The Magic of Oz
by
L. Frank Baum
Part 3 out of 3
the little man asked excitedly:
"Where are the bees?"
"The bees?" inquired the Lion, who was half asleep and did not know
what had happened on the Magic Isle.
"Yes; there were two of them."
"Two bees?" said the Hungry Tiger, yawning. "Why, I ate one of them
and the Cowardly Lion ate the other."
"Goodness gracious!" cried Dorothy horrified.
"It was little enough for our lunch," remarked the Tiger, "but the
bees were the only things we could find."
"How dreadful!" wailed Dorothy, wringing her hands in despair.
"You've eaten Trot and Cap'n Bill."
But just then she heard a buzzing overhead and two bees alighted on
her shoulder.
"Here we are," said a small voice in her ear. "I'm Trot, Dorothy."
"And I'm Cap'n Bill," said the other bee.
Dorothy almost fainted, with relief, and the Wizard, who was close by
and had heard the tiny voices, gave a laugh and said:
"You are not the only two bees in the forest, it seems, but I advise
you to keep away from the Lion and the Tiger until you regain your
proper forms."
"Do it now, Wizard!" advised Dorothy. "They're so small that you
never can tell what might happen to 'em."
So the Wizard gave the command and pronounced the Magic Word, and in
the instant Trot and Cap'n Bill stood beside them as natural as before
they had met their fearful adventure. For they were no longer small
in size, because the Wizard had transformed them from bumblebees into
the shapes and sizes that nature had formerly given them. The ugly
roots on their feet had disappeared with the transformation.
While Dorothy was hugging Trot, and Trot was softly crying because
she was so happy, the Wizard shook hands with Cap'n Bill and
congratulated him on his escape. The old sailor-man was so pleased
that he also shook the Lion's paw and took off his hat and bowed
politely to the cage of monkeys.
Then Cap'n Bill did a curious thing. He went to a big tree and,
taking out his knife, cut away a big, broad piece of thick bark. Then
he sat down on the ground and after taking a roll of stout cord from
his pocket--which seemed to be full of all sorts of things--he
proceeded to bind the flat piece of bark to the bottom of his good
foot, over the leather sole.
"What's that for?" inquired the Wizard.
"I hate to be stumped," replied the sailor-man; "so I'm goin' back
to that island."
"And get enchanted again?" exclaimed Trot, with evident disapproval.
"No; this time I'll dodge the magic of the island. I noticed that
my wooden leg didn't get stuck, or take root, an' neither did the
glass feet of the Glass Cat. It's only a thing that's made of
meat--like man an' beasts--that the magic can hold an' root to the
ground. Our shoes are leather, an' leather comes from a beast's hide.
Our stockin's are wool, an' wool comes from a sheep's back. So, when
we walked on the Magic Isle, our feet took root there an' held us
fast. But not my wooden leg. So now I'll put a wooden bottom on my
other foot an' the magic can't stop me."
"But why do you wish to go back to the island?" asked Dorothy.
"Didn't you see the Magic Flower in the gold flower-pot?" returned
Cap'n Bill.
"Of course I saw it, and it's lovely and wonderful."
"Well, Trot an' I set out to get the magic plant for a present to
Ozma on her birthday, and I mean to get it an' take it back with us to
the Emerald City."
"That would be fine," cried Trot eagerly, "if you think you can do
it, and it would be safe to try!"
"I'm pretty sure it is safe, the way I've fixed my foot," said the
sailor, "an' if I SHOULD happen to get caught, I s'pose the Wizard
could save me again."
"I suppose I could," agreed the Wizard. "Anyhow, if you wish to try
it, Cap'n Bill, go ahead and we'll stand by and watch what happens."
So the sailor-man got upon the raft again and paddled over to the
Magic Isle, landing as close to the golden flower-pot as he could.
They watched him walk across the land, put both arms around the
flower-pot and lift it easily from its place. Then he carried it to
the raft and set it down very gently. The removal did not seem to
affect the Magic Flower in any way, for it was growing daffodils when
Cap'n Bill picked it up and on the way to the raft it grew tulips and
gladioli. During the time the sailor was paddling across the river to
where his friends awaited him, seven different varieties of flowers
bloomed in succession on the plant.
"I guess the Magician who put it on the island never thought that any
one would carry it off," said Dorothy.
"He figured that only men would want the plant, and any man who went
upon the island to get it would be caught by the enchantment," added
the Wizard.
"After this," remarked Trot, "no one will care to go on the island,
so it won't be a trap any more."
"There," exclaimed Cap'n Bill, setting down the Magic Plant in
triumph upon the river bank, "if Ozma gets a better birthday present
than that, I'd like to know what it can be!"
"It'll s'prise her, all right," declared Dorothy, standing in awed
wonder before the gorgeous blossoms and watching them change from
yellow roses to violets.
"It'll s'prise ev'rybody in the Em'rald City," Trot asserted in glee,
"and it'll be Ozma's present from Cap'n Bill and me."
"I think I ought to have a little credit," objected the Glass Cat.
"I discovered the thing, and led you to it, and brought the Wizard
here to save you when you got caught."
"That's true," admitted Trot, "and I'll tell Ozma the whole story,
so she'll know how good you've been."
20. The Monkeys Have Trouble
"Now," said the Wizard, "we must start for home. But how are we
going to carry that big gold flower-pot? Cap'n Bill can't lug it all
the way, that's certain."
"No," acknowledged the sailor-man; "it's pretty heavy. I could carry
it for a little while, but I'd have to stop to rest every few minutes."
"Couldn't we put it on your back?" Dorothy asked the Cowardly Lion,
with a good-natured yawn.
"I don't object to carrying it, if you can fasten it on," answered
the Lion.
"If it falls off," said Trot, "it might get smashed an' be ruined."
"I'll fix it," promised Cap'n Bill. "I'll make a flat board out of
one of these tree trunks, an' tie the board on the lion's back, an'
set the flower-pot on the board." He set to work at once to do this,
but as he only had his big knife for a tool his progress was slow.
So the Wizard took from his black bag a tiny saw that shone like
silver and said to it:
"Saw, Little Saw, come show your power;
Make us a board for the Magic Flower."
And at once the Little Saw began to move and it sawed the log so
fast that those who watched it work were astonished. It seemed to
understand, too, just what the board was to be used for, for when it
was completed it was flat on top and hollowed beneath in such a manner
that it exactly fitted the Lion's back.
"That beats whittlin'!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill, admiringly. "You
don't happen to have TWO o' them saws; do you, Wizard?"
"No," replied the Wizard, wiping the Magic Saw carefully with his
silk handkerchief and putting it back in the black bag. "It's the
only saw of its kind in the world; and if there were more like it, it
wouldn't be so wonderful."
They now tied the board on the Lion's back, flat side up, and Cap'n
Bill carefully placed the Magic Flower on the board.
"For fear o' accidents," he said, "I'll walk beside the Lion and
hold onto the flower-pot."
Trot and Dorothy could both ride on the back of the Hungry Tiger,
and between them they carried the cage of monkeys. But this
arrangement left the Wizard, as well as the sailor, to make the
journey on foot, and so the procession moved slowly and the Glass Cat
grumbled because it would take so long to get to the Emerald City.
The Cat was sour-tempered and grumpy, at first, but before they had
journeyed far, the crystal creature had discovered a fine amusement.
The long tails of the monkeys were constantly sticking through the
bars of their cage, and when they did, the Glass Cat would slyly seize
the tails in her paws and pull them. That made the monkeys scream,
and their screams pleased the Glass Cat immensely. Trot and Dorothy
tried to stop this naughty amusement, but when they were not looking
the Cat would pull the tails again, and the creature was so sly and
quick that the monkeys could seldom escape. They scolded the Cat
angrily and shook the bars of their cage, but they could not get out
and the Cat only laughed at them.
After the party had left the forest and were on the plains of the
Munchkin Country, it grew dark, and they were obliged to make camp for
the night, choosing a pretty place beside a brook. By means of his
magic the Wizard created three tents, pitched in a row on the grass
and nicely fitted with all that was needful for the comfort of his
comrades. The middle tent was for Dorothy and Trot, and had in it two
cosy white beds and two chairs. Another tent, also with beds and
chairs, was for the Wizard and Cap'n Bill, while the third tent was
for the Hungry Tiger, the Cowardly Lion, the cage of Monkeys and the
Glass Cat. Outside the tents the Wizard made a fire and placed over
it a magic kettle from which he presently drew all sorts of nice
things for their supper, smoking hot.
After they had eaten and talked together for a while under the
twinkling stars, they all went to bed and the people were soon
asleep. The Lion and the Tiger had almost fallen asleep, too, when
they were roused by the screams of the monkeys, for the Glass Cat was
pulling their tails again. Annoyed by the uproar, the Hungry Tiger
cried: "Stop that racket!" and getting sight of the Glass Cat, he
raised his big paw and struck at the creature. The cat was quick
enough to dodge the blow, but the claws of the Hungry Tiger scraped
the monkey's cage and bent two of the bars.
Then the Tiger lay down again to sleep, but the monkeys soon
discovered that the bending of the bars would allow them to squeeze
through. They did not leave the cage, however, but after whispering
together they let their tails stick out and all remained quiet.
Presently the Glass Cat stole near the cage again and gave a yank to
one of the tails. Instantly the monkeys leaped through the bars, one
after another, and although they were so small the entire dozen of
them surrounded the Glass Cat and clung to her claws and tail and ears
and made her a prisoner. Then they forced her out of the tent and
down to the banks of the stream. The monkeys had noticed that these
banks were covered with thick, slimy mud of a dark blue color, and
when they had taken the Cat to the stream, they smeared this mud all
over the glass body of the cat, filling the creature's ears and eyes
with it, so that she could neither see nor hear. She was no longer
transparent and so thick was the mud upon her that no one could see
her pink brains or her ruby heart.
In this condition they led the pussy back to the tent and then got
inside their cage again.
By morning the mud had dried hard on the Glass Cat and it was a dull
blue color throughout. Dorothy and Trot were horrified, but the
Wizard shook his head and said it served the Glass Cat right for
teasing the monkeys.
Cap'n Bill, with his strong hands, soon bent the golden wires of the
monkeys' cage into the proper position and then he asked the Wizard if
he should wash the Glass Cat in the water of the brook.
"Not just yet," answered the Wizard. "The Cat deserves to be
punished, so I think I'll leave that blue mud--which is as bad as
paint--upon her body until she gets to the Emerald City. The silly
creature is so vain that she will be greatly shamed when the Oz people
see her in this condition, and perhaps she'll take the lesson to heart
and leave the monkeys alone hereafter."
However, the Glass Cat could not see or hear, and to avoid carrying
her on the journey the Wizard picked the mud out of her eyes and ears
and Dorothy dampened her handkerchief and washed both the eyes and
ears clean.
As soon as she could speak the Glass Cat asked indignantly: "Aren't
you going to punish those monkeys for playing such a trick on me?"
"No," answered the Wizard. "You played a trick on them by pulling
their tails, so this is only tit-for-tat, and I'm glad the monkeys had
their revenge."
He wouldn't allow the Glass Cat to go near the water, to wash
herself, but made her follow them when they resumed their journey
toward the Emerald City.
"This is only part of your punishment," said the Wizard, severely.
"Ozma will laugh at you, when we get to her palace, and so will the
Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and Tik-Tok, and the Shaggy Man, and
Button-Bright, and the Patchwork Girl, and--"
"And the Pink Kitten," added Dorothy.
That suggestion hurt the Glass Cat more than anything else. The
Pink Kitten always quarreled with the Glass Cat and insisted that
flesh was superior to glass, while the Glass Cat would jeer at the
Pink Kitten, because it had no pink brains. But the pink brains were
all daubed with blue mud, just now, and if the Pink Kitten should see
the Glass Cat in such a condition, it would be dreadfully humiliating.
For several hours the Glass Cat walked along very meekly, but toward
noon it seized an opportunity when no one was looking and darted away
through the long grass. It remembered that there was a tiny lake of
pure water near by, and to this lake the Cat sped as fast as it could go.
The others never missed her until they stopped for lunch, and then
it was too late to hunt for her.
"I s'pect she's gone somewhere to clean herself," said Dorothy.
"Never mind," replied the Wizard. "Perhaps this glass creature has
been punished enough, and we must not forget she saved both Trot and
Cap'n Bill."
"After first leading 'em onto an enchanted island," added Dorothy.
"But I think, as you do, that the Glass Cat is punished enough, and
p'raps she won't try to pull the monkeys' tails again."
The Glass Cat did not rejoin the party of travelers. She was still
resentful, and they moved too slowly to suit her, besides. When they
arrived at the Royal Palace, one of the first things they saw was the
Glass Cat curled up on a bench as bright and clean and transparent as
ever. But she pretended not to notice them, and they passed her by
without remark.
21. The College of Athletic Arts
Dorothy and her friends arrived at the Royal Palace at an opportune
time, for Ozma was holding high court in her Throne Room, where
Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T.E., was appealing to her to punish some of
the students of the Royal Athletic College, of which he was the Principal.
This College is located in the Munchkin Country, but not far from
the Emerald City. To enable the students to devote their entire time
to athletic exercises, such as boating, foot-ball, and the like,
Professor Wogglebug had invented an assortment of Tablets of Learning.
One of these tablets, eaten by a scholar after breakfast, would
instantly enable him to understand arithmetic or algebra or any other
branch of mathematics. Another tablet eaten after lunch gave a
student a complete knowledge of geography. Another tablet made it
possible for the eater to spell the most difficult words, and still
another enabled him to write a beautiful hand. There were tablets for
history, mechanics, home cooking and agriculture, and it mattered not
whether a boy or a girl was stupid or bright, for the tablets taught
them everything in the twinkling of an eye.
This method, which is patented in the Land of Oz by Professor
Wogglebug, saves paper and books, as well as the tedious hours devoted
to study in some of our less favored schools, and it also allows the
students to devote all their time to racing, base-ball, tennis and
other manly and womanly sports, which are greatly interfered with by
study in those Temples of Learning where Tablets of Learning are unknown.
But it so happened that Professor Wogglebug (who had invented so
much that he had acquired the habit) carelessly invented a Square-Meal
Tablet, which was no bigger than your little finger-nail but
contained, in condensed form, the equal of a bowl of soup, a portion
of fried fish, a roast, a salad and a dessert, all of which gave the
same nourishment as a square meal.
The Professor was so proud of these Square-Meal Tablets that he
began to feed them to the students at his college, instead of other
food, but the boys and girls objected because they wanted food that
they could enjoy the taste of. It was no fun at all to swallow a
tablet, with a glass of water, and call it a dinner; so they refused
to eat the Square-Meal Tablets. Professor Wogglebug insisted, and the
result was that the Senior Class seized the learned Professor one day
and threw him into the river--clothes and all. Everyone knows that a
wogglebug cannot swim, and so the inventor of the wonderful
Square-Meal Tablets lay helpless on the bottom of the river for three
days before a fisherman caught one of his legs on a fishhook and
dragged him out upon the bank.
The learned Professor was naturally indignant at such treatment, and
so he brought the entire Senior Class to the Emerald City and appealed
to Ozma of Oz to punish them for their rebellion.
I do not suppose the girl Ruler was very severe with the rebellious
boys and girls, because she had herself refused to eat the Square-Meal
Tablets in place of food, but while she was listening to the
interesting case in her Throne Room, Cap'n Bill managed to carry the
golden flower-pot containing the Magic Flower up to Trot's room
without it being seen by anyone except Jellia Jamb, Ozma's chief Maid
of Honor, and Jellia promised not to tell.
Also the Wizard was able to carry the cage of monkeys up to one of
the top towers of the palace, where he had a room of his own, to which
no one came unless invited. So Trot and Dorothy and Cap'n Bill and
the Wizard were all delighted at the successful end of their
adventure. The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger went to the marble
stables behind the Royal Palace, where they lived while at home, and
they too kept the secret, even refusing to tell the Wooden Sawhorse,
and Hank the Mule, and the Yellow Hen, and the Pink Kitten where they
had been.
Trot watered the Magic Flower every day and allowed no one in her
room to see the beautiful blossoms except her friends, Betsy Bobbin
and Dorothy. The wonderful plant did not seem to lose any of its
magic by being removed from its island, and Trot was sure that Ozma
would prize it as one of her most delightful treasures.
Up in his tower the little Wizard of Oz began training his twelve
tiny monkeys, and the little creatures were so intelligent that they
learned every trick the Wizard tried to teach them. The Wizard
treated them with great kindness and gentleness and gave them the food
that monkeys love best, so they promised to do their best on the great
occasion of Ozma's birthday.
22. Ozma's Birthday Party
It seems odd that a fairy should have a birthday, for fairies, they
say, were born at the beginning of time and live forever. Yet, on the
other hand, it would be a shame to deprive a fairy, who has so many
other good things, of the delights of a birthday. So we need not
wonder that the fairies keep their birthdays just as other folks do,
and consider them occasions for feasting and rejoicing.
Ozma, the beautiful girl Ruler of the Fairyland of Oz, was a real
fairy, and so sweet and gentle in caring for her people that she was
greatly beloved by them all. She lived in the most magnificent palace
in the most magnificent city in the world, but that did not prevent
her from being the friend of the most humble person in her dominions.
She would mount her Wooden Sawhorse, and ride out to a farm house and
sit in the kitchen to talk with the good wife of the farmer while she
did her family baking; or she would play with the children and give
them rides on her famous wooden steed; or she would stop in a forest
to speak to a charcoal burner and ask if he was happy or desired
anything to make him more content; or she would teach young girls how
to sew and plan pretty dresses, or enter the shops where the jewelers
and craftsmen were busy and watch them at their work, giving to each
and all a cheering word or sunny smile.
And then Ozma would sit in her jeweled throne, with her chosen
courtiers all about her, and listen patiently to any complaint brought
to her by her subjects, striving to accord equal justice to all.
Knowing she was fair in her decisions, the Oz people never murmured at
her judgments, but agreed, if Ozma decided against them, she was right
and they wrong.
When Dorothy and Trot and Betsy Bobbin and Ozma were together, one
would think they were all about of an age, and the fairy Ruler no
older and no more "grown up" than the other three. She would laugh
and romp with them in regular girlish fashion, yet there was an air of
quiet dignity about Ozma, even in her merriest moods, that, in a
manner, distinguished her from the others. The three girls loved her
devotedly, but they were never able to quite forget that Ozma was the
Royal Ruler of the wonderful Fairyland of Oz, and by birth belonged to
a powerful race.
Ozma's palace stood in the center of a delightful and extensive
garden, where splendid trees and flowering shrubs and statuary and
fountains abounded. One could walk for hours in this fascinating park
and see something interesting at every step. In one place was an
aquarium, where strange and beautiful fish swam; at another spot all
the birds of the air gathered daily to a great feast which Ozma's
servants provided for them, and were so fearless of harm that they
would alight upon one's shoulders and eat from one's hand. There was
also the Fountain of the Water of Oblivion, but it was dangerous to
drink of this water, because it made one forget everything he had ever
before known, even to his own name, and therefore Ozma had placed a
sign of warning upon the fountain. But there were also fountains that
were delightfully perfumed, and fountains of delicious nectar, cool
and richly flavored, where all were welcome to refresh themselves.
Around the palace grounds was a great wall, thickly encrusted with
glittering emeralds, but the gates stood open and no one was forbidden
entrance. On holidays the people of the Emerald City often took their
children to see the wonders of Ozma's gardens, and even entered the
Royal Palace, if they felt so inclined, for they knew that they and
their Ruler were friends, and that Ozma delighted to give them pleasure.
When all this is considered, you will not be surprised that the
people throughout the Land of Oz, as well as Ozma's most intimate
friends and her royal courtiers, were eager to celebrate her birthday,
and made preparations for the festival weeks in advance. All the
brass bands practiced their nicest tunes, for they were to march in
the numerous processions to be made in the Winkie Country, the
Gillikin Country, the Munchkin Country and the Quadling Country, as
well as in the Emerald City. Not all the people could go to
congratulate their Ruler, but all could celebrate her birthday, in one
way or another, however far distant from her palace they might be.
Every home and building throughout the Land of Oz was to be decorated
with banners and bunting, and there were to be games, and plays, and a
general good time for every one.
It was Ozma's custom on her birthday to give a grand feast at the
palace, to which all her closest friends were invited. It was a
queerly assorted company, indeed, for there are more quaint and unusual
characters in Oz than in all the rest of the world, and Ozma was more
interested in unusual people than in ordinary ones--just as you and I are.
On this especial birthday of the lovely girl Ruler, a long table was
set in the royal Banquet Hall of the palace, at which were place-cards
for the invited guests, and at one end of the great room was a smaller
table, not so high, for Ozma's animal friends, whom she never forgot,
and at the other end was a big table where all of the birthday gifts
were to be arranged.
When the guests arrived, they placed their gifts on this table and
then found their places at the banquet table. And, after the guests
were all placed, the animals entered in a solemn procession and were
placed at their table by Jellia Jamb. Then, while an orchestra hidden
by a bank of roses and ferns played a march composed for the occasion,
the Royal Ozma entered the Banquet Hall, attended by her Maids of
Honor, and took her seat at the head of the table.
She was greeted by a cheer from all the assembled company, the
animals adding their roars and growls and barks and mewing and
cackling to swell the glad tumult, and then all seated themselves at
their tables.
At Ozma's right sat the famous Scarecrow of Oz, whose straw-stuffed
body was not beautiful, but whose happy nature and shrewd wit had made
him a general favorite. On the left of the Ruler was placed the Tin
Woodman, whose metal body had been brightly polished for this event.
The Tin Woodman was the Emperor of the Winkie Country and one of the
most important persons in Oz.
Next to the Scarecrow, Dorothy was seated, and next to her was
Tik-Tok, the Clockwork Man, who had been wound up as tightly as his
clockwork would permit, so he wouldn't interrupt the festivities by
running down. Then came Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, Dorothy's own
relations, two kindly old people who had a cozy home in the Emerald
City and were very happy and contented there. Then Betsy Bobbin was
seated, and next to her the droll and delightful Shaggy Man, who was a
favorite wherever he went.
On the other side of the table, opposite the Tin Woodman was
placed Trot, and next to her, Cap'n Bill. Then was seated
Button-Bright and Ojo the Lucky, and Dr. Pipt and his good wife
Margalot, and the astonishing Frogman, who had come from the Yip
country to be present at Ozma's birthday feast.
At the foot of the table, facing Ozma, was seated the queenly
Glinda, the good Sorceress of Oz, for this was really the place of
honor next to the head of the table where Ozma herself sat. On
Glinda's right was the Little Wizard of Oz, who owed to Glinda all of
the magical arts he knew. Then came Jinjur, a pretty girl farmer of
whom Ozma and Dorothy were quite fond. The adjoining seat was
occupied by the Tin Soldier, and next to him was Professor H. M.
Wogglebug, T.E., of the Royal Athletic College.
On Glinda's left was placed the jolly Patchwork Girl, who was a
little afraid of the Sorceress and so was likely to behave herself
pretty well. The Shaggy Man's brother was beside the Patchwork Girl,
and then came that interesting personage, Jack Pumpkinhead, who had
grown a splendid big pumpkin for a new head to be worn on Ozma's
birthday, and had carved a face on it that was even jollier in
expression than the one he had last worn. New heads were not unusual
with Jack, for the pumpkins did not keep long, and when the
seeds--which served him as brains--began to get soft and mushy, he
realized his head would soon spoil, and so he procured a new one from his
great field of pumpkins--grown by him so that he need never lack a head.
You will have noticed that the company at Ozma's banquet table was
somewhat mixed, but every one invited was a tried and trusted friend of
the girl Ruler, and their presence made her quite happy.
No sooner had Ozma seated herself, with her back to the birthday
table, than she noticed that all present were eyeing with curiosity
and pleasure something behind her, for the gorgeous Magic Flower was
blooming gloriously and the mammoth blossoms that quickly succeeded
one another on the plant were beautiful to view and filled the entire
room with their delicate fragrance. Ozma wanted to look, too, to see
what all were staring at, but she controlled her curiosity because it
was not proper that she should yet view her birthday gifts.
So the sweet and lovely Ruler devoted herself to her guests, several
of whom, such as the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Patchwork Girl,
Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Tin Soldier, never ate anything but
sat very politely in their places and tried to entertain those of the
guests who did eat.
And, at the animal table, there was another interesting group,
consisting of the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, Toto--Dorothy's
little shaggy black dog--Hank the Mule, the Pink Kitten, the Wooden
Sawhorse, the Yellow Hen, and the Glass Cat. All of these had good
appetites except the Sawhorse and the Glass Cat, and each was given a
plentiful supply of the food it liked best.
Finally, when the banquet was nearly over and the ice-cream was to be
served, four servants entered bearing a huge cake, all frosted and
decorated with candy flowers. Around the edge of the cake was a row of
lighted candles, and in the center were raised candy letters that
spelled the words:
OZMA'S
Birthday Cake
from
Dorothy and the Wizard
"Oh, how beautiful!" cried Ozma, greatly delighted, and Dorothy said
eagerly: "Now you must cut the cake, Ozma, and each of us will eat a
piece with our ice-cream."
Jellia Jamb brought a large golden knife with a jeweled handle, and
Ozma stood up in her place and attempted to cut the cake. But as soon
as the frosting in the center broke under the pressure of the knife
there leaped from the cake a tiny monkey three inches high, and he was
followed by another and another, until twelve monkeys stood on the
tablecloth and bowed low to Ozma.
"Congratulations to our gracious Ruler!" they exclaimed in a chorus,
and then they began a dance, so droll and amusing that all the company
roared with laughter and even Ozma joined in the merriment. But after
the dance the monkeys performed some wonderful acrobatic feats, and
then they ran to the hollow of the cake and took out some band
instruments of burnished gold--cornets, horns, drums, and the
like--and forming into a procession the monkeys marched up and down
the table playing a jolly tune with the ease of skilled musicians.
Dorothy was delighted with the success of her "Surprise Cake," and
after the monkeys had finished their performance, the banquet came to
an end.
Now was the time for Ozma to see her other presents, so Glinda the
Good rose and, taking the girl Ruler by her hand, led her to the table
where all her gifts were placed in magnificent array. The Magic
Flower of course attracted her attention first, and Trot had to tell
her the whole story of their adventures in getting it. The little
girl did not forget to give due credit to the Glass Cat and the little
Wizard, but it was really Cap'n Bill who had bravely carried the
golden flower-pot away from the enchanted Isle.
Ozma thanked them all, and said she would place the Magic Flower in
her boudoir where she might enjoy its beauty and fragrance continually.
But now she discovered the marvelous gown woven by Glinda and her
maidens from strands drawn from pure emeralds, and being a girl who
loved pretty clothes, Ozma's ecstasy at being presented with this
exquisite gown may well be imagined. She could hardly wait to put it
on, but the table was loaded with other pretty gifts and the night was
far spent before the happy girl Ruler had examined all her presents
and thanked those who had lovingly donated them.
23. The Fountain of Oblivion
The morning after the birthday fete, as the Wizard and Dorothy were walking
in the grounds of the palace, Ozma came out and joined them, saying:
"I want to hear more of your adventures in the Forest of Gugu, and
how you were able to get those dear little monkeys to use in Dorothy's
Surprise Cake."
So they sat down on a marble bench near to the Fountain of the Water of
Oblivion, and between them Dorothy and the Wizard related their adventures.
"I was dreadfully fussy while I was a woolly lamb," said Dorothy,
"for it didn't feel good, a bit. And I wasn't quite sure, you know,
that I'd ever get to be a girl again."
"You might have been a woolly lamb yet, if I hadn't happened to have
discovered that Magic Transformation Word," declared the Wizard.
"But what became of the walnut and the hickory-nut into which you
transformed those dreadful beast magicians?" inquired Ozma.
"Why, I'd almost forgotten them," was the reply; "but I believe they
are still here in my pocket."
Then he searched in his pockets and brought out the two nuts and
showed them to her.
Ozma regarded them thoughtfully.
"It isn't right to leave any living creatures in such helpless
forms," said she. "I think, Wizard, you ought to transform them into
their natural shapes again."
"But I don't know what their natural shapes are," he objected, "for
of course the forms of mixed animals which they had assumed were not
natural to them. And you must not forget, Ozma, that their natures
were cruel and mischievous, so if I bring them back to life they might
cause us a great deal of trouble."
"Nevertheless," said the Ruler of Oz, "we must free them from their
present enchantments. When you restore them to their natural forms we
will discover who they really are, and surely we need not fear any two
people, even though they prove to be magicians and our enemies."
"I am not so sure of that," protested the Wizard, with a shake of
his bald head. "The one bit of magic I robbed them of--which was the
Word of Transformation--is so simple, yet so powerful, that neither
Glinda nor I can equal it. It isn't all in the word, you know, it's
the way the word is pronounced. So if the two strange magicians have
other magic of the same sort, they might prove very dangerous to us,
if we liberated them."
"I've an idea!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I'm no wizard, and no fairy,
but if you do as I say, we needn't fear these people at all."
"What is your thought, my dear?" asked Ozma.
"Well," replied the girl, "here is this Fountain of the Water of
Oblivion, and that's what put the notion into my head. When the
Wizard speaks that ter'ble word that will change 'em back to their
real forms, he can make 'em dreadful thirsty, too, and we'll put a cup
right here by the fountain, so it'll be handy. Then they'll drink the
water and forget all the magic they ever knew--and everything else, too."
"That's not a bad idea," said the Wizard, looking at Dorothy approvingly.
"It's a very GOOD idea," declared Ozma. "Run for a cup, Dorothy."
So Dorothy ran to get a cup, and while she was gone the Wizard said:
"I don't know whether the real forms of these magicians are those of
men or beasts. If they're beasts, they would not drink from a cup but
might attack us at once and drink afterward. So it might be safer for
us to have the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger here to protect us
if necessary."
Ozma drew out a silver whistle which was attached to a slender gold
chain and blew upon the whistle two shrill blasts. The sound, though
not harsh, was very penetrating, and as soon as it reached the ears of
the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, the two huge beasts quickly
came bounding toward them. Ozma explained to them what the Wizard was
about to do, and told them to keep quiet unless danger threatened. So
the two powerful guardians of the Ruler of Oz crouched beside the
fountain and waited.
Dorothy returned and set the cup on the edge of the fountain. Then
the Wizard placed the hickory-nut beside the fountain and said in a
solemn voice:
"I want you to resume your natural form, and to be very
thirsty--Pyrzqxgl!"
In an instant there appeared, in the place of the hickory-nut, the
form of Kiki Aru, the Hyup boy. He seemed bewildered, at first, as if
trying to remember what had happened to him and why he was in this
strange place. But he was facing the fountain, and the bubbling water
reminded him that he was thirsty. Without noticing Ozma, the Wizard
and Dorothy, who were behind him, he picked up the cup, filled it with
the Water of Oblivion, and drank it to the last drop.
He was now no longer thirsty, but he felt more bewildered than ever, for
now he could remember nothing at all--not even his name or where he
came from. He looked around the beautiful garden with a pleased
expression, and then, turning, he beheld Ozma and the Wizard and
Dorothy regarding him curiously and the two great beasts crouching
behind them.
Kiki Aru did not know who they were, but he thought Ozma very lovely
and Dorothy very pleasant. So he smiled at them--the same innocent,
happy smile that a baby might have indulged in, and that pleased Dorothy,
who seized his hand and led him to a seat beside her on the bench.
"Why, I thought you were a dreadful magician," she exclaimed,
"and you're only a boy!"
"What is a magician?" he asked, "and what is a boy?"
"Don't you know?" inquired the girl.
Kiki shook his head. Then he laughed.
"I do not seem to know anything," he replied.
"It's very curious," remarked the Wizard. "He wears the dress of
the Munchkins, so he must have lived at one time in the Munchkin
Country. Of course the boy can tell us nothing of his history or his
family, for he has forgotten all that he ever knew."
"He seems a nice boy, now that all the wickedness has gone from
him," said Ozma. "So we will keep him here with us and teach him our
ways--to be true and considerate of others."
"Why, in that case, it's lucky for him he drank the Water of
Oblivion," said Dorothy.
"It is indeed," agreed the Wizard. "But the remarkable thing, to
me, is how such a young boy ever learned the secret of the Magic Word
of Transformation. Perhaps his companion, who is at present this
walnut, was the real magician, although I seem to remember that it was
this boy in the beast's form who whispered the Magic Word into the
hollow tree, where I overheard it."
"Well, we will soon know who the other is," suggested Ozma. "He may
prove to be another Munchkin boy."
The Wizard placed the walnut near the fountain and said, as slowly
and solemnly as before:
"I want you to resume your natural form, and to be very
thirsty--Pyrzqxgl!"
Then the walnut disappeared and Ruggedo the Nome stood in its place.
He also was facing the fountain, and he reached for the cup, filled
it, and was about to drink when Dorothy exclaimed:
"Why, it's the old Nome King!"
Ruggedo swung around and faced them, the cup still in his hand.
"Yes," he said in an angry voice, "it's the old Nome King, and I'm
going to conquer all Oz and be revenged on you for kicking me out of
my throne." He looked around a moment, and then continued: "There
isn't an egg in sight, and I'm stronger than all of you people put
together! I don't know how I came here, but I'm going to fight the
fight of my life--and I'll win!"
His long white hair and beard waved in the breeze; his eyes flashed
hate and vengeance, and so astonished and shocked were they by the
sudden appearance of this old enemy of the Oz people that they could
only stare at him in silence and shrink away from his wild glare.
Ruggedo laughed. He drank the water, threw the cup on the ground
and said fiercely:
"And now--and now--and--"
His voice grew gentle. He rubbed his forehead with a puzzled air
and stroked his long beard.
"What was I going to say?" he asked, pleadingly.
"Don't you remember?" said the Wizard.
"No; I've forgotten."
"Who ARE you?" asked Dorothy.
He tried to think. "I--I'm sure I don't know," he stammered.
"Don't you know who WE are, either?" questioned the girl.
"I haven't the slightest idea," said the Nome.
"Tell us who this Munchkin boy is," suggested Ozma.
Ruggedo looked at the boy and shook his head.
"He's a stranger to me. You are all strangers. I--I'm a stranger
to myself," he said.
Then he patted the Lion's head and murmured, "Good doggie!" and the
Lion growled indignantly.
"What shall we do with him?" asked the Wizard, perplexed.
"Once before the wicked old Nome came here to conquer us, and then,
as now, he drank of the Water of Oblivion and became harmless. But we
sent him back to the Nome Kingdom, where he soon learned the old evil
ways again.
"For that reason," said Ozma, "we must find a place for him in the
Land of Oz, and keep him here. For here he can learn no evil and will
always be as innocent of guile as our own people."
And so the wandering ex-King of the Nomes found a new home, a
peaceful and happy home, where he was quite content and passed his
days in innocent enjoyment.
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