quite used to being flung about, but I've -never been in a picture with an elephant before." - -"This isn't a picture. It's Oz," snapped Kabumpo loftily. "Don't you -know anything at all?" - -"Ah, don't quarrel," begged Dorothy anxiously. "Tell me about Pompa and -Peg Amy, Kabumpo, and how's everything in Pumperdink?" - -"Well," mused the Elegant Elephant, taking out his handkerchief -again and mopping his forehead thoughtfully, "things are kinda slow. -Since Pompa married Peg there's been no excitement at all. Fact is," -admitted Kabumpo confidentially, "I was just on my way to the Emerald -City to see whether I could stir up a little fun." - -"Why so are we!" cried Dorothy in delight. "Let's all go together. Oh -Kabumpo, won't that be fun?" - -The Elegant Elephant looked dubiously at the dummy. "Well, so long -as you're going in the same direction you might as well ride on my -back," he remarked carelessly. Then, winding his trunk about Dorothy -[Kabumpo, under his pompous manner, was really a kind-hearted old -fellow] he set the little girl aloft and, snatching up the dummy, he -tossed him recklessly over his shoulder. - -With a blast from his trunk like a steamboat whistle, Kabumpo got under -way, plunging ahead so swiftly that Dorothy and Humpy had all they -could do to keep their seats. - -"Isn't this fun?" called Dorothy, holding fast to the Elegant -Elephant's great ear. - -"Is it?" inquired the dummy, clinging desperately to Kabumpo's jewelled -harness and fluttering up and down like a banner at each step. "So this -is fun? Ah, how fast I am learning." - - - - - CHAPTER 13 - - Snip Meets the Blanks - - -On the night before Ozma received the mysterious warning, Snip and -Mombi--as we well know--were making their way through the deep forest -on the other side of Catty Corners. Each step was growing harder and -harder for the weary little button boy. Holding the great goose in his -arms, he staggered along, guided by the flicker of Mombi's lantern, -stumbling over roots, brushing against trees and shivering with the -clammy chill of midnight. The old witch seemed positively tireless -and Snip had about decided he could go no further, when she stopped -suddenly beside a rough stone well. - -"Snip," wheezed Mombi craftily, "I'm thirsty. Now you're younger than I -am. Just get me a drink, will you?" Her voice was so pleasant that Snip -unsuspectingly set Pajuka on the ground and peered down into the dark -depths of the well, while Mombi held the lantern. There was a chain at -the side and, grasping it in both hands, Snip leaned over and began to -haul up the bucket. - -This was the chance Mombi had been waiting for all evening and, seizing -Snip by the heels, she heartlessly tumbled him into the well. Her -wicked shout of triumph and Snip's shrill outcry awakened Pajuka. -Fluttering into the air, he made a great snatch at the disappearing -little button boy. - -Snip, on his part, clutching desperately at the rough stones to save -himself, caught instead a handful of goose feathers and went plunging -down into the dreadful darkness. Down, down, down he fell, like a lump -of lead, to the very bottom. With eyes shut tight and clenched fists, -Snip waited for the terrible bump that should end his fall. But instead -of a bump, there was a soft thud and bounce and he found himself -wedged fast in a padded bucket. The jar set the bucket in motion and -for a moment Snip thought it was going to shoot up to the top again. -Instead it began to move sideways, for opening out from the bottom of -the well was a long, damp passageway, and the bucket swinging on a -heavy cable shot rapidly along through this underground tunnel. - -It was too dark for Snip to see but, stretching his arms carefully, he -felt the walls above and at the side. Clearly the old witch had meant -to destroy him, so she could work out her wicked plans undisturbed. -"But maybe," whispered poor Snip, crouching low to keep from bumping -his head, "maybe I can get out after all and manage to reach the -Emerald City first and warn Ozma of Mombi's treachery. Then surely Ozma -will help me find Pajuka and she, herself, can hunt for the lost King." - -It was a long and terrible ride, and many times Snip's heart thumped -so loudly that it drowned out the creak of the straining cable. Where -under the earth was he going? Would the flying bucket never stop? Just -as he was losing his courage entirely, Snip saw a star. The bucket had -come to the end of the tunnel and was shooting up another well as -swiftly as Snip had fallen down the first one. Almost as soon as he -made this joyful discovery, the bucket reached the top, spilled him -carelessly over the edge and dropped back with a hollow ring to the -bottom. - -For several minutes Snip lay where he had fallen, too shaken and -breathless to care where he was. Then, rolling over, he looked -anxiously around. In the faint starlight, not much was visible. He -seemed to be in a small orchard and just beyond the trees he could -see the dim outlines of a strange city. Satisfying himself that no -immediate danger threatened and too weary to go another step, the -worn-out little adventurer flung himself down beside the well and was -soon fast asleep. - -It was morning and nearly nine o'clock when he was awakened by the -sound of hurrying foot-steps and shrill cries. - -"He has freckles," screamed the first voice. - -"His nose turns up," shouted the second. - -"Who threw him in our well?" demanded a third fretfully. "Is he welcome -or is he not?" - -"Not!" boomed the voices altogether. - -"Take his hat, get his buttons!" growled a deep bass voice. At this the -steps pattered so close that Snip rolled over and sat up, confronting -as he did so the very oddest company he had ever seen. For one -unbelievable second he stared, thinking he must still be asleep and -dreaming. The company on their part regarded him with blank looks. And -no wonder. They had not a face among them! - -"If it were people without clothes I should say they were savages," -gasped Snip, "but clothes, without people! Whew!" Leaping to his feet, -he turned toward the town and ran as if for his life. - -Screaming furiously, the Blanks started in pursuit. Now to look over -your shoulder and see a collection of suits, hats, shoes and gloves, -all in their proper places upon perfectly invisible wearers, chasing -after you is a fearsome business, and as they came nearer and nearer -Snip fairly stepped upon his own toes in his hurry to escape. - -"How dare you show your face around here?" raged the leader, -brandishing with an invisible hand a dreadfully visible and dangerous -looking umbrella. "Don't you know it's against the law to show your -face in Blankenburg?" - -"I--can't--help--it!" panted Snip and then as the terrible crowd began -to gain on him, he reached in his pockets, seized a handful of buttons -and flung them wildly over his shoulder. When he dared to look back -again, the Blanks were quarreling bitterly over the buttons. - -Taking advantage of their greediness, Snip plunged into the town, -entered the first house he came to and slammed the door. At first he -thought the great dim room was empty but he finally made out an old -man with silver hair and beard sitting cross-legged on a long table at -the back window. He was stitching solemnly upon a red velvet cloak -and looked so kind and gentle that Snip promptly burst into an account -of his troubles. But to his dismay, the tailor went calmly on with his -work, never glancing up at all. Snip could hear the Blanks clattering -over the paving stones so, rushing forward, he shook the old man -desperately by the sleeve. - -With a start that sent his spectacles flying across the shop, the -tailor leaped to his feet. "A boy!" he stuttered, seizing Snip by the -shoulders. "Why, how did you get here? No, don't tell me now for I -couldn't hear you if you did. You see my ears have flown off and we'll -have to wait till they return. A boy! Bless my heart, yours is the -first face I've seen in years and years." - -In growing amazement and alarm, Snip waved toward the window. With a -quick nod, the tailor swept him into a big cupboard. "They shan't have -you," declared the old man determinedly and, when a moment later the -Blanks rushed into the shop, he shook his head crossly at all of their -threats and inquiries. - -"Can't you see my ears are off?" he mumbled fretfully. "Whom do you -want? What are you screeching about?" - -The Blanks cried loudly that they were searching for a boy, but the -tailor pretended not to understand and, after poking about the shop a -bit, they finally took themselves off. Snip, who had one eye glued to -the cupboard door, saw them streaming into the street, their plumed -hats trembling with indignation, their buckled shoes twinkling with the -speed of their invisible feet. - -As the last Blank turned the corner, there was a whirr in the air -and in through the window flashed two butterflies. But were they -butterflies? Next instant they had fluttered over and attached -themselves to the old tailor's head. - -"Not butterflies, but butterfly ears!" gasped Snip, falling headlong -from the cupboard with the shock of the thing. - -"It's all right," smiled the tailor, adjusting the ears quickly and -looking kindly over at Snip. "And dear, dear, what a strange story my -left ear is telling me!" - -"Do your ears tell you stories?" asked Snip, forgetting his own -troubles for a moment. - -"Yes. The left one tells me that an elephant has run off with a little -girl," mused the tailor, wiping his specs. "Fancy that, now!" - -Snip could hear a faint buzzing and eyed the old gentleman's ears with -growing interest and respect. - -"There, there, that will do," muttered the tailor at last, giving his -left ear a little pinch. "I wish to hear this young gentleman's story, -so please be quiet and attend." - -Immediately both ears tilted toward Snip and, fearful lest they fly -off before he could finish, the little button boy poured out the whole -history of his adventures from the time he left Kimbaloo to his fall -down the strange well. - -"Ozma!" sighed the tailor, brushing his hand absently across his -brow. "Is Ozma Queen of Oz now? I've been prisoner here so long I've -forgotten everything. You say that this witch, Mombi, transformed and -hid her father and now proposes to find and restore him to the throne? -And the goose? Whom did you say he was?" - -"Pajuka is the Prime Minister," puffed Snip hastily. "He's been trying -for years and years to find the King himself. If someone doesn't help -him soon, and get him away from Mombi, he'll be roasted or eaten or -lost!" - -Snip opened his hand, where still clutched in his moist grasp were the -feathers he had pulled from Pajuka's wing as he fell down the well. The -tailor leaned forward to examine them. As he did so, a gold feather -separated itself from the white, fluttered for a moment in the air and -then sailed straight through the window. It was the golden feather -that, we know, took the magic message to the Emerald City, but as -neither Snip nor the old tailor could follow its flight, they stood -gaping after it in perfect astonishment. - -"Why I didn't know Pajuka had any gold feathers. How did it fly off by -itself? Oh dear, I wish someone would help me find him," wailed the -little button boy dismally. "Couldn't you, Mister--Mister--?" - -"Just plain Tora," put in the tailor, rubbing his forehead absently. -"Well, it's a mighty queer business, Snip. I'd like to help you, but -I've all this work to do." The old man waved wearily toward the racks -and stacks of unfinished cloaks and waistcoats. - -"Do you mean to say you make clothes for them?" Snip jerked his thumb -indignantly over his shoulder. - -The tailor nodded. "Have to," he added miserably. "Been at it for years -and years." - -"Do they pay you?" asked the little button boy in surprise. - -"Well, they let me live in this house, and they give me plenty to eat. -Besides, I can't get away," finished the old man, sinking down on a -three-legged stool and letting his head drop heavily in his hands. - -"But you're not invisible like they are. How did you happen to come -here anyway?" - -The tailor pushed his specs up on his forehead. "Seems as if I'd always -been here," he mourned dolefully, "stitching, stitching, stitching and -never getting done. If I try to pass through that gate," he pointed -through the window into a small yard, "if I try to pass through that -gate some invisible force holds me back. So what can I do? But I have -my ears," he continued more cheerfully. "They can go off wherever they -please and they tell me what's going on and keep me pretty happy." - -"Well, I wouldn't stand it," exclaimed Snip, thrusting his hands deep -into his pockets and staring down sympathetically at the old man. In -spite of his strange ears, there was something so gentle and lovable -about the old tailor that Snip could not bear to have him unhappy. "I'd -get away somehow," declared the little boy earnestly. - -Tora shook his head hopelessly. "The thing to do, is to get _you_ away -before they come back," he sighed, taking an old silver watch from -his vest pocket. "The Blanks are great eaters and wouldn't miss their -breakfasts for a fortune. So now's the best time for you to go. Come -on, I'll show you the way to the Fare-well. You can see it from the -gate." - -"Is that the only way out?" groaned Snip. He felt that one experience -with a well would be quite enough for him. - -"Only way I know," answered Tora, taking down his coat from a peg. "You -reach Blankenburg by the Well-come and leave by the Fare-well." - -Sticking his needle in his lapel, he started rapidly for the door and, -feeling very mixed up indeed, Snip hurried after him. There was not a -Blank in sight as they stepped into Tora's yard and Snip, looking at -the handsome dwellings on both sides of the street, thought he would -like to see more of this strange city. A bright pink blanket flew from -a castle which stood at the end of the square and Tora explained that -this was the national emblem of the Blanks. - -There were a hundred questions on the tip of Snip's tongue. For -instance, he wanted to know how the Blanks had come to be invisible -and how Tora himself had come to have such wonderful ears, but the old -gentleman was so anxious for him to get safely off that he had not time -for a single question. - -"If they capture you before you reach the well, be sure not to let them -wash your face," warned Tora earnestly, "for if they wash your face, it -will disappear. Remember don't wash your face, whatever happens." - -This was an easy promise for a little boy to make and, following the -direction of Tora's long finger, Snip saw a stone well in the small -park at the corner of the street. - -"Good-bye!" sighed the old man, giving him a wistful pat on the -shoulder. "If you ever find this King or reach the Emerald City, tell -someone about old Tora, will you?" - -"I'll tell Ozma; I'll tell everybody!" promised the little button boy, -settling his cap determinedly. Then, because he hated to leave Tora -looking so sad, he seized him suddenly by the hand. "Why don't you try -to get through the gate now?" urged Snip. "Come on, I'll help you!" As -he spoke, he kicked open the gate with his heel, stepped out and began -to tug at the tailor's coat. - -"No use," began the old man. "No use for me to try to get away--" - -Before he could finish the sentence Snip had dragged him entirely -through. For an instant he stood staring back uncertainly at his little -shop with its shabby sign, "The Tired Tailor of Oz." He had printed it -to amuse himself one stormy evening. Snatching a piece of chalk from -his pocket, while Snip danced up and down with anxiety and impatience, -Tora dashed back and scribbled two letters before the second word. - -"The Re-Tired Tailor of Oz," said the sign now, and with a long, gusty -chuckle, the old man grasped Snip by the hand and ran with all his -might toward the Fare-well. - -The Blanks were evidently still at breakfast, and Tora and Snip made -their way through the deserted streets of Blankenburg without meeting -a soul. In a jiffy they came to the Fare-well, both out of breath but -happy to be near to freedom. - - - - - CHAPTER 14 - - The Old Tailor's Story - - -Snip was just gathering his courage for a jump down the well when -Tora lifted him up and dropped him gently over the edge. Again that -terrifying swoop into the darkness. "After this," gulped Snip dizzily, -as he turned over and over, "I shall think nothing of falling out of a -button tree, or down a flight of steps. Perhaps I'll try a fall every -day just to keep in practice." - -With a breathless bump, Snip landed in the padded bucket, putting an -end to these curious thoughts. Before he had time for any others, he -had shot through another underground passage and up and out of the well -with such force that he rolled like a ball on the soft green moss. When -he stopped rolling he saw Tora sitting beside him, smoothing down his -long silver locks and untangling his whiskers. - -"Are your ears on tight?" asked Snip anxiously, for it would certainly -be a dreadful thing if the tailor's ears had been left behind. Tora put -up his hand quickly to touch them and then, with a pleased nod, arose -to his feet. - -"You've brought me good luck, Snip," smiled the old gentleman. "I've -tried a hundred times to escape from the Blanks, but never could get -through that gate." - -"Well, I am glad I could help you, for you helped me," said Snip. "Now -that you have escaped, where will you go? Do you remember where you -lived before?" - -"I remember nothing," acknowledged the tailor sorrowfully, "so I'm -going with you and after we find this good goose you speak of and the -King, I'll just look around for another shop. A tailor has no cause to -worry, and I've all my tools right with me." He chuckled, jingling his -pockets cheerfully. - -Snip had to smile himself, for Tora certainly did look like a walking -work-shop. Around his neck were three long tape measures. Through -tapes in his vest there hung a dozen pairs of scissors and shears of -all sizes. Fastened to his coat was a huge pin cushion and both lapels -were stuck full of needles. As for his pockets, they simply bulged with -spools of silk, beeswax and thread. - -Snip thought he had never seen a more interesting traveller and, -feeling happier than he had since he left Kimbaloo, and quite hopeful -of finding Pajuka, he began to examine the surrounding country. The -Fare-well had spilled them into a large field of wheat and, from -several purple barns in the distance, Snip knew they were still in the -land of the Gillikens. - -"You'll have to be guide, Snip," sighed the tailor, gazing around with -a bewildered expression. "I've lived so long with the Blanks that I -know nothing of these parts at all. As for the Emerald City, I can't -remember even hearing of it." - -"Well, I've never been there," admitted Snip, "but I know it is in the -very center of Oz and we were going south when Mombi threw me down the -well. So if we can find out which direction is south we ought to reach -the Emerald City by night time. Which way do _you_ think it is?" - -The tailor squinted doubtfully up at the sun and, after a few more -useless guesses, they determined to take a chance and started -diagonally across the field. - -"I wonder what shape Mombi did turn the King into," muttered Snip, as -they hurried along through the wheat. "And I wonder whether Ozma can -change Pajuka back to his own self again. He's so tired of being a -goose!" - -"It must be pretty tiresome," observed Tora, pushing his specs up on -his forehead, "though no worse than tailoring from morning till night -for a city full of invisible and ungrateful rascals. Not that I mind -the tailoring," he explained hastily, looking down sideways at Snip. "I -love that, and say, I'd like to make you a little suit sometime when -I've set up my shop. No, it wasn't the tailoring, but the imprisonment -that I minded." - -"Do you 'spose they've missed you yet? What will they do when they find -you're gone?" chuckled the little button boy. He looked up expectantly, -but the old man was staring thoughtfully over an olive tree and did not -seem to hear Snip's question. - -"Bother!" exclaimed Snip. "His ears have gone off again. How awfully -inconvenient!" - -"I always let them off after breakfast," explained the tailor -apologetically and just as if he had read Snip's thoughts. "It rests -them, you know." - -"But we've had no breakfast," began Snip impatiently. Then, realizing -that Tora could not hear one word, he walked along in a resigned -silence, thinking how annoying it must be to have butterfly ears. "And -yet," mused Snip slowly, "it might be rather fun, too. One could send -one's ears to places one didn't care to go--to school and to lectures -and all that sort of thing, and take them off when folks scolded or the -conversation grew dull." He had thought up quite a number of uses for -butterfly ears, when the tailor, himself, broke the silence. - -"Perhaps it would amuse you to hear a little about the Blanks," began -Tora in his pleasant voice. "They were not always invisible as now, but -they were always vain and haughty and trying to outshine one another -in appearance. In fact," sighed the old man, with a grave nod, "they -thought of nothing but dress and all of their time and money was spent -for new and splendid apparel. As some of the inhabitants were handsomer -than others there was always an argument as to who really looked the -best. - -"Shortly after I, myself, came to Blankenburg, Vanette, the Queen, -walking in a small woods behind the palace, discovered a hidden pool. -Looking into the water to admire her reflection, she accidentally -dropped her handkerchief. Before she could snatch it out the -handkerchief had disappeared and, when she reached into the pond to -search for it, her hand and arm suddenly became invisible." - -Tora looked down to see how Snip was taking the story and, finding him -interested, continued dreamily: "For a time the Queen was exceedingly -frightened, but all at once a wicked plan popped into her head. -Hurrying back to the palace, she ordered her servants to carry a bucket -of the magic water to everyone in the city. She then commanded them to -bathe in the enchanted water and since then they have been perfectly -invisible. Vanette, herself, who is old and fat and exceedingly jealous -of the young girls, bathed in the water too and is now as invisible -as the rest of her subjects. So now, when they dress up in their fine -clothes, faces don't count at all, and the Queen always wins all the -beauty prizes. That's why it's against the law to have a face in -Blankenburg," continued Tora solemnly. "I'm glad we escaped before they -got yours." - -Snip was glad, too, but wanted to ask how Tora had managed to save his -own face, and the tailor, guessing what was in the little boy's mind, -finished up quickly: "For some reason or other the magic water had no -effect upon me and as I was old and ugly and quite useful in my own -way, they finally stopped bothering me." - -Picking up a long, crooked stick and evidently thinking he had talked -enough, Tora began to whistle an old Oz tune. Walking along solemnly -beside him Snip could not help wondering how the old tailor had ever -come to be a prisoner in Blankenburg and whether he had always had -butterfly ears. - -"I'll ask him as soon as they come back," decided Snip, but meantime -he was growing hungrier and hungrier, for since the drink of cream in -Catty Corners he had had nothing at all to eat. He kept a sharp lookout -for fruit and nut trees and presently, in a small grove to the right, -he caught a glimpse of a perfectly enormous breakfast bush. - -Motioning for Tora to wait for him, Snip darted off. The tailor looked -slightly puzzled but, making no objection, sat down on a rock and went -on with his whistling. Hastening back with two steaming breakfast -dishes in his hands, Snip was surprised to hear a loud, plaintive voice -mingling with Tora's tune. Quickening his steps the little boy saw a -tall, kingly figure waving indignant arms at the tailor. - -"Are you crazy?" he shouted angrily. "I ask you once again, may I -borrow a breakfast or a bite of lunch? It's for a Princess. Can't you -answer me?" But Tora, fixing his eye on a fluffy cloud skimming across -the sky, went calmly on with his tune. "He is deaf to my pleas," puffed -the stranger, whirling round unsteadily and almost bumping into Snip. -"Deaf and dumb!" - -"He isn't deaf," explained the little boy breathlessly. "He has just -mislaid his ears. I mean he's let them off for awhile." - -"Let them off? Dorothy! Dorothy! Come at once! Here is a man with -mislaid ears!" shrilled the stranger, hobbling off. Snip stared after -him, open mouthed, as he wobbled wildly down the road. - - - - - CHAPTER 15 - - Kabumpo to the Rescue - - -You have guessed that it was our old friend Humpy who had begged a -breakfast of Tora, the tailor. You see the Elegant Elephant, travelling -like the wind itself, had carried Dorothy and the dummy almost to the -exact spot where Snip and Tora had fallen out of the Fare-well. Then, -exceedingly fatigued by his unaccustomed exertion, Kabumpo had gone off -in search of some lunch. - -Snip had scarcely recovered from the shock of Humpy's sudden -disappearance when back he came, holding Dorothy tightly by the hand. -Now the little button boy had often seen pictures of Dorothy in the -history books of Kimbaloo, but she had always been dressed as a -Princess, so we cannot blame him for failing to recognize the shabby -little girl who stood staring so earnestly at the tired tailor of Oz. - -"Why he has no ears at all," cried Dorothy. Then, catching sight of -Snip, she stopped short. "We were wondering whether you could lend -us some lunch," faltered Dorothy, talking very fast to cover her -embarrassment. "Kabumpo can eat tree-tops and Humpy does not eat at -all, but I've had nothing but a tomato since breakfast and I'm very -hungry." - -"There's a breakfast bush over yonder," answered Snip, waving sulkily -toward the grove. Tora had saved his face and he was not going to have -him laughed at. Dorothy turned to see for herself and, as she did, Tora -arose and moved quickly over to the dummy. - -"You remind me of someone I used to know," sighed the tailor, fingering -Humpy's green velvet robe dreamily. "Who are you? Are you real?" - -"Well, not quite. You see," began Dorothy, "he's a moving picture -dummy." Suddenly remembering that the tailor could not hear her, she -turned back to Snip. "Where _are_ his ears?" asked the little girl -nervously. - -"Here they come now!" cried Snip, forgetting his vexation and, setting -down the two breakfast dishes, he waved his cap excitedly in the air. -As Snip waved and pointed, Dorothy saw the tailor's ears whizz giddily -over a lilac bush and then settle softly, one on each side of his head. - -"Who did you say you were?" asked Tora calmly, continuing his -conversation with Humpy and paying no more attention to his ears than -we would pay to a couple of flies. - -"A dummy!" whispered Humpy, blinking his painted eyes, while his voice -grew fainter and fainter with astonishment. "I am a dummy, but what in -Oz are you?" - -"A tailor," answered Tora with a wink at Snip. "Well, that's a splendid -cloak you're wearing, and a crown too. Are you a king, dummy?" - -"No, he's a dummy king," explained Dorothy, looking longingly at the -hot breakfasts. "If we could just sit down and have something to eat I -could tell you all about him. Then, maybe, you would tell me a little -about your--" Dorothy was going to say ears but, fearing this might -not be quite polite, she changed it quickly to selves. The little girl -cast a curious sidelong glance at Snip, but the button boy was gazing -intently at the dummy. - -"Why we're looking for a king," exploded Snip excitedly. "Oh Tora, do -you suppose this could be he?" - -"Why not do as this little lady suggests?" interrupted Tora, for -he could see that Dorothy was weary as well as hungry. "Let's have -breakfast together and then talk things over." - -"Well, don't start until I come back," called the little boy, as -Dorothy settled comfortably down beside the tailor. In a moment -Snip had returned with another breakfast and, while Humpy looked on -curiously, they opened the silver dishes Snip had picked from the -breakfast bush. What could be cozier? Bacon, eggs, toast and a small -sealed cup of coffee grew neatly in each one, but it never occurred -to Dorothy, Snip or the tailor to be surprised at this, for breakfast -bushes are quite common in Oz. Humpy, however, had seen nothing like -this in the movies and kept up a low muttering to himself, as he -watched them eat one and then another dainty from the dishes. - -"Now then," smiled the tailor, after he had taken a long sip of coffee, -"suppose you begin." He looked expectantly at Dorothy. "I think you -must be the little girl my ears were telling me of a while back, but -where is the elephant?" - -"Mercy!" spluttered Dorothy, nearly choking on her coffee. "Do your -ears tell you everything?" - -"Oh no, just odds and ends of things," answered Tora, reaching up to -touch them affectionately. - -"Well, did they tell you about me?" inquired Humpy, straightening his -crown importantly. - -"No," smiled the old man. "That's just what we're waiting to hear, -though I declare I have seen you somewhere before. Have you ever seen -me?" - -Humpy shook his head very positively and Dorothy, settling back against -a tree, proceeded with her story. Introducing herself modestly and -beginning with Wish Way, she related every single thing that had -happened since her fall into California. - -Snip was especially interested in Dorothy's sudden change in size. "Is -that what tore your dress?" he asked curiously. - -The little girl nodded and Tora, ruffling up his silver locks and -looking first at Dorothy and then at Humpy, murmured over and over: -"Well, I can hardly believe my ears, I can hardly believe my ears!" - -Dorothy could not help thinking that the tailor's ears were hard -for anyone to believe, but feeling it would be rude to say so, went -hurriedly on with her adventures, telling of her meeting with the -Scooters and with the Elegant Elephant, whom she described at some -length. - -"And now," concluded the little girl, finishing off the last of the -toast, "we're going straight to the Emerald City. Where are _you_ -going?" - -"Why we're going to the Emerald City too!" burst out Snip, "and maybe -Dorothy can help us find Pajuka and warn Ozma!" - -"Warn Ozma?" cried Dorothy, jumping up in a hurry. "Why, what is the -matter?" - -"Better tell her," advised the tailor gravely, while Humpy edged close -to the little button boy and looked earnestly up into his face. - -"Well," began Snip, feeling a bit shy in the presence of a person as -important as Princess Dorothy of Oz, "Mombi is trying to find the lost -King of Oz and turn Ozma to a piano. Pajuka, he's a goose, I mean a -Prime Minister, and he's trying to find the King too, and if we don't -get to the Emerald City first that old witch will steal all the magic -and capture everybody." - -"Why this is a regular thriller," puffed the dummy, pushing back his -crown. "Witches, geese, lost kings and everything. Oh, I'm enjoying -this picture immensely. Couldn't I fall for this lost king, Dorothy?" - -"I thought you were the King, yourself, at first," explained Snip, "but -of course, if Dorothy found you in America, you couldn't possibly be -the King of Oz. Besides, I don't believe Mombi would turn the King to -a dummy, do you?" - -"Oh, anything can happen in the pictures," said Humpy carelessly. - -No one had time to tell Humpy he was not in a picture, for Dorothy, -shuddering at the mere mention of old Mombi, insisted on Snip telling -all over again just how he had discovered the witch's wicked plans. -This Snip did, from the strange conversation between Pajuka and Mombi -in the castle kitchen of Kimbaloo to his encounter with the Blanks -and his escape with the tired tailor of Oz. When he came to the part -in the story where Mombi had flung him down the well, Humpy fell over -backwards and Dorothy gasped with indignation. - -"Oh, we'll have to hurry, we'll have to hurry!" exclaimed the little -girl, clasping her hands anxiously, "for if Mombi reaches the Emerald -City first something dreadful will happen. I'm glad the King of Oz is -alive, but I'm not going to have Ozma turned to a piano. Oh dear! Oh -dear! Why doesn't Kabumpo hurry back?" - -"Hadn't we better start anyway?" asked Snip, who was growing more and -more worried about Pajuka. He felt sure Mombi meant to get rid of the -goose as soon as she found the King. "Let's go without the elephant," -he proposed eagerly. - -"No, we'd better wait," advised Dorothy, "for Kabumpo can travel a -hundred times faster than we can, and a hundred times faster than Mombi -can." - -"While we are waiting," suggested Tora, who had been carefully -threading his needle, "I'll mend your frock, my dear. Have you any more -buttons, Snip?" - -Snip felt in his pockets and brought out a handful of gold and silver -buttons and as Dorothy stood shading her eyes and keeping an anxious -lookout for Kabumpo, Tora sewed them neatly in place. - -"It must have been mighty queer, growing up all at once," observed -the old tailor, biting off his thread and giving the little girl an -affectionate pat on the shoulder. - -"It was," answered Dorothy, groaning at the recollection. "I can't -imagine what happened to me, but then everything's very queer lately." - -With her frock neatly buttoned, Dorothy began to feel more like -herself. She thanked Tora sweetly and smilingly invited him to tell -them something about himself. - -"Yes, do," urged Snip, coming to stand beside her. - -"Well," sighed the old man, sticking his needle back in his lapel and -taking off his specs, "there's not much to tell. I'm a tailor, as you -can readily see. How I got to Blankenburg, I don't know, but there I've -been for so long that it gives me rheumatism to think of it. But it's -all over now. When we reach this marvelous city you two young people -speak of, I shall set up a shop and live happily ever afterward." - -"What? With those ears?" shouted Humpy, falling up against a tree. "Oh, -I don't believe it!" - -"Hush," begged Dorothy and, turning apologetically to the tailor, she -whispered earnestly: "You really mustn't mind Humpy. You see his head -is stuffed with hair and it makes him kind of ridiculous." The tailor -chuckled under his breath and Snip giggled outright. - -Just at this moment Kabumpo, magnificent in his pearls and velvet -robes, swung ponderously into view. - -"Dorothy," trumpeted the Elegant Elephant, stopping a good twenty feet -from the little group and elevating his trunk haughtily, "what are you -doing with those shabby fellows? Don't you realize you're a Princess? A -tailor! Great Grump! Do you expect me to associate with a tailor?" - -"But gaze upon his ears," cried Humpy, waving his cloak triumphantly -at Tora. "They wag, wiggle and fly off by themselves. And we're hunting -a king, a witch and a goose. Hurry up, you elegant old thing, we need -you in this picture." - -"No we don't, we'll go on by ourselves." Snip looked angrily at Kabumpo -and, taking Tora's arm, began to walk off. - -"Oh wait!" gasped Dorothy, more embarrassed by Kabumpo's rudeness than -by the dummy's ridiculousness. "Kabumpo doesn't mean that. He's really -awfully jolly when you get to know him better." - -"Don't bother, my dear," Tora smiled, a little sadly. Reaching up he -took off both his ears and put them quietly into his pocket. "I never -listen to unpleasant conversations," explained the old man simply. - -"Good-bye," said Snip, bowing rather stiffly to Dorothy. "If you reach -the Emerald City before we do, be sure to tell Ozma about her father." - -"Now please don't go," begged Dorothy. "Wait! Wait!" In great distress -she dashed over to the Elegant Elephant and poured out the whole story -of the lost King of Oz and of Mombi's wickedness. - -When Tora had so unexpectedly taken off his ears Kabumpo's little eyes -had fairly rolled in his head and now, as he listened to Dorothy's -strange recital, they began to snap and sparkle with interest. If -there was one thing Kabumpo enjoyed, it was being mixed up in a royal -adventure. Finding the lost King of Oz would be a very creditable -thing, even for an elephant so elegant as himself. It might even gain -him an important position at court, thought Kabumpo craftily. And what -a choice bit of news to carry home to Pumperdink--that Ozma was not the -Queen at all, and that he, Kabumpo the Magnificent, had helped find -the real monarch and had been present at the coronation. Already his -imagination leaped ahead to this important event. - -Concealing, in his pompous and provoking fashion, his real interest -and excitement, Kabumpo set Dorothy upon his back and started in a -dignified and stately manner toward Tora and Snip. - -"I understand you are friends of the lost King of Oz," wheezed Kabumpo -grandly, as he came up beside them. "Are you going on to the Emerald -City? Care to ride?" he asked graciously. This was as near an apology -as Kabumpo ever got. - -"Hear! Hear!" spluttered the dummy, who was walking stiffly behind the -tailor. - -Of course Tora could not do this, as his ears were still in his pocket, -but Snip, looking inquiringly up at Dorothy saw her motion earnestly -for him to yield. He decided to overlook the elephant's rudeness and -gave Kabumpo a signal to lift him up. - -"Did she say you were a mutton boy?" asked Kabumpo, as he placed Snip -beside the little girl. - -"No, a button boy," corrected Dorothy hastily, "from the Kingdom of -Kimbaloo, you know." - -"Ah yes," grunted Kabumpo condescendingly, "I remember hearing of -Kimbaloo--a buttony sort of place across the mountains from Pumperdink." - -Snip was about to retort with something short and sassy, when Kabumpo -lifted up the tailor and as Tora seemed terribly alarmed by the -suddenness of his transit through the air, Snip helped him to settle -comfortably instead of talking. He just got Tora firmly seated in time -to catch Humpy, whom the Elegant Elephant tossed aloft as carelessly as -he would a bale of hay. - -"All ready?" boomed Kabumpo importantly. "Well, then here we go." And -before anyone could answer he was off, moving swiftly and surely as a -battleship through the waving billows of wheat. - -"What did you find for lunch?" called Humpy curiously. Snip and Tora -hadn't breath to say anything, and Dorothy was too worried about Ozma -to want to talk. But Kabumpo, instead of answering, threw up his -trunk, sending forth such a volley of shrill bellows that Snip's hair -rose on end and the ears in Tora's pocket gave a terrified bounce. -Humpy chuckled, as he listened to the shrill trumpeting of the Elegant -Elephant. He had thought of a joke! - -"Ah, he has eaten a trumpet vine," mused the dummy dreamily, as the -noise died away. But it ceased for only a moment, for trumpeting was -Kabumpo's way of clearing a path for himself and, determined to reach -the capital before Mombi, the witch, he travelled as never before and, -clinging to each other and to Kabumpo's harness and robe, the four -riders made the best they could of the worst journey they had ever -taken. - - - - - CHAPTER 16 - - Humpy Hailed As King - - -Kabumpo would never have stopped until he reached the Emerald City -itself, had it not been for the mountain. Rushing like an express train -from a small dim wood, the Elegant Elephant came unexpectedly upon a -steep wall of rock. With a snort of surprise he stopped so sharply -that everyone in the party went sailing over his head. Humpy, who was -lightest, sailed farthest and, landing first, made a splendid cushion -for Snip and Dorothy to fall on. Tora, fortunately, plumped into a -patch of gooseberry bushes, so that no one was really hurt. - -"Didn't I do that well?" asked the dummy, as Dorothy and Snip jumped -up. "Falling's my specialty and falling for you, Princess," he rose -and made Dorothy an exceedingly shaky bow, "falling for you, is a real -pleasure." - -"Well I'm kinda glad you did fall first," gasped the little girl, -running to help Snip pull Tora out of the bushes. - -"Did I understand Dorothy to say your name was Kabumpo?" inquired the -dummy, addressing himself blandly to the Elegant Elephant. Kabumpo -nodded without taking his eyes from the mass of jagged stone ahead. - -"Well, that accounts for the bumpo. I understand perfectly now," -continued Humpy conversationally, as he picked up his crown and set it -solemnly on his head. "But next time, next time, old rascal!" He wagged -his finger playfully at the Elegant Elephant. - -"Old rascal! Old rascal!" sputtered Kabumpo, swinging round in a fury. -"How dare you talk to me like that, you good for nothing son of a sofa, -you hair-brained piece of a night shirt!" - -"Well, I may be stuffed with hair, but you're stuffed with hay and -I don't see much difference except," Humpy backed rapidly out of -Kabumpo's reach, "except that the person who stuffed you didn't finish -the job. You're full of wrinkles," he announced judicially. - -Kabumpo made a swing at the dummy with his trunk and then, thinking -better of it, turned angrily away and, mumbling and wheezing under his -breath, began to move majestically toward the rocky barrier. Seeing -that no more fun was to be had out of him, Humpy hurried over to the -tailor, who was walking unsteadily between Dorothy and Snip. He had put -on his ears and was listening attentively to the little girl's remarks -about the Elegant Elephant. Dorothy was telling how faithfully Kabumpo -had served his master, the Prince of Pumperdink. - -"It may be so, it may be so," muttered Tora, gazing after the great -beast doubtfully, "but he seems to me a trifle abrupt--er, almost -dangerous!" - -"But he's very fast," said Dorothy coaxingly, "and if he had not -stopped when he did we'd have been thrown upon the rocks." - -"That's so," put in Snip, who had rather enjoyed his wild ride upon the -elephant's back. - -"Well, well, I daresay I am old fashioned," sighed the tailor, settling -his specs resignedly, "and if you and Dorothy can stand this mad mode -of travel, I'll try not to mind it either." - -"Fall on me next time," invited the dummy generously. Humpy's -expression as he made this suggestion was so comical that Tora laughed -in spite of himself. - -"But how are we going to cross the mountain?" put in Snip dismally. -"It's too steep for Kabumpo to climb and I don't see any way 'round, do -you?" - -Dorothy shook her head. "I don't even remember a mountain being here," -observed the little girl with a troubled frown. They had joined the -Elegant Elephant by this time and, standing in a dejected row, they -surveyed the great mass of tumbled rocks--rocks so steep and jagged -that even Snip shuddered at the thought of clambering over their -perilous peaks. - -"I hope you don't expect me to carry you over," sniffed Kabumpo. "Only -a bird could cross this. A bird! Great Gollywockers! Look!" - -But Dorothy and the others had already seen for themselves. An old -woman and a goose were walking calmly through the mountain just as if -it did not exist at all--an old woman and a goose! The former was -dressed in the simple costume of a Gilliken farmer's wife. In one hand -she carried a large basket and with the other she held her stick and a -long rope attached to the goose's neck. - -"It's Mombi!" cried Dorothy, clutching Snip in terror, for in spite of -the disguise, there was no mistaking that wicked old face. - -"And Pajuka!" gasped Snip, scarcely daring to breathe. Tora's ears -were fluttering like leaves in a gale, and even Kabumpo trembled -slightly. - -"She must have got her magic powers back," whispered Snip hoarsely, "or -how could she walk through a mountain? Oh Dorothy, what shall we do -now?" - -As it happened, they had time to do nothing, for just then Pajuka -looked up and saw the little button boy. - -"Snip!" screamed the goose joyfully. Spreading both wings, he flew -forward so fast that Mombi had to run to keep up with him. "I thought -she had done for you," panted the goose, paying no attention to Mombi's -jerks upon the rope. He began to caress Snip with both wing and bill. - -Snip forgot his fright for a moment, in his delight at seeing his old -friend again and, dropping on his knees, hugged Pajuka for dear life. -Dorothy involuntarily drew back from the witch, who was mumbling a long -rigamarole about being on her way to the Emerald City with a fine goose -for Ozma of Oz. - -Humpy, stepping from behind the Elegant Elephant, folded his arms and -gazed down benevolently upon the little scene. "Reminds me of the happy -endings in the picture game," observed the dummy indulgently to the -tired tailor. "I'm _for_ that bird, and I don't care who knows it," he -said. - -"Hush!" warned the tailor, looking nervously at Mombi. But at the -first sound of Humpy's voice, Pajuka had given a great bounce and, -extricating himself from Snip's embrace, came hurtling through the air. - -"Master!" shrieked the goose and flapped his wings so violently that -the flimsy dummy fell backward over Kabumpo's trunk. With a surly -flounce the Elegant Elephant shook him off. - -"Monster!" hissed Pajuka, with a wild peck at the elephant's trunk. -"How dare you insult his Majesty?" Bowing and weeping alternately he -cried shrilly, "The King! At last I have found the King!" - -By this time the tailor had got Humpy to his feet, and it is hard to -say who was the most astonished of that astonished little group. Mombi -dropped her basket with a crash and came over to stare at the green -clad figure. Kabumpo, thinking of his late speeches, began to back -uncomfortably away. - -"But it can't be the King," began Dorothy, catching hold of Snip. "I -found Humpy my own self in California and however could he have gotten -there?" - -"Girl," said the goose sternly, "don't you suppose I know my own -Master?" - -"And I've seen him before too," murmured the old tailor, half closing -his eyes. "Let me think! Let me think!" - -"Did you ever see the King yourself?" asked Snip, turning excitedly to -Dorothy. The little girl had to acknowledge that she had not, for Mombi -had hidden the old monarch away before Dorothy had come to Oz. - -"You don't mind my being King, do you Dorothy?" The dummy turned to her -coaxingly. "I'd love to be the star in just one picture. Let me be King -and you shall be Queen." - -"Star! Picture! Queen!" choked Pajuka, gazing from one to the other in -bewilderment. "What does this mean? Woman, woman what have you done to -the King?" - -He turned accusingly to Mombi, but Mombi, brushing him roughly aside, -had run up to Humpy and was examining him carefully from all sides. -Catching sight of a white tape protruding from the collar of his robe, -the old witch jerked him sideways and after one triumphant look at the -number on the tape, began to jump up and down like a child on a pogo -stick. - -"The King!" shrilled Mombi, throwing up her stick. "It is the King of -Oz himself! And I am the only one who can restore him to himself and -to the throne." She looked sharply at Dorothy, whom she had already -recognized, as if daring her to contradict this statement. - -"But I don't see how a dummy could be a king," objected Dorothy, still -trying to puzzle out the mystery. - -"That's because you are only a little girl," explained Pajuka gently. -"I suppose you don't see how a goose could be a prime minister either, -or how that wicked old woman would dare to turn her King to a stuffed -man and his trusted councillor to a goose, or throw an innocent little -boy down a well," hissed Pajuka, with an angry glare at Mombi. - -"A meddlesome little vagabond," mumbled Mombi, holding her ground -stubbornly. She was not going to be frightened out of her reward by -anyone now, and stared defiantly at the little company. - -"But how did you get out of the well and who are all these people?" -puffed Pajuka, looking curiously from Tora to Kabumpo and then letting -his eyes rest fondly on the King. - -Mombi scarcely listened as Snip told of his fall into Blankenburg, his -escape with the tailor and their meeting with Dorothy, Kabumpo and the -dummy. She was hurriedly turning over a plan to get Humpy away from -his friends. While Pajuka, in his turn, told how he had tried to fly -down the well, how he had been caught and tied up by the old witch and -forced to accompany her until now, Mombi dropped the rope that was tied -to his neck and made a sly move toward the King. - -"Your Majesty," whispered Mombi craftily, "may I have a few words with -you?" - -"Certainly. Certainly!" puffed the dummy King, stepping along pompously -at her side. Tora, Snip and Dorothy were so interested in Pajuka's -story that they did not notice Mombi's move, but Kabumpo, who had been -keeping an astonished eye and ear upon the whole proceeding, stepped -noiselessly after the two. Here, reasoned Kabumpo anxiously, was an -opportunity to make up for his rude speeches and restore himself to -favor with this impossible person who was turning out to be the King. - -No sooner had Mombi put a few trees between herself and the others than -she grasped Humpy by his hand and began running like the wind. - -"We'll hide," grunted the old witch, paying no attention to the dummy's -expostulations, "and when they've stopped looking for us we'll go on -to the Emerald City and I will restore your Majesty to the throne. But -first," panted Mombi, stopping a moment to catch her breath, "you must -promise to give me back my magic powers and half of the Kingdom of Oz. -Do you promise? You'd better," she added threateningly, giving Humpy a -vicious shake. - -"But I'm going to the Emerald City with Dorothy," objected the King in -dismay. "Let me go, you old ragbag." - -"Yes, how dare you shake his Majesty!" thundered an imperious voice -and, whirling 'round in a fright, Mombi saw the Elegant Elephant -looming up between two trees. He had followed them without a sound and -now, snatching Humpy from the clutches of the old witch, placed him -carefully upon his back. - -With a cry of rage, Mombi tried to get away, but Kabumpo was too quick -for her. Seizing the witch in his trunk and shaking her to and fro -like a rattle, he ran trumpeting back to the others. They had just -discovered Humpy's absence and Pajuka with a hoarse shriek came flying -toward the Elegant Elephant. - -"She was trying to steal the King!" panted Kabumpo indignantly. "Shall -I throw her over the mountain or step on her?" - -"Step on her," commanded the dummy, extending two fingers of his right -hand as he had seen kings in the movies do time and time again. Mombi -gave a terrible screech and Dorothy and Snip looked uneasily at one -another. - -"The King has spoken," honked Pajuka, settling down gravely beside the -dummy, "therefore let the sentence be carried out." - -Dorothy closed her eyes and clung to Snip, but just then, the calm -voice of the tailor intervened. - -"Your Highness," began Tora gravely, "as this woman is the only one in -Oz who can restore you to your proper self, do you think this step a -wise one?" - -The tailor's ears fluttered anxiously as he waited for the King's -decision. For an instant Humpy looked doubtfully at Mombi, then with -a sigh lowered his fingers. "Perhaps it would be a rash step," he -admitted regretfully. - -"Well, some steps must be taken," honked Pajuka angrily. "Are we to put -up with this treachery forever?" - -"No, just until she restores the King," answered Tora mildly. - -"Then I shall step on her," promised Kabumpo, giving Mombi another -shake. - -"That's right," said Dorothy, glad to have the dreadful business -delayed. "Mombi must first restore the King." - -"I'll not do it without a reward," screamed the witch defiantly. "Do I -get a reward or not?" - -The others were silent but Humpy, again extending his fingers, -announced grandly, "You shall be rewarded as you deserve!" He winked at -Pajuka as he said this, but Mombi apparently was satisfied and stopped -squirming. - -"Well, I can't do it here," she muttered sulkily. "The transformation -was made near the Emerald City and the enchantment cannot be broken -until we reach the green country." - -"Then let's go on to the Emerald City," proposed Dorothy eagerly. Once -there, reflected the little girl, Ozma herself could settle the whole -troublesome business. Somehow Dorothy could not imagine Oz without -the little fairy as its Queen, and while she was glad indeed to have -found the lost King, she could not get used to the idea of Humpy on the -throne and administering affairs in Oz. - -Humpy, himself, was enjoying it all tremendously. He remembered nothing -of his past, it is true, but the present was sufficiently interesting -and exciting to make up for everything. - -"On to the Emerald City!" he commanded, pompously waving his arms. - -"I hear and I obey, your Majesty," wheezed Kabumpo, and hardly giving -the two children and the old tailor time to climb aboard, he was off, -still holding Mombi fast in his trunk. - -"But what about the mountain?" asked Snip, as it loomed up suddenly -ahead. - -"Watch," called Pajuka and while Kabumpo swayed uncertainly before it, -he flew straight through the wall of rocks. Like many another mountain -when you come right to it, this was no mountain at all--only a shadow -mountain. - -"No wonder Mombi could walk through," sighed Snip, greatly relieved -that the witch had not recovered her magic powers. - - - - - CHAPTER 17 - - Mombi's Magic - - -The thoughts of the little company, as they sped toward the Emerald -City, were many and varied. Mombi, suspended precariously in Kabumpo's -trunk, smiled darkly to herself, for Mombi, as usual, had a plan to -outwit her enemies. She could not remember changing the King to a dummy -at all, and had at first doubted that Humpy really was the King, but -when she had read upon his collar the forgotten green magic formula, -even Mombi was convinced. All that was now necessary to dispel the -enchantment was to reach the Emerald City. - -"Once there, I'll show them," the old witch chuckled wickedly to -herself, as she thought of what would happen then. - -Pajuka, looking at the stuffed King beside him, was wondering sadly -whether he and his royal master would ever be quite the same, whether -the good old Oz days they had enjoyed together would ever return again. -Fluttering his wings, and keeping his balance with difficulty, the poor -goose dreamed longingly of the comfortable chairs in the old hunting -lodge, of his pipe and his smoking jacket with sixteen pockets. - -Snip was trying to puzzle out how the King had ever fallen into -California, how Tora had got his strange ears, how Pajuka would look as -a man and how Ozma would like giving up the throne to her father. - -Tora, holding fast to his precious ears, had closed his eyes and begun -to plan a blue suit for Snip and a velvet cloak for Dorothy. He had -taken a great fancy to the little girl. "Let the other fellows worry -about this king," thought the tailor with a tired sigh. - -Dorothy, for her part, was trying to imagine what would happen when -they reached the capital. She felt sure Mombi meant some mischief but, -comforting herself with the thought of Sir Hokus of Pokes and the other -brave inhabitants of the castle, she finally stopped worrying and began -to wonder how Humpy would look when he was changed to himself and what -would become of her apartment in the palace. It was all so strange -and confusing that Dorothy could hardly wait to see how it would turn -out, and watched anxiously for the first sight of the green towers and -spires of Ozma's palace. - -Humpy was too busy holding on to his crown and to Kabumpo to think -of anything, but the Elegant Elephant was busily considering the -appearance he would make at the King's coronation. "I'll just have that -old tailor cut me a white velvet robe," decided Kabumpo importantly. -"I'll wear my pearls and a satin bow on my tail and--" - -Just then, Snip gave a little scream of delight, for, spreading out -suddenly before them like a picture from fairyland itself, was the -enchanting Emerald City of Oz. Its lacy turrets and spires sparkled -with emeralds, its marble streets glowed with the same precious stones. -The air was sweet with roses and honeysuckle and everywhere were -flowering parks and tree lined avenues. - -Humpy, Pajuka, Snip and the tailor were simply stunned by the -magnificence of the capital, but to Dorothy, Mombi and Kabumpo, the -Emerald City was an old story. Accustomed to its beauty and familiar -with its grandeur, they scarcely gave it a second glance. Many of the -town's people, recognizing Dorothy, waved cheerfully as they passed and -all too soon for Snip, who could have ridden up and down its enchanted -streets all day, the Elegant Elephant charged into the royal park and -approached the Palace of Emeralds itself. - -"Master," choked the goose, touching Humpy tremulously with his wing, -"our castle was never so fine as this. To think that all of this -belongs to you!" Pajuka stretched his neck exultantly. "I wonder if -there's a pipe anywhere in the castle?" he puffed suddenly. - -"You shall have twenty pipes, my good goose!" promised the dummy. -"Everybody shall have a pipe!" - -Dorothy and Snip giggled a little at this. Then, as Kabumpo stepped -upon the broad portico, Pajuka, remembering Mombi's past threats, began -to scream hoarsely, "The witch--don't let her go, don't let her go, -whatever you do! She'll steal Ozma's magic and destroy us all. Hold on -to Mombi!" - -Kabumpo had been on the point of dropping the old woman so he could -pull the jewelled bell rope, but at Pajuka's warning he tightened his -grip. - -"Pray alight, Dorothy, and announce his Majesty!" puffed the Elegant -Elephant, forgetting that not more than an hour ago he had called the -King a piece of a night shirt. Dorothy and Snip slid down together and, -both seizing the rope, set it to jingling merrily. - -"Won't they be surprised," murmured Dorothy, looking over her shoulder -at Kabumpo and his strange passengers. "Won't they be surprised when -they see who is here? But why don't they come to the door?" - -Why indeed? For the very simple reason, that there was no one to -come--not even the cook's boy. For that morning, Jellia Jamb, Ozma's -small serving maid, looking from the castle window, had seen her -mistress and the little group who were with her in the garden vanish -before her eyes. Rushing frantically through the palace, she spread the -dire news, and immediately the entire household had set out to find -the lost ones--the entire household from the tallest courtier to the -tiniest page. Tik Tok might have enlightened them, but the machine man -had run down. No one thought to wind him up and even Tik Tok did not -know that Ozma and her friends had gone to Morrow. - -In puzzled dismay, Dorothy pressed her nose to the diamond panes in the -door. Then, seeing that the great hall was empty, she tried the knob. -In their excitement the searchers had left the door unlocked and, with -a little exclamation of surprise, Dorothy opened it and motioned for -Kabumpo to follow with his passengers. - -Kabumpo was bitterly disappointed that there was no one to witness his -grand entry with the King and, when they reached the throne room itself -without encountering anyone, he looked positively crestfallen. "A fine -welcome for his Highness!" he grunted irritably. "Where is the court? -Where are the attendants? A thing like this would never have happened -in Pumperdink!" - -"Ha, ha!" croaked Mombi maliciously, but subsided at once when the -Elegant Elephant gave her a shake. Pajuka and Tora had alighted with -Snip and all were staring about the beautiful room in admiration. - -But Kabumpo was still angry. "Is this tailor to be admitted to the -presence?" he demanded loftily, fixing his eyes upon Tora's shabby -suit. "In Pumperdink such things are not done." - -Dorothy was too worried over the strange silence in the castle to -bother with Kabumpo's saucy speeches, but the dummy, falling headlong -from the Elegant Elephant's back, put his arm affectionately through -Tora's. - -Humpy waved Kabumpo aside and pulled the old tailor to a seat beside -him. Tora shoved his spectacles up on his forehead and looked gravely -at the pompous dummy. - -"Let him stay by all means," said Humpy condescendingly. "Every King -must have his tailor and he's mine. Besides, has anyone else in this -room flying ears, I want to know?" - -"Well, I prefer my ears on," grunted the Elegant Elephant disdainfully. - -"I'm glad they're on you," sniffed Pajuka. He felt unaccountably drawn -to the gentle old tailor, but Tora himself was too taken up with his -splendid surroundings to mind Kabumpo's remarks. Just then Humpy, -catching sight of the glittering emerald throne, let go of the tailor's -arm and started running across the room. The others gave little heed, -for certainly it was right and fitting for the King to occupy his -proper place in the palace. - -Mombi, seeing the dummy's move, fairly trembled with excitement. -Without being at all aware of it, Humpy was playing directly into her -hands and as he sank down upon the throne the witch gave a shriek of -triumph. Held fast though she was in Kabumpo's trunk, her arms were -still free. Beginning with Snip and going on to Dorothy, Mombi began to -count, "One--two--three--four--five--six--_seven_!" - -At seven her finger pointed to Pajuka, whose every feather stood erect -with terror. Snatching two buttons from Kabumpo's robe, Mombi popped -them into her mouth and shouted the magic formula on the dummy's -collar. "202 B E-10 B-4 7," ran the number, but as Mombi said it, it -sounded like this, "Two ought to be eaten before seven." - -That done, Mombi glared at the King. "I command you to assume your -proper form," she screamed. - -Well, surely nothing could have been worse than the next happening. -With a grinding, crashing suddenness, the palace began to sink, -gaining speed as it went. Down, down, down, till the windows and -doorways were blotted out with earth and mud and the whole company lost -in the choke of utter and awful darkness. Of all the screams in the -room, Mombi's was loudest. Never in her darkest imaginings had Mombi -anticipated anything like this! What unknown and dreadful magic had she -set in motion? - - - - - CHAPTER 18 - - Ozma's Odd Home-Coming - - -While the dummy King and his friends were making their way to the -Emerald City from the North, Ozma and her faithful followers were -plodding wearily up from the South through a lonely section of the -Quadling Country. The red house in the hunting park had been totally -deserted but the Scarecrow, climbing an old wind-mill nearby, had seen -dimly through the tree-tops the glittering spires of the capital. -Considerably cheered therefore, the little party had continued its -journey home. - -At about the time Kabumpo was making his grand entry into the city, -Scraps, turning to ask Sir Hokus a question, noticed that the Knight -was fidgeting about in an extremely odd and alarming manner. They were -a bit ahead of the others and for a time Scraps regarded her companion -with her head on one side. But silence is not one of the Patch Work -Girl's strong points and as the Knight continued to squirm and bounce, -she stopped short in the road. - -"Why do you jump from side to side and rattle about like a salt shaker? -Have you fleas?" inquired Scraps, looking sharply at Sir Hokus. "Is -there an ant in your armor, or what?" - -"Something--something's tickling me," confessed the Knight, wriggling -his shoulders desperately. "Something like--like a sparrow. Ouch!" -gasped Sir Hokus, giving himself a shake that unfastened the top buckle -of his mailed shirt. - -At Sir Hokus' cry, Scraps, too, gave a startled shriek, for out of the -Knight's shirt sped the golden goose feather he had tucked there for -safe-keeping. Before either of them had recovered from their surprise -it poised in the air and began to write furiously on the Knight's -burnished shield, while Scraps and Sir Hokus watched breathlessly. - -"The King of Oz is in the palace," announced the feather with a -flourish, then fluttered down lifelessly in the dust. - -"Odds blood! It thinks I'm a blackboard," grunted Sir Hokus -indignantly, and nearly bending double to get a glimpse of the writing. -"Ozma, Betsy, Trot, Wizard, come quickly!" - -At the excited cries, the others, who were just around a bend in the -road, broke into a run. Sir Hokus, puffing and still indignant, pointed -to his shield. The second message of the magic quill was as amazing as -the first, which had sent them to Morrow. - -"Well, that saves us hunting for him," observed the Scarecrow, -cheerfully picking up the goose quill. "He must have found himself, you -know. Shall I keep this my dear?" - -"Please do," sighed Ozma, staring hard at the message, which the Knight -was vainly trying to rub from his shield, "and let's hurry. Just think, -my father is in the castle! Hurry! Hurry! We're almost home!" And -setting an example herself, the little fairy girl fairly flew down the -road. - -"I for one shall not recognize this King," shouted Scraps, running -awkwardly after Ozma. - -"I wonder whether he'll let us live in the castle?" puffed Trot, who -was running hand in hand with Betsy Bobbin. "I kinda wish he'd never -turned up, don't you?" - -Betsy nodded emphatically, and it must be confessed that all of the -others shared Trot's wish. But as Ozma herself seemed so happy at her -father's restoration, such thoughts seemed almost treasonable and no -one but Scraps voiced his real opinion. - -Ozma, being a fairy, did not tire as easily as the rest, but even Ozma -had to slacken her pace before they came to the Emerald City. Indeed, -it was a hard two-hour journey before they reached the outskirts of the -capital. Hot, tired and dusty, they hurried through the quiet streets. -No one in the city had discovered Ozma's absence, for the searchers in -the palace had gone off without notifying anyone, so they stared in -surprise at the breathless little company. Without stopping to explain, -the royal party hurried on to the palace itself, for was not the King -already there and waiting for them? - -Sir Hokus was the first to burst through the tall hedge enclosing the -royal residence. He paused, brushed his mailed fist across his eyes -and then fell with a crash to the jewelled walk. The Scarecrow, close -behind, promptly fell on top of him and Scraps, the Wizard and the -little girls, bumping into the two, stopped short in their tracks. -For where the castle had stood, there was nothing at all excepting a -stretch of lawn, a little greener, perhaps, than in other parts of the -garden, but so smooth, no one would have suspected that a castle ever -_had_ stood there! - -"The King is in the castle, but where is the castle?" groaned the -Scarecrow, raising his head and peering over the Knight's shoulder. - -"Gone!" wailed the little Queen, rushing forward in dismay. -"Everything's gone!" And overcome by the fatigues and disappointments -of the day, Ozma threw herself down upon the grass and wept as if her -heart would break. Betsy and Trot did their best to comfort her, but -what could they say? What could anyone say in the face of so amazing a -calamity? - - "Come out you villain King and thief! - Bring back our home, you robber Chief!" - -screamed Scraps, making little dashes backward and forward. Of course -Scraps did not expect the King to come out but, as if in answer to her -call, there was a shudder and rumble below. - -The rumbling continued, grew worse and worse and finally, with an -explosion like forty-nine roman candles going off at once, the towers, -turrets and gleaming roof of the castle burst through the earth and, -impaling the frightened company upon its spires, carried them kicking -and struggling into the air. Up, up, and up shot the castle, till the -entire structure was standing on its proper foundations. The flag pole -had caught Sir Hokus between his mailed shirt and his armor and the -Knight was spinning around like a weather cock in a gale. Ozma and the -little girls had fortunately been carried aloft on one of the rounded -domes and while their position was extremely precarious it was at least -comfortable. Scraps hung limply over a filigreed balcony, the Wizard -beside her, and the Scarecrow dangled from a spire. - -"Wait! Don't move any of you," coughed the straw man. "Wait, I'll fall -down and get a ladder!" - -And down he plunged! - - - - - CHAPTER 19 - - The Wizard Takes a Hand - - -The people clinging to the roof of the palace were no more puzzled -and alarmed than the ones rattling around beneath the roof. To -understand all of these strange and confusing events, we must go back -to Mombi's incantation. Mombi, you see, had used the magic formula -without the King's robe. Indeed, Mombi had forgotten _that_ part of -the transformation entirely, and in consequence the great disaster -predicted by the Fairy Queen Lurline had occurred. - -When the palace had sunk so suddenly into the earth, Dorothy and her -companions had been too startled to even move. But when it finally -settled down and things grew quiet again, Dorothy, feeling her way -cautiously, pressed a small radio button in the wall. Fortunately the -lighting system had not been thrown out of order and, as the emerald -lamps flooded the throne room with their reassuring glow, everyone gave -a sigh of relief. - -Kabumpo had wound his trunk around one of the palace pillars and closed -his eyes. Now he let go and looked fearfully around him. Mombi had -rolled into a corner and Pajuka lay flat on his back with his feet -in the air. Tora's ears had flown off from the shock, carrying his -spectacles with them, and the poor tailor was uncertainly groping his -way toward the door. Snip, who suffered nothing worse than a bump over -the eye, ran hastily to his assistance, leading him gently to a large -arm chair. Sinking into its comfortable depths, Tora pulled out a red -handkerchief and began mopping first his cheeks and then his brow and -muttering unintelligibly to himself. - -Humpy was sprawled on the floor, his crown jammed down over his nose -and his head resting on the last step of the dais. As Dorothy ran to -help him up, he made a feeble gesture of protest. - -"The kingdom has fallen," puffed the dummy indignantly, "and that lets -me out. If _this_ is the way you treat your sovereigns, I'm through. -I resign! I abdicate. Let me be the bell boy, or the furnace man. Why -even in the movies I have never been treated like this. It's a crime. -It's an outrage!" coughed Humpy, struggling to a sitting position and -trying to pry his crown upward. - -"Now Humpy," began Dorothy reprovingly, "you're talking like a dummy -instead of a King. Just wait--" - -"I _am_ a dummy," insisted the poor fellow, feeling of himself to -make sure. "Has that old wretch changed me one hair's breadth by her -villainous magic? Oh, to think I should have sunk so low!" - -"She's a fraud," hissed Pajuka, who had also picked himself up. "Woman, -how dare you sink the castle in this shocking and informal manner? -Where are we and what is to become of his Majesty?" - -"Look out, she's trying to get away," warned Snip. The little button -boy was right, for at each question Mombi was creeping nearer to the -door. - -"No you don't!" shrilled Kabumpo, snatching her back with his trunk. -"I'll teach you to sink elephants like a ship and play such tricks upon -the King!" He began shaking her backward and forward till her very -bones rattled. - -"Undo this mischief at once. Give me back my own shape. Restore the -King!" screamed Pajuka, flapping his wings in Mombi's face. - -"Raise up this castle or I'll step on you!" promised Kabumpo furiously. - -Mombi looked pleadingly at Dorothy and Snip, but the little boy and -girl felt now that any punishment was too good for the old witch. - -"Give me time," muttered Mombi, casting uneasy glances from one to the -other. "The formula should have restored the King, but something went -wrong. I must have more time." - -"Here, take it." Stumbling across the room, Humpy pressed a dollar -watch into the old witch's hands. "Here's all the time in the world," -said the dummy dolefully, "but don't ask _me_ to be King again. Let -Kabumpo sit on the throne and see how he likes it." - -Turning his back upon the company, Humpy began to run after Tora's -ears. Fastened together by the tailor's spectacles, they were flapping -wildly around the apartment. Pajuka groaned and covered his eyes with -his wing, for the honest goose could not bear to see his old master -conducting himself so foolishly. - -"Well, what shall I do with her?" Kabumpo shook Mombi again and snapped -his eyes angrily at Dorothy. - -"She got us into this trouble and now she must get us out," decided the -little girl wisely. "Do you think you can?" - -The old witch nodded and, at a sign from Dorothy, Kabumpo let her go, -at the same time keeping a close guard upon her. Mombi, it must be -confessed, was as surprised at the fall of the castle as anyone else, -nor could she account for the failure of the magic formula. Hemmed in a -corner by the gigantic Kabumpo, she began mumbling in magic and making -queer passes in the air just to gain time. - -Dorothy watched anxiously, but Snip, who had already had an idea of his -own, tiptoed across the room and picked up Mombi's basket. In a sudden -flash Snip recalled the skyward flight of the cats in Catty Corners. -Was there any more of the marvelous baking powder? Tumbling everything -out of the basket, Snip fumbled hurriedly among its contents and with a -little cry of triumph found what he was looking for--a small purple can -of the magical powder. And, better still, printed in Mombi's crooked -writing, were the directions for its use. This is what Snip read: - - "To raise hair--one drop in water. - - "To raise the roof--one pinch down the chimney. - - "To raise the rent--five teaspoons full in vinegar. - - "To raise a castle or city empty entire contents of can on spot - desired. Sprinkle with water and count ten." - -Seizing a flower vase from a nearby stand, Snip dumped out the powder -and moistened it from the vase. Then, hardly daring to think what would -happen, the little button boy began to count. - -With a roar as sudden and frightful as when it had fallen, the castle -shot upward, gaining speed as it went, up, up, up, till the dark earth -was left far below and the massive structure stood on its rightful -foundations again. - -How Ozma and her friends were caught upon its roof, we already know, -for Snip had set off the powder, just as the Little Queen flung herself -upon the grass to weep. - -While the Scarecrow, with a long ladder from the garden, was helping -those on the roof to get down, Snip was hurrying around the throne room -helping those inside to get up, for the final jar as the castle settled -had knocked everyone over--even Kabumpo. - -"Is this exciting enough for you?" asked Dorothy, crawling out from -beneath a sofa. The Elegant Elephant groaned, but made no attempt to -arise, and Dorothy, rushing over to Mombi, dragged her hurriedly to her -feet. - -"Now that you've raised the castle," puffed the little girl -determinedly, "suppose you transform the King and Pajuka!" - -"Mombi didn't raise the castle, I did it myself!" cried Snip -delightedly. - -"You did!" gasped Kabumpo, rolling over in astonishment. "How?" - -Snip held up the empty can and, while Mombi glowered angrily, he -explained his use of the marvelous baking powder. Tora's ears were -still off so the poor tailor was as bewildered as ever, but Snip -nodded to him encouragingly and had just finished his recital when -the door in the hall burst open and Ozma, in a perfect flutter of -excitement, swept into the throne room--Ozma and everyone who had -accompanied her to Morrow. - -"The King!" gasped Ozma faintly, for she was rather short of breath. -"Where is the King?" Her glance travelled in alarm from Mombi to -Pajuka. The goose was waddling after Humpy. Paying no attention to the -rise of the castle, the dummy was mounted on a chair in a last effort -to capture Tora's ears. - -"Dorothy," wailed the sorely tried and tired little fairy, "where is my -father?" - -"Here! Here!" honked Pajuka, doing his best to make Humpy turn 'round. -"This is the King of Oz!" - -Dorothy, astonished though she was by Ozma's sudden entry, hastened -to break the shock of her disappointment. "You must remember," she -explained hastily, "he is not quite himself!" - -"He's bewitched--we're all bewitched!" groaned the goose, flapping his -wings despairingly. - -"Well, who hit me with the castle?" demanded Scraps, staring around -indignantly. "I told you the King was a dunce!" - -The little girls, Sir Hokus and the Wizard were regarding the stuffed -man's actions with horror and dismay. - -"Are _you_ my father?" faltered Ozma, approaching the dummy timidly. -"Why, where have you been all these years?" - -"In the pictures," answered Humpy in a matter-of-fact voice. With a -final snatch he had captured the tailor's ears and was more interested -in them than in his daughter. "I double for the stars, my dear. I fall -and die and all that sort of thing. Ask Dorothy, she knows all about -me." - -"He's been leading a double life," murmured the Scarecrow, looking -solemnly at Sir Hokus of Pokes. Then, facing the King, he asked -frankly, "Are you a dub or a double?" - -"He's bewitched, I tell you," puffed Pajuka, trying to get some -attention. "Make her disenchant us!" He shot his neck angrily in -Mombi's direction and immediately everyone's attention was directed to -the old witch, whom the Elegant Elephant still guarded in the corner. - -"Why, there's Kabumpo!" cried Ozma and then, catching her first glimpse -of the tailor without ears, she sank limply into a chair and began to -fan herself with a doily. "Everything, everything's so queer," murmured -the little Queen, looking appealingly at Betsy and Trot. - -"Fetch the Green Book of Magic from the library," ordered the Wizard, -giving Sir Hokus a push. "Fetch the book and I will put an end to this -nonsense!" - -Sir Hokus made haste to obey and, before Dorothy could explain all that -had happened or introduce her friends, the Knight came back with the -green book. - -"Here, give me my ears," cried the tailor, who had missed most of the -excitement. Snatching them from Humpy, he clapped them quickly in place -and turned toward the Wizard. The Wizard looked slightly cross-eyed -from astonishment, but swallowing quickly and, determined not to delay -the King's restoration another minute, began to flip over the leaves of -the book. - -"This is it, Incantation No. 980!" panted the little man joyfully. -"Two ought to be eaten before seven." - -"That's not an incantation, that's Humpy's number," cried Dorothy, -pulling out the white tag on the dummy's collar. - -"Why, that's what Mombi tried," put in Snip anxiously. "Look out! -Something else awful will happen!" - -But the Wizard waved them impatiently aside and, throwing the royal -robe he had carried all the way from Morrow about Humpy's shoulders, -pushed him down upon the throne. - -"All but seven leave the room," he ordered crisply and after a short -delay the order was carried out. The seven who remained watched tensely -as the Wizard approached the stuffed King. Popping two small crackers -into his mouth, he gazed fixedly at the dummy. "I command you to -assume your natural shape," choked the Wizard, throwing up his arms -impressively. - -"The King's himself! Long live the King!" shrieked Pajuka, falling flat -upon his bill. - -Everyone crowded forward to see what happened to Humpy--but the dummy -remained as he was. - -"Why he's not changed at all," cried Scraps scornfully, and the Patch -Work Girl was perfectly right. Except for a slight slump to the left, -Humpy had not even changed his position. - -"Two ought to be eaten before seven! Two ought to be eaten before -seven!" muttered the Wizard, beginning to pace anxiously up and down. - -"Two what?" asked Snip. "Are you sure you've eaten the right thing? -Mombi swallowed buttons." - -"Well, I'm no ostrich and the foot note says two of anything," answered -the little man, keeping his place in the book with his forefinger and -gazing at the dummy in exasperation. - - - - - CHAPTER 20 - - The Lost King Is Found - - -The Wizard of Oz was puzzled and mortified. His magic seemed to be no -magic at all. The little man was silent. He could think of nothing but -his failure. - -"Let's all sit down in a circle and think," proposed the Scarecrow, -taking Ozma's hand, for he could see the little fairy was ready to -cry with disappointment. "The goose feather said the King was in the -castle, so he must be here," he insisted cheerfully. "Let Dorothy tell -her story and we'll tell ours and then perhaps we can find out what's -wrong with our magic." - -"Now you're talking sense," approved Scraps, plumping down -beside the straw man. "Have Dorothy explain this old goose, this -button-button-who's-got-the-button boy and the fellow with the -fluttering ears." - -"I guess that _would_ be best," sighed Dorothy. So in less than a wink -that whole strange company, with Humpy in the center, dropped down in a -circle upon the floor. Kabumpo, holding Mombi fast in his trunk, stood -just behind Dorothy, putting in a word now and then or giving Mombi a -shake when she objected to any part of the story. - -Ozma and her friends could scarcely repress their astonishment and -surprise as Dorothy recounted her wonderful adventures with the dummy -and told of Snip's exciting journey with the goose and the old witch. -Indeed, as the story proceeded, they began to regard Snip and Pajuka -with growing admiration and respect, for certainly these two had played -an unforgettable part in the history of Oz. - -When Dorothy told how Snip had raised the castle with Mombi's baking -powder, the company burst into such loud cheers and cries of approval -that the little button boy tried to hide behind the tailor. Tora, -himself, came in for a goodly share of the interest too, and he smiled -pleasantly as Dorothy explained his singular ears and described his -escape from the Blanks. - -When Dorothy had finished, Ozma quickly related all that had happened -in the Emerald City and in Morrow. She told of the deserted castle and -the mysterious messages, and the Scarecrow gravely passed around the -golden quill. - -"I seem to remember this," puffed Pajuka when it had come to him. "Ah, -I know! It is the magic quill the King gave me on my last birthday in -the castle. It always warned one or the other when either was in danger -and I had it in my pocket when Mombi turned me to a goose." - -"And I pulled it out when I fell down the well!" cried Snip excitedly. - -"And it returned to the spot where the old castle had stood," put in -the Wizard, leaning forward sagely. - -"Well, that explains the feather, but who will explain the King?" -demanded the Scarecrow, looking at the dummy with his head on one side. - -"I'm about tired of being explained," mumbled Humpy sulkily. "If you -don't pretty soon decide something, I'll go back to America. I've -fallen and I've risen and now I want to sit still." - -"Perhaps," suggested the tired tailor timidly, for he felt shy in the -presence of so many celebrities, "perhaps Humpy is not the lost King at -all! The feather said the King was in the palace, but it did not say -the dummy was King." - -"Bless me," cried the Scarecrow tossing up his hat, "his brain works as -fast as his ears. That is an idea!" It had not occurred to any of them -that Humpy might not be the King, but now they began to look at one -another questioningly. - -"But he's the image of Pastoria!" insisted Pajuka. "Don't you suppose -I know my own sovereign? Ozma my dear, is this dummy not like your -father?" - -Ozma nodded: "But it wouldn't do any harm to look around," she added -thoughtfully. - -"Come on," cried the Scarecrow waving his hat, "we'll hunt from cellar -to garret!" - -"Keep a trunk on that witch!" called Scraps to the Elegant Elephant, as -they all jumped up and started to follow the Scarecrow from the room. - -"But wait!" exclaimed the tired tailor, catching hold of the straw -man's arm. "How do you know you are not the King yourself?" - -"Me the King!" ejaculated the Scarecrow falling back against a pillar. - -"Well, Mombi could easily have changed you to a Scarecrow," mused Tora, -but Dorothy hastily shook her head, for the Scarecrow's past was well -known and though he had been proved an Emperor of Silver Island, she -felt he could not be the lost King of Oz. - -"Well, somebody in this castle is King," insisted Tora positively. - -"But how shall we know?" gasped Dorothy, while the others looked -equally puzzled. - -"Find the man who fits the King's robe," cried Tora, waving his tape -measure. "Try him," he finished, indicating Sir Hokus of Pokes. - -"How did you ever think of that?" asked the Wizard admiringly. "Find -the man who fits the robe! Why it's as simple as arithmetic. But how -did you ever think of it?" - -"Well, being a tailor, it occurred to me at once," answered Tora -modestly. "The robe fits the dummy perfectly, so I thought at first he -must be the King, but when the magic failed to work I concluded that he -wasn't." - -Mombi sniffed scornfully as the Knight stepped forward but Dorothy -and Ozma, remembering Sir Hokus's strange history, felt that he might -easily be the lost King of Oz. - -Again all but seven left the throne room, and the tailor placed the -King's robes carefully about the Knight's shoulders. Then The Wizard, -taking two more crackers, gravely repeated the magic formula. - -Ozma kept her eyes fixed intently on Sir Hokus. She rather hoped he -would turn out to be her father, for she was very fond of the blustery -Knight. But nothing at all happened after the Wizard's incantation and -Sir Hokus stepped down from the throne with real relief. - -"Odds buckles and bonnets, my dear, I would like to be your father but -not your King," sighed the Knight. "I prefer fighting to governing any -day." - -The Wizard cast his eye about for another candidate of proper size and -shape to fit the robe, but no one in the room seemed to qualify. - -"You're wasting time," grunted Kabumpo irritably. "This person," he -waved loftily at the old tailor, "this person had better have kept out -of it. What does a tailor know of magic?" - -Dorothy looked reprovingly at the Elegant Elephant and just then, -catching a glimpse of the Soldier with the Green Whiskers in the -doorway, rushed over and pulled him into the room. The Soldier with -the Green Whiskers is the entire army of Oz and, while not noted for -his bravery, is a great favorite in the Emerald City. Ever since -the disappearance of Ozma, he had been hiding in the castle cellar, -terribly frightened by its fall and rise. Finally he had screwed up -enough courage to venture forth and investigate. Too astonished to -move, he had listened to the proceedings in the throne room and watched -the Wizard's magic experiments. - -"Try him!" puffed Dorothy, hurrying him toward the throne. As the -tailor carefully adjusted the robe, everyone gasped at the fit and -becomingness of the green garment. It quite transformed the timid -old soldier and, complacently stroking his beard, he waited for the -Wizard's formula to take effect. But again, nothing at all happened -and, dashing the green book of magic into a corner, the Wizard rushed -out of the room. At last he had had an idea of his own. He would look -in the magic picture and discover at once who was the missing King. - -Meanwhile Tora, looking very apologetic, had taken the cloak from the -grand army's shoulders. "I was wrong," sighed the tailor shaking his -head sorrowfully, "and now there is no one else to try." - -Everyone joined in the tailor's sigh, for the afternoon had lengthened -into evening and they were still as far as ever from solving the -mystery. At each disappointment Pajuka had grown more gloomy and now, -waddling up to Mombi, he cried angrily, "Woman, what have you done with -the king? Speak! Speak, or I'll peck off your nose!" - -"Yes, say something!" shrilled Kabumpo, shaking her violently. - -"I remember nothing! I remember nothing! Let me go!" wailed the old -witch, howling dismally. - -Mombi's screams, Pajuka's threats and Kabumpo's trumpeting almost -drowned out another voice that had risen triumphantly above the -confusion. It was Snip. Jumping to his feet and running across the -room, the little button boy flung his arms 'round the old tailor. - -"You never tried it on yourself! You never tried it on yourself!" -panted Snip, trembling with impatience. "Here, give it to me!" - -While Kabumpo sniffed and the others watched half heartedly, the little -boy wrapped the King's robe around the tired tailor, popped two sugar -lumps into his mouth and shouted hoarsely, "Two ought to be eaten -before seven! I command you to resume your natural shape!" - -For as long as you could count ten there was absolute silence. Then a -deep voice, very rough and husky, called wildly, "The King! Long live -the King!" - -"Pajuka!" cried the tired tailor. Rushing joyously down the steps of -the throne, he threw both arms 'round a fat, jolly old gentleman. The -tired tailor, did I say? But no! He was the tired tailor no longer! -The rounded shoulders had straightened up under the velvet robe, the -tired eyes sparkled with pleasure and kindliness. Tora, the tailor, no -longer, but Pastoria, the King, stood embracing his prime minister, for -the same green formula that had restored his majesty had also released -Pajuka from his weary enchantment. - -"I remember! I remember! I turned him to a tailor and flung him down a -well!" squealed Mombi, but in the excitement no one even heard her. The -suddenness of the King's restoration had taken even Snip by surprise, -but recovering quickly they all pressed forward. - -Humpy was the first to reach the throne. "Glad you got the job," -grinned the dummy cheerfully. "But let me be your double, old fellow. -I'll fall or die for you any time." Making his word good at once, Humpy -tripped over the King's foot and fell flat upon his nose. - -"Why he _is_ your double," gasped Dorothy eagerly. "The very image of -you." - -"King, King, double King, never get him back again!" screamed the Patch -Work Girl, and from then on the uproar was tremendous. The courtiers -and servants, back from the long day's search, came crowding into the -throne room, and when they heard the whole story from the Soldier with -the Green Whiskers they added their voices to the general clamor. - -"Why the names should have told us," whispered Dorothy to Snip, whom -she had dragged into a corner for the confidence. "Tora the tailor and -Pastoria, the King. How did we ever miss it?" - -Snip shook his head and looked over contentedly at his two best -friends. It seemed as if Ozma and her father would never stop hugging -one another but at last, with his little daughter on his right and -faithful Pajuka on his left, with Humpy standing importantly behind him -and Snip in his lap, the King sat down upon his throne and insisted -upon hearing all that had happened during his weary exile--for the -years he had been in Blankenburg had been blank indeed. - -Taking turns, Dorothy, Trot and Ozma did their best to satisfy him. -Then Pastoria, himself, told how Lurline, Queen of the Fairy Band, had -come to his shop, tried to disenchant him and when she found Mombi's -magic too strong for her, had bestowed upon him his remarkable flying -ears. - -"I'm going to miss those ears," sighed the King, touching his tight-on -ones regretfully, "but it's fine to be back just the same and to find -my own dear little girl again!" - -"There are still two things I don't understand," mused Dorothy, as -Pastoria finished speaking. "Why did I change size in California, and -how was it you could not get away from Blankenburg till Snip helped -you?" - -"Both very easy to account for," explained the Wizard of Oz, who was -glad to have some part in clearing up the mysteries. "If you had lived -in America as long as you have lived in Oz, you would be quite a young -lady by now, so of course, when you reached California, you resumed -your proper age." - -"Then I'm never going back," decided Dorothy, recalling her strange -experience with a shudder, "for I'm never going to grow up at all." - -"The King was released by Snip," continued the Wizard, paying no -attention to Dorothy's remarks, "because kindness and generosity always -dull green magic, and, while Snip could not entirely restore the King, -he broke part of the enchantment." - -There was still so much to wonder and exclaim about and they were -all by this time so famished with hunger that Ozma ordered up a -splendid feast and in all the annals of Oz there has never been a more -delightful nor a merrier one. - -The King and Ozma sat at the head of the long table, Snip and Pajuka at -the foot, while ranged between were all of the adventurers and all the -dear celebrities of Oz. Mombi had been securely locked up in the cellar -with a supper of bread and milk and Kabumpo, free from his troublesome -charge, had three bales of hay, nicely mixed with peanuts. - -Snip, looking sideways at Pajuka, marvelled to think how he had once -carried the huge Prime Minister through the forest. There was still -something in Pajuka's walk and expression that reminded Snip of the -white goose, for all during the evening he was at some pains to conceal -his yawns. - -Well, with one dainty coming after the other, and one story following -the next, the dinner proceeded gaily enough, till no one, not even the -Hungry Tiger, could eat another bite. And then it was that Pastoria -rose and, turning to Ozma, furnished the last surprise of that -exceedingly surprising day. - -"I am rejoiced," began the King in his deep, pleasant voice, "to find -this beautiful castle and city, built during my absence by our clever -Wizard, and to see that the prosperity and greatness of Oz have -increased during my exile. Feeling that this is largely due to the wise -rule of my lovely little daughter, I now and hereby abdicate in her -favor!" - -Removing the emerald crown the Scarecrow had hastily brought from the -treasury, the King placed it solemnly on Ozma's dark curls. - -"But you're not going away!" cried Ozma, catching hold of his arm in -great distress. - -"Has your Majesty considered this enough?" protested Pajuka, jumping up -in a hurry. "What are you--what are we--going to do?" - -"Open a tailor shop," smiled the King, "right here in the Emerald -City--the finest tailoring shop in Oz. You see," continued his Majesty, -looking a trifle embarrassed, "I've grown awfully fond of tailoring and -I think on the whole I'm a better tailor than a King!" - -There was a moment's silence after this singular announcement. Then, -realizing the generosity and wisdom of the decision, the whole company -burst into thunderous applause. - -"Then everything will be the same. Oh, goody goody!" exulted Betsy -Bobbin, squeezing Trot's hand under the table. "Isn't he a perfect -dear?" - -"Instead of a King's double, I'm a tailor's dummy," sighed Humpy -resignedly. "Oh well, I don't care, but you'll have to make me another -suit." - -"I'll make you a tailored suit. I'll make you _all_ suits," promised -the King enthusiastically. - -"Put plenty of pockets in mine!" puffed Pajuka, sinking into his seat -with another yawn. - -"I'll need a boy in my shop, too," smiled the King, looking down the -long table. "How about it, Snip? Will you stay?" - -"A good place for a button boy," giggled Scraps, while Snip himself -blushed with pleasure and excitement. - -"Oh, I'd love to!" cried Snip. "But may I go back to Kimbaloo first and -tell Kinda Jolly where I am?" - -"Of course, of course," promised the royal tailor, beaming upon -everyone. "And now, as we are all tired and sleepy (the King winked at -Pajuka who was trying to hide another monstrous yawn) I move that we -all retire." - -"That will be the second time you've retired to-day," laughed Snip, -pushing back his chair and running to open the door for his Majesty. -For in spite of his abdication they all felt that Pastoria was a real -King. - -"Oh, isn't everything turning out splendidly?" sighed Dorothy, pressing -the Scarecrow's arm. "The King will be a lot happier as a tailor and -every tailor needs a dummy, so that takes care of Humpy. And won't it -be fun to have Snip in the Emerald City?" - -"I should say!" grinned the Scarecrow, and then, because nobody could -stay awake another minute, they bade each other good night and hurried -off to bed. - -Snip and the Prime Minister shared a sumptuous apartment in the east -wing and, hearing a strange noise in the night, Snip sat up in alarm. -Pajuka's bed was empty, but standing on one leg over by the window and -snoring like a goodfellow (which indeed he was) stood the huge Prime -Minister, his head resting peacefully on his shoulder. - -"He thinks he's still a goose," smiled Snip, snuggling down under the -covers. - - - - - CHAPTER 21 - - The Grand Procession - - -The next day there was a grand procession through the streets of -the Emerald City, in honor of the long lost King of Oz. The Elegant -Elephant led off, the King and Humpy--dressed exactly alike--riding -proudly on his back. Next rode Ozma upon the famous Saw Horse; then -came the Cowardly Lion, carrying Dorothy and Snip; then the Hungry -Tiger with Betsy and Trot. - -Pajuka, astride the Comfortable Camel, was a sight worth seeing, for -the huge Prime Minister was splendidly costumed. Besides this, he had -a pipe in each hand, taking first a puff from one and then a puff from -the other, so that he was almost hidden in clouds of smoke. Sir Hokus, -upon the Doubtful Dromedary, bowed politely to his many friends and -acquaintances. Scraps and the Scarecrow followed the Knight and after -them marched Tik Tok, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers and all the -other famous folk from the palace, down to the smallest page. Slowly -and majestically they circled the city, returning tired out, but well -satisfied, to the cool and fragrant gardens of the palace. - -"Now," sighed Ozma, sliding down from the Saw Horse, "there is nothing -left to do but punish Mombi. What shall we do with Mombi?" - -"Turn her to a cooky, and then I can eat her up without my conscience -troubling me," purred the Hungry Tiger, thumping his tail lazily up and -down in the grass. - -"She'd make an awfully stale cooky," sniffed Scraps, swinging herself -expertly up into a tree. "Turn her into a rock and throw her away." - -"Why not put her out like I did the other witches?" asked Dorothy, -fanning herself with her best crown, which she had worn in honor of the -occasion. "Water will finish her once and forever!" - -"I believe I will," mused Ozma. "That is, if father thinks it is all -right?" The King, with a huge pair of gold specs on his nose, was -busily measuring Snip for a suit, and nodded absently at his royal -daughter. "Anything you say, my dear," said the royal tailor, writing -down the measurements in a little book. - -So off ran Sir Hokus and the Scarecrow to carry out the sentence, -returning in a few minutes with Mombi's buckled shoes, all that -remained of the old Gilliken Witch and her temper. She had been washed -out with water, and would never bother anyone in Oz again. - -Just as the royal party was trooping into the palace for lunch, a page -rushed out to announce a visitor. It was General Whiffenpuff and a -loud noise whom he introduced as the Invisible Cook. Travelling night -and day, and searching everywhere for Mombi and Snip, he had finally -reached the Emerald City and found the famous cook recommended by the -Town Laugher of Kimbaloo. His delight at seeing the little button -boy safe and sound was only exceeded by his astonishment at Snip's -marvelous adventures, but as the cook, for all her invisibility, had a -bad habit of treading on the general's toes, he was anxious to return -to Kimbaloo and turn her over to Kinda Jolly. - -"I'll take you back," volunteered Kabumpo carelessly. "It's on my way -home anyhow." The Elegant Elephant was also anxious to be off and -acquaint the court of Pumperdink with the important events that had -transpired. He wished to display the emerald head-piece Ozma had given -him, and dazzle the courtiers with the silver robe bestowed upon him by -the kingly tailor of Oz. So after a quick luncheon, a quick exchange of -good-byes and good wishes, the pompous old elephant took his departure, -carrying on his back brave General Whiffenpuff, the Invisible Cook and -the gallant little button boy of Kimbaloo. - -"Hurry back!" called the King, waving his silver shears anxiously at -Snip. "I need you!" - -"Hurry back," called Pajuka, blinking his eyes to keep from crying, -"I'll miss you!" - -"I will!" promised Snip, nearly crying himself. "I will!" The last -thing the little button boy saw was the Prime Minister diving fully -dressed into the pond. Pajuka had again forgotten he was no longer a -goose. - - * * * * * - -If you could peek into the Emerald City this very minute you would see -that a splendid tailoring shop has been set up next to the palace--a -splendid shop, where the retired King and Snip work happily for part of -the day and hold court for the rest. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Lost King of Oz</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: John R. Neill</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 16, 2021 [eBook #65849]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST KING OF OZ ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/tp.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - - -<h1>The Lost King of Oz</h1> - -<p>BY RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON</p> - -<p><i>Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories</i></p> - -<p>BY<br /> -L. FRANK BAUM<br /> -"Royal Historian of Oz"</p> - -<p>Illustrated by<br /> -JOHN R. NEILL</p> - -<p>The Reilly & Lee Co. -Chicago</p> - -<p><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></p> - -<p>Copyright, 1925<br /> -By<br /> -The Reilly & Lee Co.</p> - -<p><i>All Rights Reserved</i></p> - -<p><i>The Lost King of Oz</i></p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusf4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p class="ph1">This book is dedicated to<br /> -My Best Girl--Mother<br /> -RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusf1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusf3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Dear Boys and Girls:</p> - -<p>A whole book full of news has happened in Oz since I wrote to you -last year. But before I tell a word of it, I must thank you for the -wonderful letters you have written to me. It is fine to know which -of the dear old Ozzy celebrities you like best, so please do keep on -writing. If you tell me all the Oz news you hear, I'll tell you all -I hear. Is it a bargain? Well, the most surprising news right now is -about the Lost King.</p> - -<p>"Lost! Lost! Lost! What an exciting word!" writes a little girl to whom -I confided the secret. "Who is he? Where was he and will he replace -Ozma on the throne?"</p> - -<p>I could hardly wait to find out the answers to all of these questions -my own self and if it had not been for Snip, the little Button Boy and -Pajuka, the goose, I never would have discovered them.</p> - -<p>Almost everybody is in this adventure—even Kabumpo had a trunk in the -affair. When you have read the whole strange story, let me know what -you think of Mombi's wicked behavior, will you?</p> - -<p>And I cannot say good-bye without a big cheer for every boy and girl -who believes in OZ! Lots of love to you!</p> - -<p class="ph2">RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON.<br /> -254 S. Farragut Terrace,<br /> -Philadelphia,<br /> -July, 1925.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusf2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3><i>The Lost King of Oz</i></h3> - - -<p>Princess Ozma has ruled so wisely and happily in the wonderful Land of -Oz for so long that most of us have forgotten the strange story of the -Lost King of Oz—Ozma's father.</p> - -<p>As everyone in Oz knows, the King was transformed from his royal self -by Mombi, the wicked old Gilliken witch, and lost his throne and his -crown when he, himself, was lost.</p> - -<p>In this new Oz book the Royal Historian tells how Snip, the little -buttonboy, and Pajuka, the great white goose—who had been the lost -King's prime minister in the good old days—set out from the jolly -Kingdom of Kimbaloo to find the King and to petition Princess Ozma to -punish Mombi for her wicked mischief.</p> - -<p>Princess Dorothy meets Snip and Pajuka, as she returns from a sudden -and curious visit to Hollywood with a funny and friendly moving picture -dummy, and the four adventurers are whisked to the Emerald City by -Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant. At the Court of Ozma the Scarecrow and -the Wizard of Oz join in the attempt to find the Lost King, and the -surprising events that follow make a truly exciting Oz story.</p> - -<p>After many thrilling attempts, the mystery of the Lost King is -magically solved, but you must read for yourself to find out all about -it.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/toc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>List of Chapters</h3> - -<table summary="table of contents"> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_1">CHAPTER 1</a></td><td>In Jolly Kimbaloo</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_2">CHAPTER 2</a></td><td>Snip's Great Adventure</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_3">CHAPTER 3</a></td><td>King Kinda Jolly Is Sad</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_4">CHAPTER 4</a></td><td>In the Purple Forest</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_5">CHAPTER 5</a></td><td>The Rolling Hoopers</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_6">CHAPTER 6</a></td><td>In Catty Corners</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_7">CHAPTER 7</a></td><td>The Magic Pudding</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_8">CHAPTER 8</a></td><td>The Mysterious Message</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_9">CHAPTER 9</a></td><td>In the Castle of Morrow</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_10">CHAPTER 10</a></td><td>Dorothy and the Dummy</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_11">CHAPTER 11</a></td><td>A Real Oz Adventure</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_12">CHAPTER 12</a></td><td>The Playful Scooters</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_13">CHAPTER 13</a></td><td>Snip Meets the Blanks</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_14">CHAPTER 14</a></td><td>The Old Tailor's Story</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_15">CHAPTER 15</a></td><td>Kabumpo to the Rescue</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_16">CHAPTER 16</a></td><td>Humpy Hailed as King</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_17">CHAPTER 17</a></td><td>Mombi's Magic</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_18">CHAPTER 18</a></td><td>Ozma's Odd Home-Coming</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_19">CHAPTER 19</a></td><td>The Wizard Takes a Hand</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_20">CHAPTER 20</a></td><td>The Lost King Is Found</td></tr> -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_21">CHAPTER 21</a></td><td>The Grand Procession</td></tr> -</table> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_1" id="CHAPTER_1"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 1</h2> - -<p class="ph1">In Jolly Kimbaloo</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p>The King of Kimbaloo was kind'a jolly, and Kinda Jolly was the King -of Kimbaloo. And no wonder he was kind'a jolly! He had made a great -fortune in buttons, and had one of the coziest castles in Oz. It was -set in the very center of a thick button wood in the Gilliken country, -and had more chimneys and windows than any dozen castles I can think -of.</p> - -<p>The castle owed much of its coziness to Rosa Merry, the quaint little -Queen of Kimbaloo, who kept it spick and spandy and simply blooming -with flowers. This she could easily do, for in the castle garden grew -a simply enormous bouquet bush, where old and new fashioned bouquets -blossomed in bewildering profusion. There were violets and rosebuds -edged with lace paper, lovely red roses tied with satin bows, daisies -and daffodils, pinks and larkspur, and every other sort of delightful -nosegay you could ever imagine. No matter how many were gathered, -others immediately blossomed, so that Rosa Merry had made almost as -much of a fortune in bouquets as Kinda had in buttons, and could have -jelly-roll every lunchtime if she cared to.</p> - -<p>There were some who thought the castle, built as it was of dark purple -button wood, studded with rows and rows of bright buttons, extremely -odd, but it suited Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry right down to the cellar -and the five hundred inhabitants of Kimbaloo thought it extremely -magnificent. No doubt they were right. However that may be, anyone who -had seen Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry walking in the gardens on pleasant -summer evenings would have had to admit they were the most lovable -little couple in the land. Kinda was short and fat and Rosa was short -and merry. They both dressed in the purple costumes of the Gillikens, -but their robes were trimmed all over with buttons that chinked -delightfully when they walked and almost dazzled one by the brilliance -of their colors.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>King Kinda's crown was made of silver buttons to match his whiskers and -Rosa's was of gold to match her curls. Both had cheerful dispositions -to match their crowns, so that life in Kimbaloo was cheerful for -everyone. The Kimbles themselves lived in tiny cottages scattered -about under the trees, and as they were all girls and boys, they were -all happy and light hearted as birds in the button wood. Half of them -worked for the King and half for the Queen. Yes, every morning, the two -hundred and fifty merry little maids would run into the castle garden, -where Rosa Merry would fill their arms with bouquets from the bouquet -bush. Then away down the Queen's Highway, that led through the wood -into the Winkie Country, they would hurry—and so charming and quaint -were the Queen's little flower girls no one could help buying their -posies. So by noon time they would come back with empty arms and heavy -pockets and nothing to do for the rest of the day but swing in the -hammocks or dance in the gardens.</p> - -<p>The boys' work was almost as delightful. Every morning they would -scamper into the button wood with Kinda Jolly and shake down a good -crop of buttons. Then each button boy would fill his button box with -a gay assortment and set off down the King's Highway to sell them to -the good dames in the Gilliken Country. There are no stores in Oz, so -they never had any trouble in disposing of their wares, especially the -collar buttons. The men of the Gilliken country are as good at losing -collar buttons as men in your own town, so by noon time the button -boxes would be full of coins and the button boys would come racing back -to the castle with nothing more to do for the rest of the day but play -quoits or "button-button-who's-got-the-button?"</p> - -<p>Altogether, life in Kimbaloo was as jolly as possible. Indeed, there -was so much laughing to be done that King Kinda had a Town Laugher to -help out on particularly funny days and to keep him from busting all -the buttons from his purple vest. Yes sir, everybody in Kimbaloo was -laughing and happy—excepting one and that person was the King's cook. -Mombi never laughed at all, and how she came to be cook I will tell you -at once. She was not a native of Kimbaloo and, though no one in the -kingdom knew it, Mombi was really an old Gilliken witch. Long ago, for -her wicked transformations, she had been deprived of her magic powers -by Glinda, the good sorceress, and given enough to live on honestly and -comfortably.</p> - -<p>But after you have been a witch all of your life, it is dreadfully hard -to settle down to being just an ugly old woman. Mombi had stood it as -long as she could, and then one day she had closed up her little hut -at the foot of the Gilliken mountains, taken her crooked stick, and set -out to seek a position as cook in one of the castles of Oz—for she -felt that only among a great many kettles and cauldrons could she ever -be contented or at home. Besides being cross and crooked, Mombi was so -ugly and ill-tempered that most of the castle doors were slammed in her -face, but one day she had come to Kimbaloo. Hobbling through the button -wood she found King Kinda Jolly under a shoe button tree. Falling upon -her knees Mombi begged him so hard to let her remain as cook that the -gentle old monarch finally consented, though much against the advice -of Hah Hoh, the Town Laugher. But Kinda, thinking her a poor and needy -old woman, had kept her nevertheless, and as Mombi, like many another -old witch, was an excellent cook, he had never regretted his bargain. -In spite of her wonderful cooking no one had ever grown really fond of -her, but she was treated with consideration and respect and allowed to -do pretty much as she pleased in the castle kitchen.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch1.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Mombi Sets Out to Seek a Position as Cook</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>So while everyone else in the kingdom was being useful and happy, -Mombi went muttering and sputtering about among the pots and kettles -and every minute when she was not cooking she was trying to remember -her magic formulas, mixing pepper with onions, onions with cinders, -and cinders with suspender buttons. But stir as she would, nothing -ever came of it, for Mombi had forgotten every witch word she had ever -known. She knew a good many other words, however, and said very nearly -all of them when her magic failed to work, flinging her stick into the -air and hopping up and down with rage and disappointment. But as she -never allowed anyone in the kitchen but herself, there was no one to -witness her shocking behavior, until Snip, one of the King's button -boys, climbing through the window one afternoon to steal a cooky, -caught her right in the midst of a frightful incantation.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Salt—vinegar—mustard—mutton!</div> - <div class="verse">The king shall be a collar button!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>That was what Snip heard Mombi mumble, bending over a peppery mixture -on the fire. So dreadful was her expression as she scowled into the -frying pan that Snip tumbled from the window sill into a rose bush. -Picking himself up, he rushed down the garden path convinced that the -King was done for. But there was Kinda Jolly, with his silver crown, -walking calmly under the button trees. Snip looked again to be sure -Kinda was not turning to a collar button and then, a little ashamed -of being so easily frightened, he crept back to the ledge to see what -Mombi would do next. He was just in time to see her fling the frying -pan down the cellar steps and kick over a basket of potatoes. Then, -grumbling and snarling and rubbing her shins, she limped into the -garden to fetch the goose Kinda Jolly had bought for dinner—for magic -or no magic the cooking had to be attended to. The goose had come -straight from a neighboring farm and was still in the flimsy wooden -crate. Scowling and scolding, Mombi slammed the crate on the table and -ripped off the top slats.</p> - -<p>As soon as the slats were removed, the goose thrust its head out of the -crate and peered about the kitchen. As he looked at the big white bird, -Snip had a feeling that there was something human about him. The old -witch-cook made a grab at the bobbing white head.</p> - -<p>"Help!" squawked the luckless bird, as Mombi seized it roughly by the -feathers. Then, catching a really good look at Mombi, it reared up -its neck till its eyes were on a level with her own. "YOU!" cried the -goose, so shrilly that Snip's hair rose up and waved to and fro under -his stiff little hat. He was not surprised to hear the goose talk, for -all beasts and birds in the Land of Oz converse, but its next words -were so strange and mysterious the little button boy nearly lost his -balance again.</p> - -<p>"Woman!" hissed the goose, thrusting its bill under Mombi's long nose, -"Woman, what have you done with the King?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_2" id="CHAPTER_2"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 2</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Snip's Great Adventure</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p>The King! Poor Snip, crouched uncomfortably on the narrow sill, -trembled with terror, for this time he was sure Mombi's incantation -had taken effect and had turned King Kinda to a collar button. Mombi -herself seemed as astonished as he. Dropping her hands at her sides, -she peered sharply at the great white goose.</p> - -<p>"Well!" wheezed the old witch, blinking her eyes rapidly, "Well, if it -isn't Pajuka, and simple as ever he was!"</p> - -<p>"Whose fault is that?" complained the goose bitterly. "Who took away my -elegant figure and gave me this ridiculous shape?"</p> - -<p>"You always were a goose," sniffed Mombi. "All you needed was a bill -and feathers. You're one of the best transformations I ever did," she -added proudly. "What are you fussing about anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Would <i>you</i> like to be a goose?" asked the bird indignantly. "I should -think you'd be ashamed of yourself, you old Scundermutch!"</p> - -<p>"I don't care a waffle what you think," retorted Mombi, "but if you -care to think anything more, be quick about it, for your time has come."</p> - -<p>"Time?" puffed the goose. "What time?"</p> - -<p>"Dinner time," said Mombi unfeelingly. "You are tired of being a goose. -Well then, you shall be a dinner and I trust you will pan out well!"</p> - -<p>"Dinner!" screamed the goose, fluttering all of his feathers. "You -wouldn't dare serve me for dinner. I'm a Prime Minister and you know -it."</p> - -<p>"Prime goose, you mean," snickered Mombi, reaching behind the table for -the ax.</p> - -<p>Now all this, as you may well imagine, was frightfully interesting to -Snip. Raising himself on his elbow he saw the two glaring furiously at -one another.</p> - -<p>"Don't sass me woman!" hissed Pajuka, flapping his wings.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I'll apple sass you," sneered Mombi. "The sooner you're roasted the -better. You know far too much." She made a snatch at the goose, but -Pajuka, with a quick flounce, freed himself from the crate and soared -into the air.</p> - -<p>"Help! Help! This woman is a witch," he honked loudly. "Help! Help!"</p> - -<p>"Hush!" raged the old woman, dropping the ax and running to slam the -door. "Do you want to rouse the castle?" It was her turn to be alarmed -now, for in Kimbaloo Mombi enjoyed more privileges than she would -anywhere else, and she was not anxious to have it known that she was a -witch and so be turned out of the kingdom. "Be quiet I tell you," she -wheezed angrily. "What are you making such a racket about?"</p> - -<p>"Mombi a witch!" Snip could hardly believe his ears, but frightened -as he was he could not help chuckling. "Who wouldn't make a fuss at -roasting," thought Snip, peering around the edge of the sill to see -what Pajuka would do. The goose had settled on a cupboard high above -Mombi's head.</p> - -<p>"Very well," he breathed heavily. "I will be quiet, but now you will -listen to <i>me</i>. I demand that you instantly restore my proper shape -or—" He gave a loud squawk that made Mombi leap a foot into the air.</p> - -<p>"How can I? How can I?" chattered the witch, wringing her hands. "I've -forgotten all my witchcraft. Do you suppose I'd be here as a cook if I -had my magic powers, you ridiculous old bird!" Snip could see Pajuka's -eyes grow round as buttons at this dismal news.</p> - -<p>"What?" wailed the unhappy goose. "Must I continue forever to lead this -simple life? Must I associate with ducks and farmers to the end of my -days?"</p> - -<p>"You ought to be glad you're alive at all," mumbled Mombi -uncomfortably. These words had a startling effect on Pajuka.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" groaned the goose remorsefully. "Here I've been thinking of -myself when it is the King who matters." And stretching his long neck -he repeated the question that had so alarmed Snip in the first place. -"Woman!" rasped Pajuka hoarsely, "Woman, what have you done with the -King?"</p> - -<p>"Not so loud," begged Mombi, raising her stick and glancing uneasily -over her shoulder, as if she half suspected someone were listening. -Then, seeing Pajuka was going to honk again, she added defiantly, "I -don't remember what I did with him!"</p> - -<p>Now Snip, who loved King Kinda Jolly with all his heart, was stunned -at this dreadful news. Undecided whether to run for help or stay and -listen, he finally decided to stay and crept close to the inner edge of -the sill.</p> - -<p>Pajuka seemed stunned too. "How frightful," choked the goose dolefully, -"how careless of you to mislay the King. How dare you forget?"</p> - -<p>"Well, there's no use quarreling about it," grumbled Mombi. "Who cares -anyway? Ozma is Queen now and nobody even remembers there was a King of -Oz!"</p> - -<p>"Of Oz!" Snip, between relief at finding nothing had happened to King -Kinda Jolly and shock at the old witch's words, lost his hold on the -window bars and fell straight into Mombi's arms.</p> - -<p>"A spy!" shrieked Mombi, beginning to shake him backward and forward. -"A spy!"</p> - -<p>"Now who's making a racket," demanded Pajuka triumphantly. "Keep that -up and you'll have the whole castle about our ears. Besides, if he's a -spy, where is his spy glass?"</p> - -<p>"Idiot!" hissed Mombi, but she lowered her voice and stopped shaking -Snip. "Why, you're as simple as you look," she muttered contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"And you're as wicked," retorted the goose, staring sharply at Snip. -"Let that boy alone or I'll honk my head off." Snip's ears were buzzing -from the shaking and he looked gratefully at Pajuka.</p> - -<p>"Do you think I'm going to let him carry his tales to Kinda Jolly? No -sir! Into the soup kettle with him," puffed Mombi, rushing Snip toward -the stove. But at her first step, the white goose flung himself at her -head with such an outcry that she stopped at once.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Let the boy alone," panted Pajuka. Then, seeing that it was useless to -appeal to Mombi's goodness he began to appeal to her badness. "The King -will reward you generously, if you restore him to the throne," began -Pajuka craftily. "Nothing is to be gained by this quarreling. Let us -put our heads together and find the King of Oz."</p> - -<p>Still holding Snip tightly by the wrist, Mombi sank upon a crooked -stool and, half closing her eyes, began to think of the bad old days -before little Ozma was Queen—the bad old days when witches had been -free to practice their arts and she herself was one of the most -powerful witches in the land.</p> - -<p>"I'll do it!" declared Mombi suddenly. "But how shall we find him when -I forget what I have done with him?"</p> - -<p>"I'd know him anywhere," gulped Pajuka, two tears dropping off the end -of his bill. "Haven't I been hunting him all these years?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I think he is transformed," muttered Mombi uneasily. "If the -King is not himself how do you expect to recognize him?"</p> - -<p>"I'd know him in any shape," insisted the goose. "But try—try to -remember. You turned Ozma to a boy and me to a goose. What did you do -with the King?"</p> - -<p>So interested had the two become by this time, they had almost -forgotten the presence of Snip. But Snip was listening with all his -might, his ears fairly tingling with curiosity. The lad, like many -another Gilliken boy, was perfectly familiar with the history of Oz. -For while they gathered buttons in the wood, King Kinda had read them -many a strange chapter from the big purple history books.</p> - -<p>Snip knew that Oz was a great oblong Kingdom divided into four parts -with the capital, a splendid Emerald City, in the exact center. The -Northern Land was the Gilliken country and Kimbaloo was but one of -the many kingdoms in that interesting section. The Eastern part of -Oz belonged to the Winkies; the Southern country was the Quadling -Country; while the Western lands belonged to the Munchkins. Snip knew -the names of the rulers of Oz as well as you know the names of the -Presidents—perhaps even better—for as only a part of Oz history -has been written down there have not been so many. The first ruler -mentioned was the famous Wizard of Oz, who had flown to the marvelous -country in a balloon from Omaha. It was the Wizard who had built the -famous Emerald City, and who had given Ozma, the little girl ruler, -into the keeping of an old witch. This witch had already captured -the King, Ozma's father, and very little was known about the royal -gentleman.</p> - -<p>The Wizard had ruled Oz for years. At last, desiring to return to -America, he had made the Scarecrow Emperor. This lively man of straw -had held the throne until captured by an ambitious girl named Jinjur, -and her army of girls. But Jinjur was only ruler for a few days and -was herself captured by Glinda, the good sorceress of the South, to -whom the Scarecrow had gone for help. Glinda, looking through her magic -record books, had discovered that Ozma, who had been deposed by the -Wizard, was still in the old witch's clutches. So Glinda had compelled -her to restore Ozma to the throne. The witch had transformed the little -Princess into a boy named Tip, but was forced by Glinda to disenchant -her and amid general rejoicing Ozma was proclaimed Queen of Oz and had -been ruler ever since, while the old witch had been deprived of her -magic powers and banished from the Emerald City forever.</p> - -<p>The Wizard of Oz had later returned and become one of Ozma's most -trusted counselors, regretting exceedingly his part in giving her to -the witch. As Snip listened, all of these facts went scurrying through -his head, and while Professor Wogglebug in his history had neglected to -put in the witch's name, looking at the dreadful old woman beside him, -Snip realized with a shudder that Mombi was that witch.</p> - -<p>It had been generally supposed that the King, Ozma's father, had been -utterly destroyed by Mombi's magic, but if what Pajuka said were true, -the King in some shape or other was still alive and the rightful ruler -of Oz, while this faithful goose was his prime minister. Snip longed -to run to Kinda Jolly with the amazing news and to warn him against -Mombi herself, but the old hag had him fast by the wrist, so there was -nothing to do but listen. Even this was becoming harder and harder, for -Mombi and Pajuka had lowered their voices to a whisper. Just as Snip -had determined to jerk away and make a run for it, Mombi sprang to her -feet.</p> - -<p>"We'll start at once!" she cried determinedly, and jerking off her -cook's cap and without releasing her hold on Snip, she snatched her -peaked witch hat from a low cupboard and set it jauntily on the side of -her head. Then, dragging Snip with her, she began hobbling about the -kitchen, collecting pepper shakers, mustard boxes, spices, herbs and -various other supplies from the shelves. These she tossed quickly into -a basket with a loaf of bread, a cold chicken and some cheese.</p> - -<p>"C'mon!" croaked the witch, motioning to Pajuka. "C'mon before anyone -misses us."</p> - -<p>"What about the boy?" asked the goose doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"Let him carry the basket," snapped the witch.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Thrusting the basket into Snip's hands, Mombi gave him such a glare -that the poor lad's heart dropped into his boots. Then, grabbing him by -the sleeve, she rushed him through the door leading into the kitchen -garden. A high hedge surrounded the garden, so no one saw them go. -The garden ran down to the edge of a gloomy forest. Into this forest -plunged Mombi, Pajuka waddling and flying after her and poor Snip, -casting many longing glances over his shoulder at the dear old castle -of Kimbaloo where life had been so care-free and so merry.</p> - -<p>It is one thing to set out on a journey of adventures yourself, but to -be dragged away against your will by a wicked old witch is another pair -of pickles entirely, and though Snip was as brave as the next fellow he -could not keep back his tears at parting from Kinda Jolly, Rosa Merry -and his many gay comrades in the button wood.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_3" id="CHAPTER_3"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 3</h2> - -<p class="ph1">King Kinda Jolly Is Sad</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p>While all this was happening in the King's kitchen, Kinda Jolly sat -cheerfully on his throne, talking to his pretty little Queen.</p> - -<p>"Rosa, my dear," smiled Kinda, tugging at his silver whiskers, "guess -what we're going to have for dinner."</p> - -<p>Rosa Merry, who was sewing a button on the King's suspenders, paused -with her needle in the air.</p> - -<p>"What does it begin with?" asked Rosa curiously. The Queen simply doted -on a riddle.</p> - -<p>"With a G," answered Kinda Jolly, leaning down to pat Trippsy, his pet -foot stool. Trippsy is the only live footstool, I think, I have ever -heard of. He followed Kinda wherever he went, which was fortunate, -for the King's legs were so short that no matter how low the chair or -bench, his feet never touched the floor. In some ways Trippsy was a -more useful pet than a dog. He never chased cats, nor got into fights, -nor barked, except a few shins, so that Kinda Jolly was awfully fond of -him.</p> - -<p>"Is it a goat?" giggled Rosa Merry, biting off her thread.</p> - -<p>"Goat!" sputtered Kinda Jolly. "I should say not! Trippsy, old boy, -she says we're going to have goat for dinner." Trippsy, who had been -to market with the King—Kinda being one of those dear old fashioned -fellows who do their own marketing—waved his tassel faintly to show -that he appreciated the joke, while General Whiffenpuff, the King's -body guard, and Hah Hoh, the Town Laugher burst into loud roars of -merriment.</p> - -<p>"Guess again," invited Kinda Jolly, putting his finger tips together, -and beaming on his pretty wife.</p> - -<p>"Grapes, glue, gum drops?" ventured the Queen, puckering up her -forehead. "Gravy, ginger, griddle cakes. I know, it's griddle cakes!"</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Grapes and glue and griddle cakes</div> - <div class="verse">Will give us frightful stomach aches!</div> - <div class="verse">Ginger, grapes and glue and gravy</div> - <div class="verse">Oh, some kind doctor come and save ye!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>That was the best that Hah Hoh could think of, but they all laughed so -loud that seven little button boys stuck their heads in the window to -see what all the fun was about.</p> - -<p>"Well, do you give it up?" asked Kinda, after Rosa had made seven more -merry guesses.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the Queen, shaking her head till the curls flew out in -every direction. "What is it?"</p> - -<p>"A goose!" puffed Kinda Jolly, settling back comfortably on his -throne. "The finest, fattest goose you ever saw in your life. Cost me -a thousand gold buttons," he finished, smacking his lips and winking -at General Whiffenpuff. The General, who was fonder of eating than of -anything else, began to pat his stomach absently and Trippsy, though -far too well stuffed to require food, gave a skip of satisfaction that -nearly upset the King.</p> - -<p>"Roast goose and apple sauce," mused Kinda, regaining his balance. -"Yum-yum, Whiffen, old rascal, just step out to the pantry, and see -how the dinner's progressing. It's high time our goose was cooked, and -I for one am hungry as a hippogriff." They were still laughing at Hah -Hoh's jokes, when Whiffenpuff returned, but one look at the General -sobered them at once.</p> - -<p>"Guess what we're going to have for dinner?" panted Whiffenpuff, very -red in the face from his hurry.</p> - -<p>"What?" asked Rosa in surprise.</p> - -<p>"Nuthin'," gulped the General dolefully. "The dinner's not going, it's -GONE! Our goose is hooked, tooked, crooked," finished Whiffenpuff, -forgetting his grammar entirely. (Of course, we have known this all -along, but it was a great shock to the King.)</p> - -<p>"Gone!" gasped Kinda Jolly. "But where is Mombi?"</p> - -<p>"Gone too!"</p> - -<p>"To where?"</p> - -<p>Whiffenpuff shook his head glumly and immediately Rosa Merry, Kinda -Jolly and all the rest rushed into the kitchen to see for themselves -how gone everything was. Naturally enough they found neither Mombi nor -Pajuka and, on the whole, this was most fortunate, for otherwise they -might have eaten the Prime Minister of Oz and swallowed with him the -whole of this story.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Our dinner began with a G and now its gone! Gone begins with a G. Our -dinner is gone with a G! Shall I laugh?" asked Hah Hoh, beginning to -tickle himself in the ribs.</p> - -<p>"I should say not. Why, this is no laughing matter. No cook! No goose! -No dinner! Oh! I'm so disappointed I could cry!" choked Kinda Jolly, -puffing out his cheeks.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Don't do that! Don't do that!" begged Rosa Merry, and tumbling off her -high stool she sent a page flying for the Town Crier. I never told you -there was one, but Kimbaloo has a Town Crier as well as a Town Laugher, -for no one in that merry Kingdom ever thinks of shedding tears.</p> - -<p>So before one could wink the Town Crier came running in with a page, -and when Whiffenpuff told him about the lost dinner, the lost goose and -the lost cook, he simply burst into tears.</p> - -<p>"How long shall I cry?" he sobbed, looking around his handkerchief at -Kinda Jolly.</p> - -<p>"Seven minutes for the goose and th-three for Mombi," sniffed the King, -biting his lip to keep from crying himself. So the Town Crier jerked -out another hanky, and while all the rest stood around and looked -solemn and Kinda held his watch, he wept eye after eye full of tears.</p> - -<p>"Do you feel better?" asked Rosa Merry presently, patting Kinda's plump -hand.</p> - -<p>"A little, a little," acknowledged the King, "but do you s'pose Mombi's -gone for good?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I trust so," sniffed the Town Laugher, shrugging his shoulders, -"but I'm afraid she has gone for bad, your Majesty. A more evil -appearing old wretch I've never seen in Oz, and perhaps we are well rid -of her. Only a week ago I had a letter from a sixteenth cousin of mine -in the Emerald City telling of a famous invisible cook who lived near -her. Why not send for this invisible cook, your Highness?"</p> - -<p>"That's what we've got now, isn't it?" put in General Whiffenpuff, -gloomily, but Kinda's eyes began to snap at the Town Laugher's -suggestion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Why an invisible cook would be simply out of sight!" cried the King, -motioning for the Town Crier to cease his lamentations. "Let us send -for her at once!"</p> - -<p>"And meanwhile I'll be cook," smiled Rosa Merry, happy that everything -was turning out so well. "Guess what we're going to have for dinner?"</p> - -<p>"Omelet!" gulped the Town Crier, wringing out his handkerchiefs in a -business-like fashion and immediately the rest began to guess this and -then that till they were all as jolly as possible. But right in the -midst of the merriment, in came ten little button boys to report the -disappearance of Snip.</p> - -<p>"Snip gone," groaned Kinda Jolly, clapping his hand to his head and -falling back against the flour barrel. "Oh! This is the worst of all. -Why he's the brightest boy in Kimbaloo and the best button picker I've -got. Cry! Cry some more, cry a lot!" wailed the poor King, shaking the -Town Crier by the arm. So he did, and the Town Laugher had to blow his -nose hard, to keep from crying himself, for Snip was a great favorite -in the palace.</p> - -<p>As soon as the news got about, all the rest of the Kimbles came -tumbling into the kitchen, and the two hundred and forty-nine little -button boys began to hug Kinda Jolly, and the two hundred and fifty -little flower girls began to hug Rosa Merry. Trippsy, the pet foot -stool, who loved Snip almost as much as Kinda Jolly, was so upset he -dashed here and there till everyone else was that way, too, especially -General Whiffenpuff. Altogether the confusion was terrific.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Wait!" grunted the General, picking himself up for the fifth time. -"Wait! I will find them all!" Seizing his gun, and with never a thought -of dinner, he plunged boldly out into the night to find Mombi, the -goose, Snip and an invisible cook. After that things grew calmer, -for the King had great confidence in Whiffenpuff. The boys and girls -trooped back to their cottages and the rest sat down to a picnic supper -out of the ice box.</p> - -<p>"Whiffenpuff will find 'em, no fear," whispered Hah Hoh, squeezing -Kinda Jolly's hand comfortingly, "and if he doesn't just remember that -I also have something up my sleeve!"</p> - -<p>"What is it?" asked the King mournfully, and as clearly as he could, -for he had half a chicken sandwich in the other cheek.</p> - -<p>"A funny bone," confided the Town Laugher, with so comical and -important an expression that Kinda had to be thumped on the back to -keep from choking.</p> - -<p>"A funny bone!" gasped the King, as he recovered his breath. "Let me -see it, you rascal."</p> - -<p>So the Town Laugher showed Kinda Jolly his left elbow and they both -roared at the joke.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_4" id="CHAPTER_4"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 4</h2> - -<p class="ph1">In the Purple Forest</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Snip thought of a great many things to tell Mombi as he was being -dragged along through the forest, but she ran so far and so fast that -by the time she stopped he was too bumped about and breathless to say -any of them.</p> - -<p>"Now what?" puffed Pajuka, settling on the lowest branch of a purple -pine.</p> - -<p>"Well, do you expect to find the King under the first tree we come -to?" panted the old witch, dropping down on a stump and mopping her -forehead with her apron. "Hand over that basket, you!" Before he could -comply, Mombi had snatched the basket from Snip and, loosening her hold -upon his arm, began rummaging among its contents till she found a small -purple scroll. "Keep your eye on the boy," ordered Mombi, snapping the -scroll open, "and if he tries to escape nip off his nose, d'ye hear?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't do that," said Pajuka, fluttering his wings. -"He'd much rather come with us to find the King and share in the -reward, wouldn't you lad?"</p> - -<p>Snip glanced fearfully around him. The shadows were growing longer and -longer, and in the dim purple twilight the forest looked so grim and -forbidding that he decided even bad company was better than none. So he -shook his head and swallowing the lump in his throat resolved to make -the best of things, and at the same time find out all he could about -this mysterious affair.</p> - -<p>"What did I tell you," clucked Pajuka, preening his feathers. "I -shouldn't be surprised if he'd be a great help to us, Mombi!"</p> - -<p>"Then let him begin by gathering some wood," grunted Mombi, "and none -of your tricks Snip my boy, or I'll turn you to a muffin and eat you -for breakfast."</p> - -<p>"Is Snip your name?" asked Pajuka, waddling after the little button -boy. Snip nodded and began slowly picking up twigs and putting them in -a heap.</p> - -<p>"A heartless old wretch," wheezed the goose, when they were out of ear -shot. "Don't mind her. She can no more turn you to a muffin than I can, -but she is the only one who can help me find the King so we must humor -her. Stick by me, Snip, and I'll stick by you. Is it a bargain?" In the -strange, silent forest, the white goose looked so big and friendly that -Snip dropped his twigs and flung both arms around his neck.</p> - -<p>"I like you Pajuka," said the little button boy, giving him a quick hug.</p> - -<p>"And I like you, Snip," replied the goose, snuggling close to him. -Then, as Mombi glanced up suspiciously, they both fell to gathering -twigs and in a few moments had enough for a fine fire. Mombi was still -poring over the scroll. Looking over her shoulder, Snip saw that it was -a map of Oz—such a map as he had often seen in his geoziphy books at -home. Mombi held the map close to her nose, for in the failing light -it was hard to see anything.</p> - -<p>"If I could only remember! If I could only remember!" muttered Mombi, -rocking backward and forward on the stump. "What did I do with the -King? Where did I put him? What did I use—green magic or blue, word -magic or number magic, fire magic or smoke magic? Can't you remember -anything?" She whirled in great exasperation upon Pajuka.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, not much," sighed the goose, rubbing his head with his wing. -"You see it was so long ago. I do remember we were in a small greenwood -near where the Emerald City stands to-day when you changed me to a -goose. But as you drove me away immediately, I never knew what became -of the King."</p> - -<p>"Then it was green magic!" cried Mombi, springing up exultantly. "We -must go to the Emerald City and find that wood, for if the King was -transformed by green magic he must be restored by green magic, and the -only place where green magic takes effect is in and around the Emerald -City. Once there I will doubtless remember everything," chuckled -Mombi. "If I don't, I'll just steal some of Ozma's magic. I'll steal -the magic belt, restore the King to the throne and have my revenge for -all these weary years. I'll turn Ozma to a piano and thump her every -day," continued Mombi, rubbing her hands gleefully together. "I'll -turn everyone else in the palace to one object and then destroy that -object—"</p> - -<p>"I object!" spluttered Pajuka, treading on the old witch's toes in his -excitement.</p> - -<p>"So will they," grinned Mombi, showing her yellow tusks, "but it will -do them no good. Don't stand staring at me, simpleton. Light the fire." -Whirling upon Snip, Mombi raised her stick threateningly, and Snip, -who had been staring with open mouth (for he had never heard so much -badness in his whole life) made haste to do as he was told.</p> - -<p>Mombi, still muttering and chuckling, began to lay out the chicken and -cheese upon the tree stump. Though the fire snapped merrily enough, -supper was not very cheerful for Snip, but he ate the chicken wing and -small bit of cheese that Mombi grudgingly gave him and broke up some -bread for Pajuka.</p> - -<p>"Where've you been all these years?" asked the old witch, looking -curiously at the goose over her mug of coffee.</p> - -<p>"Everywhere, everywhere in Oz, searching for you and the King," puffed -Pajuka. "I've lived with miserable barnyard fowls, eating farmers' -scraps, and in constant danger of the ax. You might have made me a wild -goose, then at least I should have had some fun. I shudder when I think -how near I've been to roasting."</p> - -<p>"Well, didn't they roast you in the old days?" replied Mombi -unfeelingly. "Prime ministers are as often roasted as geese!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but not in the same way." Pajuka rolled his eyes sadly at Snip.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you tell Ozma or Glinda on her," asked the little button -boy boldly.</p> - -<p>"Aha! Because he knew if he did he'd disappear entirely. That was part -of the trick," shrilled Mombi. "Wasn't it, old feather head?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Yes, it's better to be a goose than nothing at all," admitted Pajuka -mournfully. "But never mind, when we find the King, he will restore -Mombi's powers and she will restore my elegant figure and—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, hold your bill," snapped Mombi crossly.</p> - -<p>Looking very ruffled, Pajuka retired to the other side of the fire, -where he and Snip conversed in low tones, while Mombi cleared away the -supper and began her endless experiments in the old black frying pan.</p> - -<p>"I should think in some ways, being a goose would be rather nice," -observed Snip, looking inquisitively at Pajuka. "Having wings for -instance, and never needing to get undressed or have your hair cut."</p> - -<p>"Well," agreed Pajuka slowly, "feathers are more convenient than -clothes and while the life of a goose is very simple, it is not all -unpleasant. I've enjoyed flying a lot, and I never need to worry about -rubbers or carrying an umbrella. But after all," Pajuka sighed and -gazed sadly into the fire, "after all, my boy, there is nothing like -being yourself."</p> - -<p>Snip considered this for a little while in silence, trying to fancy -himself in Pajuka's place. "Well, what do you miss the most?" he -inquired suddenly. Pajuka had one eye shut and was preparing to close -the other, but at Snip's words both flew wide open.</p> - -<p>"My pockets," gasped Pajuka, with a great groan. "What is a man without -his pockets? No place to put his hands or his bills!" Clapping his wing -to his side, Pajuka looked tragically at Snip, and Snip patting his -own bulging pockets—pockets full of cake crumbs, marbles, pencil stubs -and string—nodded sympathetically. "And not only that," continued -the goose in a grieved voice, "I waken at such ridiculous hours. Hah, -hoh! I find myself falling asleep." Pajuka paused here for a simply -tremendous yawn. "Right after supper, Hoh hum!" finished the goose -apologetically. Then, tucking his head under his wing and drawing up -one leg, he fell fast asleep before Snip could ask him another question.</p> - -<p>Pajuka was so close to the fire that the little button boy was afraid -he would singe his feathers. So, picking him up carefully, he set him -back against a gnarled old tree and, curling up on a pile of leaves -beside him, lay watching old Mombi. The wind fortunately was blowing -away from him, or he certainly would have been choked by the awful -mixtures in the black frying pan. If he had not known positively that -her magic powers were gone, he would have taken to his heels at once, -for the monsters that Mombi was trying to conjure up out of the frying -pan, would have devoured him in a minute.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Magicum squadgicum squidgicum squdge</div> - <div class="verse">I order a snooch to come out of this smudge!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Mombi frowned darkly as she hissed this, but only a dense smoke rose -from the frying pan, and after listening nervously to ten separate -incantations and finding that nothing at all happened, Snip curled down -among the leaves and was soon as fast asleep as Pajuka—asleep and -dreaming he, himself, was a goose being chased up a pink mountain by a -giant with a blue ax.</p> - -<p>Mombi continued her experiments with the frying pan long after Snip and -Pajuka were asleep, but finally she gave up in disgust and then she, -too, lay down for a nap, which lasted until dawn.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_5" id="CHAPTER_5"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 5</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Rolling Hoopers</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p>Snip was awakened by a tickling feeling of his nose and, opening his -eyes, saw Pajuka standing over him with a big bunch of grapes in his -bill. "Hello!" yawned Snip, sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily. -"Is it morning?"</p> - -<p>Pajuka dropped the grapes into his lap.</p> - -<p>"Half past it. Been up since five, had a fly and a swim and brought -you these for breakfast," clucked the goose, who seemed to be in a -fine humor. "Mombi's eaten all the rest of the chicken herself, the old -Scundermutch!"</p> - -<p>The sun filtered down cheerily through the tree-tops and a fresh little -breeze had set all the forest leaves to dancing. Snip, himself, felt -curiously light hearted and gay. Perhaps it was the long sleep he had -had in the open, or the friendly presence of Pajuka, or the thought of -the strange adventures that lay ahead. Anyway, he jumped up with a will -and even the scowl old Mombi gave him failed to dampen his spirits. -She had already prepared and eaten her breakfast and was beating out -the fire with her shoe. Following Pajuka to a small sparkling brook, -Snip splashed his face and hands vigorously, ate his grapes and a large -sugar bun that the thoughtful Pajuka had plucked from a nearby bun -bush. By this time Mombi had her basket packed and, shaking her stick -crossly, announced it was time to start.</p> - -<p>"Which way are we going?" asked Snip, taking the basket and falling -into step beside her.</p> - -<p>"My way!" snapped Mombi fiercely.</p> - -<p>"Well, that's a witch way, isn't it," observed Pajuka, flopping along -a few feet overhead and winking down slyly at Snip, as he plodded down -the road.</p> - -<p>"Hold your bill," snapped Mombi, hobbling along so fast that the little -button boy had to skip to keep pace with her. "I told you last night we -were going to the Emerald City."</p> - -<p>"But I thought you were banished from there forever," put in Snip, who -knew his Oz history by heart.</p> - -<p>"I shall disguise myself," shrilled Mombi triumphantly. "I'll pretend -I'm a market woman selling a fat goose and while I'm arguing with the -cook, Pajuka shall fly into the palace and steal some of Ozma's magic."</p> - -<p>"How do you know I shall?" honked Pajuka sulkily. "Ozma has never done -me any harm. The thing for us to do is to find the King. Once we've -come to the little wood where you transformed him you'll remember where -he is. Why, maybe we'll find him before then."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but what good will it do if I don't remember my magic," sniffed -Mombi. "Unless you want to be a goose for the rest of your life, you'd -better make up your mind to do what I say. As for <i>you</i>," the old witch -whirled angrily upon Snip, "any more of this supposing and I'll turn -you to a six pence and spend you at the first village."</p> - -<p>Snip merely whistled and turned up his nose at this, for he knew -perfectly well Mombi could not carry out her threat. Besides, Snip had a -plan of his own. The little button boy had decided that as soon as they -reached the famous capital of Oz he would slip away from Mombi and tell -Princess Ozma the whole story. Then she herself could use her magic -to help Pajuka find the King. So he stepped jauntily along, paying no -attention to Mombi's mutterings, looking curiously to the right and -left and thinking how much he should have to tell Kinda Jolly when he -returned to Kimbaloo.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The forest, like all the northern lands of Oz, was slightly tinged -with purple, the national color of the Gillikens. Pansies and tall -purple flags grew around the bases of the giant trees and here and -there clusters of violets nodded their pretty little heads in the -breeze. Purple birds darted through the leaves overhead and the air was -sweet from hidden beds of lavender, so that nothing could have been -pleasanter than the first part of the day's journey. But toward noon -they reached a portion of the forest so dark and impenetrable that they -had to go single file, and even then had great difficulty in forcing -their way through the trees and dense underbrush.</p> - -<p>Growls and roars added still further to their discomforts, until Snip, -feeling in his pocket for his trusty pen knife, began to wish himself -safely back in the button wood. Pajuka half ran and waddled after him, -giving every now and then a great flop of terror as a particularly -fierce roar came echoing through the forest. Mombi, alone, seemed -perfectly unconcerned and hobbled ahead whacking branches and bushes -out of the way with her crooked stick.</p> - -<p>"Must be lunch time," she called back hoarsely over her shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Howja guess?" panted Pajuka, keeping as close to Snip as he could, -for he was terribly frightened.</p> - -<p>"Don't you hear the lions?" asked the old witch maliciously.</p> - -<p>"Merciful feathers!" gasped the goose. "Have I come all this way to be -a lion's lunch?"</p> - -<p>"Here comes one now," shuddered Snip, flattening himself against a -tree. But it was not a lion that came hurtling out of the brush. It -was a weenix, a wild, bear-like beast with a walrus head. One look at -its tusks set Snip's heart beating like a drum. Pajuka flung into the -air, flapping his wings and hissing furiously, but the weenix came -straight on and Snip, though determined to die with his pen knife in -hand, trembled so violently he could scarcely stand up. Even Mombi -looked frightened. Grabbing the basket from Snip, she fumbled among its -packages and pans and just as the weenix, with outspread paws, leaped -upon her, the old witch snatched out the pepper box and shook the -entire contents upon its nose. It was purple pepper, fortunately, which -is even stronger than red.</p> - -<p>"Kawoosh!" spluttered the weenix falling backwards. "Kawoosh—Kawush! -Kawoo!" With tears streaming down its tusks and trembling whiskers, -it dashed into the shadows, where it could still be heard sneezing -broken-heartedly. It evidently told its family and friends all about -the dangerous travellers, for not another weenix so much as showed a -whisker after that.</p> - -<p>"Humph!" snorted Mombi, settling her hat, which had gone terribly -askew. "I may have forgotten my magic, but I still know a few tricks, -eh Pajuka?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, my feathers," panted the goose, leaning up against a tree, "that -was worse than roasting."</p> - -<p>"How did you ever think of pepper?" asked Snip, who could not help -admiring Mombi's quickness. But Mombi merely gave a grunt, thrust the -basket back into his hands and began limping along faster than ever. -Snip was tired and hungry, but the thought of being left alone in the -forest was so much worse than being in the company of a witch that he -stumbled and ran after her, comforting himself with the thought of the -fine sights he should see in the Emerald City.</p> - -<p>Pajuka was tired too, but he hopped and flopped after Snip and -another hour brought them to the edge of the forest. The countryside, -stretching pleasantly ahead, was shaded with purple, so they knew they -were still in the land of the Gillikens. The old witch ordered a halt, -while she considered the road.</p> - -<p>Mombi pegged her map down on the grass and began studying it carefully. -Snip sat down under a tree and began fanning himself with his hat, -while Pajuka flew off to find a stream, for the poor goose was parched -by his flight through the forest and never felt quite happy out of -water.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"How far is the Emerald City?" asked Snip, after watching Mombi for a -time in silence.</p> - -<p>"Ought to be there by night time," muttered the witch, forgetting for -once to scowl. "All we have to do is to keep going south-west." Rolling -up the map, Mombi took the rest of the bread and cheese from the -basket. Seeing she meant to give him none, Snip went off in search of a -bite for himself. In Oz this is not difficult, for the most marvelous -plants and trees grow in all of its kingdoms. Scarcely a stone's throw -away Snip found a huckleberry-pie plant. He ate several of the small -tarts, and then picked a pocket full of plums from a pretty little -plum tree that grew by the roadside. The purple Gilliken country is as -famous for its plums as the yellow Winkie Land is for its peaches and -pears.</p> - -<p>Feeling quite refreshed, Snip went to search for Pajuka. Just beyond a -thin fringe of trees ran a shallow stream, and Pajuka, in the strange -manner of geese, was standing on his head, eating his lunch off the -bottom. He looked so comical that Snip nearly burst out laughing, but -remembering just in time that Pajuka was the King's prime minister he -cleared his throat instead. With a great bounce, Pajuka came right side -up and after a few dives and splashes waded ashore.</p> - -<p>"What did you find to eat?" asked Snip curiously.</p> - -<p>"Oh some water roots and—er other things," answered Pajuka. Seeing he -was embarrassed Snip politely changed the subject.</p> - -<p>"Tell me about the King," said the little button boy, "and about Oz -before Ozma was Queen."</p> - -<p>"Well, there was never a kindlier king anywhere," began Pajuka, shaking -the water from his feathers.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"What kind?" asked Snip, biting into a plum. "How did he look?"</p> - -<p>"Pleasant," explained Pajuka, putting one foot before the other and -waddling from side to side in his queer goosey fashion. "He was tall -and gentle and very absent-minded, and so kind that he never punished -anyone at all."</p> - -<p>"Then that's why there were so many witches," cried Snip triumphantly.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and that's why it was so easy for Mombi to get him into her -power," sighed Pajuka mournfully. "He would believe evil of no one—not -even of a witch."</p> - -<p>"Seems to me Ozma makes a better ruler," observed Snip, throwing his -plum over a tree and standing on his tip toes to see how far it had -gone. "She doesn't allow anyone to practice magic, excepting herself, -Glinda and the Wizard." This is perfectly true and Oz has enjoyed under -the littlest Princess in history an era of great peace and prosperity.</p> - -<p>"Ozma is a pretender," insisted Pajuka stiffly.</p> - -<p>"But she doesn't even know her father's alive," protested Snip. Though -he had never seen Ozma, he had a great affection for the little Queen. -"What will become of Ozma when we find the King?" he asked doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"Oh, she can go back and play with her dolls. She's only a little girl -anyway," answered the goose carelessly. Snip did not quite approve of -this either, so he changed the subject again.</p> - -<p>"There wasn't any Emerald City then, was there Pajuka?"</p> - -<p>"No, but we had a splendid castle where the Emerald City now stands -and hunting parks in every country of Oz. Ah, those were the good old -days," sighed Pajuka sorrowfully. "If I could but see my dear master -again I'd be content to remain a goose for the rest of my life."</p> - -<p>"I s'pose you <i>do</i> miss him," said Snip sympathetically.</p> - -<p>"Miss him!" Pajuka gave a great gulp and turned his head to wipe his -tears on his feathers. "Why, I miss him even more than my pockets," -groaned the poor goose in a smothered voice.</p> - -<p>Snip would have liked to hear more about the King, but a loud screech -from Mombi interrupted the story. "Where've you been?" croaked the -witch, emerging from a little patch of trees and blinking at them -crossly. "I've been ready for hours. C'mon! Do you think this is a -picnic?"</p> - -<p>"Don't sass me, woman," wheezed Pajuka with great dignity, "or I'll not -help you a mite. Who got us into this ridiculous mess, may I ask?"</p> - -<p>Mombi paid no attention to Pajuka's remarks, but began hobbling down -the road and Snip, who could hardly wait to reach the Emerald City, -hurried after her, still mumbling crossly to herself. The goose -sulkily brought up the rear. The road was fairly good, and zig-zagged -pleasantly enough through meadows and fields.</p> - -<p>"But aren't there any houses?" asked Snip, as they passed through a -deserted stretch of woodland. "Aren't there any people or villages or -towns?"</p> - -<p>"There ought to be," honked Pajuka, who was resting his feet in the -air. (That's one advantage of having wings, when your feet are tired -you can fly.)</p> - -<p>"There are!" snapped Mombi gruffly, and Mombi was right, for just then -the wood came to an end and they found themselves facing a large, -pleasant park, with dazzling white paths running in every direction. -Snip was looking around with deep interest, when six of the strangest -beings he had ever seen rose up from a bench a little distance off and -stood examining them critically. They were certainly ten feet high and -so thin and flat that Snip could scarcely believe they were people at -all. But as they had heads, arms, legs and the usual number of eyes, -ears and noses, he concluded they must be People. As the little button -boy stared at them, the first of the creatures leaned down, caught hold -of its toes and came hurtling at the travelers like a hurricane.</p> - -<p>"Whoop!" shrieked the second one, bending over as the first had done -and turning itself into a sure enough hoop. "Whoop, whoop!"</p> - -<p>"Honk!" screamed Pajuka defiantly, but before Snip and Mombi had time -to recover from their surprise the six Hoopers had rolled upon them -full-speed, knocking them flat upon their backs. Pajuka just saved -himself by a quick flop into the air. Then, without unrolling, the six -whizzed off backwards and by the time Snip and Mombi had scrambled up -were ready for another dash.</p> - -<p>"Get the pepper! Get the pepper!" squawked the goose wildly, but Mombi, -furious at her fall, did nothing but hop and howl with rage and Snip, -seeing that something must be done, snatched up her crooked stick. As -the first Hooper came pelting upon them, he gave it a sharp crack that -sent it whirling down the walk. The second and third he served in the -same fashion. The fourth he missed, so that Mombi again was rolled in -the dust, but the fifth and sixth he caught fairly and, beginning to -enjoy the fun, started rolling them like hoops as fast as he could, -whacking first one and then another and screaming with laughter at the -comical expressions on their faces, when their faces came uppermost.</p> - -<p>"Go it, Snip! Go it!" exulted Pajuka, flapping his wings delightedly. -But Snip needed no encouragement and only stopped at last for lack of -breath. Immediately the Hoopers unrolled and, groaning and whooping -and holding their sides, limped off into the bushes. Hundreds of the -creatures had gathered by this time and, as Snip sank down on a bench -to rest, the very tallest Hooper came rolling toward them.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by beating my subjects in this heartless fashion?" -demanded the great fellow, unrolling to his full height and glaring -sternly down at the little button boy.</p> - -<p>"Well, they started it," replied Snip, keeping a firm hold on Mombi's -stick. "Didn't they, Pajuka?"</p> - -<p>"They certainly did," asserted the goose, settling down on the bench -beside Snip. "Is it usual to knock down innocent travelers without -reason or ceremony?"</p> - -<p>"Is it usual to sit in the presence of a king?" retorted the Hooper -stiffly. At this all his subjects began whooping faintly, "Bow down to -Rollo the Royal, bow down to King Rollo the Worst!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, roll up!" said Snip scornfully. "You're only a lot of live hoops -anyway. Why should we bow?"</p> - -<p>"Leave the park instantly!" roared Rollo, bouncing up and down with -rage.</p> - -<p>"Let's," said Snip, grinning over at Pajuka.</p> - -<p>"I'm ready," agreed the goose, "but where's Mombi?"</p> - -<p>"Here!" spluttered the witch, rolling out of a bonnet bush. "Any more -nonsense from these creatures and I'll turn them to breakfast rolls and -eat them for supper."</p> - -<p>"A witch!" whooped the King.</p> - -<p>"A witch!" coughed all the others and, seizing their toes, the whole -company of them whirled off together and disappeared in a cloud of -dust. So without further excitement, the three adventurers reached the -other side of the Hoopers' park and, opening a small gate in the fence -that surrounded it, found themselves again on the zig-zag pathway. A -large sign posted on one of the trees immediately attracted Snip's -attention.</p> - -<p>"Fifty leaps to the Corners," announced the sign curiously enough.</p> - -<p>"Leaps!" gasped Snip, while Mombi pushed back her hat and stood on -tip-toe to examine the crooked letters. "Must we leap all the way?"</p> - -<p>"Better look before we do," chuckled Pajuka, scratching his head with -the third toe of his left foot. "I've been in some pretty tight corners -in my time, and prefer to go around the rest of them."</p> - -<p>"We'll go straight on. Who's afraid?" sneered Mombi. Snip, thinking -of the way she had hidden in the bonnet bush while he beat off the -Hoopers, winked at Pajuka and Pajuka, with a little flutter of his -wings, winked back. Then all three started along the narrow path -together.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_6" id="CHAPTER_6"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 6</h2> - -<p class="ph1">In Catty Corners</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Suppose the King were a goat, do you think you would still remember -him?" asked Snip, as they zig-zagged along the strange pathway.</p> - -<p>"Certainly!" honked Pajuka, fluttering down. "I'd know him in any -shape. But why do you ask? What makes you think the King is a goat? -Are there any goats around here?" Shooting out his neck, Pajuka began -peering this way and that.</p> - -<p>"I don't know," admitted Snip frankly. "I was just wondering."</p> - -<p>"You talk too much," snapped Mombi, stopping to pull up her stocking. -"If I could remember my magic I'd turn you to a parrot!"</p> - -<p>At this several of the trees that edged the pathway burst into loud -roars of laughter, shaking all over and clasping themselves about -the trunk with their branches. Snip was so astonished that he jumped -backward and Pajuka, stepping on his own toes, fell forward on his head.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my dear Will, these are funny ones," chortled the first tree. -"Look at that ridiculous bird and that squidgety old skumpus, and would -you count the buttons on the boy's suit. Oh! Oh! I shall die laughing!"</p> - -<p>Now Snip's suit, like all the suits of the button wood boys, was -generously trimmed with buttons. He had always considered it quite -handsome, but now, as the trees continued to rock and roar with -merriment, he began to feel uncomfortable and a little provoked.</p> - -<p>"Quit your laughing!" puffed Pajuka indignantly. "What right have trees -to laugh at people?"</p> - -<p>"Every right in Oz," chuckled the second tree, leaning down to tickle -Mombi under the chin with one of its twigs. "We're laughing willows, -we are, always looking for a good joke, Hah! Hah! And the laugh is on -us, Ho! Ho! Isn't that funny, Tree He?"</p> - -<p>"Well, we're not jokes," said Snip stiffly. "Come on, Pajuka!" This set -the willows to laughing so heartily that their leaves fell in perfect -showers. Mombi, in a rage, clapped her hands to her ears and hobbled -off and Snip, after a few more remarks which only made the trees laugh -harder, ran after her.</p> - -<p>"I must say I prefer weeping willows," wheezed Pajuka, catching up with -Snip and smoothing out his feathers with his bill. One of the willows -had actually had the temerity to tweak him by the tail.</p> - -<p>"When I find the King, I'll have you chopped down and up!" screamed -Mombi, turning to shake her stick at the offending trees, but neither -Snip nor Pajuka bothered to listen to her. They were staring ahead in -great astonishment, for the last zig in the road had brought them quite -suddenly to the edges of a sparkling inland sea.</p> - -<p>"Water!" exulted the goose, instantly restored to good humor. "Oh, -let's go swimming!"</p> - -<p>"Swimming!" shuddered Mombi, whirling around in a hurry. "Don't you -know water is death and destruction to witches?"</p> - -<p>"Is it?" asked Snip in pleased surprise, and secretly wondered whether -he hadn't better push Mombi in at once. But Pajuka, half guessing what -was in his mind, shook his head reprovingly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"But how are we to get across?" demanded the goose. "I don't see any -boats or ferries and—"</p> - -<p>"It's pretty wide to swim," ventured Snip, shading his eyes with his -hands and looking anxiously over the tumbling waves. Snip's only -experience with swimming had been in a small pool in the button wood -and he was not at all sure he would ever reach the other side.</p> - -<p>"I could tug you across," said Pajuka, "but what about Mombi?"</p> - -<p>"Hold your bill!" snapped the witch in her usual pleasant fashion, and -sitting on a stone she scowled down at the sandy beach. Then all at -once she hopped up and, hobbling over to Snip, took the basket again.</p> - -<p>"Now what?" whispered the little button boy. Pajuka shrugged his wings -and rolled up his eyes, but they had not long to wait or wonder, for -Mombi, having found what she wanted, sprang on a big rock and hurled -a small purple can as far as she could into the rippling blue waters. -Then with a grunt of satisfaction, she resumed her seat upon the stone.</p> - -<p>"Well?" wheezed Pajuka inquiringly.</p> - -<p>"What are we waiting for?" demanded Snip.</p> - -<p>"For the sea to jell, idiot!" sniffed Mombi. "In that can is the -strongest gelatin in Oz. It took me six years to refine and collect it. -Watch the sea and we shall see."</p> - -<p>"It <i>is</i> jelling," marvelled Snip, hopping up and down. "Look, Pajuka, -the waves have stopped rolling!" This was quite true. The dancing blue -waters, caught in their liveliest tumbling, had stiffened with their -white frills still upon them and the whole sea was becoming smooth and -glassy as a bowl of gelatin, only no gelatin Snip ever had seen was -half so beautiful, for the blue sea, tinged in spots with purple and -green, sparkled in the sunshine like some large and lovely amethyst.</p> - -<p>"Well, do I know any tricks or not?" shrilled Mombi, snapping her -fingers under Pajuka's bill. "Come on! Let's cross!" She rose stiffly -and Snip, taking up the basket, set one foot experimentally upon the -jelly. It shook a little under his weight, but seemed firm and solid, -so the three stepped out and were soon half way over.</p> - -<p>"How about the fish?" asked Pajuka, looking down through the clear, -jellied water.</p> - -<p>"They'll be jelly fish for a while," snickered Mombi, who was in a fine -humor at the trick she had turned. "I wish the Wizard of Oz could see -this. I'll wager I can get as much magic out of a cook book as he can -out of a whole library of sorcery."</p> - -<p>"It certainly looks good enough to eat," admitted Snip. "Wonder if it -is?" He scooped up a bit to taste, but it was so salty it choked him. -If it was not good to eat it was surely fine to walk on and Snip, -bouncing along beside Pajuka, was quite sorry when they reached the -other side. "I think traveling's pretty interesting," observed the -little button boy, looking back over his shoulder. "Don't you Pajuka?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The goose sighed. "I used to think so, Snip, but I've traveled so far -searching for the King, I'm homesick for my slippers, a quiet old -castle and my pipe. Haven't had a smoke since I was a goose," mourned -the poor prime minister, rolling his eyes sadly. Snip couldn't -help thinking how funny Pajuka would look with a pipe and a pair of -slippers, but he stifled this thought quickly.</p> - -<p>"Don't you care!" he whispered comfortingly. "You'll find the King -and when we reach the Emerald City, I'll tell Ozma all about you," he -promised, lowering his voice so Mombi could not hear. "I am sure she'll -help us."</p> - -<p>"What are you whispering about?" snarled the witch, glaring back -suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"About a second," whistled Pajuka, soaring into the air. "Hello, what's -this?"</p> - -<p>"Why, it's the Corners," cried Snip, running ahead to read a large sign -suspended from a pussy willow under the great gray walls.</p> - -<p>"Catty Corners," announced the sign, in black scratchy letters.</p> - -<p>"Catty Corners," hissed the goose. "Well, this is no place for me. Let -us fly at once!"</p> - -<p>"But I adore cats," declared Mombi and, before anyone could stop her, -she thumped hard upon the gates. The walls surrounding Catty Corners -formed a huge triangle and were so high that even by bending backward -Snip could not see the top. As he straightened up, a door in the gray -wall flew open and a simply enormous Tabby Cat, dressed as a guard, -seized Pajuka by the wing and Mombi by the arm.</p> - -<p>"No boys allowed!" bawled the guard, bristling his whiskers at Snip. -Before the little button boy could even wink, the cat had dragged his -two companions in and slammed the door. Snip could hear Pajuka hissing -and Mombi protesting in a shrill voice and next instant the door flew -open and he, himself, was seized by a cat guard and jerked through.</p> - -<p>"He's my prisoner," cried Mombi defiantly, as Snip was lined up beside -her. She had no intention of letting Snip out of her clutches. He knew -entirely too much for that.</p> - -<p>"Well, he's my prisoner now," snarled the guard, giving Snip a shake. -Then, looking more closely at Mombi, his eyes began to sparkle with -pleasure. "Who are you, beauteous being?" purred the cat, doffing his -cap. Pajuka, though badly scared by his predicament, could not restrain -a loud chuckle.</p> - -<p>"I'm a witch!" answered Mombi, drawing herself up proudly.</p> - -<p>"A witch!" cried the second cat guard, releasing his hold on Mombi's -arm. "Oh cousin, how splendid! The Queen must know of this."</p> - -<p>Throwing back his head he began to yowl in a hundred piercing and -alarming cat cries.</p> - -<p>"What's he saying?" gasped Snip.</p> - -<p>"Sounds like cat fish to me," gurgled Pajuka, ducking his head under -his wing.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>At the cat guard's call, hundreds of cats began to race toward the -prisoners. They were as large as Snip himself, and of every kind -and color imaginable. As soon as they saw Mombi, they began to purr -with pleasure and delight, rubbing against her knees, knocking her -hat sideways and pressing so close that Snip and Pajuka were almost -suffocated. Then, forming a triumphant procession, they started for -the center of Catty Corners. Mombi, like all witches, was fonder of -cats than of anything else and walked along fondling first one and then -another, while Snip and Pajuka, still in the clutches of the guards, -followed in huge disgust. Several of the cats cast hungry looks at the -goose, but most of them were too taken up with Mombi to even notice him.</p> - -<p>"Did you ever see such a place?" sniffed the little button boy -scornfully. "Why, it's all fences."</p> - -<p>Even as he spoke, his cat guard sprang up on a white fence, dragging -him along. It was so perfectly unexpected that Snip nearly fell on his -nose but, glancing ahead, he saw Mombi nimbly walking the fence between -two black cats. Pajuka had no trouble walking the fence either, though -he was greatly inconvenienced by the guard who had hold of his wing.</p> - -<p>"If I just had a pair of clothes props," sighed Snip, balancing himself -precariously.</p> - -<p>"Take hold of my tail," advised the guard gruffly, "and if you fall -I'll scratch you."</p> - -<p>Another cat sprang up behind him and put one paw under his arm, so -between the two Snip managed fairly well. He had to keep his eyes so -closely on the fence that he did not see as much of Catty Corners as he -otherwise might have. But he saw enough to interest him tremendously. A -perfect network of fences divided this curious city into a great many -little enclosures. Snip would have called them back yards. In each -yard was a catnip bed, a pussy willow tree, and a lovely fountain of -cream. They passed many ponds well stocked with fish, and Snip shivered -uncomfortably as one of the Tabby Cats jumped down from the fence, -snatched a gold fish from a pond, and began eating it as if it were a -cracker, salting it generously from a shaker he carried around his neck.</p> - -<p>"Hateful things," thought the little button boy, looking anxiously -ahead to see how Pajuka was faring. "I hope we don't have to stay -here long." A sudden yowling and waving of tails told him something -was happening. Stretching his neck, he saw that Mombi had reached the -Queen's garden.</p> - -<p>"Are you prepared to meet The Imperial and Puissant Pussy?" asked the -guard, looking severely over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Another cat?" groaned Snip.</p> - -<p>"Scratch him," hissed a big grey Tom, but the Tabby Cat merely reached -down, and clutching Snip by the front of his jacket, jumped down from -the fence.</p> - -<p>Her Majesty lay luxuriously under a catsup tree. Ten small kittens -fanned her with large leaves and there was a Tabby Cat Guard in every -corner of the garden. There was not room for all the other cats, so -they ranged themselves expectantly on the surrounding fences, while -Mombi, Pajuka and Snip were brought forward. The Queen, a sleek -maltese, opened her eyes languidly as they approached, but at sight of -Mombi she sprang up so impulsively, she bumped her head on a catsup -bottle.</p> - -<p>"Why, you dear, beautiful, dreadful old thing!" purred the Queen, -clasping her paws delightedly.</p> - -<p>"Dear, beautiful, dreadful old thing!" purred all the other cats, -waving their tails approvingly.</p> - -<p>"You shall stay and bewitch us forever," murmured her Highness, -stroking Mombi's wrinkled cheek affectionately. "But who let this boy -in?" she screamed furiously, catching a glimpse of Snip.</p> - -<p>"Mean, horrid, naughty little wretch, puller of tails and thrower of -stones!" Her eyes flashed so threateningly Snip was really alarmed and -began to look around for some way to escape.</p> - -<p>"He never pulled a cat-tail in his life," blustered Pajuka indignantly, -"except in a swamp!"</p> - -<p>"In a swamp?" shrieked the Queen. "What right has he to pull cat-tails -in a swamp? Who are <i>you</i>?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"A Prime Minister when I am myself," answered Pajuka promptly, "but -unfortunately just now I am not myself."</p> - -<p>"A goose!" purred the cat Queen, licking her lips hungrily. "Ah, it's -years since I've tasted a goose. How old are you? How much do you -weigh? Are you tender?"</p> - -<p>At each dreadful question, her Maltese Majesty drew nearer to Pajuka. -Snip looked appealingly at Mombi, but the old witch had forgotten them -both and was seated blissfully under the catsup tree, her lap full of -kittens.</p> - -<p>"As a man I was in my prime, but I'm a very old goose," panted Pajuka, -edging nervously away from the greedy Queen.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it," said her Majesty, giving Pajuka a playful poke. -"What fun! A guest! A prisoner and a dinner! The witch shall stay, the -boy shall be publicly chased and scratched and the goose, ah the goose -shall be eaten! You may kiss my paw!" purred her Highness, advancing -graciously toward Snip.</p> - -<p>"Mombi! Mombi! Do you hear that?" screamed Pajuka wildly. "I'm to be -served up for dinner!"</p> - -<p>"Serve you right," yawned the witch drowsily.</p> - -<p>"I'll not let them eat you!" shouted Snip, brushing aside the Queen's -paw and struggling to free himself from the cat guard.</p> - -<p>"Take them away!" commanded the Queen, with a wave of her tail. "And -keep tabs on them until wanted."</p> - -<p>"You'll be sorry for this!" honked Pajuka. "I'm very bad for cats. If -you eat me I'll give you fits."</p> - -<p>"Hush!" hissed her Highness haughtily. "You are now the dinner and the -dinner is not supposed to converse."</p> - -<p>"Come along, dinner!" said the guard gruffly, and dragging Pajuka by -the wing and Snip by the arm, he marched them sternly away, while all -the inhabitants of Catty Corners howled with derision and delight.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5ch6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_7" id="CHAPTER_7"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch7.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 7</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Magic Pudding</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Snip," wheezed Pajuka mournfully, "when I am cooked and eaten, will -you save a few of my feathers for Ozma? And if you find the King will -you tell him that old Pajuka was faithful to—to—the last?"</p> - -<p>In spite of himself the poor goose's voice broke and ended in a great -gulp.</p> - -<p>"When they get through with me there'll be just enough feathers left -to stuff a pillow," choked Pajuka.</p> - -<p>"Don't!" begged the little button boy, flinging his arms around his -friend's neck. "Besides, if I'm to be chased and scratched by all those -cats, there won't be anything left of me at all."</p> - -<p>"I'll nip off their tails, I'll snatch out their whiskers!" raged -Pajuka, thrusting his bill through the bars of their prison. The two -had been thrown unceremoniously into a small summer house at the end of -the Queen's garden. It was surrounded by cat guards, so their chances -for escape were cut off on every side.</p> - -<p>"Maybe something'll happen," sighed Snip, pressing his nose against the -slats. It had been late afternoon when they reached Catty Corners and -in the gathering gloom the giant cats, parading up and down, looked -like some dreadful sort of goblins. Turning back to Pajuka for comfort, -Snip was horrified to see that the goose had drawn up one foot and -closed his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Don't fall asleep, Pajuka," begged the little boy, shaking him -frantically. "Don't fall asleep and leave me all alone."</p> - -<p>"Can't help it Snip—hah hoh! This is what comes of being a -goose—hum!" yawned the poor prime minister. He blinked rapidly, -stamped both feet and fluttered his feathers, but it was no use. His -eyes simply would not stay open.</p> - -<p>"Well, if I'm to be eaten," gulped Pajuka sadly, with a last monstrous -yawn, "I might as well be asleep anyway." Folding his head away -dejectedly under his wing, he stood perfectly still. At this Snip felt -so down-hearted that he sat on the floor and took the goose in his lap.</p> - -<p>"Wonder what Mombi's doing," he shuddered, trying to catch a glimpse -of the old witch through the chinks in the lattice. To tell the truth, -Mombi was in as tight a catty corner as Snip. Having indulged her -fondness for cats to the fullest extent and, noting with alarm the -approach of night, she had finally risen and bidding the Catty Queen an -affectionate farewell, declared herself ready to depart. "And the goose -and boy must come with me," croaked Mombi, grinning secretly at the -joke she had played on them.</p> - -<p>"With you," cried the Cat Queen, springing up in alarm. "Why, you -dear, ugly old darling, do you suppose I am ever going to let you go? -Never! As for the boy—who cares for boys? He shall entertain us all -day to-morrow. I'll call out my grand army of Maltesers, and they shall -maul and tease him to death. What fun. And the goose! I could hug you -for bringing that goose."</p> - -<p>"But see here," panted Mombi in alarm, "I need that goose. I'm taking -him as a present to Ozma, the Queen."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'm a Queen," sniffed the Cat crossly, "and I don't give a yowl -for Ozma. Come on, let's pluck out his feathers." And away across the -garden scampered her Majesty. Mombi picked up her basket and followed -in great haste. She knew that without Pajuka she would never recognize -the King, nor regain her magic powers. Therefore, though she had no -great love for the goose, she must find some way to save him.</p> - -<p>"Wait!" puffed the old witch, catching up with the Queen. "Wait! I, -myself, will prepare a feast to go with the goose. I am a famous cook -and know more about roasts and sauces than anyone in Oz." Mombi rolled -her eyes boastfully.</p> - -<p>"Do you?" murmured the Imperial Pussy, stopping short and looking -admiringly at the old witch.</p> - -<p>"Did your Highness ever taste rice cream pudding?" inquired Mombi -mysteriously. "No goose should be eaten without a dish of pudding -before-hand. Keeps off the mullygrubs. Just let me make you a -delicious little rice cream pudding!"</p> - -<p>"Rice cream pudding? Why that sounds delicious!" purred the Queen, -waving her tail rapturously. "Make enough for us all, dear old -ugliness, and I'll take a cat nap while you do."</p> - -<p>"Where's the kitchen?" demanded Mombi with a wicked grin. Already -she had thought of a way out of her difficulties. Once in the catty -kitchen, really only an enclosed corner of the garden with a stone -fireplace and iron crane, Mombi set quickly to work. Filling the -largest cauldron with rich cream from the fountain, she poured in all -the boxes of rice she had in her basket and all the raisins. Then, -setting it over the fire, which two tortoise shell cats kept at blazing -point, she stirred and muttered and muttered and stirred, and just -before it was done dropped in the contents of another of her purple -cans.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, news of the coming treat had spread, and by the time the -pudding was finished, the fences were simply crowded with cats, their -eyes showing like green balls of fire in the darkness. There were only -a few dim lanterns in Catty Corners, for cats can see quite as well -by night as by day. Each cat had brought a saucer, and forming in an -orderly procession, they lined up before the old witch, while Mombi -ladled out helping after helping of the pudding, pausing every now and -then to wipe her forehead on her sleeve and grin wickedly to herself.</p> - -<p>None of the cats dared eat until the Queen arrived, and when her -Highness finally did appear, a long sigh of anticipation went up from -the fences. Mombi had saved a particularly large helping for the Queen, -and when her Maltese Majesty lowered her chin over her saucer and all -the other cats started lapping up the pudding, Mombi could hardly -restrain her chuckles. The pudding really was delicious and the Queen -lapped faster and faster, as did the rest, so that in scarcely a moment -the saucers were quite empty and the company quite the reverse.</p> - -<p>With half-closed eyes the Queen lifted her head to thank Mombi but -before she could purr a purr, she, and that whole collection of cats, -simply catapulted into the air and, while Mombi held her sides and -rocked to and fro with malicious merriment, they rolled and tumbled -toward the clouds like balloons released from their strings. No wonder! -In that purple can was a baking powder powerful enough to raise an -army—baking powder that the old witch had been collecting and refining -for twenty years.</p> - -<p>"Hah," snorted Mombi, rubbing her hands with satisfaction. Leaning -over the fountain, she took a long drink of cream, for stirring the -pudding had made her mighty thirsty. Then, without thought of her -luckless victims, she picked up her basket and hobbled off to the -summer house. Snip, after waiting in terror for the cats to come for -Pajuka, had finally dropped into an uneasy slumber, and when Mombi -flashed a small lantern in his eyes he almost jumped out of his jacket.</p> - -<p>"Come along, you little lazy bones," grumbled the witch, jerking him -roughly by the sleeve. "Is that silly old goose asleep too?"</p> - -<p>"I'll carry him," said Snip stiffly and, bending over, he picked Pajuka -carefully up in his arms. He was quite an armful, but never stirred nor -wakened at all. Snip longed to tell Mombi what he thought of her, but -she looked so fierce he decided not to try it.</p> - -<p>"Where are the cats?" he shivered, tiptoeing nervously after the -old witch. Mombi waved her stick aloft, and you can imagine the -astonishment of the little boy to see a perfect cloud of cats sailing -across the moon.</p> - -<p>"Gave 'em rice pudding and they riz," wheezed the old witch gleefully. -Having no one else to boast to, Mombi condescended to explain her -trick to Snip. Snip, on his part, was glad to escape from the catty -creatures, but he could not help feeling a bit sorry for them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch7.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"How long will they have to stay up there?" he inquired curiously.</p> - -<p>"Till it rains," grunted Mombi, swinging the lantern carelessly. "But -come on, I can't stand here talking all night. We'll never reach the -Emerald City at this rate."</p> - -<p>"Anyway," thought Snip, stepping along carefully so as not to wake -Pajuka, "anyway they can eat their supper in the milky way and won't it -be raining cats when they do come down though!"</p> - -<p>While Mombi stopped to straighten her hat, Snip took a long drink from -one of the cream fountains. "Nobody knows when we'll get anything to -eat," said the little button boy to himself.</p> - -<p>"Are we going to travel all night?" he puffed, running to catch up with -Mombi.</p> - -<p>"Mind your own buttons," hissed the old witch, lapsing into her usual -ill-temper, and as she refused to say another word, there was nothing -to do but follow the uncertain flicker of her lantern. After an hour of -zig-zagging along the fences, they reached the other side, unbolted the -great iron doors in the wall and found themselves in another forest.</p> - -<p>Snip thought surely Mombi would stop, but the old witch went muttering -and mumbling along, her eyes gleaming like hot coals in the darkness. -Every once in a while, she would glance sideways at Snip in a way that -caused him great uneasiness. To tell the truth, Mombi had about decided -to rid herself of the little button boy. He knew too much and might run -off and tell Ozma her plans before she could reach the Emerald City, -herself. With Pajuka's help, Mombi meant to find the old King, if she -could, but when he had restored her magic powers Mombi intended to be -the real ruler of Oz. So, hurrying along through the inky forest, she -began casting about in her mind for a way to destroy Snip.</p> - -<p>"I'll wait till I reach the center of the forest," hissed Mombi, -stumping along under the silent trees, "and then—"</p> - -<p>"What did you say?" asked Snip anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," grunted Mombi, smiling sourly to herself, "at least nothing -that concerns you."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch7.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_8" id="CHAPTER_8"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch8.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 8</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Mysterious Message</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Scraps, the Patch Work Girl, danced crazily down the flower-bordered -path in Ozma's lovely garden in the Emerald City, shouting this verse:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Hank hankers for a hanky</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To blow his funny nose,</div> - <div class="verse">Hank hankers for a hanky,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">I hanker for a rose!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>"I do not," brayed Hank, Betsy Bobbins' little mule, flapping his ears -sulkily. "You don't know what you are singing about, Scraps. Go away -and stop jeering me. How could I use a hanky, you silly girl?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch8.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Hank, you're a crank!" shouted Scraps, and capered on down the path, -stopping to chin herself on a tulip tree and dropping in a wobbly heap -beside the little table where Ozma, Betsy Bobbin and Trot were having -breakfast.</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't tease Hank like that," said Ozma, looking reproachfully -at Scraps over her gold breakfast cup.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"I'll tease, I'll tease, whom I please,</div> - <div class="verse">I'll cross my eyes and cross my knees!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>chortled Scraps, and she looked so comical doing both of these -crossings at once that the little girls simply burst into laughter, -while Hank, with a snort of disgust, galloped off at full speed.</p> - -<p>"You're awful," sighed Betsy Bobbin, nearly choking on her biscuit, and -Betsy was pretty nearly right, for this ridiculous maiden who lived -luxuriously in Ozma's palace was made entirely of patchwork. She had -been cut from an old quilt, stuffed and sewn together by a wizard's -wife who intended her for a servant. But when the wizard mixed up her -brains, a lot of fun and cleverness had got in, so that Scraps had -refused to be a servant and had run off to the Emerald City. She was -so comical and entertaining that Ozma had allowed her to remain at the -capital, and Scraps is now one of the most celebrated characters in the -castle.</p> - -<p>Betsy Bobbin was a little girl from the United States. She and Hank had -been ship-wrecked on the shores of a strange land near Oz and, after -some terrible adventures with the old Gnome King, had reached Oz itself -and been taken in by the kind-hearted little Queen. Trot also had come -from America and liked Oz so well she had never returned home. These -two, with Princess Dorothy, are the closest friends of the fairy ruler, -for Ozma herself is only a little girl fairy, and these four together -have the merriest times imaginable.</p> - -<p>Living in a green stone castle studded with emeralds is fun enough, -dear knows, but living in a green stone castle with forty-nine -courtiers, thirty-nine footmen, thirty-seven handmen, twenty-six -serving maids, ten cooks and a flock of pages is luxury indeed, -especially in a magical land where adventures are liable to happen -every few minutes. Why, it's the most fun yet!</p> - -<p>Perhaps Dorothy is Ozma's prime favorite, for Dorothy was the first -little girl to discover Oz and has been so mixed up in its magical -history that Ozma would scarcely know how to rule her interesting -subjects without her help. It was of Dorothy that Ozma was thinking, as -she watched Scraps turning reckless handsprings under the tulip trees.</p> - -<p>"I wonder when Dorothy will return?" sighed the little Queen, pushing -back her chair and signalling for the thirty-ninth footman to remove -the gold breakfast plates. Dorothy had gone on a short visit to Perhaps -City and already the others were longing for her return.</p> - -<p>"Let's ask the Scarecrow," proposed Betsy, waving to the jolly straw -man who, arm-in-arm with Sir Hokus of Pokes, was coming down the path. -Both these delightful fellows are great friends of Dorothy's. In fact -she discovered them. The Scarecrow she had lifted down from a pole on -her very first trip to Oz. He had accompanied her to the Emerald City -and been given a splendid set of brains by the Wizard of Oz, so that he -is one of the wittiest and most able of Ozma's courtiers. He has a cozy -corn-ear castle in the Winkie Country, but prefers to spend most of his -time in the capital with the girls. Sir Hokus had been rescued from -Pokes by Dorothy on another of her wonderful adventures, and since the -Knight had taken up his residence in the palace Ozma felt more secure -than ever before, for Sir Hokus was a splendid swordsman and feared -neither man nor monster. It is people like Scraps, Sir Hokus and the -Scarecrow who make life in the Emerald City so jolly and so different.</p> - -<p>"Yoo hoo! Don't you think it's time Dorothy was back?" called Betsy, -as the two came nearer.</p> - -<p>"High time! High time!" answered the Scarecrow, waving his old blue -hat up at the clock in the tallest tower of the castle. "And we'll -have a high time when she does come," he smiled gaily. "I've thought -up a dozen new games and—. What's that?" cried the Scarecrow, -interrupting himself suddenly and blinking his painted eyes so fast -that Betsy bounded out of her chair.</p> - -<p>"What's that?" echoed the little Queen of Oz, springing up in alarm. -Something gold and brilliant had flashed through the air and fallen -upon the walk.</p> - -<p>"A feather!" puffed Sir Hokus. "Odds goblins and hoblins, a feather!" -He stooped creakily to pick it up, but as he did the golden quill -righted itself and began to move rapidly across the marble walk.</p> - -<p>"It's writing!" gasped Trot, clutching the Scarecrow by the arm, and in -dazed fascination they watched the feather tracing a sentence. When it -had set down five words, it made a little gold dot and fell lifelessly -at Ozma's feet.</p> - -<p>"Danger! Go to Morrow to-day!" stuttered the Scarecrow, reading the -golden message aloud.</p> - -<p>"How now," thundered Sir Hokus, letting his visor fall with a crash, -"what means this message?"</p> - -<p>"Go to-<i>morrow</i>!" gulped the Scarecrow, clapping on his hat and -squinting down at the golden legend on the walk.</p> - -<p>"Not to-morrow, to-day," corrected Betsy Bobbin breathlessly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch8.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"But if we go to-day, how can we go to-morrow?" asked Ozma, growing -more bewildered every minute.</p> - -<p>"Danger!" shuddered Trot, pointing a trembling finger at the first -word.</p> - -<p>"What's all the excitement?" demanded Scraps, dancing up on one toe. -Then, seeing they were all staring down at the marble, she bent over -and read the message aloud herself.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Go to-morrow to-day. It can never be done!</div> - <div class="verse">Just to think of it gives me a pain in the bun."</div> -</div></div> - -<p>screamed the Patch Work Girl, clapping her hand to her cotton forehead.</p> - -<p>"Hush, Scraps!" begged Ozma. "This is serious!"</p> - -<p>"Someone is delirious, or they'd never write such nonsense," declared -Scraps defiantly. "What are you going to do about it?"</p> - -<p>"Think!" mumbled the Scarecrow, dropping down on a gold garden bench.</p> - -<p>"Send for the Wizard!" advised Betsy Bobbin, jumping up and down in her -excitement. "Wait! I'll get him!"</p> - -<p>"It's a goose quill," announced Sir Hokus, as Betsy ran off toward -the palace. He had picked up the golden feather and was examining it -carefully.</p> - -<p>"A goose quill?" gasped Ozma. "Why what can that mean? Oh dear, I do -wish Dorothy were back."</p> - -<p>"My gooseness!" giggled Scraps. "No wonder it's a silly message. Do you -know any geese?"</p> - -<p>"None but you!" sniffed Trot, putting her arms about Ozma.</p> - -<p>"Silence, wench!" commanded Sir Hokus, pushing Scraps aside and seating -himself beside the Scarecrow. "Methinks dark deeds are brewing here. -Hast thought of anything friend?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet," sighed the Scarecrow, rubbing his forehead sadly with his -wobbly finger. "Let me think some more."</p> - -<p>All were silent until Betsy Bobbin came hurrying back, bringing with -her the Wizard of Oz and Tik Tok. As everyone in Oz knows, Tik Tok is -another great celebrity, a machine man of burnished copper who can -talk, walk and even think when properly wound. Betsy was winding up his -think key, as she ran along, for Tik Tok's brains, in spite of their -wheels, worked quite as well as the Scarecrow's, and there certainly -was a lot of thinking to be done.</p> - -<p>"You say it was a golden goose feather?" panted the little Wizard of -Oz, quickening his steps. "A goose feather! Humph!" Next instant he was -bending over the strange inscription on the walk, while Ozma and Trot -breathlessly explained just how and when it had all happened.</p> - -<p>"To-morrow to-day!" murmured the Wizard, mopping his bald head with -his green hanky. "Why that's impossible, there's some trick to it."</p> - -<p>The Wizard drew a small green book from his pocket. It was the book of -magic messages and the little company waited anxiously while he flipped -over the pages. But although every other kind of message was touched -upon, there was nothing at all about goose feathers. With a sigh, the -Wizard returned the book to his pocket, and dropping upon his knees -began to examine the letters through his smallifying glass.</p> - -<p>Tik Tok, except for the chug and whirr of his machinery, had been -perfectly quiet. Now, leaning over so far he nearly tumbled on his -copper nose, he began to read the message aloud.</p> - -<p>"Go—to-morrow—to-day! Go—to-morrow—to-day!" rasped Tik Tok, in -his harsh rasping voice, over and over and over, until Ozma and Betsy -clapped hands to their ears and Trot begged him to stop. "That's -fun-ny—," ticked the copper man at last. "It tells us when to go—but -not—where. Too many times and—no—place. Go—to-mor—"</p> - -<p>Whirr—click! Tik Tok's voice ran down and the sentence stopped in mid -air.</p> - -<p>"Thank goodness!" cried Betsy Bobbin fervently.</p> - -<p>"Well, you'd better thank Tik Tok," spluttered the Scarecrow, leaping -off the golden bench. "Hurrah! I have it now. One's a time and one's a -place. Is there a Kingdom called Morrow anywhere in Oz, my dear?"</p> - -<p>"Morrow!" exclaimed Ozma, "Why, that does sound familiar, somehow. -Morrow? Yes, I feel sure there is."</p> - -<p>"Get a map," ordered the Scarecrow in great excitement, and all but the -Wizard sat down and smiled at the cleverness of the wise straw man.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch8.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_9" id="CHAPTER_9"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 9</h2> - -<p class="ph1">In the Castle of Morrow</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Wizard of Oz knew the geography of Ozma's wonderful land by heart -and he remembered the Kingdom of Morrow perfectly. He felt a bit -jealous that the Scarecrow was about to solve the mystery without his -help and so he popped a small wishing pill into his mouth and began -speaking rapidly in magic.</p> - -<p>Now magic is a language which I do not profess to understand, but the -results of the Wizard's speech were instantaneous and astonishing. So -swiftly that the hair of the three little girls was nearly jerked from -their heads, so swiftly that Sir Hokus lost his sword and Ozma her -crown, they were all hurled through the air and dashed down in a very -short time on the steps of an ancient and gloomy castle.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Its once splendid garden was choked up with weeds. Vines had run up and -over the entire structure, covering even the windows and chimneys with -a waving curtain of green. Owls hooted dismally from the towers and -the scurry and scamper of frightened feet told that many little forest -animals had made themselves at home within.</p> - -<p>"Mercy," gasped Betsy Bobbin, examining anxiously a long scratch on her -knee, "how did we get here?"</p> - -<p>"Where are we?" inquired Sir Hokus, blinking very fast from his seat -upon a stone lion, where he had landed a little too suddenly and -emphatically for complete comfort.</p> - -<p>"We are in Morrow," replied the Wizard, rising from the last step -of the castle and dusting off his green trousers. "In Morrow, by my -express wish and Dr. Nikidik's wishing pills."</p> - -<p>"Well, you might have told us we were coming," said Trot a bit crossly, -beginning to look around for her side comb.</p> - -<p>"Morrow!" murmured Ozma, walking dreamily up the castle steps. "Why -I've been here before, dozens and dozens of times."</p> - -<p>"Got another pill, Wizard?" asked Scraps grimly.</p> - -<p>"Ahem! No, I don't believe I have," coughed the little man nervously. -"Why?"</p> - -<p>"I wanna go home," shuddered the Patch Work Girl, looking fearfully at -the dismal forest surrounding the castle and a flock of black birds -circling ominously overhead. "I wanna go home!"</p> - -<p>"You should think before you wish, old fellow," gulped the Scarecrow -weakly. "Betsy, my dear, will you give me a shake. All of my straw has -fallen into my left boot. And where's Tik Tok, pray?"</p> - -<p>"I thought he'd better stay home," replied the Wizard, looking around -uneasily. Now that they were really in Morrow, he began to doubt the -wisdom of his quick wish. Why had he not thought to bring his magic bag -or another wishing pill in case of danger?</p> - -<p>"A rare and imposing old edifice!" observed Sir Hokus, dismounting -stiffly from the stone lion, and looking up curiously at the castle.</p> - -<p>"Well, now that we are here, we might as well look around," puffed the -Scarecrow, more cheerful since Betsy had shaken him up and smoothed out -his stuffing. "Come along!"</p> - -<p>Ozma was already standing before the dull golden doors, the only -portion of the castle not overgrown with vines. Stepping up behind her, -Sir Hokus lifted the huge knocker and let it fall with a great clank -against the tarnished metal.</p> - -<p>"What ho, within!" roared the good Knight lustily. But only a hollow -echo and the derisive hoot of an owl came shivering out to them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"What makes you think it is a Ho?" chattered Scraps nervously.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"I wish you'd never wished us here.</div> - <div class="verse">This castle's full of spooks, I fear!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>finished the Patch Work Girl, shaking her finger reproachfully at the -Wizard.</p> - -<p>"Fear nothing," boomed Sir Hokus grandly, "I will protect you." Putting -his mailed shoulder to the doors, he pressed with all his might. The -bolts had evidently not been drawn and when the three little girls and -the Wizard added their strength to his, the doors flew open so suddenly -they all tumbled through together. Three jack rabbits and a tiny fawn -leaped through a broken window pane as the doors crashed open and -several bats, shaken from their hold on the beamed ceiling by the jar, -began to circle round and round, screeching dismally. The hall had once -been furnished with great splendor and magnificence, but now everything -was covered with cobwebs, dust and decay. The dim green light filtering -in through the vine covered windows made everything seem more ghastly -still.</p> - -<p>"I wanna go home!" whispered Scraps plaintively.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" wailed Betsy Bobbin, hiding her face in the Scarecrow's coat, "I -don't like this."</p> - -<p>"Shoo!" coughed the Scarecrow, stamping his foot at a flock of mice -that came scurrying across the floor and whirling his hat about his -head to keep off the bats. "Shoo, I tell you!"</p> - -<p>"What do you s'pose anyone wanted us to come here for?" groaned Trot, -clinging nervously to Scraps.</p> - -<p>"Well, there must be some reason," answered Ozma thoughtfully. "I seem -to remember this castle." Disregarding the grime and dust, the lovely -little Queen walked slowly across the hall and sat down on a golden -chest beside the long table. Sir Hokus, finding nothing better to fight -than mice and bats, began briskly to clear the room of the pests, while -Trot, Betsy and the Patch Work Girl tiptoed here and there talking in -tense whispers, for in the silence of the deserted castle their words -echoed and re-echoed unpleasantly. Having assured themselves that there -was nothing of interest in the great hall, Sir Hokus, the Wizard and -the Scarecrow went bravely off to examine the rest of the castle.</p> - -<p>"I wish they'd come back," whispered Trot, after they'd been gone about -five minutes. "Oooh, what's that?"</p> - -<p>"The wind," quavered Betsy doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it," shuddered Scraps, tripping over the fire irons -and sprawling upon the hearth. "It's a spook. I wanna go home! Just -look at me!" Betsy and Trot giggled nervously, for Scraps, covered with -grime and soot from her fall, was enough to make anyone laugh.</p> - -<p>"Never mind," comforted Ozma, "I'll have you dry cleaned when we get -back home, but now I'm trying to think, so please do be quiet."</p> - -<p>Quiet! Scarcely was the word out of her mouth, before there was such -a shivering slam overhead that all three girls jumped with terror and -Scraps, for greater security leaped clear onto the table, touching as -she did so a hidden spring in the top. At this there was a blinding -flash and while Ozma, Betsy and Trot clung desperately together and -Scraps gave another jump that carried her clear to the chandelier, the -center of the table rose up before their eyes, disclosing a long silver -casket.</p> - -<p>"Don't touch it!" warned the Patch Work Girl, swinging dizzily 'round -and 'round.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"A goblin, a goblin will jump out and bite us,</div> - <div class="verse">There's a giant upstairs and he's coming to smite us!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Someone certainly was coming down the stairs. Scarcely daring to look, -they waited anxiously for the next happening.</p> - -<p>"What befell?" It was Sir Hokus of Pokes and not a giant who stuck his -head through the doorway. "Did'st call maidens?" asked the Knight, -looking up at Scraps in vague disapproval.</p> - -<p>Without stopping to explain what had frightened them, Ozma pointed -a trembling finger at the silver casket and before any of them could -beg him not to, Sir Hokus strode forward and opened the mysterious -chest. Scraps hid her head in her arm. Then, hearing no screams nor -explosions, she finally screwed up enough courage to look down. The -Wizard of Oz and the Scarecrow had returned and they were all staring -in amazement at a green velvet robe which Sir Hokus had taken from the -chest.</p> - -<p>"Royal robe of his Majesty, the King of Oz!" boomed the Knight, reading -from a small tag on the ermine collar.</p> - -<p>"The King of Oz?" choked Ozma, clasping her hands in excitement. "Why -that's my father, and I remember now. This is the hunting lodge where -we used to hide from Mombi when I was a little girl!"</p> - -<p>"But I thought Mombi destroyed your father when she turned you to a -boy," puffed Betsy Bobbin, her eyes sticking out with astonishment and -surprise.</p> - -<p>"So did I," muttered the little Wizard. He always felt uneasy and -unhappy when the old witch was mentioned, for he, himself, had given -Ozma into Mombi's keeping when he took possession of the Kingdom. The -old witch had already spirited away the little girl's father and Ozma -herself was too young to rule. But the Wizard, changed very much since -those old days, realized now how wrong it had been and did not like to -recall the part he had played in the affair at all.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, no wonder you remembered the castle," put in Trot.</p> - -<p>"But wait!" cried Sir Hokus hoarsely. "There is more." And turning over -the tag he read: "This robe has been preserved by the Fairy Lurline, -and if placed upon the King's shoulders with Incantation No. 986 from -the Green Book of Magic, will restore him to his proper shape. If the -incantation is used without the robe a great disaster will befall."</p> - -<p>"Who's Lurline?" asked Trot, her eyes winking very fast indeed.</p> - -<p>"Why Lurline is my Fairy Godmother and the Queen of the fairy band we -are all descended from," explained Ozma breathlessly. "Oh girls! To -think my father is really alive!" The delighted little ruler hugged -Betsy and Trot so hard that they had to squeal for mercy.</p> - -<p>"I should think you'd rather be Queen yourself," sniffed Scraps, -dropping sulkily from the chandelier and coming over to stare at the -King's robe. "He'll want to boss you 'round and make you go to bed at -eight, wear rubbers and all that other fatherish stuff. Let's go home -and not bother with him. Who wants a King anyway, I like you!"</p> - -<p>Betsy looked shocked at the Patch Work Girl's heartless speech, but -Ozma, paying no heed to Scraps, began to confer excitedly with the -Wizard.</p> - -<p>"Who sent the quill? Where shall we look first? What does it mean by -the Green Book of Magic?" she asked, one question following another so -fast the Wizard blinked with discomfort.</p> - -<p>"If you take my advice," observed the Scarecrow, rubbing his nose -wisely, "you'll return immediately to the Emerald City. Once there we -have but to look in the Magic Picture to discover the whereabouts of -your royal parent."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Among the many treasures in Ozma's palace is the Magic Picture, in -which you may see anyone you wish by merely expressing the desire to -see them. It also shows the country and exact situation they are in, -so you can see how sensible the Scarecrow's suggestion really was.</p> - -<p>"But what made that terrible racket upstairs?" demanded Scraps, -suddenly remembering her scare.</p> - -<p>"Oh that!" Sir Hokus shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "I fell -through a trap door into a closet full of tins," explained the Knight -sheepishly.</p> - -<p>"It's a good thing you did," laughed Betsy Bobbin, "for if you hadn't -frightened Scraps we might never have found the silver chest at all."</p> - -<p>"Now that we have found it," shivered Trot, "let's go. It's cold in -here."</p> - -<p>"And let's hurry!" cried Ozma, seizing the Scarecrow affectionately by -the arm. "Oh, I can scarcely wait to see my father."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you bring along another wishing pill, Wizard?" sighed -Betsy. "We're in Morrow, sure enough, but where is Morrow? And how do -we get back to the Emerald City, anyway?" No one could answer Betsy's -question, for it had been so long since Ozma had been in the old castle -she remembered nothing of its location.</p> - -<p>"We'll have to walk, I s'pose," said the Scarecrow, detaching a cobweb -from his ear, "and the sooner we start, the sooner we'll arrive."</p> - -<p>"Right, as usual!" approved the Knight, taking the Scarecrow by the -arm. "Forward for the King and for Oz!"</p> - -<p>So, after another short look about, the seven adventurers closed -the castle doors and began to make their way cautiously through the -deserted park.</p> - -<p>"If I only knew who sent the feather," murmured Ozma, holding up her -lace skirts to keep them from catching on the bushes and thorns.</p> - -<p>"I'll bet it was your Fairy Godmother," said Trot, skipping along -excitedly.</p> - -<p>"Well, I wish the goose had come with the feather," sighed Betsy -Bobbin. "I'm hungry as the Hungry Tiger!"</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"If you were stuffed with cotton, you'd never have to eat.</div> - <div class="verse">I'm glad I'm made of patch work and not of bone and meat."</div> -</div></div> - -<p>sang Scraps, dancing ahead in her ridiculous fashion.</p> - -<p>"There's a house!" called Betsy, tugging the Knight suddenly by the arm -and pointing to a small red building.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" cried Ozma, clasping her hands, "Perhaps someone lives there who -can tell us about my father!"</p> - -<p>"He may be near and he may be farther," giggled Scraps starting to run -toward the little red house. "Come on everybody!"</p> - -<p>Led by the Patch Work Girl, the little company hurried toward the -little red house. No one was to be seen at the windows, and when Sir -Hokus pounded on the door there was no answer.</p> - -<p>"We are wasting time here," said the Scarecrow at last. "Let us be on -our way." And so the homeward march was resumed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5ch9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_10" id="CHAPTER_10"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 10</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Dorothy and the Dummy</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>On the same bright morning that the golden goose feather had come -flashing down into Ozma's garden in the Emerald City, Dorothy had said -good-bye to her old friends in Perhaps City and started gaily homeward.</p> - -<p>Her visit on Maybe Mountain, where old Peer Haps holds court and the -Forgetful Poet makes verses from morning until night, had been so -interesting and jolly that Dorothy still felt happy and she went -skipping down the steep mountain path almost as fast as the little -brook that rushed along at her side. As she skipped along she sang this -merry ditty:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"I saw one day, the last of May, </div> - <div class="verse indent2">A foolish and absurd </div> - <div class="verse">Old yellow fellow calling 'Hello, </div> - <div class="verse indent2">I'm a banana bird!' </div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"A banana bird! My eyes grew blurred; </div> - <div class="verse indent2">I took to my toes and heels, </div> - <div class="verse">Then away he flew with a flap or two, </div> - <div class="verse indent2">Of his yellow banana peels." </div> - </div> </div> - -<p>"I must try to remember that for Scraps," Dorothy giggled softly to -herself. Her head was full of the Forgetful Poet's ridiculous rhymes, -and she was so busy remembering them and the many bits of news she had -for Ozma that she reached the bottom of the mountain in almost no time -and, without noticing where she was going, turned into an inviting -small lane. There was a sign swinging from a yellow post at the head of -the lane, but Dorothy never saw it. She knew she was in the familiar -Winkie Country, for the wind mills, flapping lazily in the morning -breeze, were yellow, the houses were yellow and if that were not proof -enough, the lane was full of daisies and buttercups and edged with -golden peach and pear trees.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe," sighed Dorothy, hurrying happily along under the -lovely branches, "I don't believe there is any place so interesting as -Oz. How pretty this road is!"</p> - -<p>Stooping down, she scooped up a bit of the sand that made the bed of -the lane sparkle like silver in the sunlight. It <i>was</i> silver, to be -perfectly truthful, and with a little smile Dorothy slipped some into -her pocket.</p> - -<p>"How surprised anyone in Kansas would be to find silver dust in the -road," thought the little girl, recalling her old home with a little -chuckle of amusement. "No, nothing like this ever happens in America at -all, and yet—" Dorothy paused to pick an unusually large buttercup and -twirl it absently under her chin, "and yet I sometimes wish I were in -America again, just to see—"</p> - -<p>Wheee—ee! Off flew her hat, up flew her heels and in a whirl of silver -dust and peach blossoms, off flew Dorothy herself. Off, up, away and -down again, so swiftly she had not even time to swallow.</p> - -<p>"Thirty miles to Hollywood," said the sign near the huge rock where -she sat blinking with shock and astonishment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Hollywood!" panted Dorothy. "Why that's in California and California's -in the United States. But how did I get here?" There was no one to -answer her question, and as she couldn't answer it herself she jumped -up, smoothed out her dress and looked anxiously about. A smooth white -road ran evenly ahead, one side sloped down into a deep ravine, on the -other side was a long, uninteresting stretch of meadow. Through the -trees at the bottom of the ravine, Dorothy caught a glimpse of some -houses.</p> - -<p>Feeling terribly puzzled and not entirely pleased, she left the road -and started down through the trees. Halfway down, she paused to make -sure she was going toward the houses, when the furious clatter of -hoofs on the road above made her glance up in dismay. A great company -of horsemen, armed with pikes, staves, swords and pitch forks were -galloping pell mell along the highway. Giving a scream of fright, -Dorothy saw them turn and plunge down the ravine. With a smash and a -crash they came riding upon her. Gasping in terror, Dorothy sprang -behind a big tree and in a whirl of sticks, dust and color the horsemen -pounded past. They were dressed in green doublets and hose. They wore -wide feathered hats and were not at all the sort of folk Dorothy -expected to find in America.</p> - -<p>With her hand pressed to her heart, Dorothy peered around the tree. -As she did so the wild riders reined up short and two of the most -villainous looking snatched a green-cloaked figure from the saddle and -hurled him violently over the cliff. Then swinging their horses round, -they galloped off as suddenly as they had come, leaving Dorothy, as -she afterwards explained to Sir Hokus of Pokes, perfectly petrified. -Not until the last green doublet flashed out of sight did she dare -stir. Then breathlessly she tiptoed to the edge of the cliff and looked -over.</p> - -<p>"Oooh—they've killed him!" gasped Dorothy, in horrified tones. Now -many another small girl would have run off at once, but Dorothy had -been in too many strange adventures for that. Instead she ran just -as fast as she could down the steep, stony path to the bottom of the -ravine. There on the stones, with his head in a shallow brook, lay the -unfortunate rider. Close beside him was a great jewel-studded crown.</p> - -<p>"A king!" marvelled Dorothy, who had met a great many monarchs in Oz. -"But what is he doing here? And why?"</p> - -<p>Holding her breath, she leaned over and touched the quiet figure. -Then, taking her courage in both hands, she seized him by the arms and -dragged him out of the brook. He came so suddenly and unexpectedly -that Dorothy fell over backwards. More mystified than ever, she picked -herself up.</p> - -<p>"Mercy!" stuttered the little girl, turning him over gingerly. "He's -not alive at all; he's stuffed. Why he's only a dummy."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Half relieved and half disappointed, she gazed into the bland face -of the fallen king. It was a handsomely painted face, which even the -brook mud could not entirely spoil, and it was topped by a splendid -silver wig. But what on earth did it all mean? If Dorothy had been in -Oz she might have found it more understandable, for strange things are -always happening in Oz. But in America! Dorothy could not puzzle it -out. Sitting down on a fallen tree she stared at the dummy in perfect -astonishment. How had she come here herself? How was she to get back -to the Emerald City? Who were the wild green riders, and why had they -flung the dummy over the cliff?</p> - -<p>"I wish," sighed Dorothy at last, looking pensively at the long green -figure stretched so solemnly at her feet, "I wish you were alive and -then maybe—"</p> - -<p>"Maybe what?" wheezed the dummy, raising his head about an inch and -blinking at her curiously. "Say, who pulled me out of the brook?"</p> - -<p>Dorothy gave a little scream and then, recovering herself and -swallowing hard, answered breathlessly, "I did!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I'm supposed to be dead," puffed the dummy reproachfully. "Try -to get that through your hair, can't you? I've just been thrown over -the cliff by the revolutionists. You shouldn't have rescued me, little -girl. It will spoil the picture. Is there a camera man anywhere about?"</p> - -<p>"Camera?" gasped Dorothy faintly, "Oh, I don't know." It had been a -long time since Dorothy had been in America, and there had been very -few moving pictures in those old days on the Kansas farm. But Trot, -who had come to Oz from San Francisco, had told Dorothy a lot about -the screen stars and moving picture stunts. As she recalled Trot's -stories, Dorothy clapped her hands. Smiling at the dummy she said, "I -know! You're a moving picture dummy, aren't you?"</p> - -<p>"Right the first time," said the dummy, as he raised his head another -inch and smiled approvingly at Dorothy. "I take all the risks," he -explained complacently. "I fall for the stars. Now this star was a -foolish old King, but the last star I fell for was a shooting star—a -cow-boy, you know. I was thrown from a horse under a stampeding herd of -steers," he mused dreamily, "and had to be entirely remade.</p> - -<p>"But you had better run along now, little girl. I'm supposed to be -dead. It doesn't hurt," he observed graciously, as Dorothy continued -to stare at him in amazement. "I've died a hundred times and know all -about it. Run along now, like a good child." Lowering his head, he -settled down resignedly in the mud and stared stolidly up at the sky.</p> - -<p>"Well, of course if you prefer to be dead," began Dorothy a bit -stiffly, "I'll go. But why you should want to lie there in the mud, -when the sun is shining and everything so nice and interesting, I don't -see. You're not dead at all. You're as alive as I am!"</p> - -<p>The dummy sat bolt upright at Dorothy's words and started to pinch -himself curiously. "Why so I am," he puffed, rubbing his nose -thoughtfully with his stuffed and pudgy finger. "Sit down again my -dear, until I get used to the idea of it, will you? It feels very odd -and dangerous!" He shook one leg, then the other and rose unsteadily to -his feet.</p> - -<p>"Hurrah!" cried Dorothy "Why I believe you can walk. Here, lean on -this." She thrust a stick into the dummy's hand and after a few -uncertain wobblings, he began to pace briskly up and down, his green -velvet cloak slapping merrily at his heels. Dorothy was so interested -in his progress that she almost forgot how ridiculous it was for a -dummy to be alive, but as he lowered himself carefully to the log -beside her, she began to wonder again how it had all happened.</p> - -<p>"Were you ever alive before?" asked Dorothy curiously.</p> - -<p>The dummy shook his head. "If talking and walking around like this is -being alive, then I never have," said the dummy positively. "What shall -I do now?"</p> - -<p>"Why anything you like," laughed Dorothy, beginning to enjoy herself.</p> - -<p>"But a dummy can only do as he's told," sighed the stuffed king -doubtfully. "And who are you my dear? Have you run off to go into the -movies?" He looked at Dorothy critically from all sides. "Not bad at -all," he murmured approvingly. "They'll be glad to get you, I'm sure. -Just stay here with me and presently they will come in a truck and -collect us. Yes, that's the ticket, we'll wait until we are collected."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, I'm not a ticket," giggled Dorothy, "and I don't want to be -collected or go into the movies either. I'm going straight back to Oz, -as soon as I can."</p> - -<p>"Oz?" queried the dummy, pressing his finger to his forehead. "Is that -a place or a tonic?"</p> - -<p>"It's a place," sputtered Dorothy. "Oh dear, wouldn't Ozma be surprised -to see you! You know, you're awfully like Scraps and the Scarecrow."</p> - -<p>"They sound rather awful," smiled the dummy, folding his cloak around -him dubiously. "Are they dummies too?"</p> - -<p>"No, but they're stuffed," explained Dorothy, leaning over to poke him -experimentally in the chest. "You talk very queerly. I do wonder what -you are stuffed with!"</p> - -<p>"Hair, I think," yawned the dummy indifferently, and leaning over he -picked up his crown and set it jauntily upon the side of his head. "I -wouldn't go back to that Oz place if I were you," he advised earnestly. -"Stay here and you can see a moving picture every day—exciting and -adventurous stuff too."</p> - -<p>"But what's the fun of looking at other folks having adventures," -sniffed Dorothy. "In Oz we have adventures ourselves, and in Oz I'm a -Princess and live in a castle."</p> - -<p>The dummy turned and looked at her respectfully. "A Princess," he -murmured in a faint voice. "Oh!"</p> - -<p>"Have you any name?" asked Dorothy, rather ashamed of her boast about -being a Princess.</p> - -<p>"Well, there's a number on the back of my neck, but I don't think I -have any name," answered the stuffed man uneasily. "I'm just a dummy, -you know."</p> - -<p>"But I wouldn't like to call you a dummy," said Dorothy gently.</p> - -<p>"Well that's what I am," insisted the stuffed king cheerfully, "a -regular dummy."</p> - -<p>Tiptoeing round back of him, Dorothy pulled out a little tag on the -back of his collar. "202-B-E-10-B-47" read the little girl. "My, what a -long number."</p> - -<p>"Yes, isn't it," replied the dummy proudly. "Couldn't you call me by -that?"</p> - -<p>"I could never remember it," objected Dorothy. "Let—me—see, I might -call you Clifford 'cause you fell off a cliff, or Cal, 'cause I found -you in California? Do you know, you are dreadfully humpy in spots. -Humpy! Why I believe I'll call you Humpy!" cried Dorothy, clapping her -hands softly.</p> - -<p>"Oooh! Ouch! What's that?" In sudden terror Dorothy clutched at her -left shoe.</p> - -<p>"I don't care what you call me, but I'd call you very odd!" said the -dummy in alarm. "You've grown at least a foot while I've been looking -at you. People in this country are supposed to stay the same size," he -muttered, edging away uneasily. But Dorothy scarcely heard him. There -was a frightful pain in her heart and both shoes pinched so terribly -that she screamed aloud. At the same instant all the buttons flew off -the back her dress.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Are you going to burst?" asked the dummy anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Oh! I'm afraid so," gasped the little girl, clutching herself -about the waist. At each word she shot up another inch, for Dorothy, -who had lived in the Fairy Land of Oz for many years, was suddenly -growing up.</p> - -<p>In Oz, no one ever grows up, but in America Dorothy would be quite -a young lady by this time and, removed from the magical influences -of that magical land, she was growing all at once and finding it, as -most of the rest of us do, an exceedingly uncomfortable business. Her -screams as she grew taller and taller were so piteous that Humpy fell -off the log.</p> - -<p>"Help! Help! Help!" wailed the dummy, beating his flimsy arms up and -down among the leaves.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Oh! Oh!" panted Dorothy desperately. "I can't stand this another -minute. I wish I were back. I wish I were back!"</p> - -<p>Next moment there was not a sound in the ravine, nor a person, nor even -a dummy. Only a startled squirrel ran up and down the log, chattering -with fright and annoyance. Certainly he had seen two people on that -log. Well, where were they now? He frisked his tail, he wiggled his -nose and scratched his head anxiously. Then, with a little bounce, he -gave it up and went off to crack some nuts for supper.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_11" id="CHAPTER_11"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 11</h2> - -<p class="ph1">A Real Oz Adventure</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"The last thing I remember," muttered the dummy thickly, "was a little -girl shooting up like a fountain. Now what happened after that?" -Dorothy raised her head and looked cautiously in the direction from -which the voice was coming. The dummy lay, face down, in a great heap -of leaves and, without making any attempt to rise, went stuffily on -with the conversation. "I don't mind falling for stars, but being -flung around like a bean bag for a person who is one size this minute -and another size the next is all wrong. I wonder where she is now!"</p> - -<p>"Here I am," called Dorothy breathlessly, rolling out of a pile of -leaves on the other side of him. "How do you s'pose we got here?"</p> - -<p>"Little again!" groaned the dummy, just lifting his head long enough to -look at her, and then letting it drop back among the leaves. "Little -again!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, am I?" Dorothy jumped up in great excitement and began measuring -herself as best she could. Her stockings were stretched and torn, her -dress was ripped in several seams and minus all of its buttons. But -outside of this she was her old, or rather her young, sweet self again.</p> - -<p>"Why we must be back in Oz," sighed Dorothy, looking with deep relief -at a stretch of purple hills in the background. "This is the Gilliken -Country."</p> - -<p>"Are you still the same size, or are you going to shoot up into a -young lady again? Don't shoot," begged the dummy quickly. "It makes me -nervous!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I don't know," said Dorothy doubtfully. To tell the truth the -little girl had not had time to think at all, nor did she quite realize -that she was one age in Oz and another age in America. "I'll have to -ask the Wizard about it when we get back to the Emerald City," she -sighed, with a very puzzled expression. "It's all very funny, don't you -think so, Humpy?"</p> - -<p>"Can't get it through my hair at all," puffed the dummy. Sitting up -stiffly he reached for his crown. "Where are we now and when does the -next reel begin?"</p> - -<p>Instead of answering Dorothy plumped down among the leaves and, with -her elbows on her knees, stared thoughtfully at the dummy.</p> - -<p>"I wish I knew how you came to be alive, and how we got back to Oz," -mused Dorothy slowly. There was a flash and flutter in the air and down -at her feet dropped a crisp white card. Humpy promptly toppled over -backward and Dorothy, herself, gave a little gasp of surprise.</p> - -<p>"By wishing," said the card in pink letters, just as if it had heard -her questions. Below there was some smaller printing and picking up -the card Dorothy quickly read on: "Wish Way is at the foot of Maybe -Mountain. This morning you were on Wish Way. You put some of the silver -wishing sand in your pocket. You wished yourself in America."</p> - -<p>"Mercy!" cried Dorothy, dropping the card in her astonishment. "Why so -I did, and I wished you were alive, and I wished we were back and now -I'm going to wish us both straight to the Emerald City. I was on Wish -Way once before and know all about wishing."</p> - -<p>"Wait! Wait a minute," panted the dummy, clutching his crown. "I'm used -to being flung about, to dying and all that sort of thing, but this -wishing business makes me breathless. Wait!"</p> - -<p>Dorothy had already made her wish and, closing her eyes, sat perfectly -still. After a moment she opened them but nothing at all had happened. -She and Humpy were still sitting on the pile of leaves and the white card -had vanished. Blinking rapidly, Dorothy felt in her pocket. "No wonder -it didn't work," muttered Dorothy. "The wishing sand's all gone. I must -have used the last grain when I wished we were back. Oh dear, we'll -have to walk!"</p> - -<p>"Where?" Holding his crown with both hands, the dummy sat up and looked -anxiously at the little girl.</p> - -<p>"To the Emerald City, where I live, in a splendid palace with Ozma, the -Queen," explained Dorothy patiently.</p> - -<p>"Well, I wouldn't mind living in a palace at all. I'm dressed for the -part. Let's go on," said the dummy cheerfully. After a few bends -backwards and a few bends forwards, he rose and started unsteadily down -the road. "You can be the star in this picture," he added generously, -"and I'll be your double and fall for you any time you say."</p> - -<p>"All right!" agreed Dorothy, taking him cozily by the arm. Having -had great experience with stuffed persons, and having brought Humpy -to life, she felt more or less responsible for him. As they walked -along together, she told him a little about herself and as much about -the wonderful Land of Oz as she thought a man with hair brains could -understand. So many marvelous things had happened to Humpy in the -movies that he evinced no surprise at Dorothy's stories.</p> - -<p>As the dummy and Dorothy hurried on, a great screaming and scolding -made them stop short. A scraggy-looking woods cut off the road ahead -and, advancing backward upon them, there came two crooked and curious -woodsmen bearing a flag. As the flag fluttered and rippled in the wind, -Dorothy tried to make out the strange words embroidered in white upon -its purple background.</p> - -<p>"Eht Kcab Sdoow!" said the flag mysteriously.</p> - -<p>"Og yawa! Og yawa!" shouted the woodsmen rudely. "Teg tou! Teg tou! -Teg tou!"</p> - -<p>"Is this Oz talk," gasped Humpy, falling back in dismay, "or Arabic? I -was in an Arabian picture once and it sounded something like this. Tou -teg, yourselves," he shouted defiantly, as the woodsmen drew nearer, -"and none of your back talk either!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Back talk!" cried Dorothy, clutching him suddenly by the sleeve. "Oh, -that's just what they <i>are</i> talking, Humpy. They're talking 'back -talk.' Wait a minute!" Closing her eyes, Dorothy began writing -imaginary letters in the air and, as the two woodsmen reached them, -she burst out triumphantly, "It says 'The Back Woods' on that flag. Oh -dear, I wished we were back and now we are!"</p> - -<p>"You think awful fast," blinked the dummy admiringly. "The mere look of -that language makes me dizzy. So they're talking back talk are they? -Well, what do they say? Are they going to hit us?"</p> - -<p>"They're telling us to go away," muttered Dorothy, putting her fingers -in her ears, for the two leaders had been joined by a hundred more and -all were screaming at the top or rather, I should say, the bottom of -their voices. They kept their backs to the travellers and shouted the -dreadful back talk over their shoulders. They all carried gleaming axes -and, when Dorothy made an attempt to advance, they brandished them -threateningly.</p> - -<p>"If I could only talk back," wailed the little girl, "I'd tell them I -am a Princess. Then maybe they'd let me through."</p> - -<p>"Couldn't you write it?" suggested Humpy, looking at the angry horde -with growing alarm.</p> - -<p>"Why, how did you think of that?" Dorothy stared at him in honest -amazement. Then, feeling in her pocket, she brought out a stub -of pencil and a crumpled piece of paper. The woodsmen watched her -curiously over their shoulders as she slowly wrote her message.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I ma Ssecnirp Yhtorod, dneirf fo Amzo fo Zo. Yam ew ssap hguorht ruoy -sdoow?" printed Dorothy after a great many pauses and erasures. Rather -timidly she handed it to one of the flag bearers and after a great -scowling and head-shaking, the woodsmen raised their axes and shouted -in chorus, "Sey! Sey!"</p> - -<p>"That means 'yes'," breathed Dorothy, taking Humpy's arm. "C'mon, let's -hurry, before they change their minds." The woodsmen parted solemnly to -make a path, but when they reached the backwoods itself, Dorothy took -one step and was immediately flung upon her nose.</p> - -<p>"Ah, I see you do your own falling," mumbled the dummy. "Why didn't you -wait for me?" Humpy was several paces behind Dorothy and as he spoke, -he also attempted to enter the woods. But the same hidden force pushed -him over backwards. Immediately the inhabitants of Back began to roar -with delight, and if you have never heard anyone roaring backwards, you -have no idea how horrid it sounds. It was something between a cough and -a choke. Even the dummy knew that he was being insulted, and waved his -arms about indignantly.</p> - -<p>"There's some trick to it," panted Dorothy, sitting up quickly. "Watch!"</p> - -<p>Several of the woodsmen began to move slowly toward her and, observing -them closely, the little girl saw that they were turned backward but -really walking forward. "We have to go backward forward!" cried -Dorothy. "Hurry up, before they catch us."</p> - -<p>"This is worse than dying," groaned Humpy. "How do you go backwards and -forwards at the same time?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Watch me," said Dorothy, springing up determinedly. Turning her back -to the woods, she started to run away from it, and Humpy, goaded into -action by the threatening appearance of the terrible woodsmen, did -the same. For every step they ran backward forward, they went forward -backward two steps, bumping into trees, which had their roots waving -muddily in the air and their leaves underground and crashing into -bushes of the same curious character. Without stopping to examine the -back scenery at all, they ran for their lives, reaching the edge of -the woods just as the woodsmen caught up with them. The wicked fellows -had really no intention of letting them go, and howled most awfully as -Humpy and Dorothy made their escape. Several of the leaders started -in pursuit, but each time they set foot out of their forest they were -flung down by the invisible back wind and finally gave it up. Seeing -that they were safe at last, Dorothy sank down under a tomato tree and -fanned herself vigorously with her hat.</p> - -<p>"Do we do this often?" puffed the dummy, giving himself a shake. "I see -this is going to be a funny picture."</p> - -<p>"It's not a picture at all," answered the little girl a bit crossly. -"It's real. I told you we have lots of adventures in Oz. Well, this is -a real adventure."</p> - -<p>"Really!" smiled the dummy, straightening his crown. "Well, if we're -not in a picture we ought to be. I'll bet we looked ridiculous running -forward backward. I say, if it isn't a funny reel it's real funny and I -hope you'll admit that, Miss Dorothy."</p> - -<p>"Are you sure there's nothing in your head but hair?" asked the little -girl suspiciously. Humpy took off his crown and smoothed his silver -wig solemnly. "I don't think so," he said. "Why do you ask?"</p> - -<p>"Well," Dorothy gave a little chuckle in spite of herself, "you just -made a joke and you thought about writing back. You sound kinda smart -to me."</p> - -<p>"You're wrong," sighed Humpy, gravely replacing his crown. "I'm only a -hair-brained dummy, but I like being alive and I like having you for -my star and after this—" Humpy shook his fist angrily at the still -muttering woodsmen—"after this I'll take all the knocks and hard falls -for you. Then maybe, if you tried hard, you might grow to like me a -little?"</p> - -<p>"Why, I like you already, you dear, generous old thing." Jumping up, -Dorothy gave Humpy an impulsive hug. Then, picking a large tomato, she -ate it hungrily. It seemed a long time since she had breakfasted with -the Forgetful Poet in Perhaps City.</p> - -<p>"We'd better start on now," said the little girl, finishing off the -tomato with a long sigh of satisfaction. "We're in the Gilliken Country -and if we walk fast we may reach the Emerald City before night comes."</p> - -<p>"All right, Miss Star." Picking up a crooked branch to balance himself, -Humpy stepped out cheerfully and, talking of one thing and another, -they journeyed for more than an hour through the pleasant fields and -lanes, causing no small wonder to the Gilliken farmers whom they passed -on the way, for Dorothy in her torn stockings and frock and the dummy -in his regal robes and crown made a strange pair, even for Oz. Without -explaining themselves at all, the two hurried on, never stopping until -they came to a broad purple river. Humpy looked inquiringly at Dorothy -and Dorothy with a puzzled little sigh sat down upon the river bank.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I'm sure we ought to cross this river," said Dorothy thoughtfully, -"but how?"</p> - -<p>Humpy put one finger in the water. "Do you want me to fall in for you?" -asked the dummy obligingly.</p> - -<p>"Well, I don't see what good that would do," frowned Dorothy. "Let me -see!" Dorothy looked reflectively at her toes, so of course she saw -nothing but her boots, but Humpy looked off across the river, and so it -was Humpy who saw them first.</p> - -<p>"Oh, look!" stuttered the dummy, grasping Dorothy by the sleeve. "Here -comes another adventure, Miss Star!"</p> - -<p>Jumping up in alarm, Dorothy saw a curious company scooting about upon -the surface of the water. At the very same moment they saw Dorothy, and -came skating and sliding across the river like a swarm of giant water -bugs.</p> - -<p>"Now don't tell me this is real," grunted the dummy, sitting down with -a thud. "I wouldn't believe them, even in a picture."</p> - -<p>"But they're not in a picture," wailed Dorothy. "They're here, whether -you believe them or not. Why they have sails! Oh Humpy, get up quick. -Aren't you going to help me?" With a mighty effort Humpy pulled himself -together and arose.</p> - -<p>"Teg tuo! Teg tuo!" shrilled the dummy, lapsing in his fright and -excitement into the terrible language of Back. "Og yawa! Og yawa! Kcab -Sdoow!" And snatching off his crown, he hurled it violently at the -heads of the approaching rivermen.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5ch11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_12" id="CHAPTER_12"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch12.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 12</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Playful Scooters</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The first of the rivermen caught the dummy's crown neatly and tossed it -back. "Is it a game?" he called hoarsely. Dorothy had no time to dodge, -so she quickly caught the crown, which came with such force that she -sat down with a jolt.</p> - -<p>The dummy danced up and down and waved his arms threateningly.</p> - -<p>"Come on, Flub Blub. It's a game," called the first riverman to the -man just behind him. "Two Scoots playing a game! Here," he croaked -in his deep, frog-like voice, "throw it to me!" He raised his sails -coaxingly at Dorothy and, partly because she was afraid to have him -come nearer and partly because she didn't know what else to do, the -little girl pitched back the crown with all her might. The one called -Flub Blub caught it immediately. The next throw was to Humpy and -backward and forward between the puzzled travellers on the bank and -curious creatures on the water flew the dummy's crown, and breathlessly -between catches Dorothy examined these strange playfellows.</p> - -<p>They were tall and angular and so sunburned that they almost appeared -to be Indians. They were clad in shiny water proof hats and slickers. -On their long, thin feet, shaped somewhat like skis and somewhat like -narrow boats, they slid over the water as surely and carelessly as we -skate about on ice. Extending from the ankle to the finger tips, and -as much a part of the wearer as wings are part of a bird, were bright -yellow sails. When their arms were down at their sides, the sails were -folded in and almost unnoticeable, but with arms outstretched the -rivermen had two wide-spread sails to help them scoot over the water. -By lowering the right arm or the left, they could turn, tack and get -about faster than any sailing boat you have ever seen. Their faces, -under the broad sou-westers, were child-like and pleasant and, finding -them more interesting than dangerous, Dorothy motioned for Humpy to -hold the crown, which had landed for about the tenth time with a -resounding thwack against his chest.</p> - -<p>"But I was just getting good," objected the dummy, placing the crown -regretfully on his head. "What now?" Humpy had become so engrossed -in catching the crown that he had quite forgotten his fright and, as -the leader came in close to the shore, he looked at him with frank -curiosity.</p> - -<p>"Well, Scoots," bubbled the one called Flub Blub, rocking gently -backward and forward on the water, "who won?"</p> - -<p>"I think it was a tie," answered Dorothy politely, "but why do you call -us Scoots?"</p> - -<p>"Because your sails haven't grown," gurgled the riverman, taking a -white bubble pipe from his mouth and smiling broadly at the little -girl. "But don't mind, my dear. We must all be Scoots before we're -Scooters. Just stick in the mud a little longer and your sails will -grow as large as mine."</p> - -<p>"Dorothy's not a Scoot, she's a star," protested Humpy, "and I'm her -double and do all the hard falling. Don't you know a star when you see -one?"</p> - -<p>The Scooter turned his pale blue eyes curiously on Humpy. "You look -about as much like her as a pumpkin looks like a peach," he observed -mildly. "Why do you call yourself her double? And if she's a star -what's she doing out now? It's only ten o'clock." At this all the other -Scooters removed their pipes and nodded gravely.</p> - -<p>"Is she an out-and-out star, or a down-and-out star?" inquired Flub -Blub, blowing a whole flock of soap bubbles from his pipe and watching -them float lazily up the river.</p> - -<p>"I'm a Princess," put in Dorothy, seeing that everything was becoming -hopelessly confused, "and we're on our way to the Emerald City."</p> - -<p>"A Princess!" exclaimed the Scooter in amazement. He took off his -sou-wester and scratched his head in a puzzled way. Dorothy was so -astonished to find that his hair was moss that she said nothing at all -for a whole minute.</p> - -<p>"If you're a Princess, why are you so shabby?" choked a Scooter named -Mouldy.</p> - -<p>"Don't mind him, he has a bad cold," apologized Flub, putting his hat -on again. "He would go a picking daisies on the shore yesterday and got -his feet dry. Now look at him!"</p> - -<p>The Scooter coughed miserably. "That's right," he wheezed, dabbing at -his eyes with his right sail. "Never get your feet dry little Scoot, -it's turrible!"</p> - -<p>At this Dorothy giggled in spite of herself. Then seeing the poor -fellow was offended she asked quickly, "Is there any way we could cross -this river, Mr. Mouldy?"</p> - -<p>"There's a bridge a bit further on," sniffed the Scooter, waving his -sail sulkily. Following the direction, Dorothy saw what at first looked -like a silver bridge. But on closer inspection it proved to be a great -torrent of water spouting across the river like the stream from a giant -hose.</p> - -<p>"But it's water!" gasped the little girl in dismay.</p> - -<p>"Of course it's water. What should a bridge be but water?" demanded the -leader of the Scooters impatiently. "Just stand on one side and it will -shoot you across."</p> - -<p>"How dreadfully wet," sighed the dummy dolefully, "but I'll cross if -you will Dorothy."</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Flub Blub approvingly, "and here's the way to -do it." Followed by the others, the Scooter sailed up the river and -leaped lightly on the gleaming arch of water. Dorothy, watching them -shoot across with sails outspread, thought she had never seen a more -interesting sight. Just before they reached the opposite bank, they -jumped into the water and in less than a minute they all were back.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch12.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"See," smiled the leader cheerfully, "it's as easy as sailing, Miss -Star or Princess or whatever else you call yourself."</p> - -<p>"Just a little girl, thank you," smiled Dorothy, looking very -doubtfully at the water bridge.</p> - -<p>"Is he a little girl too?" asked the riverman, eyeing Humpy -attentively. At this the poor dummy looked so indignant that Dorothy -quickly told about her fall into America, her meeting with Humpy and -the strange manner in which he had been wished to life. But as the -Scooters had never heard of America, nor of a moving picture dummy, her -story was not at all clear to them. And when she went on to explain -that crossing the river on the water bridge and getting her feet wet -would give <i>her</i> a cold, they were more astonished than ever.</p> - -<p>"Couldn't you carry her across?" asked Humpy, as they stood arguing -excitedly together. "I don't mind the water myself and am quite used to -floating and falling, but Dorothy—"</p> - -<p>"Ever try a water fall?" interrupted Mouldy inquisitively.</p> - -<p>"Let's take her across, boys!" called Flub Blub before Humpy had a -chance to answer. "Come along Princess Little Girl and Mr. Dummy!" With -hoarse shouts the Scooters stretched their long arms. A dozen seized -upon Humpy and, holding him awkwardly between them, started scooting -across the river. Dorothy, standing precariously on Flub Blub's right -foot and balanced by Mouldy's left arm, fairly raced over the waters -between the two rivermen. Their sails flapped merrily in the wind and -the spray from their long ski-like feet spread out like white wings -behind.</p> - -<p>"Won't Ozma and Betsy be surprised when I tell them about this!" -thought Dorothy as they neared the opposite bank. Little did Dorothy -guess of the strange happenings Ozma and the others would soon have to -relate to her!</p> - -<p>"Better stay with us and learn to scoot," advised Flub Blub, seeing the -smile on Dorothy's face.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Ah what is more brave than a life on the wave!</div> - <div class="verse">No care and no trouble, life goes like a bubble!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>The Scooter waved his arm jovially, as he recited the couplet.</p> - -<p>"But what do you eat?" inquired Dorothy. She had been puzzling over -this for some time.</p> - -<p>"Water cress, water melons and fish," answered Flub Blub, without -slackening his speed.</p> - -<p>"Raw fish?" asked Dorothy, with a little gasp.</p> - -<p>"Well, rawther," giggled another Scooter just behind them. "Raw fish -make the sails grow. Stay in the water little girl and you'll soon -have a fine pair of sails."</p> - -<p>"That's right," added Flub Blub approvingly. Removing his bubble pipe -he continued earnestly, "Fish will make your feet grow too. Eat fish, -my dear, and grow a beautiful pair like mine!"</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked down at the Scooter's long feet and shuddered. "That -settles it," she whispered, with a little shiver. "I'll never eat fish!"</p> - -<p>They had now reached the opposite side of the river. Thanking the -Scooters for their kindness and bidding them an affectionate farewell, -the little girl scampered quickly up the bank. Humpy had already been -tossed ashore.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye!" shouted the Scooters, cheerfully waving their sails. They -were in mid-stream by this time.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye!" called Dorothy and Humpy, picking himself up clumsily, -waved his crown.</p> - -<p>"Ah, still the same size I see," smiled Humpy, looking amiably at -Dorothy. "Any more adventures coming?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I liked that one," chuckled Dorothy, pulling up her stockings -and straightening her hat. "Didn't you?"</p> - -<p>Humpy nodded, his eyes wandering over the fields and hills, spreading -out invitingly before them. "Is this the way to your palace?" he -demanded, throwing his cloak back over one shoulder and waving his -stick ahead.</p> - -<p>"It's not my palace," explained Dorothy, taking his arm, "it's Ozma's. -She is the Queen of Oz, you know, but I have the dearest little -apartment there, with a hundred fairy tale books, a hundred games, a -hundred dresses, a dog named Toto and a little white kitten."</p> - -<p>"Well, I hope your dog won't chew me," said Humpy uneasily. "I was in a -picture with a dog once. He was supposed to knock me down. Well, he did -and, before they could pull him away he had chewed off my ear and eaten -up my wig. I hate dogs."</p> - -<p>"But Toto's only a little dog, you'll just <i>love</i> Toto," Dorothy -assured him quickly.</p> - -<p>Humpy still looked doubtful and, seeing that dogs made him unhappy, -Dorothy began telling him all about the Scarecrow and Scraps. Chatting -pleasantly, they walked along for more than an hour, when Humpy, ever -on the lookout for adventures, gave Dorothy's arm a quick jerk. Moving -slowly behind a thin fringe of trees to the right was a great gray -shadow. As they stopped, the shadow stopped too and out through the -trees something that looked like a long grey snake came curiously -curling.</p> - -<p>"Run!" puffed the valiant dummy. "Run, Dorothy! This is my part of the -show for it can't bite me!"</p> - -<p>Raising his stick, Humpy brought it down sharply on the thick gray -body. There was an enraged snort and snuffle in the bushes. Then, -before Dorothy could run or Humpy could use his stick again, a -perfectly enormous elephant came charging out between the trees. His -sides were heaving with rage and his tusks were trembling with temper.</p> - -<p>"Who hit me?" screamed the elephant, lashing about furiously with -his trunk. "I'll mash him, I'll crash him! Ah hah!" His little eyes -snapped wickedly as they fell upon Humpy's stick. The next instant the -great beast had seized the dummy in his trunk and flung him fifty feet -into the air. Then, pausing to straighten his pearl head-piece, he -glared indignantly at Dorothy. There is only one elephant in Oz who is -elegant enough to own a headband of pearls and, with a little shriek -of surprise and recognition, Dorothy ran forward just in time to save -Humpy from another toss in the air.</p> - -<p>"Why Kabumpo!" cried the little girl in delight. "Wait! Wait a minute!" -The Elegant Elephant, after a quick look at the little girl, snatched a -huge silk hanky from a pocket in his robe and blew his trunk violently.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch12.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, I'll be blowed if it isn't Dorothy," wheezed Kabumpo, -half-choked between embarrassment and surprise. "What brings you here?"</p> - -<p>Just as he spoke he caught another glimpse of Humpy, who had risen -and was advancing unsteadily. "Excuse me until I mash that idiot," he -roared.</p> - -<p>"Oh please don't mash him," begged Dorothy in alarm. "You see he's only -a dummy and he didn't mean to hit you. Besides he's a friend of mine."</p> - -<p>Kabumpo swayed uncertainly for a moment and then stuffed his -handkerchief back into his pocket. "Well, nobody but a dummy would hit -an elephant on the trunk. Why have such dumb friends?" he asked sulkily.</p> - -<p>As quickly as she could, Dorothy explained her strange meeting with the -dummy, his coming to life and her curious adventures since. It was such -an amazing story that Kabumpo now regarded Humpy with more interest -than anger. Dorothy, seeing that the dummy still thought her in danger, -hastily took away his stick and introduced him to the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>Kabumpo, you know, belongs to the royal family of Pumperdink, a cozy -old-fashioned country in the Gilliken country, and he is one of the -chief ornaments of its court and a prime favorite of Pompadore, the -young Prince. He has a suite of rooms in the palace, and more jewels -and embroidered robes than any other elephant in all of Oz.</p> - -<p>Once upon a time Kabumpo had helped Pompa save Peg Amy, an enchanted -Princess, from a dreadful old wizard named Glegg. This little Princess -had afterwards married the Prince of Pumperdink and it was on this -adventure that Dorothy had first met the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>"But why did he throw me away?" asked Humpy suspiciously, when Dorothy -had told him all that I have just told you.</p> - -<p>"I'll throw you away every time you hit me, so you'd better get that -through your head at once," trumpeted Kabumpo indignantly.</p> - -<p>"Well, just so you don't throw Dorothy, it will be all right," sighed -the dummy resignedly. "I'm quite used to being flung about, but I've -never been in a picture with an elephant before."</p> - -<p>"This isn't a picture. It's Oz," snapped Kabumpo loftily. "Don't you -know anything at all?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, don't quarrel," begged Dorothy anxiously. "Tell me about Pompa and -Peg Amy, Kabumpo, and how's everything in Pumperdink?"</p> - -<p>"Well," mused the Elegant Elephant, taking out his handkerchief -again and mopping his forehead thoughtfully, "things are kinda slow. -Since Pompa married Peg there's been no excitement at all. Fact is," -admitted Kabumpo confidentially, "I was just on my way to the Emerald -City to see whether I could stir up a little fun."</p> - -<p>"Why so are we!" cried Dorothy in delight. "Let's all go together. Oh -Kabumpo, won't that be fun?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch12.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Elegant Elephant looked dubiously at the dummy. "Well, so long -as you're going in the same direction you might as well ride on my -back," he remarked carelessly. Then, winding his trunk about Dorothy -[Kabumpo, under his pompous manner, was really a kind-hearted old -fellow] he set the little girl aloft and, snatching up the dummy, he -tossed him recklessly over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>With a blast from his trunk like a steamboat whistle, Kabumpo got under -way, plunging ahead so swiftly that Dorothy and Humpy had all they -could do to keep their seats.</p> - -<p>"Isn't this fun?" called Dorothy, holding fast to the Elegant -Elephant's great ear.</p> - -<p>"Is it?" inquired the dummy, clinging desperately to Kabumpo's jewelled -harness and fluttering up and down like a banner at each step. "So this -is fun? Ah, how fast I am learning."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_13" id="CHAPTER_13"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch13.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 13</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Snip Meets the Blanks</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>On the night before Ozma received the mysterious warning, Snip and -Mombi—as we well know—were making their way through the deep forest -on the other side of Catty Corners. Each step was growing harder and -harder for the weary little button boy. Holding the great goose in his -arms, he staggered along, guided by the flicker of Mombi's lantern, -stumbling over roots, brushing against trees and shivering with the -clammy chill of midnight. The old witch seemed positively tireless -and Snip had about decided he could go no further, when she stopped -suddenly beside a rough stone well.</p> - -<p>"Snip," wheezed Mombi craftily, "I'm thirsty. Now you're younger than I -am. Just get me a drink, will you?" Her voice was so pleasant that Snip -unsuspectingly set Pajuka on the ground and peered down into the dark -depths of the well, while Mombi held the lantern. There was a chain at -the side and, grasping it in both hands, Snip leaned over and began to -haul up the bucket.</p> - -<p>This was the chance Mombi had been waiting for all evening and, seizing -Snip by the heels, she heartlessly tumbled him into the well. Her -wicked shout of triumph and Snip's shrill outcry awakened Pajuka. -Fluttering into the air, he made a great snatch at the disappearing -little button boy.</p> - -<p>Snip, on his part, clutching desperately at the rough stones to save -himself, caught instead a handful of goose feathers and went plunging -down into the dreadful darkness. Down, down, down he fell, like a lump -of lead, to the very bottom. With eyes shut tight and clenched fists, -Snip waited for the terrible bump that should end his fall. But instead -of a bump, there was a soft thud and bounce and he found himself -wedged fast in a padded bucket. The jar set the bucket in motion and -for a moment Snip thought it was going to shoot up to the top again. -Instead it began to move sideways, for opening out from the bottom of -the well was a long, damp passageway, and the bucket swinging on a -heavy cable shot rapidly along through this underground tunnel.</p> - -<p>It was too dark for Snip to see but, stretching his arms carefully, he -felt the walls above and at the side. Clearly the old witch had meant -to destroy him, so she could work out her wicked plans undisturbed. -"But maybe," whispered poor Snip, crouching low to keep from bumping -his head, "maybe I can get out after all and manage to reach the -Emerald City first and warn Ozma of Mombi's treachery. Then surely Ozma -will help me find Pajuka and she, herself, can hunt for the lost King."</p> - -<p>It was a long and terrible ride, and many times Snip's heart thumped -so loudly that it drowned out the creak of the straining cable. Where -under the earth was he going? Would the flying bucket never stop? Just -as he was losing his courage entirely, Snip saw a star. The bucket had -come to the end of the tunnel and was shooting up another well as -swiftly as Snip had fallen down the first one. Almost as soon as he -made this joyful discovery, the bucket reached the top, spilled him -carelessly over the edge and dropped back with a hollow ring to the -bottom.</p> - -<p>For several minutes Snip lay where he had fallen, too shaken and -breathless to care where he was. Then, rolling over, he looked -anxiously around. In the faint starlight, not much was visible. He -seemed to be in a small orchard and just beyond the trees he could -see the dim outlines of a strange city. Satisfying himself that no -immediate danger threatened and too weary to go another step, the -worn-out little adventurer flung himself down beside the well and was -soon fast asleep.</p> - -<p>It was morning and nearly nine o'clock when he was awakened by the -sound of hurrying foot-steps and shrill cries.</p> - -<p>"He has freckles," screamed the first voice.</p> - -<p>"His nose turns up," shouted the second.</p> - -<p>"Who threw him in our well?" demanded a third fretfully. "Is he welcome -or is he not?"</p> - -<p>"Not!" boomed the voices altogether.</p> - -<p>"Take his hat, get his buttons!" growled a deep bass voice. At this the -steps pattered so close that Snip rolled over and sat up, confronting -as he did so the very oddest company he had ever seen. For one -unbelievable second he stared, thinking he must still be asleep and -dreaming. The company on their part regarded him with blank looks. And -no wonder. They had not a face among them!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch13.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"If it were people without clothes I should say they were savages," -gasped Snip, "but clothes, without people! Whew!" Leaping to his feet, -he turned toward the town and ran as if for his life.</p> - -<p>Screaming furiously, the Blanks started in pursuit. Now to look over -your shoulder and see a collection of suits, hats, shoes and gloves, -all in their proper places upon perfectly invisible wearers, chasing -after you is a fearsome business, and as they came nearer and nearer -Snip fairly stepped upon his own toes in his hurry to escape.</p> - -<p>"How dare you show your face around here?" raged the leader, -brandishing with an invisible hand a dreadfully visible and dangerous -looking umbrella. "Don't you know it's against the law to show your -face in Blankenburg?"</p> - -<p>"I—can't—help—it!" panted Snip and then as the terrible crowd began -to gain on him, he reached in his pockets, seized a handful of buttons -and flung them wildly over his shoulder. When he dared to look back -again, the Blanks were quarreling bitterly over the buttons.</p> - -<p>Taking advantage of their greediness, Snip plunged into the town, -entered the first house he came to and slammed the door. At first he -thought the great dim room was empty but he finally made out an old -man with silver hair and beard sitting cross-legged on a long table at -the back window. He was stitching solemnly upon a red velvet cloak -and looked so kind and gentle that Snip promptly burst into an account -of his troubles. But to his dismay, the tailor went calmly on with his -work, never glancing up at all. Snip could hear the Blanks clattering -over the paving stones so, rushing forward, he shook the old man -desperately by the sleeve.</p> - -<p>With a start that sent his spectacles flying across the shop, the -tailor leaped to his feet. "A boy!" he stuttered, seizing Snip by the -shoulders. "Why, how did you get here? No, don't tell me now for I -couldn't hear you if you did. You see my ears have flown off and we'll -have to wait till they return. A boy! Bless my heart, yours is the -first face I've seen in years and years."</p> - -<p>In growing amazement and alarm, Snip waved toward the window. With a -quick nod, the tailor swept him into a big cupboard. "They shan't have -you," declared the old man determinedly and, when a moment later the -Blanks rushed into the shop, he shook his head crossly at all of their -threats and inquiries.</p> - -<p>"Can't you see my ears are off?" he mumbled fretfully. "Whom do you -want? What are you screeching about?"</p> - -<p>The Blanks cried loudly that they were searching for a boy, but the -tailor pretended not to understand and, after poking about the shop a -bit, they finally took themselves off. Snip, who had one eye glued to -the cupboard door, saw them streaming into the street, their plumed -hats trembling with indignation, their buckled shoes twinkling with the -speed of their invisible feet.</p> - -<p>As the last Blank turned the corner, there was a whirr in the air -and in through the window flashed two butterflies. But were they -butterflies? Next instant they had fluttered over and attached -themselves to the old tailor's head.</p> - -<p>"Not butterflies, but butterfly ears!" gasped Snip, falling headlong -from the cupboard with the shock of the thing.</p> - -<p>"It's all right," smiled the tailor, adjusting the ears quickly and -looking kindly over at Snip. "And dear, dear, what a strange story my -left ear is telling me!"</p> - -<p>"Do your ears tell you stories?" asked Snip, forgetting his own -troubles for a moment.</p> - -<p>"Yes. The left one tells me that an elephant has run off with a little -girl," mused the tailor, wiping his specs. "Fancy that, now!"</p> - -<p>Snip could hear a faint buzzing and eyed the old gentleman's ears with -growing interest and respect.</p> - -<p>"There, there, that will do," muttered the tailor at last, giving his -left ear a little pinch. "I wish to hear this young gentleman's story, -so please be quiet and attend."</p> - -<p>Immediately both ears tilted toward Snip and, fearful lest they fly -off before he could finish, the little button boy poured out the whole -history of his adventures from the time he left Kimbaloo to his fall -down the strange well.</p> - -<p>"Ozma!" sighed the tailor, brushing his hand absently across his -brow. "Is Ozma Queen of Oz now? I've been prisoner here so long I've -forgotten everything. You say that this witch, Mombi, transformed and -hid her father and now proposes to find and restore him to the throne? -And the goose? Whom did you say he was?"</p> - -<p>"Pajuka is the Prime Minister," puffed Snip hastily. "He's been trying -for years and years to find the King himself. If someone doesn't help -him soon, and get him away from Mombi, he'll be roasted or eaten or -lost!"</p> - -<p>Snip opened his hand, where still clutched in his moist grasp were the -feathers he had pulled from Pajuka's wing as he fell down the well. The -tailor leaned forward to examine them. As he did so, a gold feather -separated itself from the white, fluttered for a moment in the air and -then sailed straight through the window. It was the golden feather -that, we know, took the magic message to the Emerald City, but as -neither Snip nor the old tailor could follow its flight, they stood -gaping after it in perfect astonishment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch13.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Why I didn't know Pajuka had any gold feathers. How did it fly off by -itself? Oh dear, I wish someone would help me find him," wailed the -little button boy dismally. "Couldn't you, Mister—Mister—?"</p> - -<p>"Just plain Tora," put in the tailor, rubbing his forehead absently. -"Well, it's a mighty queer business, Snip. I'd like to help you, but -I've all this work to do." The old man waved wearily toward the racks -and stacks of unfinished cloaks and waistcoats.</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say you make clothes for them?" Snip jerked his thumb -indignantly over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>The tailor nodded. "Have to," he added miserably. "Been at it for years -and years."</p> - -<p>"Do they pay you?" asked the little button boy in surprise.</p> - -<p>"Well, they let me live in this house, and they give me plenty to eat. -Besides, I can't get away," finished the old man, sinking down on a -three-legged stool and letting his head drop heavily in his hands.</p> - -<p>"But you're not invisible like they are. How did you happen to come -here anyway?"</p> - -<p>The tailor pushed his specs up on his forehead. "Seems as if I'd always -been here," he mourned dolefully, "stitching, stitching, stitching and -never getting done. If I try to pass through that gate," he pointed -through the window into a small yard, "if I try to pass through that -gate some invisible force holds me back. So what can I do? But I have -my ears," he continued more cheerfully. "They can go off wherever they -please and they tell me what's going on and keep me pretty happy."</p> - -<p>"Well, I wouldn't stand it," exclaimed Snip, thrusting his hands deep -into his pockets and staring down sympathetically at the old man. In -spite of his strange ears, there was something so gentle and lovable -about the old tailor that Snip could not bear to have him unhappy. "I'd -get away somehow," declared the little boy earnestly.</p> - -<p>Tora shook his head hopelessly. "The thing to do, is to get <i>you</i> away -before they come back," he sighed, taking an old silver watch from -his vest pocket. "The Blanks are great eaters and wouldn't miss their -breakfasts for a fortune. So now's the best time for you to go. Come -on, I'll show you the way to the Fare-well. You can see it from the -gate."</p> - -<p>"Is that the only way out?" groaned Snip. He felt that one experience -with a well would be quite enough for him.</p> - -<p>"Only way I know," answered Tora, taking down his coat from a peg. "You -reach Blankenburg by the Well-come and leave by the Fare-well."</p> - -<p>Sticking his needle in his lapel, he started rapidly for the door and, -feeling very mixed up indeed, Snip hurried after him. There was not a -Blank in sight as they stepped into Tora's yard and Snip, looking at -the handsome dwellings on both sides of the street, thought he would -like to see more of this strange city. A bright pink blanket flew from -a castle which stood at the end of the square and Tora explained that -this was the national emblem of the Blanks.</p> - -<p>There were a hundred questions on the tip of Snip's tongue. For -instance, he wanted to know how the Blanks had come to be invisible -and how Tora himself had come to have such wonderful ears, but the old -gentleman was so anxious for him to get safely off that he had not time -for a single question.</p> - -<p>"If they capture you before you reach the well, be sure not to let them -wash your face," warned Tora earnestly, "for if they wash your face, it -will disappear. Remember don't wash your face, whatever happens."</p> - -<p>This was an easy promise for a little boy to make and, following the -direction of Tora's long finger, Snip saw a stone well in the small -park at the corner of the street.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye!" sighed the old man, giving him a wistful pat on the -shoulder. "If you ever find this King or reach the Emerald City, tell -someone about old Tora, will you?"</p> - -<p>"I'll tell Ozma; I'll tell everybody!" promised the little button boy, -settling his cap determinedly. Then, because he hated to leave Tora -looking so sad, he seized him suddenly by the hand. "Why don't you try -to get through the gate now?" urged Snip. "Come on, I'll help you!" As -he spoke, he kicked open the gate with his heel, stepped out and began -to tug at the tailor's coat.</p> - -<p>"No use," began the old man. "No use for me to try to get away—"</p> - -<p>Before he could finish the sentence Snip had dragged him entirely -through. For an instant he stood staring back uncertainly at his little -shop with its shabby sign, "The Tired Tailor of Oz." He had printed it -to amuse himself one stormy evening. Snatching a piece of chalk from -his pocket, while Snip danced up and down with anxiety and impatience, -Tora dashed back and scribbled two letters before the second word.</p> - -<p>"The Re-Tired Tailor of Oz," said the sign now, and with a long, gusty -chuckle, the old man grasped Snip by the hand and ran with all his -might toward the Fare-well.</p> - -<p>The Blanks were evidently still at breakfast, and Tora and Snip made -their way through the deserted streets of Blankenburg without meeting -a soul. In a jiffy they came to the Fare-well, both out of breath but -happy to be near to freedom.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch13.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_14" id="CHAPTER_14"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch14.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 14</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Old Tailor's Story</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Snip was just gathering his courage for a jump down the well when -Tora lifted him up and dropped him gently over the edge. Again that -terrifying swoop into the darkness. "After this," gulped Snip dizzily, -as he turned over and over, "I shall think nothing of falling out of a -button tree, or down a flight of steps. Perhaps I'll try a fall every -day just to keep in practice."</p> - -<p>With a breathless bump, Snip landed in the padded bucket, putting an -end to these curious thoughts. Before he had time for any others, he -had shot through another underground passage and up and out of the well -with such force that he rolled like a ball on the soft green moss. When -he stopped rolling he saw Tora sitting beside him, smoothing down his -long silver locks and untangling his whiskers.</p> - -<p>"Are your ears on tight?" asked Snip anxiously, for it would certainly -be a dreadful thing if the tailor's ears had been left behind. Tora put -up his hand quickly to touch them and then, with a pleased nod, arose -to his feet.</p> - -<p>"You've brought me good luck, Snip," smiled the old gentleman. "I've -tried a hundred times to escape from the Blanks, but never could get -through that gate."</p> - -<p>"Well, I am glad I could help you, for you helped me," said Snip. "Now -that you have escaped, where will you go? Do you remember where you -lived before?"</p> - -<p>"I remember nothing," acknowledged the tailor sorrowfully, "so I'm -going with you and after we find this good goose you speak of and the -King, I'll just look around for another shop. A tailor has no cause to -worry, and I've all my tools right with me." He chuckled, jingling his -pockets cheerfully.</p> - -<p>Snip had to smile himself, for Tora certainly did look like a walking -work-shop. Around his neck were three long tape measures. Through -tapes in his vest there hung a dozen pairs of scissors and shears of -all sizes. Fastened to his coat was a huge pin cushion and both lapels -were stuck full of needles. As for his pockets, they simply bulged with -spools of silk, beeswax and thread.</p> - -<p>Snip thought he had never seen a more interesting traveller and, -feeling happier than he had since he left Kimbaloo, and quite hopeful -of finding Pajuka, he began to examine the surrounding country. The -Fare-well had spilled them into a large field of wheat and, from -several purple barns in the distance, Snip knew they were still in the -land of the Gillikens.</p> - -<p>"You'll have to be guide, Snip," sighed the tailor, gazing around with -a bewildered expression. "I've lived so long with the Blanks that I -know nothing of these parts at all. As for the Emerald City, I can't -remember even hearing of it."</p> - -<p>"Well, I've never been there," admitted Snip, "but I know it is in the -very center of Oz and we were going south when Mombi threw me down the -well. So if we can find out which direction is south we ought to reach -the Emerald City by night time. Which way do <i>you</i> think it is?"</p> - -<p>The tailor squinted doubtfully up at the sun and, after a few more -useless guesses, they determined to take a chance and started -diagonally across the field.</p> - -<p>"I wonder what shape Mombi did turn the King into," muttered Snip, as -they hurried along through the wheat. "And I wonder whether Ozma can -change Pajuka back to his own self again. He's so tired of being a -goose!"</p> - -<p>"It must be pretty tiresome," observed Tora, pushing his specs up on -his forehead, "though no worse than tailoring from morning till night -for a city full of invisible and ungrateful rascals. Not that I mind -the tailoring," he explained hastily, looking down sideways at Snip. "I -love that, and say, I'd like to make you a little suit sometime when -I've set up my shop. No, it wasn't the tailoring, but the imprisonment -that I minded."</p> - -<p>"Do you 'spose they've missed you yet? What will they do when they find -you're gone?" chuckled the little button boy. He looked up expectantly, -but the old man was staring thoughtfully over an olive tree and did not -seem to hear Snip's question.</p> - -<p>"Bother!" exclaimed Snip. "His ears have gone off again. How awfully -inconvenient!"</p> - -<p>"I always let them off after breakfast," explained the tailor -apologetically and just as if he had read Snip's thoughts. "It rests -them, you know."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch14.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"But we've had no breakfast," began Snip impatiently. Then, realizing -that Tora could not hear one word, he walked along in a resigned -silence, thinking how annoying it must be to have butterfly ears. "And -yet," mused Snip slowly, "it might be rather fun, too. One could send -one's ears to places one didn't care to go—to school and to lectures -and all that sort of thing, and take them off when folks scolded or the -conversation grew dull." He had thought up quite a number of uses for -butterfly ears, when the tailor, himself, broke the silence.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps it would amuse you to hear a little about the Blanks," began -Tora in his pleasant voice. "They were not always invisible as now, but -they were always vain and haughty and trying to outshine one another -in appearance. In fact," sighed the old man, with a grave nod, "they -thought of nothing but dress and all of their time and money was spent -for new and splendid apparel. As some of the inhabitants were handsomer -than others there was always an argument as to who really looked the -best.</p> - -<p>"Shortly after I, myself, came to Blankenburg, Vanette, the Queen, -walking in a small woods behind the palace, discovered a hidden pool. -Looking into the water to admire her reflection, she accidentally -dropped her handkerchief. Before she could snatch it out the -handkerchief had disappeared and, when she reached into the pond to -search for it, her hand and arm suddenly became invisible."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch14.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Tora looked down to see how Snip was taking the story and, finding him -interested, continued dreamily: "For a time the Queen was exceedingly -frightened, but all at once a wicked plan popped into her head. -Hurrying back to the palace, she ordered her servants to carry a bucket -of the magic water to everyone in the city. She then commanded them to -bathe in the enchanted water and since then they have been perfectly -invisible. Vanette, herself, who is old and fat and exceedingly jealous -of the young girls, bathed in the water too and is now as invisible -as the rest of her subjects. So now, when they dress up in their fine -clothes, faces don't count at all, and the Queen always wins all the -beauty prizes. That's why it's against the law to have a face in -Blankenburg," continued Tora solemnly. "I'm glad we escaped before they -got yours."</p> - -<p>Snip was glad, too, but wanted to ask how Tora had managed to save his -own face, and the tailor, guessing what was in the little boy's mind, -finished up quickly: "For some reason or other the magic water had no -effect upon me and as I was old and ugly and quite useful in my own -way, they finally stopped bothering me."</p> - -<p>Picking up a long, crooked stick and evidently thinking he had talked -enough, Tora began to whistle an old Oz tune. Walking along solemnly -beside him Snip could not help wondering how the old tailor had ever -come to be a prisoner in Blankenburg and whether he had always had -butterfly ears.</p> - -<p>"I'll ask him as soon as they come back," decided Snip, but meantime -he was growing hungrier and hungrier, for since the drink of cream in -Catty Corners he had had nothing at all to eat. He kept a sharp lookout -for fruit and nut trees and presently, in a small grove to the right, -he caught a glimpse of a perfectly enormous breakfast bush.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch14.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Motioning for Tora to wait for him, Snip darted off. The tailor looked -slightly puzzled but, making no objection, sat down on a rock and went -on with his whistling. Hastening back with two steaming breakfast -dishes in his hands, Snip was surprised to hear a loud, plaintive voice -mingling with Tora's tune. Quickening his steps the little boy saw a -tall, kingly figure waving indignant arms at the tailor.</p> - -<p>"Are you crazy?" he shouted angrily. "I ask you once again, may I -borrow a breakfast or a bite of lunch? It's for a Princess. Can't you -answer me?" But Tora, fixing his eye on a fluffy cloud skimming across -the sky, went calmly on with his tune. "He is deaf to my pleas," puffed -the stranger, whirling round unsteadily and almost bumping into Snip. -"Deaf and dumb!"</p> - -<p>"He isn't deaf," explained the little boy breathlessly. "He has just -mislaid his ears. I mean he's let them off for awhile."</p> - -<p>"Let them off? Dorothy! Dorothy! Come at once! Here is a man with -mislaid ears!" shrilled the stranger, hobbling off. Snip stared after -him, open mouthed, as he wobbled wildly down the road.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_15" id="CHAPTER_15"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 15</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Kabumpo to the Rescue</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>You have guessed that it was our old friend Humpy who had begged a -breakfast of Tora, the tailor. You see the Elegant Elephant, travelling -like the wind itself, had carried Dorothy and the dummy almost to the -exact spot where Snip and Tora had fallen out of the Fare-well. Then, -exceedingly fatigued by his unaccustomed exertion, Kabumpo had gone off -in search of some lunch.</p> - -<p>Snip had scarcely recovered from the shock of Humpy's sudden -disappearance when back he came, holding Dorothy tightly by the hand. -Now the little button boy had often seen pictures of Dorothy in the -history books of Kimbaloo, but she had always been dressed as a -Princess, so we cannot blame him for failing to recognize the shabby -little girl who stood staring so earnestly at the tired tailor of Oz.</p> - -<p>"Why he has no ears at all," cried Dorothy. Then, catching sight of -Snip, she stopped short. "We were wondering whether you could lend -us some lunch," faltered Dorothy, talking very fast to cover her -embarrassment. "Kabumpo can eat tree-tops and Humpy does not eat at -all, but I've had nothing but a tomato since breakfast and I'm very -hungry."</p> - -<p>"There's a breakfast bush over yonder," answered Snip, waving sulkily -toward the grove. Tora had saved his face and he was not going to have -him laughed at. Dorothy turned to see for herself and, as she did, Tora -arose and moved quickly over to the dummy.</p> - -<p>"You remind me of someone I used to know," sighed the tailor, fingering -Humpy's green velvet robe dreamily. "Who are you? Are you real?"</p> - -<p>"Well, not quite. You see," began Dorothy, "he's a moving picture -dummy." Suddenly remembering that the tailor could not hear her, she -turned back to Snip. "Where <i>are</i> his ears?" asked the little girl -nervously.</p> - -<p>"Here they come now!" cried Snip, forgetting his vexation and, setting -down the two breakfast dishes, he waved his cap excitedly in the air. -As Snip waved and pointed, Dorothy saw the tailor's ears whizz giddily -over a lilac bush and then settle softly, one on each side of his head.</p> - -<p>"Who did you say you were?" asked Tora calmly, continuing his -conversation with Humpy and paying no more attention to his ears than -we would pay to a couple of flies.</p> - -<p>"A dummy!" whispered Humpy, blinking his painted eyes, while his voice -grew fainter and fainter with astonishment. "I am a dummy, but what in -Oz are you?"</p> - -<p>"A tailor," answered Tora with a wink at Snip. "Well, that's a splendid -cloak you're wearing, and a crown too. Are you a king, dummy?"</p> - -<p>"No, he's a dummy king," explained Dorothy, looking longingly at the -hot breakfasts. "If we could just sit down and have something to eat I -could tell you all about him. Then, maybe, you would tell me a little -about your—" Dorothy was going to say ears but, fearing this might -not be quite polite, she changed it quickly to selves. The little girl -cast a curious sidelong glance at Snip, but the button boy was gazing -intently at the dummy.</p> - -<p>"Why we're looking for a king," exploded Snip excitedly. "Oh Tora, do -you suppose this could be he?"</p> - -<p>"Why not do as this little lady suggests?" interrupted Tora, for -he could see that Dorothy was weary as well as hungry. "Let's have -breakfast together and then talk things over."</p> - -<p>"Well, don't start until I come back," called the little boy, as -Dorothy settled comfortably down beside the tailor. In a moment -Snip had returned with another breakfast and, while Humpy looked on -curiously, they opened the silver dishes Snip had picked from the -breakfast bush. What could be cozier? Bacon, eggs, toast and a small -sealed cup of coffee grew neatly in each one, but it never occurred -to Dorothy, Snip or the tailor to be surprised at this, for breakfast -bushes are quite common in Oz. Humpy, however, had seen nothing like -this in the movies and kept up a low muttering to himself, as he -watched them eat one and then another dainty from the dishes.</p> - -<p>"Now then," smiled the tailor, after he had taken a long sip of coffee, -"suppose you begin." He looked expectantly at Dorothy. "I think you -must be the little girl my ears were telling me of a while back, but -where is the elephant?"</p> - -<p>"Mercy!" spluttered Dorothy, nearly choking on her coffee. "Do your -ears tell you everything?"</p> - -<p>"Oh no, just odds and ends of things," answered Tora, reaching up to -touch them affectionately.</p> - -<p>"Well, did they tell you about me?" inquired Humpy, straightening his -crown importantly.</p> - -<p>"No," smiled the old man. "That's just what we're waiting to hear, -though I declare I have seen you somewhere before. Have you ever seen -me?"</p> - -<p>Humpy shook his head very positively and Dorothy, settling back against -a tree, proceeded with her story. Introducing herself modestly and -beginning with Wish Way, she related every single thing that had -happened since her fall into California.</p> - -<p>Snip was especially interested in Dorothy's sudden change in size. "Is -that what tore your dress?" he asked curiously.</p> - -<p>The little girl nodded and Tora, ruffling up his silver locks and -looking first at Dorothy and then at Humpy, murmured over and over: -"Well, I can hardly believe my ears, I can hardly believe my ears!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Dorothy could not help thinking that the tailor's ears were hard -for anyone to believe, but feeling it would be rude to say so, went -hurriedly on with her adventures, telling of her meeting with the -Scooters and with the Elegant Elephant, whom she described at some -length.</p> - -<p>"And now," concluded the little girl, finishing off the last of the -toast, "we're going straight to the Emerald City. Where are <i>you</i> -going?"</p> - -<p>"Why we're going to the Emerald City too!" burst out Snip, "and maybe -Dorothy can help us find Pajuka and warn Ozma!"</p> - -<p>"Warn Ozma?" cried Dorothy, jumping up in a hurry. "Why, what is the -matter?"</p> - -<p>"Better tell her," advised the tailor gravely, while Humpy edged close -to the little button boy and looked earnestly up into his face.</p> - -<p>"Well," began Snip, feeling a bit shy in the presence of a person as -important as Princess Dorothy of Oz, "Mombi is trying to find the lost -King of Oz and turn Ozma to a piano. Pajuka, he's a goose, I mean a -Prime Minister, and he's trying to find the King too, and if we don't -get to the Emerald City first that old witch will steal all the magic -and capture everybody."</p> - -<p>"Why this is a regular thriller," puffed the dummy, pushing back his -crown. "Witches, geese, lost kings and everything. Oh, I'm enjoying -this picture immensely. Couldn't I fall for this lost king, Dorothy?"</p> - -<p>"I thought you were the King, yourself, at first," explained Snip, "but -of course, if Dorothy found you in America, you couldn't possibly be -the King of Oz. Besides, I don't believe Mombi would turn the King to -a dummy, do you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, anything can happen in the pictures," said Humpy carelessly.</p> - -<p>No one had time to tell Humpy he was not in a picture, for Dorothy, -shuddering at the mere mention of old Mombi, insisted on Snip telling -all over again just how he had discovered the witch's wicked plans. -This Snip did, from the strange conversation between Pajuka and Mombi -in the castle kitchen of Kimbaloo to his encounter with the Blanks -and his escape with the tired tailor of Oz. When he came to the part -in the story where Mombi had flung him down the well, Humpy fell over -backwards and Dorothy gasped with indignation.</p> - -<p>"Oh, we'll have to hurry, we'll have to hurry!" exclaimed the little -girl, clasping her hands anxiously, "for if Mombi reaches the Emerald -City first something dreadful will happen. I'm glad the King of Oz is -alive, but I'm not going to have Ozma turned to a piano. Oh dear! Oh -dear! Why doesn't Kabumpo hurry back?"</p> - -<p>"Hadn't we better start anyway?" asked Snip, who was growing more and -more worried about Pajuka. He felt sure Mombi meant to get rid of the -goose as soon as she found the King. "Let's go without the elephant," -he proposed eagerly.</p> - -<p>"No, we'd better wait," advised Dorothy, "for Kabumpo can travel a -hundred times faster than we can, and a hundred times faster than Mombi -can."</p> - -<p>"While we are waiting," suggested Tora, who had been carefully -threading his needle, "I'll mend your frock, my dear. Have you any more -buttons, Snip?"</p> - -<p>Snip felt in his pockets and brought out a handful of gold and silver -buttons and as Dorothy stood shading her eyes and keeping an anxious -lookout for Kabumpo, Tora sewed them neatly in place.</p> - -<p>"It must have been mighty queer, growing up all at once," observed -the old tailor, biting off his thread and giving the little girl an -affectionate pat on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"It was," answered Dorothy, groaning at the recollection. "I can't -imagine what happened to me, but then everything's very queer lately."</p> - -<p>With her frock neatly buttoned, Dorothy began to feel more like -herself. She thanked Tora sweetly and smilingly invited him to tell -them something about himself.</p> - -<p>"Yes, do," urged Snip, coming to stand beside her.</p> - -<p>"Well," sighed the old man, sticking his needle back in his lapel and -taking off his specs, "there's not much to tell. I'm a tailor, as you -can readily see. How I got to Blankenburg, I don't know, but there I've -been for so long that it gives me rheumatism to think of it. But it's -all over now. When we reach this marvelous city you two young people -speak of, I shall set up a shop and live happily ever afterward."</p> - -<p>"What? With those ears?" shouted Humpy, falling up against a tree. "Oh, -I don't believe it!"</p> - -<p>"Hush," begged Dorothy and, turning apologetically to the tailor, she -whispered earnestly: "You really mustn't mind Humpy. You see his head -is stuffed with hair and it makes him kind of ridiculous." The tailor -chuckled under his breath and Snip giggled outright.</p> - -<p>Just at this moment Kabumpo, magnificent in his pearls and velvet -robes, swung ponderously into view.</p> - -<p>"Dorothy," trumpeted the Elegant Elephant, stopping a good twenty feet -from the little group and elevating his trunk haughtily, "what are you -doing with those shabby fellows? Don't you realize you're a Princess? A -tailor! Great Grump! Do you expect me to associate with a tailor?"</p> - -<p>"But gaze upon his ears," cried Humpy, waving his cloak triumphantly -at Tora. "They wag, wiggle and fly off by themselves. And we're hunting -a king, a witch and a goose. Hurry up, you elegant old thing, we need -you in this picture."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"No we don't, we'll go on by ourselves." Snip looked angrily at Kabumpo -and, taking Tora's arm, began to walk off.</p> - -<p>"Oh wait!" gasped Dorothy, more embarrassed by Kabumpo's rudeness than -by the dummy's ridiculousness. "Kabumpo doesn't mean that. He's really -awfully jolly when you get to know him better."</p> - -<p>"Don't bother, my dear," Tora smiled, a little sadly. Reaching up he -took off both his ears and put them quietly into his pocket. "I never -listen to unpleasant conversations," explained the old man simply.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye," said Snip, bowing rather stiffly to Dorothy. "If you reach -the Emerald City before we do, be sure to tell Ozma about her father."</p> - -<p>"Now please don't go," begged Dorothy. "Wait! Wait!" In great distress -she dashed over to the Elegant Elephant and poured out the whole story -of the lost King of Oz and of Mombi's wickedness.</p> - -<p>When Tora had so unexpectedly taken off his ears Kabumpo's little eyes -had fairly rolled in his head and now, as he listened to Dorothy's -strange recital, they began to snap and sparkle with interest. If -there was one thing Kabumpo enjoyed, it was being mixed up in a royal -adventure. Finding the lost King of Oz would be a very creditable -thing, even for an elephant so elegant as himself. It might even gain -him an important position at court, thought Kabumpo craftily. And what -a choice bit of news to carry home to Pumperdink—that Ozma was not the -Queen at all, and that he, Kabumpo the Magnificent, had helped find -the real monarch and had been present at the coronation. Already his -imagination leaped ahead to this important event.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Concealing, in his pompous and provoking fashion, his real interest -and excitement, Kabumpo set Dorothy upon his back and started in a -dignified and stately manner toward Tora and Snip.</p> - -<p>"I understand you are friends of the lost King of Oz," wheezed Kabumpo -grandly, as he came up beside them. "Are you going on to the Emerald -City? Care to ride?" he asked graciously. This was as near an apology -as Kabumpo ever got.</p> - -<p>"Hear! Hear!" spluttered the dummy, who was walking stiffly behind the -tailor.</p> - -<p>Of course Tora could not do this, as his ears were still in his pocket, -but Snip, looking inquiringly up at Dorothy saw her motion earnestly -for him to yield. He decided to overlook the elephant's rudeness and -gave Kabumpo a signal to lift him up.</p> - -<p>"Did she say you were a mutton boy?" asked Kabumpo, as he placed Snip -beside the little girl.</p> - -<p>"No, a button boy," corrected Dorothy hastily, "from the Kingdom of -Kimbaloo, you know."</p> - -<p>"Ah yes," grunted Kabumpo condescendingly, "I remember hearing of -Kimbaloo—a buttony sort of place across the mountains from Pumperdink."</p> - -<p>Snip was about to retort with something short and sassy, when Kabumpo -lifted up the tailor and as Tora seemed terribly alarmed by the -suddenness of his transit through the air, Snip helped him to settle -comfortably instead of talking. He just got Tora firmly seated in time -to catch Humpy, whom the Elegant Elephant tossed aloft as carelessly as -he would a bale of hay.</p> - -<p>"All ready?" boomed Kabumpo importantly. "Well, then here we go." And -before anyone could answer he was off, moving swiftly and surely as a -battleship through the waving billows of wheat.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"What did you find for lunch?" called Humpy curiously. Snip and Tora -hadn't breath to say anything, and Dorothy was too worried about Ozma -to want to talk. But Kabumpo, instead of answering, threw up his -trunk, sending forth such a volley of shrill bellows that Snip's hair -rose on end and the ears in Tora's pocket gave a terrified bounce. -Humpy chuckled, as he listened to the shrill trumpeting of the Elegant -Elephant. He had thought of a joke!</p> - -<p>"Ah, he has eaten a trumpet vine," mused the dummy dreamily, as the -noise died away. But it ceased for only a moment, for trumpeting was -Kabumpo's way of clearing a path for himself and, determined to reach -the capital before Mombi, the witch, he travelled as never before and, -clinging to each other and to Kabumpo's harness and robe, the four -riders made the best they could of the worst journey they had ever -taken.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_16" id="CHAPTER_16"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch16.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 16</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Humpy Hailed As King</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Kabumpo would never have stopped until he reached the Emerald City -itself, had it not been for the mountain. Rushing like an express train -from a small dim wood, the Elegant Elephant came unexpectedly upon a -steep wall of rock. With a snort of surprise he stopped so sharply -that everyone in the party went sailing over his head. Humpy, who was -lightest, sailed farthest and, landing first, made a splendid cushion -for Snip and Dorothy to fall on. Tora, fortunately, plumped into a -patch of gooseberry bushes, so that no one was really hurt.</p> - -<p>"Didn't I do that well?" asked the dummy, as Dorothy and Snip jumped -up. "Falling's my specialty and falling for you, Princess," he rose -and made Dorothy an exceedingly shaky bow, "falling for you, is a real -pleasure."</p> - -<p>"Well I'm kinda glad you did fall first," gasped the little girl, -running to help Snip pull Tora out of the bushes.</p> - -<p>"Did I understand Dorothy to say your name was Kabumpo?" inquired the -dummy, addressing himself blandly to the Elegant Elephant. Kabumpo -nodded without taking his eyes from the mass of jagged stone ahead.</p> - -<p>"Well, that accounts for the bumpo. I understand perfectly now," -continued Humpy conversationally, as he picked up his crown and set it -solemnly on his head. "But next time, next time, old rascal!" He wagged -his finger playfully at the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>"Old rascal! Old rascal!" sputtered Kabumpo, swinging round in a fury. -"How dare you talk to me like that, you good for nothing son of a sofa, -you hair-brained piece of a night shirt!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I may be stuffed with hair, but you're stuffed with hay and -I don't see much difference except," Humpy backed rapidly out of -Kabumpo's reach, "except that the person who stuffed you didn't finish -the job. You're full of wrinkles," he announced judicially.</p> - -<p>Kabumpo made a swing at the dummy with his trunk and then, thinking -better of it, turned angrily away and, mumbling and wheezing under his -breath, began to move majestically toward the rocky barrier. Seeing -that no more fun was to be had out of him, Humpy hurried over to the -tailor, who was walking unsteadily between Dorothy and Snip. He had put -on his ears and was listening attentively to the little girl's remarks -about the Elegant Elephant. Dorothy was telling how faithfully Kabumpo -had served his master, the Prince of Pumperdink.</p> - -<p>"It may be so, it may be so," muttered Tora, gazing after the great -beast doubtfully, "but he seems to me a trifle abrupt—er, almost -dangerous!"</p> - -<p>"But he's very fast," said Dorothy coaxingly, "and if he had not -stopped when he did we'd have been thrown upon the rocks."</p> - -<p>"That's so," put in Snip, who had rather enjoyed his wild ride upon the -elephant's back.</p> - -<p>"Well, well, I daresay I am old fashioned," sighed the tailor, settling -his specs resignedly, "and if you and Dorothy can stand this mad mode -of travel, I'll try not to mind it either."</p> - -<p>"Fall on me next time," invited the dummy generously. Humpy's -expression as he made this suggestion was so comical that Tora laughed -in spite of himself.</p> - -<p>"But how are we going to cross the mountain?" put in Snip dismally. -"It's too steep for Kabumpo to climb and I don't see any way 'round, do -you?"</p> - -<p>Dorothy shook her head. "I don't even remember a mountain being here," -observed the little girl with a troubled frown. They had joined the -Elegant Elephant by this time and, standing in a dejected row, they -surveyed the great mass of tumbled rocks—rocks so steep and jagged -that even Snip shuddered at the thought of clambering over their -perilous peaks.</p> - -<p>"I hope you don't expect me to carry you over," sniffed Kabumpo. "Only -a bird could cross this. A bird! Great Gollywockers! Look!"</p> - -<p>But Dorothy and the others had already seen for themselves. An old -woman and a goose were walking calmly through the mountain just as if -it did not exist at all—an old woman and a goose! The former was -dressed in the simple costume of a Gilliken farmer's wife. In one hand -she carried a large basket and with the other she held her stick and a -long rope attached to the goose's neck.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch16.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"It's Mombi!" cried Dorothy, clutching Snip in terror, for in spite of -the disguise, there was no mistaking that wicked old face.</p> - -<p>"And Pajuka!" gasped Snip, scarcely daring to breathe. Tora's ears -were fluttering like leaves in a gale, and even Kabumpo trembled -slightly.</p> - -<p>"She must have got her magic powers back," whispered Snip hoarsely, "or -how could she walk through a mountain? Oh Dorothy, what shall we do -now?"</p> - -<p>As it happened, they had time to do nothing, for just then Pajuka -looked up and saw the little button boy.</p> - -<p>"Snip!" screamed the goose joyfully. Spreading both wings, he flew -forward so fast that Mombi had to run to keep up with him. "I thought -she had done for you," panted the goose, paying no attention to Mombi's -jerks upon the rope. He began to caress Snip with both wing and bill.</p> - -<p>Snip forgot his fright for a moment, in his delight at seeing his old -friend again and, dropping on his knees, hugged Pajuka for dear life. -Dorothy involuntarily drew back from the witch, who was mumbling a long -rigamarole about being on her way to the Emerald City with a fine goose -for Ozma of Oz.</p> - -<p>Humpy, stepping from behind the Elegant Elephant, folded his arms and -gazed down benevolently upon the little scene. "Reminds me of the happy -endings in the picture game," observed the dummy indulgently to the -tired tailor. "I'm <i>for</i> that bird, and I don't care who knows it," he -said.</p> - -<p>"Hush!" warned the tailor, looking nervously at Mombi. But at the -first sound of Humpy's voice, Pajuka had given a great bounce and, -extricating himself from Snip's embrace, came hurtling through the air.</p> - -<p>"Master!" shrieked the goose and flapped his wings so violently that -the flimsy dummy fell backward over Kabumpo's trunk. With a surly -flounce the Elegant Elephant shook him off.</p> - -<p>"Monster!" hissed Pajuka, with a wild peck at the elephant's trunk. -"How dare you insult his Majesty?" Bowing and weeping alternately he -cried shrilly, "The King! At last I have found the King!"</p> - -<p>By this time the tailor had got Humpy to his feet, and it is hard to -say who was the most astonished of that astonished little group. Mombi -dropped her basket with a crash and came over to stare at the green -clad figure. Kabumpo, thinking of his late speeches, began to back -uncomfortably away.</p> - -<p>"But it can't be the King," began Dorothy, catching hold of Snip. "I -found Humpy my own self in California and however could he have gotten -there?"</p> - -<p>"Girl," said the goose sternly, "don't you suppose I know my own -Master?"</p> - -<p>"And I've seen him before too," murmured the old tailor, half closing -his eyes. "Let me think! Let me think!"</p> - -<p>"Did you ever see the King yourself?" asked Snip, turning excitedly to -Dorothy. The little girl had to acknowledge that she had not, for Mombi -had hidden the old monarch away before Dorothy had come to Oz.</p> - -<p>"You don't mind my being King, do you Dorothy?" The dummy turned to her -coaxingly. "I'd love to be the star in just one picture. Let me be King -and you shall be Queen."</p> - -<p>"Star! Picture! Queen!" choked Pajuka, gazing from one to the other in -bewilderment. "What does this mean? Woman, woman what have you done to -the King?"</p> - -<p>He turned accusingly to Mombi, but Mombi, brushing him roughly aside, -had run up to Humpy and was examining him carefully from all sides. -Catching sight of a white tape protruding from the collar of his robe, -the old witch jerked him sideways and after one triumphant look at the -number on the tape, began to jump up and down like a child on a pogo -stick.</p> - -<p>"The King!" shrilled Mombi, throwing up her stick. "It is the King of -Oz himself! And I am the only one who can restore him to himself and -to the throne." She looked sharply at Dorothy, whom she had already -recognized, as if daring her to contradict this statement.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch16.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"But I don't see how a dummy could be a king," objected Dorothy, still -trying to puzzle out the mystery.</p> - -<p>"That's because you are only a little girl," explained Pajuka gently. -"I suppose you don't see how a goose could be a prime minister either, -or how that wicked old woman would dare to turn her King to a stuffed -man and his trusted councillor to a goose, or throw an innocent little -boy down a well," hissed Pajuka, with an angry glare at Mombi.</p> - -<p>"A meddlesome little vagabond," mumbled Mombi, holding her ground -stubbornly. She was not going to be frightened out of her reward by -anyone now, and stared defiantly at the little company.</p> - -<p>"But how did you get out of the well and who are all these people?" -puffed Pajuka, looking curiously from Tora to Kabumpo and then letting -his eyes rest fondly on the King.</p> - -<p>Mombi scarcely listened as Snip told of his fall into Blankenburg, his -escape with the tailor and their meeting with Dorothy, Kabumpo and the -dummy. She was hurriedly turning over a plan to get Humpy away from -his friends. While Pajuka, in his turn, told how he had tried to fly -down the well, how he had been caught and tied up by the old witch and -forced to accompany her until now, Mombi dropped the rope that was tied -to his neck and made a sly move toward the King.</p> - -<p>"Your Majesty," whispered Mombi craftily, "may I have a few words with -you?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Certainly!" puffed the dummy King, stepping along pompously -at her side. Tora, Snip and Dorothy were so interested in Pajuka's -story that they did not notice Mombi's move, but Kabumpo, who had been -keeping an astonished eye and ear upon the whole proceeding, stepped -noiselessly after the two. Here, reasoned Kabumpo anxiously, was an -opportunity to make up for his rude speeches and restore himself to -favor with this impossible person who was turning out to be the King.</p> - -<p>No sooner had Mombi put a few trees between herself and the others than -she grasped Humpy by his hand and began running like the wind.</p> - -<p>"We'll hide," grunted the old witch, paying no attention to the dummy's -expostulations, "and when they've stopped looking for us we'll go on -to the Emerald City and I will restore your Majesty to the throne. But -first," panted Mombi, stopping a moment to catch her breath, "you must -promise to give me back my magic powers and half of the Kingdom of Oz. -Do you promise? You'd better," she added threateningly, giving Humpy a -vicious shake.</p> - -<p>"But I'm going to the Emerald City with Dorothy," objected the King in -dismay. "Let me go, you old ragbag."</p> - -<p>"Yes, how dare you shake his Majesty!" thundered an imperious voice -and, whirling 'round in a fright, Mombi saw the Elegant Elephant -looming up between two trees. He had followed them without a sound and -now, snatching Humpy from the clutches of the old witch, placed him -carefully upon his back.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch16.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>With a cry of rage, Mombi tried to get away, but Kabumpo was too quick -for her. Seizing the witch in his trunk and shaking her to and fro -like a rattle, he ran trumpeting back to the others. They had just -discovered Humpy's absence and Pajuka with a hoarse shriek came flying -toward the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>"She was trying to steal the King!" panted Kabumpo indignantly. "Shall -I throw her over the mountain or step on her?"</p> - -<p>"Step on her," commanded the dummy, extending two fingers of his right -hand as he had seen kings in the movies do time and time again. Mombi -gave a terrible screech and Dorothy and Snip looked uneasily at one -another.</p> - -<p>"The King has spoken," honked Pajuka, settling down gravely beside the -dummy, "therefore let the sentence be carried out."</p> - -<p>Dorothy closed her eyes and clung to Snip, but just then, the calm -voice of the tailor intervened.</p> - -<p>"Your Highness," began Tora gravely, "as this woman is the only one in -Oz who can restore you to your proper self, do you think this step a -wise one?"</p> - -<p>The tailor's ears fluttered anxiously as he waited for the King's -decision. For an instant Humpy looked doubtfully at Mombi, then with -a sigh lowered his fingers. "Perhaps it would be a rash step," he -admitted regretfully.</p> - -<p>"Well, some steps must be taken," honked Pajuka angrily. "Are we to put -up with this treachery forever?"</p> - -<p>"No, just until she restores the King," answered Tora mildly.</p> - -<p>"Then I shall step on her," promised Kabumpo, giving Mombi another -shake.</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Dorothy, glad to have the dreadful business -delayed. "Mombi must first restore the King."</p> - -<p>"I'll not do it without a reward," screamed the witch defiantly. "Do I -get a reward or not?"</p> - -<p>The others were silent but Humpy, again extending his fingers, -announced grandly, "You shall be rewarded as you deserve!" He winked at -Pajuka as he said this, but Mombi apparently was satisfied and stopped -squirming.</p> - -<p>"Well, I can't do it here," she muttered sulkily. "The transformation -was made near the Emerald City and the enchantment cannot be broken -until we reach the green country."</p> - -<p>"Then let's go on to the Emerald City," proposed Dorothy eagerly. Once -there, reflected the little girl, Ozma herself could settle the whole -troublesome business. Somehow Dorothy could not imagine Oz without -the little fairy as its Queen, and while she was glad indeed to have -found the lost King, she could not get used to the idea of Humpy on the -throne and administering affairs in Oz.</p> - -<p>Humpy, himself, was enjoying it all tremendously. He remembered nothing -of his past, it is true, but the present was sufficiently interesting -and exciting to make up for everything.</p> - -<p>"On to the Emerald City!" he commanded, pompously waving his arms.</p> - -<p>"I hear and I obey, your Majesty," wheezed Kabumpo, and hardly giving -the two children and the old tailor time to climb aboard, he was off, -still holding Mombi fast in his trunk.</p> - -<p>"But what about the mountain?" asked Snip, as it loomed up suddenly -ahead.</p> - -<p>"Watch," called Pajuka and while Kabumpo swayed uncertainly before it, -he flew straight through the wall of rocks. Like many another mountain -when you come right to it, this was no mountain at all—only a shadow -mountain.</p> - -<p>"No wonder Mombi could walk through," sighed Snip, greatly relieved -that the witch had not recovered her magic powers.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_17" id="CHAPTER_17"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch17.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 17</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Mombi's Magic</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p>The thoughts of the little company, as they sped toward the Emerald -City, were many and varied. Mombi, suspended precariously in Kabumpo's -trunk, smiled darkly to herself, for Mombi, as usual, had a plan to -outwit her enemies. She could not remember changing the King to a dummy -at all, and had at first doubted that Humpy really was the King, but -when she had read upon his collar the forgotten green magic formula, -even Mombi was convinced. All that was now necessary to dispel the -enchantment was to reach the Emerald City.</p> - -<p>"Once there, I'll show them," the old witch chuckled wickedly to -herself, as she thought of what would happen then.</p> - -<p>Pajuka, looking at the stuffed King beside him, was wondering sadly -whether he and his royal master would ever be quite the same, whether -the good old Oz days they had enjoyed together would ever return again. -Fluttering his wings, and keeping his balance with difficulty, the poor -goose dreamed longingly of the comfortable chairs in the old hunting -lodge, of his pipe and his smoking jacket with sixteen pockets.</p> - -<p>Snip was trying to puzzle out how the King had ever fallen into -California, how Tora had got his strange ears, how Pajuka would look as -a man and how Ozma would like giving up the throne to her father.</p> - -<p>Tora, holding fast to his precious ears, had closed his eyes and begun -to plan a blue suit for Snip and a velvet cloak for Dorothy. He had -taken a great fancy to the little girl. "Let the other fellows worry -about this king," thought the tailor with a tired sigh.</p> - -<p>Dorothy, for her part, was trying to imagine what would happen when -they reached the capital. She felt sure Mombi meant some mischief but, -comforting herself with the thought of Sir Hokus of Pokes and the other -brave inhabitants of the castle, she finally stopped worrying and began -to wonder how Humpy would look when he was changed to himself and what -would become of her apartment in the palace. It was all so strange -and confusing that Dorothy could hardly wait to see how it would turn -out, and watched anxiously for the first sight of the green towers and -spires of Ozma's palace.</p> - -<p>Humpy was too busy holding on to his crown and to Kabumpo to think -of anything, but the Elegant Elephant was busily considering the -appearance he would make at the King's coronation. "I'll just have that -old tailor cut me a white velvet robe," decided Kabumpo importantly. -"I'll wear my pearls and a satin bow on my tail and—"</p> - -<p>Just then, Snip gave a little scream of delight, for, spreading out -suddenly before them like a picture from fairyland itself, was the -enchanting Emerald City of Oz. Its lacy turrets and spires sparkled -with emeralds, its marble streets glowed with the same precious stones. -The air was sweet with roses and honeysuckle and everywhere were -flowering parks and tree lined avenues.</p> - -<p>Humpy, Pajuka, Snip and the tailor were simply stunned by the -magnificence of the capital, but to Dorothy, Mombi and Kabumpo, the -Emerald City was an old story. Accustomed to its beauty and familiar -with its grandeur, they scarcely gave it a second glance. Many of the -town's people, recognizing Dorothy, waved cheerfully as they passed and -all too soon for Snip, who could have ridden up and down its enchanted -streets all day, the Elegant Elephant charged into the royal park and -approached the Palace of Emeralds itself.</p> - -<p>"Master," choked the goose, touching Humpy tremulously with his wing, -"our castle was never so fine as this. To think that all of this -belongs to you!" Pajuka stretched his neck exultantly. "I wonder if -there's a pipe anywhere in the castle?" he puffed suddenly.</p> - -<p>"You shall have twenty pipes, my good goose!" promised the dummy. -"Everybody shall have a pipe!"</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Snip giggled a little at this. Then, as Kabumpo stepped -upon the broad portico, Pajuka, remembering Mombi's past threats, began -to scream hoarsely, "The witch—don't let her go, don't let her go, -whatever you do! She'll steal Ozma's magic and destroy us all. Hold on -to Mombi!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch17.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Kabumpo had been on the point of dropping the old woman so he could -pull the jewelled bell rope, but at Pajuka's warning he tightened his -grip.</p> - -<p>"Pray alight, Dorothy, and announce his Majesty!" puffed the Elegant -Elephant, forgetting that not more than an hour ago he had called the -King a piece of a night shirt. Dorothy and Snip slid down together and, -both seizing the rope, set it to jingling merrily.</p> - -<p>"Won't they be surprised," murmured Dorothy, looking over her shoulder -at Kabumpo and his strange passengers. "Won't they be surprised when -they see who is here? But why don't they come to the door?"</p> - -<p>Why indeed? For the very simple reason, that there was no one to -come—not even the cook's boy. For that morning, Jellia Jamb, Ozma's -small serving maid, looking from the castle window, had seen her -mistress and the little group who were with her in the garden vanish -before her eyes. Rushing frantically through the palace, she spread the -dire news, and immediately the entire household had set out to find -the lost ones—the entire household from the tallest courtier to the -tiniest page. Tik Tok might have enlightened them, but the machine man -had run down. No one thought to wind him up and even Tik Tok did not -know that Ozma and her friends had gone to Morrow.</p> - -<p>In puzzled dismay, Dorothy pressed her nose to the diamond panes in the -door. Then, seeing that the great hall was empty, she tried the knob. -In their excitement the searchers had left the door unlocked and, with -a little exclamation of surprise, Dorothy opened it and motioned for -Kabumpo to follow with his passengers.</p> - -<p>Kabumpo was bitterly disappointed that there was no one to witness his -grand entry with the King and, when they reached the throne room itself -without encountering anyone, he looked positively crestfallen. "A fine -welcome for his Highness!" he grunted irritably. "Where is the court? -Where are the attendants? A thing like this would never have happened -in Pumperdink!"</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha!" croaked Mombi maliciously, but subsided at once when the -Elegant Elephant gave her a shake. Pajuka and Tora had alighted with -Snip and all were staring about the beautiful room in admiration.</p> - -<p>But Kabumpo was still angry. "Is this tailor to be admitted to the -presence?" he demanded loftily, fixing his eyes upon Tora's shabby -suit. "In Pumperdink such things are not done."</p> - -<p>Dorothy was too worried over the strange silence in the castle to -bother with Kabumpo's saucy speeches, but the dummy, falling headlong -from the Elegant Elephant's back, put his arm affectionately through -Tora's.</p> - -<p>Humpy waved Kabumpo aside and pulled the old tailor to a seat beside -him. Tora shoved his spectacles up on his forehead and looked gravely -at the pompous dummy.</p> - -<p>"Let him stay by all means," said Humpy condescendingly. "Every King -must have his tailor and he's mine. Besides, has anyone else in this -room flying ears, I want to know?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch17.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, I prefer my ears on," grunted the Elegant Elephant disdainfully.</p> - -<p>"I'm glad they're on you," sniffed Pajuka. He felt unaccountably drawn -to the gentle old tailor, but Tora himself was too taken up with his -splendid surroundings to mind Kabumpo's remarks. Just then Humpy, -catching sight of the glittering emerald throne, let go of the tailor's -arm and started running across the room. The others gave little heed, -for certainly it was right and fitting for the King to occupy his -proper place in the palace.</p> - -<p>Mombi, seeing the dummy's move, fairly trembled with excitement. -Without being at all aware of it, Humpy was playing directly into her -hands and as he sank down upon the throne the witch gave a shriek of -triumph. Held fast though she was in Kabumpo's trunk, her arms were -still free. Beginning with Snip and going on to Dorothy, Mombi began to -count, "One—two—three—four—five—six—<i>seven</i>!"</p> - -<p>At seven her finger pointed to Pajuka, whose every feather stood erect -with terror. Snatching two buttons from Kabumpo's robe, Mombi popped -them into her mouth and shouted the magic formula on the dummy's -collar. "202 B E-10 B-4 7," ran the number, but as Mombi said it, it -sounded like this, "Two ought to be eaten before seven."</p> - -<p>That done, Mombi glared at the King. "I command you to assume your -proper form," she screamed.</p> - -<p>Well, surely nothing could have been worse than the next happening. -With a grinding, crashing suddenness, the palace began to sink, -gaining speed as it went. Down, down, down, till the windows and -doorways were blotted out with earth and mud and the whole company lost -in the choke of utter and awful darkness. Of all the screams in the -room, Mombi's was loudest. Never in her darkest imaginings had Mombi -anticipated anything like this! What unknown and dreadful magic had she -set in motion?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch17.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_18" id="CHAPTER_18"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch18.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 18</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Ozma's Odd Home-Coming</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>While the dummy King and his friends were making their way to the -Emerald City from the North, Ozma and her faithful followers were -plodding wearily up from the South through a lonely section of the -Quadling Country. The red house in the hunting park had been totally -deserted but the Scarecrow, climbing an old wind-mill nearby, had seen -dimly through the tree-tops the glittering spires of the capital. -Considerably cheered therefore, the little party had continued its -journey home.</p> - -<p>At about the time Kabumpo was making his grand entry into the city, -Scraps, turning to ask Sir Hokus a question, noticed that the Knight -was fidgeting about in an extremely odd and alarming manner. They were -a bit ahead of the others and for a time Scraps regarded her companion -with her head on one side. But silence is not one of the Patch Work -Girl's strong points and as the Knight continued to squirm and bounce, -she stopped short in the road.</p> - -<p>"Why do you jump from side to side and rattle about like a salt shaker? -Have you fleas?" inquired Scraps, looking sharply at Sir Hokus. "Is -there an ant in your armor, or what?"</p> - -<p>"Something—something's tickling me," confessed the Knight, wriggling -his shoulders desperately. "Something like—like a sparrow. Ouch!" -gasped Sir Hokus, giving himself a shake that unfastened the top buckle -of his mailed shirt.</p> - -<p>At Sir Hokus' cry, Scraps, too, gave a startled shriek, for out of the -Knight's shirt sped the golden goose feather he had tucked there for -safe-keeping. Before either of them had recovered from their surprise -it poised in the air and began to write furiously on the Knight's -burnished shield, while Scraps and Sir Hokus watched breathlessly.</p> - -<p>"The King of Oz is in the palace," announced the feather with a -flourish, then fluttered down lifelessly in the dust.</p> - -<p>"Odds blood! It thinks I'm a blackboard," grunted Sir Hokus -indignantly, and nearly bending double to get a glimpse of the writing. -"Ozma, Betsy, Trot, Wizard, come quickly!"</p> - -<p>At the excited cries, the others, who were just around a bend in the -road, broke into a run. Sir Hokus, puffing and still indignant, pointed -to his shield. The second message of the magic quill was as amazing as -the first, which had sent them to Morrow.</p> - -<p>"Well, that saves us hunting for him," observed the Scarecrow, -cheerfully picking up the goose quill. "He must have found himself, you -know. Shall I keep this my dear?"</p> - -<p>"Please do," sighed Ozma, staring hard at the message, which the Knight -was vainly trying to rub from his shield, "and let's hurry. Just think, -my father is in the castle! Hurry! Hurry! We're almost home!" And -setting an example herself, the little fairy girl fairly flew down the -road.</p> - -<p>"I for one shall not recognize this King," shouted Scraps, running -awkwardly after Ozma.</p> - -<p>"I wonder whether he'll let us live in the castle?" puffed Trot, who -was running hand in hand with Betsy Bobbin. "I kinda wish he'd never -turned up, don't you?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch18.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Betsy nodded emphatically, and it must be confessed that all of the -others shared Trot's wish. But as Ozma herself seemed so happy at her -father's restoration, such thoughts seemed almost treasonable and no -one but Scraps voiced his real opinion.</p> - -<p>Ozma, being a fairy, did not tire as easily as the rest, but even Ozma -had to slacken her pace before they came to the Emerald City. Indeed, -it was a hard two-hour journey before they reached the outskirts of the -capital. Hot, tired and dusty, they hurried through the quiet streets. -No one in the city had discovered Ozma's absence, for the searchers in -the palace had gone off without notifying anyone, so they stared in -surprise at the breathless little company. Without stopping to explain, -the royal party hurried on to the palace itself, for was not the King -already there and waiting for them?</p> - -<p>Sir Hokus was the first to burst through the tall hedge enclosing the -royal residence. He paused, brushed his mailed fist across his eyes -and then fell with a crash to the jewelled walk. The Scarecrow, close -behind, promptly fell on top of him and Scraps, the Wizard and the -little girls, bumping into the two, stopped short in their tracks. -For where the castle had stood, there was nothing at all excepting a -stretch of lawn, a little greener, perhaps, than in other parts of the -garden, but so smooth, no one would have suspected that a castle ever -<i>had</i> stood there!</p> - -<p>"The King is in the castle, but where is the castle?" groaned the -Scarecrow, raising his head and peering over the Knight's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Gone!" wailed the little Queen, rushing forward in dismay. -"Everything's gone!" And overcome by the fatigues and disappointments -of the day, Ozma threw herself down upon the grass and wept as if her -heart would break. Betsy and Trot did their best to comfort her, but -what could they say? What could anyone say in the face of so amazing a -calamity?</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Come out you villain King and thief!</div> - <div class="verse">Bring back our home, you robber Chief!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>screamed Scraps, making little dashes backward and forward. Of course -Scraps did not expect the King to come out but, as if in answer to her -call, there was a shudder and rumble below.</p> - -<p>The rumbling continued, grew worse and worse and finally, with an -explosion like forty-nine roman candles going off at once, the towers, -turrets and gleaming roof of the castle burst through the earth and, -impaling the frightened company upon its spires, carried them kicking -and struggling into the air. Up, up, and up shot the castle, till the -entire structure was standing on its proper foundations. The flag pole -had caught Sir Hokus between his mailed shirt and his armor and the -Knight was spinning around like a weather cock in a gale. Ozma and the -little girls had fortunately been carried aloft on one of the rounded -domes and while their position was extremely precarious it was at least -comfortable. Scraps hung limply over a filigreed balcony, the Wizard -beside her, and the Scarecrow dangled from a spire.</p> - -<p>"Wait! Don't move any of you," coughed the straw man. "Wait, I'll fall -down and get a ladder!"</p> - -<p>And down he plunged!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch18.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_19" id="CHAPTER_19"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 19</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Wizard Takes a Hand</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The people clinging to the roof of the palace were no more puzzled -and alarmed than the ones rattling around beneath the roof. To -understand all of these strange and confusing events, we must go back -to Mombi's incantation. Mombi, you see, had used the magic formula -without the King's robe. Indeed, Mombi had forgotten <i>that</i> part of -the transformation entirely, and in consequence the great disaster -predicted by the Fairy Queen Lurline had occurred.</p> - -<p>When the palace had sunk so suddenly into the earth, Dorothy and her -companions had been too startled to even move. But when it finally -settled down and things grew quiet again, Dorothy, feeling her way -cautiously, pressed a small radio button in the wall. Fortunately the -lighting system had not been thrown out of order and, as the emerald -lamps flooded the throne room with their reassuring glow, everyone gave -a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>Kabumpo had wound his trunk around one of the palace pillars and closed -his eyes. Now he let go and looked fearfully around him. Mombi had -rolled into a corner and Pajuka lay flat on his back with his feet -in the air. Tora's ears had flown off from the shock, carrying his -spectacles with them, and the poor tailor was uncertainly groping his -way toward the door. Snip, who suffered nothing worse than a bump over -the eye, ran hastily to his assistance, leading him gently to a large -arm chair. Sinking into its comfortable depths, Tora pulled out a red -handkerchief and began mopping first his cheeks and then his brow and -muttering unintelligibly to himself.</p> - -<p>Humpy was sprawled on the floor, his crown jammed down over his nose -and his head resting on the last step of the dais. As Dorothy ran to -help him up, he made a feeble gesture of protest.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"The kingdom has fallen," puffed the dummy indignantly, "and that lets -me out. If <i>this</i> is the way you treat your sovereigns, I'm through. -I resign! I abdicate. Let me be the bell boy, or the furnace man. Why -even in the movies I have never been treated like this. It's a crime. -It's an outrage!" coughed Humpy, struggling to a sitting position and -trying to pry his crown upward.</p> - -<p>"Now Humpy," began Dorothy reprovingly, "you're talking like a dummy -instead of a King. Just wait—"</p> - -<p>"I <i>am</i> a dummy," insisted the poor fellow, feeling of himself to -make sure. "Has that old wretch changed me one hair's breadth by her -villainous magic? Oh, to think I should have sunk so low!"</p> - -<p>"She's a fraud," hissed Pajuka, who had also picked himself up. "Woman, -how dare you sink the castle in this shocking and informal manner? -Where are we and what is to become of his Majesty?"</p> - -<p>"Look out, she's trying to get away," warned Snip. The little button -boy was right, for at each question Mombi was creeping nearer to the -door.</p> - -<p>"No you don't!" shrilled Kabumpo, snatching her back with his trunk. -"I'll teach you to sink elephants like a ship and play such tricks upon -the King!" He began shaking her backward and forward till her very -bones rattled.</p> - -<p>"Undo this mischief at once. Give me back my own shape. Restore the -King!" screamed Pajuka, flapping his wings in Mombi's face.</p> - -<p>"Raise up this castle or I'll step on you!" promised Kabumpo furiously.</p> - -<p>Mombi looked pleadingly at Dorothy and Snip, but the little boy and -girl felt now that any punishment was too good for the old witch.</p> - -<p>"Give me time," muttered Mombi, casting uneasy glances from one to the -other. "The formula should have restored the King, but something went -wrong. I must have more time."</p> - -<p>"Here, take it." Stumbling across the room, Humpy pressed a dollar -watch into the old witch's hands. "Here's all the time in the world," -said the dummy dolefully, "but don't ask <i>me</i> to be King again. Let -Kabumpo sit on the throne and see how he likes it."</p> - -<p>Turning his back upon the company, Humpy began to run after Tora's -ears. Fastened together by the tailor's spectacles, they were flapping -wildly around the apartment. Pajuka groaned and covered his eyes with -his wing, for the honest goose could not bear to see his old master -conducting himself so foolishly.</p> - -<p>"Well, what shall I do with her?" Kabumpo shook Mombi again and snapped -his eyes angrily at Dorothy.</p> - -<p>"She got us into this trouble and now she must get us out," decided the -little girl wisely. "Do you think you can?"</p> - -<p>The old witch nodded and, at a sign from Dorothy, Kabumpo let her go, -at the same time keeping a close guard upon her. Mombi, it must be -confessed, was as surprised at the fall of the castle as anyone else, -nor could she account for the failure of the magic formula. Hemmed in a -corner by the gigantic Kabumpo, she began mumbling in magic and making -queer passes in the air just to gain time.</p> - -<p>Dorothy watched anxiously, but Snip, who had already had an idea of his -own, tiptoed across the room and picked up Mombi's basket. In a sudden -flash Snip recalled the skyward flight of the cats in Catty Corners. -Was there any more of the marvelous baking powder? Tumbling everything -out of the basket, Snip fumbled hurriedly among its contents and with a -little cry of triumph found what he was looking for—a small purple can -of the magical powder. And, better still, printed in Mombi's crooked -writing, were the directions for its use. This is what Snip read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"To raise hair—one drop in water.</p> - -<p>"To raise the roof—one pinch down the chimney.</p> - -<p>"To raise the rent—five teaspoons full in vinegar.</p> - -<p>"To raise a castle or city empty entire contents of can on spot -desired. Sprinkle with water and count ten."</p></div> - -<p>Seizing a flower vase from a nearby stand, Snip dumped out the powder -and moistened it from the vase. Then, hardly daring to think what would -happen, the little button boy began to count.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>With a roar as sudden and frightful as when it had fallen, the castle -shot upward, gaining speed as it went, up, up, up, till the dark earth -was left far below and the massive structure stood on its rightful -foundations again.</p> - -<p>How Ozma and her friends were caught upon its roof, we already know, -for Snip had set off the powder, just as the Little Queen flung herself -upon the grass to weep.</p> - -<p>While the Scarecrow, with a long ladder from the garden, was helping -those on the roof to get down, Snip was hurrying around the throne room -helping those inside to get up, for the final jar as the castle settled -had knocked everyone over—even Kabumpo.</p> - -<p>"Is this exciting enough for you?" asked Dorothy, crawling out from -beneath a sofa. The Elegant Elephant groaned, but made no attempt to -arise, and Dorothy, rushing over to Mombi, dragged her hurriedly to her -feet.</p> - -<p>"Now that you've raised the castle," puffed the little girl -determinedly, "suppose you transform the King and Pajuka!"</p> - -<p>"Mombi didn't raise the castle, I did it myself!" cried Snip -delightedly.</p> - -<p>"You did!" gasped Kabumpo, rolling over in astonishment. "How?"</p> - -<p>Snip held up the empty can and, while Mombi glowered angrily, he -explained his use of the marvelous baking powder. Tora's ears were -still off so the poor tailor was as bewildered as ever, but Snip -nodded to him encouragingly and had just finished his recital when -the door in the hall burst open and Ozma, in a perfect flutter of -excitement, swept into the throne room—Ozma and everyone who had -accompanied her to Morrow.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"The King!" gasped Ozma faintly, for she was rather short of breath. -"Where is the King?" Her glance travelled in alarm from Mombi to -Pajuka. The goose was waddling after Humpy. Paying no attention to the -rise of the castle, the dummy was mounted on a chair in a last effort -to capture Tora's ears.</p> - -<p>"Dorothy," wailed the sorely tried and tired little fairy, "where is my -father?"</p> - -<p>"Here! Here!" honked Pajuka, doing his best to make Humpy turn 'round. -"This is the King of Oz!"</p> - -<p>Dorothy, astonished though she was by Ozma's sudden entry, hastened -to break the shock of her disappointment. "You must remember," she -explained hastily, "he is not quite himself!"</p> - -<p>"He's bewitched—we're all bewitched!" groaned the goose, flapping his -wings despairingly.</p> - -<p>"Well, who hit me with the castle?" demanded Scraps, staring around -indignantly. "I told you the King was a dunce!"</p> - -<p>The little girls, Sir Hokus and the Wizard were regarding the stuffed -man's actions with horror and dismay.</p> - -<p>"Are <i>you</i> my father?" faltered Ozma, approaching the dummy timidly. -"Why, where have you been all these years?"</p> - -<p>"In the pictures," answered Humpy in a matter-of-fact voice. With a -final snatch he had captured the tailor's ears and was more interested -in them than in his daughter. "I double for the stars, my dear. I fall -and die and all that sort of thing. Ask Dorothy, she knows all about -me."</p> - -<p>"He's been leading a double life," murmured the Scarecrow, looking -solemnly at Sir Hokus of Pokes. Then, facing the King, he asked -frankly, "Are you a dub or a double?"</p> - -<p>"He's bewitched, I tell you," puffed Pajuka, trying to get some -attention. "Make her disenchant us!" He shot his neck angrily in -Mombi's direction and immediately everyone's attention was directed to -the old witch, whom the Elegant Elephant still guarded in the corner.</p> - -<p>"Why, there's Kabumpo!" cried Ozma and then, catching her first glimpse -of the tailor without ears, she sank limply into a chair and began to -fan herself with a doily. "Everything, everything's so queer," murmured -the little Queen, looking appealingly at Betsy and Trot.</p> - -<p>"Fetch the Green Book of Magic from the library," ordered the Wizard, -giving Sir Hokus a push. "Fetch the book and I will put an end to this -nonsense!"</p> - -<p>Sir Hokus made haste to obey and, before Dorothy could explain all that -had happened or introduce her friends, the Knight came back with the -green book.</p> - -<p>"Here, give me my ears," cried the tailor, who had missed most of the -excitement. Snatching them from Humpy, he clapped them quickly in place -and turned toward the Wizard. The Wizard looked slightly cross-eyed -from astonishment, but swallowing quickly and, determined not to delay -the King's restoration another minute, began to flip over the leaves of -the book.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4ch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"This is it, Incantation No. 980!" panted the little man joyfully. -"Two ought to be eaten before seven."</p> - -<p>"That's not an incantation, that's Humpy's number," cried Dorothy, -pulling out the white tag on the dummy's collar.</p> - -<p>"Why, that's what Mombi tried," put in Snip anxiously. "Look out! -Something else awful will happen!"</p> - -<p>But the Wizard waved them impatiently aside and, throwing the royal -robe he had carried all the way from Morrow about Humpy's shoulders, -pushed him down upon the throne.</p> - -<p>"All but seven leave the room," he ordered crisply and after a short -delay the order was carried out. The seven who remained watched tensely -as the Wizard approached the stuffed King. Popping two small crackers -into his mouth, he gazed fixedly at the dummy. "I command you to -assume your natural shape," choked the Wizard, throwing up his arms -impressively.</p> - -<p>"The King's himself! Long live the King!" shrieked Pajuka, falling flat -upon his bill.</p> - -<p>Everyone crowded forward to see what happened to Humpy—but the dummy -remained as he was.</p> - -<p>"Why he's not changed at all," cried Scraps scornfully, and the Patch -Work Girl was perfectly right. Except for a slight slump to the left, -Humpy had not even changed his position.</p> - -<p>"Two ought to be eaten before seven! Two ought to be eaten before -seven!" muttered the Wizard, beginning to pace anxiously up and down.</p> - -<p>"Two what?" asked Snip. "Are you sure you've eaten the right thing? -Mombi swallowed buttons."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'm no ostrich and the foot note says two of anything," answered -the little man, keeping his place in the book with his forefinger and -gazing at the dummy in exasperation.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5ch19.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><a name="CHAPTER_20" id="CHAPTER_20"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch20.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 20</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Lost King Is Found</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Wizard of Oz was puzzled and mortified. His magic seemed to be no -magic at all. The little man was silent. He could think of nothing but -his failure.</p> - -<p>"Let's all sit down in a circle and think," proposed the Scarecrow, -taking Ozma's hand, for he could see the little fairy was ready to -cry with disappointment. "The goose feather said the King was in the -castle, so he must be here," he insisted cheerfully. "Let Dorothy tell -her story and we'll tell ours and then perhaps we can find out what's -wrong with our magic."</p> - -<p>"Now you're talking sense," approved Scraps, plumping down -beside the straw man. "Have Dorothy explain this old goose, this -button-button-who's-got-the-button boy and the fellow with the -fluttering ears."</p> - -<p>"I guess that <i>would</i> be best," sighed Dorothy. So in less than a wink -that whole strange company, with Humpy in the center, dropped down in a -circle upon the floor. Kabumpo, holding Mombi fast in his trunk, stood -just behind Dorothy, putting in a word now and then or giving Mombi a -shake when she objected to any part of the story.</p> - -<p>Ozma and her friends could scarcely repress their astonishment and -surprise as Dorothy recounted her wonderful adventures with the dummy -and told of Snip's exciting journey with the goose and the old witch. -Indeed, as the story proceeded, they began to regard Snip and Pajuka -with growing admiration and respect, for certainly these two had played -an unforgettable part in the history of Oz.</p> - -<p>When Dorothy told how Snip had raised the castle with Mombi's baking -powder, the company burst into such loud cheers and cries of approval -that the little button boy tried to hide behind the tailor. Tora, -himself, came in for a goodly share of the interest too, and he smiled -pleasantly as Dorothy explained his singular ears and described his -escape from the Blanks.</p> - -<p>When Dorothy had finished, Ozma quickly related all that had happened -in the Emerald City and in Morrow. She told of the deserted castle and -the mysterious messages, and the Scarecrow gravely passed around the -golden quill.</p> - -<p>"I seem to remember this," puffed Pajuka when it had come to him. "Ah, -I know! It is the magic quill the King gave me on my last birthday in -the castle. It always warned one or the other when either was in danger -and I had it in my pocket when Mombi turned me to a goose."</p> - -<p>"And I pulled it out when I fell down the well!" cried Snip excitedly.</p> - -<p>"And it returned to the spot where the old castle had stood," put in -the Wizard, leaning forward sagely.</p> - -<p>"Well, that explains the feather, but who will explain the King?" -demanded the Scarecrow, looking at the dummy with his head on one side.</p> - -<p>"I'm about tired of being explained," mumbled Humpy sulkily. "If you -don't pretty soon decide something, I'll go back to America. I've -fallen and I've risen and now I want to sit still."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps," suggested the tired tailor timidly, for he felt shy in the -presence of so many celebrities, "perhaps Humpy is not the lost King at -all! The feather said the King was in the palace, but it did not say -the dummy was King."</p> - -<p>"Bless me," cried the Scarecrow tossing up his hat, "his brain works as -fast as his ears. That is an idea!" It had not occurred to any of them -that Humpy might not be the King, but now they began to look at one -another questioningly.</p> - -<p>"But he's the image of Pastoria!" insisted Pajuka. "Don't you suppose -I know my own sovereign? Ozma my dear, is this dummy not like your -father?"</p> - -<p>Ozma nodded: "But it wouldn't do any harm to look around," she added -thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Come on," cried the Scarecrow waving his hat, "we'll hunt from cellar -to garret!"</p> - -<p>"Keep a trunk on that witch!" called Scraps to the Elegant Elephant, as -they all jumped up and started to follow the Scarecrow from the room.</p> - -<p>"But wait!" exclaimed the tired tailor, catching hold of the straw -man's arm. "How do you know you are not the King yourself?"</p> - -<p>"Me the King!" ejaculated the Scarecrow falling back against a pillar.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch20.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Well, Mombi could easily have changed you to a Scarecrow," mused Tora, -but Dorothy hastily shook her head, for the Scarecrow's past was well -known and though he had been proved an Emperor of Silver Island, she -felt he could not be the lost King of Oz.</p> - -<p>"Well, somebody in this castle is King," insisted Tora positively.</p> - -<p>"But how shall we know?" gasped Dorothy, while the others looked -equally puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Find the man who fits the King's robe," cried Tora, waving his tape -measure. "Try him," he finished, indicating Sir Hokus of Pokes.</p> - -<p>"How did you ever think of that?" asked the Wizard admiringly. "Find -the man who fits the robe! Why it's as simple as arithmetic. But how -did you ever think of it?"</p> - -<p>"Well, being a tailor, it occurred to me at once," answered Tora -modestly. "The robe fits the dummy perfectly, so I thought at first he -must be the King, but when the magic failed to work I concluded that he -wasn't."</p> - -<p>Mombi sniffed scornfully as the Knight stepped forward but Dorothy -and Ozma, remembering Sir Hokus's strange history, felt that he might -easily be the lost King of Oz.</p> - -<p>Again all but seven left the throne room, and the tailor placed the -King's robes carefully about the Knight's shoulders. Then The Wizard, -taking two more crackers, gravely repeated the magic formula.</p> - -<p>Ozma kept her eyes fixed intently on Sir Hokus. She rather hoped he -would turn out to be her father, for she was very fond of the blustery -Knight. But nothing at all happened after the Wizard's incantation and -Sir Hokus stepped down from the throne with real relief.</p> - -<p>"Odds buckles and bonnets, my dear, I would like to be your father but -not your King," sighed the Knight. "I prefer fighting to governing any -day."</p> - -<p>The Wizard cast his eye about for another candidate of proper size and -shape to fit the robe, but no one in the room seemed to qualify.</p> - -<p>"You're wasting time," grunted Kabumpo irritably. "This person," he -waved loftily at the old tailor, "this person had better have kept out -of it. What does a tailor know of magic?"</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked reprovingly at the Elegant Elephant and just then, -catching a glimpse of the Soldier with the Green Whiskers in the -doorway, rushed over and pulled him into the room. The Soldier with -the Green Whiskers is the entire army of Oz and, while not noted for -his bravery, is a great favorite in the Emerald City. Ever since -the disappearance of Ozma, he had been hiding in the castle cellar, -terribly frightened by its fall and rise. Finally he had screwed up -enough courage to venture forth and investigate. Too astonished to -move, he had listened to the proceedings in the throne room and watched -the Wizard's magic experiments.</p> - -<p>"Try him!" puffed Dorothy, hurrying him toward the throne. As the -tailor carefully adjusted the robe, everyone gasped at the fit and -becomingness of the green garment. It quite transformed the timid -old soldier and, complacently stroking his beard, he waited for the -Wizard's formula to take effect. But again, nothing at all happened -and, dashing the green book of magic into a corner, the Wizard rushed -out of the room. At last he had had an idea of his own. He would look -in the magic picture and discover at once who was the missing King.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Tora, looking very apologetic, had taken the cloak from the -grand army's shoulders. "I was wrong," sighed the tailor shaking his -head sorrowfully, "and now there is no one else to try."</p> - -<p>Everyone joined in the tailor's sigh, for the afternoon had lengthened -into evening and they were still as far as ever from solving the -mystery. At each disappointment Pajuka had grown more gloomy and now, -waddling up to Mombi, he cried angrily, "Woman, what have you done with -the king? Speak! Speak, or I'll peck off your nose!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, say something!" shrilled Kabumpo, shaking her violently.</p> - -<p>"I remember nothing! I remember nothing! Let me go!" wailed the old -witch, howling dismally.</p> - -<p>Mombi's screams, Pajuka's threats and Kabumpo's trumpeting almost -drowned out another voice that had risen triumphantly above the -confusion. It was Snip. Jumping to his feet and running across the -room, the little button boy flung his arms 'round the old tailor.</p> - -<p>"You never tried it on yourself! You never tried it on yourself!" -panted Snip, trembling with impatience. "Here, give it to me!"</p> - -<p>While Kabumpo sniffed and the others watched half heartedly, the little -boy wrapped the King's robe around the tired tailor, popped two sugar -lumps into his mouth and shouted hoarsely, "Two ought to be eaten -before seven! I command you to resume your natural shape!"</p> - -<p>For as long as you could count ten there was absolute silence. Then a -deep voice, very rough and husky, called wildly, "The King! Long live -the King!"</p> - -<p>"Pajuka!" cried the tired tailor. Rushing joyously down the steps of -the throne, he threw both arms 'round a fat, jolly old gentleman. The -tired tailor, did I say? But no! He was the tired tailor no longer! -The rounded shoulders had straightened up under the velvet robe, the -tired eyes sparkled with pleasure and kindliness. Tora, the tailor, no -longer, but Pastoria, the King, stood embracing his prime minister, for -the same green formula that had restored his majesty had also released -Pajuka from his weary enchantment.</p> - -<p>"I remember! I remember! I turned him to a tailor and flung him down a -well!" squealed Mombi, but in the excitement no one even heard her. The -suddenness of the King's restoration had taken even Snip by surprise, -but recovering quickly they all pressed forward.</p> - -<p>Humpy was the first to reach the throne. "Glad you got the job," -grinned the dummy cheerfully. "But let me be your double, old fellow. -I'll fall or die for you any time." Making his word good at once, Humpy -tripped over the King's foot and fell flat upon his nose.</p> - -<p>"Why he <i>is</i> your double," gasped Dorothy eagerly. "The very image of -you."</p> - -<p>"King, King, double King, never get him back again!" screamed the Patch -Work Girl, and from then on the uproar was tremendous. The courtiers -and servants, back from the long day's search, came crowding into the -throne room, and when they heard the whole story from the Soldier with -the Green Whiskers they added their voices to the general clamor.</p> - -<p>"Why the names should have told us," whispered Dorothy to Snip, whom -she had dragged into a corner for the confidence. "Tora the tailor and -Pastoria, the King. How did we ever miss it?"</p> - -<p>Snip shook his head and looked over contentedly at his two best -friends. It seemed as if Ozma and her father would never stop hugging -one another but at last, with his little daughter on his right and -faithful Pajuka on his left, with Humpy standing importantly behind him -and Snip in his lap, the King sat down upon his throne and insisted -upon hearing all that had happened during his weary exile—for the -years he had been in Blankenburg had been blank indeed.</p> - -<p>Taking turns, Dorothy, Trot and Ozma did their best to satisfy him. -Then Pastoria, himself, told how Lurline, Queen of the Fairy Band, had -come to his shop, tried to disenchant him and when she found Mombi's -magic too strong for her, had bestowed upon him his remarkable flying -ears.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to miss those ears," sighed the King, touching his tight-on -ones regretfully, "but it's fine to be back just the same and to find -my own dear little girl again!"</p> - -<p>"There are still two things I don't understand," mused Dorothy, as -Pastoria finished speaking. "Why did I change size in California, and -how was it you could not get away from Blankenburg till Snip helped -you?"</p> - -<p>"Both very easy to account for," explained the Wizard of Oz, who was -glad to have some part in clearing up the mysteries. "If you had lived -in America as long as you have lived in Oz, you would be quite a young -lady by now, so of course, when you reached California, you resumed -your proper age."</p> - -<p>"Then I'm never going back," decided Dorothy, recalling her strange -experience with a shudder, "for I'm never going to grow up at all."</p> - -<p>"The King was released by Snip," continued the Wizard, paying no -attention to Dorothy's remarks, "because kindness and generosity always -dull green magic, and, while Snip could not entirely restore the King, -he broke part of the enchantment."</p> - -<p>There was still so much to wonder and exclaim about and they were -all by this time so famished with hunger that Ozma ordered up a -splendid feast and in all the annals of Oz there has never been a more -delightful nor a merrier one.</p> - -<p>The King and Ozma sat at the head of the long table, Snip and Pajuka at -the foot, while ranged between were all of the adventurers and all the -dear celebrities of Oz. Mombi had been securely locked up in the cellar -with a supper of bread and milk and Kabumpo, free from his troublesome -charge, had three bales of hay, nicely mixed with peanuts.</p> - -<p>Snip, looking sideways at Pajuka, marvelled to think how he had once -carried the huge Prime Minister through the forest. There was still -something in Pajuka's walk and expression that reminded Snip of the -white goose, for all during the evening he was at some pains to conceal -his yawns.</p> - -<p>Well, with one dainty coming after the other, and one story following -the next, the dinner proceeded gaily enough, till no one, not even the -Hungry Tiger, could eat another bite. And then it was that Pastoria -rose and, turning to Ozma, furnished the last surprise of that -exceedingly surprising day.</p> - -<p>"I am rejoiced," began the King in his deep, pleasant voice, "to find -this beautiful castle and city, built during my absence by our clever -Wizard, and to see that the prosperity and greatness of Oz have -increased during my exile. Feeling that this is largely due to the wise -rule of my lovely little daughter, I now and hereby abdicate in her -favor!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch20.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Removing the emerald crown the Scarecrow had hastily brought from the -treasury, the King placed it solemnly on Ozma's dark curls.</p> - -<p>"But you're not going away!" cried Ozma, catching hold of his arm in -great distress.</p> - -<p>"Has your Majesty considered this enough?" protested Pajuka, jumping up -in a hurry. "What are you—what are we—going to do?"</p> - -<p>"Open a tailor shop," smiled the King, "right here in the Emerald -City—the finest tailoring shop in Oz. You see," continued his Majesty, -looking a trifle embarrassed, "I've grown awfully fond of tailoring and -I think on the whole I'm a better tailor than a King!"</p> - -<p>There was a moment's silence after this singular announcement. Then, -realizing the generosity and wisdom of the decision, the whole company -burst into thunderous applause.</p> - -<p>"Then everything will be the same. Oh, goody goody!" exulted Betsy -Bobbin, squeezing Trot's hand under the table. "Isn't he a perfect -dear?"</p> - -<p>"Instead of a King's double, I'm a tailor's dummy," sighed Humpy -resignedly. "Oh well, I don't care, but you'll have to make me another -suit."</p> - -<p>"I'll make you a tailored suit. I'll make you <i>all</i> suits," promised -the King enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>"Put plenty of pockets in mine!" puffed Pajuka, sinking into his seat -with another yawn.</p> - -<p>"I'll need a boy in my shop, too," smiled the King, looking down the -long table. "How about it, Snip? Will you stay?"</p> - -<p>"A good place for a button boy," giggled Scraps, while Snip himself -blushed with pleasure and excitement.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'd love to!" cried Snip. "But may I go back to Kimbaloo first and -tell Kinda Jolly where I am?"</p> - -<p>"Of course, of course," promised the royal tailor, beaming upon -everyone. "And now, as we are all tired and sleepy (the King winked at -Pajuka who was trying to hide another monstrous yawn) I move that we -all retire."</p> - -<p>"That will be the second time you've retired to-day," laughed Snip, -pushing back his chair and running to open the door for his Majesty. -For in spite of his abdication they all felt that Pastoria was a real -King.</p> - -<p>"Oh, isn't everything turning out splendidly?" sighed Dorothy, pressing -the Scarecrow's arm. "The King will be a lot happier as a tailor and -every tailor needs a dummy, so that takes care of Humpy. And won't it -be fun to have Snip in the Emerald City?"</p> - -<p>"I should say!" grinned the Scarecrow, and then, because nobody could -stay awake another minute, they bade each other good night and hurried -off to bed.</p> - -<p>Snip and the Prime Minister shared a sumptuous apartment in the east -wing and, hearing a strange noise in the night, Snip sat up in alarm. -Pajuka's bed was empty, but standing on one leg over by the window and -snoring like a goodfellow (which indeed he was) stood the huge Prime -Minister, his head resting peacefully on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"He thinks he's still a goose," smiled Snip, snuggling down under the -covers.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3ch20.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_21" id="CHAPTER_21"></a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusch21.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 21</h2> - -<p class="ph1">The Grand Procession</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The next day there was a grand procession through the streets of -the Emerald City, in honor of the long lost King of Oz. The Elegant -Elephant led off, the King and Humpy—dressed exactly alike—riding -proudly on his back. Next rode Ozma upon the famous Saw Horse; then -came the Cowardly Lion, carrying Dorothy and Snip; then the Hungry -Tiger with Betsy and Trot.</p> - -<p>Pajuka, astride the Comfortable Camel, was a sight worth seeing, for -the huge Prime Minister was splendidly costumed. Besides this, he had -a pipe in each hand, taking first a puff from one and then a puff from -the other, so that he was almost hidden in clouds of smoke. Sir Hokus, -upon the Doubtful Dromedary, bowed politely to his many friends and -acquaintances. Scraps and the Scarecrow followed the Knight and after -them marched Tik Tok, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers and all the -other famous folk from the palace, down to the smallest page. Slowly -and majestically they circled the city, returning tired out, but well -satisfied, to the cool and fragrant gardens of the palace.</p> - -<p>"Now," sighed Ozma, sliding down from the Saw Horse, "there is nothing -left to do but punish Mombi. What shall we do with Mombi?"</p> - -<p>"Turn her to a cooky, and then I can eat her up without my conscience -troubling me," purred the Hungry Tiger, thumping his tail lazily up and -down in the grass.</p> - -<p>"She'd make an awfully stale cooky," sniffed Scraps, swinging herself -expertly up into a tree. "Turn her into a rock and throw her away."</p> - -<p>"Why not put her out like I did the other witches?" asked Dorothy, -fanning herself with her best crown, which she had worn in honor of the -occasion. "Water will finish her once and forever!"</p> - -<p>"I believe I will," mused Ozma. "That is, if father thinks it is all -right?" The King, with a huge pair of gold specs on his nose, was -busily measuring Snip for a suit, and nodded absently at his royal -daughter. "Anything you say, my dear," said the royal tailor, writing -down the measurements in a little book.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1ch21.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>So off ran Sir Hokus and the Scarecrow to carry out the sentence, -returning in a few minutes with Mombi's buckled shoes, all that -remained of the old Gilliken Witch and her temper. She had been washed -out with water, and would never bother anyone in Oz again.</p> - -<p>Just as the royal party was trooping into the palace for lunch, a page -rushed out to announce a visitor. It was General Whiffenpuff and a -loud noise whom he introduced as the Invisible Cook. Travelling night -and day, and searching everywhere for Mombi and Snip, he had finally -reached the Emerald City and found the famous cook recommended by the -Town Laugher of Kimbaloo. His delight at seeing the little button -boy safe and sound was only exceeded by his astonishment at Snip's -marvelous adventures, but as the cook, for all her invisibility, had a -bad habit of treading on the general's toes, he was anxious to return -to Kimbaloo and turn her over to Kinda Jolly.</p> - -<p>"I'll take you back," volunteered Kabumpo carelessly. "It's on my way -home anyhow." The Elegant Elephant was also anxious to be off and -acquaint the court of Pumperdink with the important events that had -transpired. He wished to display the emerald head-piece Ozma had given -him, and dazzle the courtiers with the silver robe bestowed upon him by -the kingly tailor of Oz. So after a quick luncheon, a quick exchange of -good-byes and good wishes, the pompous old elephant took his departure, -carrying on his back brave General Whiffenpuff, the Invisible Cook and -the gallant little button boy of Kimbaloo.</p> - -<p>"Hurry back!" called the King, waving his silver shears anxiously at -Snip. "I need you!"</p> - -<p>"Hurry back," called Pajuka, blinking his eyes to keep from crying, -"I'll miss you!"</p> - -<p>"I will!" promised Snip, nearly crying himself. "I will!" The last -thing the little button boy saw was the Prime Minister diving fully -dressed into the pond. Pajuka had again forgotten he was no longer a -goose.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>If you could peek into the Emerald City this very minute you would see -that a splendid tailoring shop has been set up next to the palace—a -splendid shop, where the retired King and Snip work happily for part of -the day and hold court for the rest. And wherever you find the royal -tailor you'll be pretty sure to see his cheerful double.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2ch21.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ep.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST KING OF OZ ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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