Produced by Anthony Matonac and Paul Selkirk.
TIK-TOK OF OZ
by
L. FRANK BAUM
To Louis F. Gottschalk,
whose sweet and dainty melodies
breathe the true spirit of fairyland,
this book is affectionately dedicated
To My Readers
The very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "The Patchwork
Girl of Oz," convinces me that my readers like the Oz stories "best of
all," as one little girl wrote me. So here, my dears, is a new Oz story
in which is introduced Ann Soforth, the Queen of Oogaboo, whom Tik-Tok
assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the Nome King. It also
tells of Betsy Bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally
reached the marvelous Land of Oz.
There is a play called "The Tik-Tok Man of Oz," but it is not like this
story of "Tik-Tok of Oz," although some of the adventures recorded in
this book, as well as those in several other Oz books, are included in
the play. Those who have seen the play and those who have read the
other Oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and
adventures that they have never heard of before.
In the letters I receive from children there has been an urgent appeal
for me to write a story that will take Trot and Cap'n Bill to the Land
of Oz, where they will meet Dorothy and Ozma. Also they think
Button-Bright ought to get acquainted with Ojo the Lucky. As you know,
I am obliged to talk these matters over with Dorothy by means of the
"wireless," for that is the only way I can communicate with the Land of
Oz. When I asked her about this idea, she replied: "Why, haven't you
heard?" I said "No." "Well," came the message over the wireless, "I'll
tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that
story for the children to read."
So, if Dorothy keeps her word and I am permitted to write another Oz
book, you will probably discover how all these characters came together
in the famous Emerald City. Meantime, I want to tell all my little
friends--whose numbers are increasing by many thousands every
year--that I am very grateful for the favor they have shown my books
and for the delightful little letters I am constantly receiving. I am
almost sure that I have as many friends among the children of America
as any story writer alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and
happy.
L. Frank Baum.
"OZCOT"
at HOLLYWOOD
in CALIFORNIA,
1914.
LIST OF CHAPTERS
1 - Ann's Army
2 - Out of Oogaboo
3 - Magic Mystifies the Marchers
4 - Betsy Braves the Bellows
5 - The Roses Repulse the Refugees
6 - Shaggy Seeks His Stray Brother
7 - Polychrome's Pitiful Plight
8 - Tik-Tok Tackles a Tough Task
9 - Ruggedo's Rage is Rash and Reckless
10 - A Terrible Tumble Through a Tube
11 - The Famous Fellowship of Fairies
12 - The Lovely Lady of Light
13 - The Jinjin's Just Judgment
14 - The Long-Eared Hearer Learns by Listening
15 - The Dragon Defies Danger
16 - The Naughty Nome
17 - A Tragic Transformation
18 - A Clever Conquest
19 - King Kaliko
20 - Quox Quietly Quits
21 - A Bashful Brother
22 - Kindly Kisses
23 - Ruggedo Reforms
24 - Dorothy is Delighted
25 - The Land of Love
TIK-TOK of OZ
Chapter One
Ann's Army
"I won't!" cried Ann; "I won't sweep the floor. It is beneath my
dignity."
"Some one must sweep it," replied Ann's younger sister, Salye; "else we
shall soon be wading in dust. And you are the eldest, and the head of
the family."
"I'm Queen of Oogaboo," said Ann, proudly. "But," she added with a
sigh, "my kingdom is the smallest and the poorest in all the Land of
Oz."
This was quite true. Away up in the mountains, in a far corner of the
beautiful fairyland of Oz, lies a small valley which is named Oogaboo,
and in this valley lived a few people who were usually happy and
contented and never cared to wander over the mountain pass into the
more settled parts of the land. They knew that all of Oz, including
their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful Princess named Ozma, who
lived in the splendid Emerald City; yet the simple folk of Oogaboo
never visited Ozma. They had a royal family of their own--not
especially to rule over them, but just as a matter of pride. Ozma
permitted the various parts of her country to have their Kings and
Queens and Emperors and the like, but all were ruled over by the lovely
girl Queen of the Emerald City.
The King of Oogaboo used to be a man named Jol Jemkiph Soforth, who for
many years did all the drudgery of deciding disputes and telling his
people when to plant cabbages and pickle onions. But the King's wife
had a sharp tongue and small respect for the King, her husband;
therefore one night King Jol crept over the pass into the Land of Oz
and disappeared from Oogaboo for good and all. The Queen waited a few
years for him to return and then started in search of him, leaving her
eldest daughter, Ann Soforth, to act as Queen.
Now, Ann had not forgotten when her birthday came, for that meant a
party and feasting and dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many
years the birthdays marked. In a land where people live always, this is
not considered a cause for regret, so we may justly say that Queen Ann
of Oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go at that.
But she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the housework than she
could help. She was an ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact
that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so stupid and
unenterprising. Often she wondered what had become of her father and
mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful Land of Oz, and the fact
that they did not return to Oogaboo led Ann to suspect that they had
found a better place to live. So, when Salye refused to sweep the floor
of the living room in the palace, and Ann would not sweep it, either,
she said to her sister:
"I'm going away. This absurd Kingdom of Oogaboo tires me."
"Go, if you want to," answered Salye; "but you are very foolish to
leave this place."
"Why?" asked Ann.
"Because in the Land of Oz, which is Ozma's country, you will be a
nobody, while here you are a Queen."
"Oh, yes! Queen over eighteen men, twenty-seven women and forty-four
children!" returned Ann bitterly.
"Well, there are certainly more people than that in the great Land of
Oz," laughed Salye. "Why don't you raise an army and conquer them, and
be Queen of all Oz?" she asked, trying to taunt Ann and so to anger
her. Then she made a face at her sister and went into the back yard to
swing in the hammock.
Her jeering words, however, had given Queen Ann an idea. She reflected
that Oz was reported to be a peaceful country and Ozma a mere girl who
ruled with gentleness to all and was obeyed because her people loved
her. Even in Oogaboo the story was told that Ozma's sole army consisted
of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried
no weapons, because there was no one to fight. Once there had been a
private soldier, besides the officers, but Ozma had made him a
Captain-General and taken away his gun for fear it might accidentally
hurt some one.
The more Ann thought about the matter the more she was convinced it
would be easy to conquer the Land of Oz and set herself up as Ruler in
Ozma's place, if she but had an Army to do it with. Afterward she could
go out into the world and conquer other lands, and then perhaps she
could find a way to the moon, and conquer that. She had a warlike
spirit that preferred trouble to idleness.
It all depended on an Army, Ann decided. She carefully counted in her
mind all the men of her kingdom. Yes; there were exactly eighteen of
them, all told. That would not make a very big Army, but by surprising
Ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "Gentle
people are always afraid of those that bluster," Ann told herself. "I
don't wish to shed any blood, for that would shock my nerves and I
might faint; but if we threaten and flash our weapons I am sure the
people of Oz will fall upon their knees before me and surrender."
This argument, which she repeated to herself more than once, finally
determined the Queen of Oogaboo to undertake the audacious venture.
"Whatever happens," she reflected, "can make me no more unhappy than my
staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and
quarreling with Sister Salye; so I will venture all, and win what I
may."
That very day she started out to organize her Army.
The first man she came to was Jo Apple, so called because he had an
apple orchard.
"Jo," said Ann, "I am going to conquer the world, and I want you to
join my Army."
"Don't ask me to do such a fool thing, for I must politely refuse Your
Majesty," said Jo Apple.
"I have no intention of asking you. I shall command you, as Queen of
Oogaboo, to join," said Ann.
"In that case, I suppose I must obey," the man remarked, in a sad
voice. "But I pray you to consider that I am a very important citizen,
and for that reason am entitled to an office of high rank."
"You shall be a General," promised Ann.
"With gold epaulets and a sword?" he asked.
"Of course," said the Queen.
Then she went to the next man, whose name was Jo Bunn, as he owned an
orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns, in great variety, both hot
and cold, grew on the trees.
"Jo," said Ann, "I am going to conquer the world, and I command you to
join my Army."
"Impossible!" he exclaimed. "The bun crop has to be picked."
"Let your wife and children do the picking," said Ann.
"But I'm a man of great importance, Your Majesty," he protested.
"For that reason you shall be one of my Generals, and wear a cocked hat
with gold braid, and curl your mustaches and clank a long sword," she
promised.
So he consented, although sorely against his will, and the Queen walked
on to the next cottage. Here lived Jo Cone, so called because the trees
in his orchard bore crops of excellent ice-cream cones.
"Jo," said Ann, "I am going to conquer the world, and you must join my
Army."
"Excuse me, please," said Jo Cone. "I am a bad fighter. My good wife
conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than I. Take her, Your
Majesty, instead of me, and I'll bless you for the favor."
"This must be an army of men--fierce, ferocious warriors," declared
Ann, looking sternly upon the mild little man.
"And you will leave my wife here in Oogaboo?" he asked.
"Yes; and make you a General."
"I'll go," said Jo Cone, and Ann went on to the cottage of Jo Clock,
who had an orchard of clock-trees. This man at first insisted that he
would not join the army, but Queen Ann's promise to make him a General
finally won his consent.
"How many Generals are there in your army?" he asked.
"Four, so far," replied Ann.
"And how big will the army be?" was his next question.
"I intend to make every one of the eighteen men in Oogaboo join it,"
she said.
"Then four Generals are enough," announced Jo Clock. "I advise you to
make the rest of them Colonels."
Ann tried to follow his advice. The next four men she visited--who were
Jo Plum, Jo Egg, Jo Banjo and Jo Cheese, named after the trees in their
orchards--she made Colonels of her Army; but the fifth one, Jo Nails,
said Colonels and Generals were getting to be altogether too common in
the Army of Oogaboo and he preferred to be a Major. So Jo Nails, Jo
Cake, Jo Ham and Jo Stockings were all four made Majors, while the next
four--Jo Sandwich, Jo Padlocks, Jo Sundae and Jo Buttons--were
appointed Captains of the Army.
But now Queen Ann was in a quandary. There remained but two other men
in all Oogaboo, and if she made these two Lieutenants, while there were
four Captains, four Majors, four Colonels and four Generals, there was
likely to be jealousy in her army, and perhaps mutiny and desertions.
One of these men, however, was Jo Candy, and he would not go at all. No
promises could tempt him, nor could threats move him. He said he must
remain at home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops,
bonbons and chocolate-creams. Also he had large fields of crackerjack
and buttered pop corn to be mowed and threshed, and he was determined
not to disappoint the children of Oogaboo by going away to conquer the
world and so let the candy crop spoil.
Finding Jo Candy so obstinate, Queen Ann let him have his own way and
continued her journey to the house of the eighteenth and last man in
Oogaboo, who was a young fellow named Jo Files. This Files had twelve
trees which bore steel files of various sorts; but also he had nine
book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. In case
you have never seen books growing upon trees, I will explain that those
in Jo Files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when
fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. Then the books were picked and
husked and were ready to read. If they were picked too soon, the
stories were found to be confused and uninteresting and the spelling
bad. However, if allowed to ripen perfectly, the stories were fine
reading and the spelling and grammar excellent.
Files freely gave his books to all who wanted them, but the people of
Oogaboo cared little for books and so he had to read most of them
himself, before they spoiled. For, as you probably know, as soon as the
books were read the words disappeared and the leaves withered and
faded--which is the worst fault of all books which grow upon trees.
When Queen Ann spoke to this young man Files, who was both intelligent
and ambitious, he said he thought it would be great fun to conquer the
world. But he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior
to the other men of her army. Therefore, he would not be one of her
Generals or Colonels or Majors or Captains, but claimed the honor of
being sole Private.
Ann did not like this idea at all.
"I hate to have a Private Soldier in my army," she said; "they're so
common. I am told that Princess Ozma once had a private soldier, but
she made him her Captain-General, which is good evidence that the
private was unnecessary."
"Ozma's army doesn't fight," returned Files; "but your army must fight
like fury in order to conquer the world. I have read in my books that
it is always the private soldiers who do the fighting, for no officer
is ever brave enough to face the foe. Also, it stands to reason that
your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders
to; therefore I'll be the one. I long to slash and slay the enemy and
become a hero. Then, when we return to Oogaboo, I'll take all the
marbles away from the children and melt them up and make a marble
statue of myself for all to look upon and admire."
Ann was much pleased with Private Files. He seemed indeed to be such a
warrior as she needed in her enterprise, and her hopes of success took
a sudden bound when Files told her he knew where a gun-tree grew and
would go there at once and pick the ripest and biggest musket the tree
bore.
Chapter Two
Out of Oogaboo
Three days later the Grand Army of Oogaboo assembled in the square in
front of the royal palace. The sixteen officers were attired in
gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. The Private had
picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, Files tried
to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers
were secretly afraid of him.
The women were there, protesting that Queen Ann Soforth had no right to
take their husbands and fathers from them; but Ann commanded them to
keep silent, and that was the hardest order to obey they had ever
received.
The Queen appeared before her Army dressed in an imposing uniform of
green, covered with gold braid. She wore a green soldier-cap with a
purple plume in it and looked so royal and dignified that everyone in
Oogaboo except the Army was glad she was going. The Army was sorry she
was not going alone.
"Form ranks!" she cried in her shrill voice.
Salye leaned out of the palace window and laughed.
"I believe your Army can run better than it can fight," she observed.
"Of course," replied General Bunn, proudly. "We're not looking for
trouble, you know, but for plunder. The more plunder and the less
fighting we get, the better we shall like our work."
"For my part," said Files, "I prefer war and carnage to anything. The
only way to become a hero is to conquer, and the story-books all say
that the easiest way to conquer is to fight."
"That's the idea, my brave man!" agreed Ann. "To fight is to conquer
and to conquer is to secure plunder and to secure plunder is to become
a hero. With such noble determination to back me, the world is mine!
Good-bye, Salye. When we return we shall be rich and famous. Come,
Generals; let us march."
At this the Generals straightened up and threw out their chests. Then
they swung their glittering swords in rapid circles and cried to the
Colonels:
"For-ward March!"
Then the Colonels shouted to the Majors: "For-ward March!" and the
Majors yelled to the Captains: "For-ward March!" and the Captains
screamed to the Private:
"For-ward March!"
So Files shouldered his gun and began to march, and all the officers
followed after him. Queen Ann came last of all, rejoicing in her noble
army and wondering why she had not decided long ago to conquer the
world.
In this order the procession marched out of Oogaboo and took the narrow
mountain pass which led into the lovely Fairyland of Oz.
Chapter Three
Magic Mystifies the Marchers
Princess Ozma was all unaware that the Army of Oogaboo, led by their
ambitious Queen, was determined to conquer her Kingdom. The beautiful
girl Ruler of Oz was busy with the welfare of her subjects and had no
time to think of Ann Soforth and her disloyal plans. But there was one
who constantly guarded the peace and happiness of the Land of Oz and
this was the Official Sorceress of the Kingdom, Glinda the Good.
In her magnificent castle, which stands far north of the Emerald City
where Ozma holds her court, Glinda owns a wonderful magic Record Book,
in which is printed every event that takes place anywhere, just as soon
as it happens.
The smallest things and the biggest things are all recorded in this
book. If a child stamps its foot in anger, Glinda reads about it; if a
city burns down, Glinda finds the fact noted in her book.
The Sorceress always reads her Record Book every day, and so it was she
knew that Ann Soforth, Queen of Oogaboo, had foolishly assembled an
army of sixteen officers and one private soldier, with which she
intended to invade and conquer the Land of Oz.
There was no danger but that Ozma, supported by the magic arts of
Glinda the Good and the powerful Wizard of Oz--both her firm
friends--could easily defeat a far more imposing army than Ann's; but
it would be a shame to have the peace of Oz interrupted by any sort of
quarreling or fighting. So Glinda did not even mention the matter to
Ozma, or to anyone else. She merely went into a great chamber of her
castle, known as the Magic Room, where she performed a magical ceremony
which caused the mountain pass that led from Oogaboo to make several
turns and twists. The result was that when Ann and her army came to the
end of the pass they were not in the Land of Oz at all, but in an
adjoining territory that was quite distinct from Ozma's domain and
separated from Oz by an invisible barrier.
As the Oogaboo people emerged into this country, the pass they had
traversed disappeared behind them and it was not likely they would ever
find their way back into the valley of Oogaboo. They were greatly
puzzled, indeed, by their surroundings and did not know which way to
go. None of them had ever visited Oz, so it took them some time to
discover they were not in Oz at all, but in an unknown country.
"Never mind," said Ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we have
started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. In time, as
we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to Oz; but,
until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find
ourselves in."
"Have we conquered this place, Your Majesty?" anxiously inquired Major
Cake.
"Most certainly," said Ann. "We have met no people, as yet, but when we
do, we will inform them that they are our slaves."
"And afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added
General Apple.
"They may not possess anything," objected Private Files; "but I hope
they will fight us, just the same. A peaceful conquest wouldn't be any
fun at all."
"Don't worry," said the Queen. "_We_ can fight, whether our foes do or
not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy
surrender promptly."
It was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. Moreover,
there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry
they became fretful. Many would have deserted had they been able to
find their way home, but as the Oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost
in a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than
to separate.
Queen Ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable as
she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering
either people or plunder. She scolded her officers until they became
surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her
tongue. Others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties
and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his
orchard in the pretty valley of Oogaboo.
Files, however, proved a different sort. The more difficulties he
encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers
were answered by the merry whistle of the Private. His pleasant
disposition did much to encourage Queen Ann and before long she
consulted the Private Soldier more often than she did his superiors.
It was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their
first adventure. Toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and Major
Nails exclaimed:
"A fog is coming toward us."
"I do not think it is a fog," replied Files, looking with interest at
the approaching cloud. "It seems to me more like the breath of a Rak."
"What is a Rak?" asked Ann, looking about fearfully.
"A terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier,
growing a little paler than usual. "I have never seen a Rak, to be
sure, but I have read of them in the story-books that grew in my
orchard, and if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are
not likely to conquer the world."
Hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer
about their soldier.
"What is the thing like?" asked one.
"The only picture of a Rak that I ever saw in a book was rather
blurred," said Files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was
picked. But the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and
swim like a fish. Inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the
Rak breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for
miles around, wherever it goes. It is bigger than a hundred men and
feeds on any living thing."
The officers now began to groan and to tremble, but Files tried to
cheer them, saying:
"It may not be a Rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you
must not forget that we people of Oogaboo, which is part of the
fairyland of Oz, cannot be killed."
"Nevertheless," said Captain Buttons, "if the Rak catches us, and chews
us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?"
"Then each small piece will still be alive," declared Files.
"I cannot see how that would help us," wailed Colonel Banjo. "A
hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!"
"I tell you, this may not be a Rak," persisted Files. "We will know,
when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a Rak or not.
If it has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor
of salt and pepper, it is a Rak and we must prepare for a desperate
fight."
They all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. Before long it reached the
frightened group and began to envelop them. Every nose sniffed the
cloud--and every one detected in it the odor of salt and pepper.
"The Rak!" shouted Private Files, and with a howl of despair the
sixteen officers fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in anguish.
Queen Ann sat down upon a rock and faced the cloud more bravely,
although her heart was beating fast. As for Files, he calmly loaded his
gun and stood ready to fight the foe, as a soldier should.
They were now in absolute darkness, for the cloud which covered the sky
and the setting sun was black as ink. Then through the gloom appeared
two round, glowing balls of red, and Files at once decided these must
be the monster's eyes.
He raised his gun, took aim and fired.
There were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent
bullet-tree in Oogaboo, and they were big and hard. They flew toward
the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the Rak came
fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the
sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before.
"Badness me!" moaned the Rak. "See what you've done with that dangerous
gun of yours!"
"I can't see," replied Files, "for the cloud formed by your breath
darkens my sight!"
"Don't tell me it was an accident," continued the Rak, reproachfully,
as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "Don't claim you
didn't know the gun was loaded, I beg of you!"
"I don't intend to," replied Files. "Did the bullets hurt you very
badly?"
"One has broken my jaw, so that I can't open my mouth. You will notice
that my voice sounds rather harsh and husky, because I have to talk
with my teeth set close together. Another bullet broke my left wing, so
that I can't fly; and still another broke my right leg, so that I can't
walk. It was the most careless shot I ever heard of!"
"Can't you manage to lift your body off from my commanding officers?"
inquired Files. "From their cries I'm afraid your great weight is
crushing them."
"I hope it is," growled the Rak. "I want to crush them, if possible,
for I have a bad disposition. If only I could open my mouth, I'd eat
all of you, although my appetite is poorly this warm weather."
With this the Rak began to roll its immense body sidewise, so as to
crush the officers more easily; but in doing this it rolled completely
off from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to their feet and made
off as fast as they could run.
Private Files could not see them go but he knew from the sound of their
voices that they had escaped, so he ceased to worry about them.
"Pardon me if I now bid you good-bye," he said to the Rak. "The parting
is caused by our desire to continue our journey. If you die, do not
blame me, for I was obliged to shoot you as a matter of
self-protection."
"I shall not die," answered the monster, "for I bear a charmed life.
But I beg you not to leave me!"
"Why not?" asked Files.
"Because my broken jaw will heal in about an hour, and then I shall be
able to eat you. My wing will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a
week, when I shall be as well as ever. Having shot me, and so caused me
all this annoyance, it is only fair and just that you remain here and
allow me to eat you as soon as I can open my jaws."
"I beg to differ with you," returned the soldier firmly. "I have made
an engagement with Queen Ann of Oogaboo to help her conquer the world,
and I cannot break my word for the sake of being eaten by a Rak."
"Oh; that's different," said the monster. "If you've an engagement,
don't let me detain you."
So Files felt around in the dark and grasped the hand of the trembling
Queen, whom he led away from the flapping, sighing Rak. They stumbled
over the stones for a way but presently began to see dimly the path
ahead of them, as they got farther and farther away from the dreadful
spot where the wounded monster lay. By and by they reached a little
hill and could see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty valley
beyond, for now they had passed beyond the cloudy breath of the Rak.
Here were huddled the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting
from their run. They had halted only because it was impossible for them
to run any farther.
Queen Ann gave them a severe scolding for their cowardice, at the same
time praising Files for his courage.
"We are wiser than he, however," muttered General Clock, "for by
running away we are now able to assist Your Majesty in conquering the
world; whereas, had Files been eaten by the Rak, he would have deserted
your Army."
After a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they
were out of sight of the Rak the spirits of the entire party rose
quickly. Just at dusk they came to a brook, on the banks of which Queen
Ann commanded them to make camp for the night.
Each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white tent. This, when placed
upon the ground, quickly grew in size until it was large enough to
permit the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas walls. Files
was obliged to carry a knapsack, in which was not only his own tent but
an elaborate pavilion for Queen Ann, besides a bed and chair and a
magic table. This table, when set upon the ground in Ann's pavilion,
became of large size, and in a drawer of the table was contained the
Queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and toilet articles and
other necessary things. The royal bed was the only one in the camp, the
officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached to their tent poles.
There was also in the knapsack a flag bearing the royal emblem of
Oogaboo, and this flag Files flew upon its staff every night, to show
that the country they were in had been conquered by the Queen of
Oogaboo. So far, no one but themselves had seen the flag, but Ann was
pleased to see it flutter in the breeze and considered herself already
a famous conqueror.
Chapter Four
Betsy Braves the Billows
The waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and
the ship struck a rock. Betsy Bobbin was running across the deck and
the shock sent her flying through the air until she fell with a splash
into the dark blue water. The same shock caught Hank, a thin little,
sad-faced mule, and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the ship's
side.
When Betsy came up, gasping for breath because the wet plunge had
surprised her, she reached out in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair.
At first she thought it was the end of a rope, but presently she heard
a dismal "Hee-haw!" and knew she was holding fast to the end of Hank's
tail.
Suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. The ship, now in the
far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves.
Betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then her eye caught a mass of
wreckage floating near her and she let go the mule's tail and seized
the rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode upon it in safety.
Hank also saw the raft and swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never
would have been able to climb upon it had not Betsy helped him to get
aboard.
They had to crowd close together, for their support was only a
hatch-cover torn from the ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well
and both the girl and the mule knew it would keep them from drowning.
The storm was not over, by any means, when the ship went down. Blinding
bolts of lightning shot from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep
thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. The waves tossed the little raft
here and there as a child tosses a rubber ball and Betsy had a solemn
feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every direction there was
no living thing besides herself and the small donkey.
Perhaps Hank had the same thought, for he gently rubbed his nose
against the frightened girl and said "Hee-haw!" in his softest voice,
as if to comfort her.
"You'll protect me, Hank dear, won't you?" she cried helplessly, and
the mule said "Hee-haw!" again, in tones that meant a promise.
On board the ship, during the days that preceded the wreck, when the
sea was calm, Betsy and Hank had become good friends; so, while the
girl might have preferred a more powerful protector in this dreadful
emergency, she felt that the mule would do all in a mule's power to
guard her safety.
All night they floated, and when the storm had worn itself out and
passed away with a few distant growls, and the waves had grown smaller
and easier to ride, Betsy stretched herself out on the wet raft and
fell asleep.
Hank did not sleep a wink. Perhaps he felt it his duty to guard Betsy.
Anyhow, he crouched on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and
watched patiently until the first light of dawn swept over the sea.
The light wakened Betsy Bobbin. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and stared
across the water.
"Oh, Hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed.
"Hee-haw!" answered Hank in his plaintive voice.
The raft was floating swiftly toward a very beautiful country and as
they drew near Betsy could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly
between leafy trees. But no people were to be seen at all.
Chapter Five
The Roses Repulse the Refugees
Gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. Then Betsy easily waded
ashore, the mule following closely behind her. The sun was now shining
and the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses.
"I'd like some breakfast, Hank," remarked the girl, feeling more
cheerful now that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers,
although they do smell mighty good."
"Hee-haw!" replied Hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of
the bank.
Betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. A little way
off stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes
glittering in the sunlight.
"There ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed Betsy
thoughtfully; "gardeners, or somebody. Let's go and see, Hank. I'm
getting hungrier ev'ry minute."
So they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrance
without meeting with anyone at all. A door stood ajar, so Hank went in
first, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn his
companion. But Betsy was close at his heels and the moment she entered
was lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw.
The greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing in
big pots. On the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid Rose,
gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of each
Rose was the face of a lovely girl.
As Betsy and Hank entered, the heads of the Roses were drooping and
their eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that
he uttered a loud "Hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the
rose leaves fluttered, the Roses raised their heads and a hundred
startled eyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders.
"I--I beg your pardon!" stammered Betsy, blushing and confused.
"O-o-o-h!" cried the Roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of
them added: "What a horrid noise!"
"Why, that was only Hank," said Betsy, and as if to prove the truth of
her words the mule uttered another loud "Hee-haw!"
At this all the Roses turned on their stems as far as they were able
and trembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. A dainty Moss
Rose gasped: "Dear me! How dreadfully dreadful!"
"It isn't dreadful at all," said Betsy, somewhat indignant. "When you
get used to Hank's voice it will put you to sleep."
The Roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked:
"Is that savage beast named Hank?"
"Yes; Hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twining
her arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "Aren't
you, Hank?"
Hank could only say in reply: "Hee-haw!" and at his bray the Roses
shivered again.
"Please go away!" begged one. "Can't you see you're frightening us out
of a week's growth?"
"Go away!" echoed Betsy. "Why, we've no place to go. We've just been
wrecked."
"Wrecked?" asked the Roses in a surprised chorus.
"Yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it,"
explained the girl. "But Hank and I caught hold of a raft and floated
ashore to this place, and--we're tired and hungry. What country _is_
this, please?"
"This is the Rose Kingdom," replied the Moss Rose, haughtily, "and it
is devoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest Roses grown."
"I believe it," said Betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms.
"But only Roses are allowed here," continued a delicate Tea Rose,
bending her brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the
Royal Gardener finds you and casts you back into the sea."
"Oh! Is there a Royal Gardener, then?" inquired Betsy.
"To be sure."
"And is he a Rose, also?"
"Of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply.
"Well, I'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, and
even as she spoke the Royal Gardener popped into the greenhouse--a
spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other.
He was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, with
ribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair.
His eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered
and deeply lined.
"O-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse,
and when Hank gave a loud bray the Gardener threw the watering pot over
the mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation that
presently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at full
length upon the ground.
Betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from Hank's head. The
little mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed
toward the Gardener threateningly.
"Look out for his heels!" called Betsy warningly and the Gardener
scrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the Roses.
"You are breaking the Law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare
at the girl and the mule.
"What Law?" asked Betsy.
"The Law of the Rose Kingdom. No strangers are allowed in these
domains."
"Not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired.
"The Law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the Royal Gardener, and he
was about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a
man came tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to
the ground.
Chapter Six
Shaggy Seeks his Stray Brother
This sudden arrival was a queer looking man, dressed all in garments so
shaggy that Betsy at first thought he must be some animal. But the
stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and then the girl saw it
was really a man. He held an apple in his hand, which he had evidently
been eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred or flustered by
the accident that he continued to munch this apple as he calmly looked
around him.
"Good gracious!" exclaimed Betsy, approaching him. "Who _are_ you, and
where did you come from?"
"Me? Oh, I'm Shaggy Man," said he, taking another bite of the apple.
"Just dropped in for a short call. Excuse my seeming haste."
"Why, I s'pose you couldn't help the haste," said Betsy.
"No. I climbed an apple tree, outside; branch gave way and--here I am."
As he spoke the Shaggy Man finished his apple, gave the core to
Hank--who ate it greedily--and then stood up to bow politely to Betsy
and the Roses.
The Royal Gardener had been frightened nearly into fits by the crash of
glass and the fall of the shaggy stranger into the bower of Roses, but
now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in his squeaky voice:
"You're breaking the Law! You're breaking the Law!"
Shaggy stared at him solemnly.
"Is the glass the Law in this country?" he asked.
"Breaking the glass is breaking the Law," squeaked the Gardener,
angrily. "Also, to intrude in any part of the Rose Kingdom is breaking
the Law."
"How do you know?" asked Shaggy.
"Why, it's printed in a book," said the Gardener, coming forward and
taking a small book from his pocket. "Page thirteen. Here it is: 'If
any stranger enters the Rose Kingdom he shall at once be condemned by
the Ruler and put to death.' So you see, strangers," he continued
triumphantly, "it's death for you all and your time has come!"
But just here Hank interposed. He had been stealthily backing toward
the Royal Gardener, whom he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out
and struck the little man in the middle. He doubled up like the letter
"U" and flew out of the door so swiftly--never touching the
ground--that he was gone before Betsy had time to wink.
But the mule's attack frightened the girl.
"Come," she whispered, approaching the Shaggy Man and taking his hand;
"let's go somewhere else. They'll surely kill us if we stay here!"
"Don't worry, my dear," replied Shaggy, patting the child's head. "I'm
not afraid of anything, so long as I have the Love Magnet."
"The Love Magnet! Why, what is that?" asked Betsy.
"It's a charming little enchantment that wins the heart of everyone who
looks upon it," was the reply. "The Love Magnet used to hang over the
gateway to the Emerald City, in the Land of Oz; but when I started on
this journey our beloved Ruler, Ozma of Oz, allowed me to take it with
me."
"Oh!" cried Betsy, staring hard at him; "are you really from the
wonderful Land of Oz?"
"Yes. Ever been there, my dear?"
"No; but I've heard about it. And do you know Princess Ozma?"
"Very well indeed."
"And--and Princess Dorothy?"
"Dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared Shaggy.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Betsy. "And why did you ever leave such a
beautiful land as Oz?"
"On an errand," said Shaggy, looking sad and solemn. "I'm trying to
find my dear little brother."
"Oh! Is he lost?" questioned Betsy, feeling very sorry for the poor man.
"Been lost these ten years," replied Shaggy, taking out a handkerchief
and wiping a tear from his eye. "I didn't know it until lately, when I
saw it recorded in the magic Record Book of the Sorceress Glinda, in
the Land of Oz. So now I'm trying to find him."
"Where was he lost?" asked the girl sympathetically.
"Back in Colorado, where I used to live before I went to Oz. Brother
was a miner, and dug gold out of a mine. One day he went into his mine
and never came out. They searched for him, but he was not there.
Disappeared entirely," Shaggy ended miserably.
"For goodness sake! What do you s'pose became of him?" she asked.
"There is only one explanation," replied Shaggy, taking another apple
from his pocket and eating it to relieve his misery. "The Nome King
probably got him."
"The Nome King! Who is he?"
"Why, he's sometimes called the Metal Monarch, and his name is Ruggedo.
Lives in some underground cavern. Claims to own all the metals hidden
in the earth. Don't ask me why."
"Why?"
"'Cause I don't know. But this Ruggedo gets wild with anger if anyone
digs gold out of the earth, and my private opinion is that he captured
brother and carried him off to his underground kingdom. No--don't ask
me why. I see you're dying to ask me why. But I don't know."
"But--dear me!--in that case you will never find your lost brother!"
exclaimed the girl.
"Maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered Shaggy. "I've wandered
so far without finding him, but that only proves he is not where I've
been looking. What I seek now is the hidden passage to the underground
cavern of the terrible Metal Monarch."
"Well," said Betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me that if you ever manage
to get there the Metal Monarch will make you, too, his prisoner."
"Nonsense!" answered Shaggy, carelessly. "You mustn't forget the Love
Magnet."
"What about it?" she asked.
"When the fierce Metal Monarch sees the Love Magnet, he will love me
dearly and do anything I ask."
"It must be wonderful," said Betsy, with awe.
"It is," the man assured her. "Shall I show it to you?"
"Oh, do!" she cried; so Shaggy searched in his shaggy pocket and drew
out a small silver magnet, shaped like a horseshoe.
The moment Betsy saw it she began to like the Shaggy Man better than
before. Hank also saw the Magnet and crept up to Shaggy to rub his head
lovingly against the man's knee.
But they were interrupted by the Royal Gardener, who stuck his head
into the greenhouse and shouted angrily:
"You are all condemned to death! Your only chance to escape is to leave
here instantly."
This startled little Betsy, but the Shaggy Man merely waved the Magnet
toward the Gardener, who, seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself
at Shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words:
"Oh, you lovely, lovely man! How fond I am of you! Every shag and
bobtail that decorates you is dear to me--all I have is yours! But for
goodness' sake get out of here before you die the death."
"I'm not going to die," declared Shaggy Man.
"You must. It's the Law," exclaimed the Gardener, beginning to weep
real tears. "It breaks my heart to tell you this bad news, but the Law
says that all strangers must be condemned by the Ruler to die the
death."
"No Ruler has condemned us yet," said Betsy.
"Of course not," added Shaggy. "We haven't even seen the Ruler of the
Rose Kingdom."
"Well, to tell the truth," said the Gardener, in a perplexed tone of
voice, "we haven't any real Ruler, just now. You see, all our Rulers
grow on bushes in the Royal Gardens, and the last one we had got
mildewed and withered before his time. So we had to plant him, and at
this time there is no one growing on the Royal Bushes who is ripe
enough to pick."
"How do you know?" asked Betsy.
"Why, I'm the Royal Gardener. Plenty of royalties are growing, I admit;
but just now they are all green. Until one ripens, I am supposed to
rule the Rose Kingdom myself, and see that its Laws are obeyed.
Therefore, much as I love you, Shaggy, I must put you to death."
"Wait a minute," pleaded Betsy. "I'd like to see those Royal Gardens
before I die."
"So would I," added Shaggy Man. "Take us there, Gardener."
"Oh, I can't do that," objected the Gardener. But Shaggy again showed
him the Love Magnet and after one glance at it the Gardener could no
longer resist.
He led Shaggy, Betsy and Hank to the end of the great greenhouse and
carefully unlocked a small door. Passing through this they came into
the splendid Royal Garden of the Rose Kingdom.
It was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within the enclosure grew
several enormous rosebushes having thick green leaves of the texture of
velvet. Upon these bushes grew the members of the Royal Family of the
Rose Kingdom--men, women and children in all stages of maturity. They
all seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or not fully
developed, their flesh and clothing being alike green. They stood
perfectly lifeless upon their branches, which swayed softly in the
breeze, and their wide open eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and
unintelligent.
While examining these curious growing people, Betsy passed behind a big
central bush and at once uttered an exclamation of surprise and
pleasure. For there, blooming in perfect color and shape, stood a Royal
Princess, whose beauty was amazing.
"Why, she's ripe!" cried Betsy, pushing aside some of the broad leaves
to observe her more clearly.
"Well, perhaps so," admitted the Gardener, who had come to the girl's
side; "but she's a girl, and so we can't use her for a Ruler."
"No, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices, and looking around Betsy
discovered that all the Roses had followed them from the greenhouse and
were now grouped before the entrance.
"You see," explained the Gardener, "the subjects of Rose Kingdom don't
want a girl Ruler. They want a King."
"A King! We want a King!" repeated the chorus of Roses.
"Isn't she Royal?" inquired Shaggy, admiring the lovely Princess.
"Of course, for she grows on a Royal Bush. This Princess is named Ozga,
as she is a distant cousin of Ozma of Oz; and, were she but a man, we
would joyfully hail her as our Ruler."
The Gardener then turned away to talk with his Roses and Betsy
whispered to her companion: "Let's pick her, Shaggy."
"All right," said he. "If she's royal, she has the right to rule this
Kingdom, and if we pick her she will surely protect us and prevent our
being hurt, or driven away."
So Betsy and Shaggy each took an arm of the beautiful Rose Princess and
a little twist of her feet set her free of the branch upon which she
grew. Very gracefully she stepped down from the bush to the ground,
where she bowed low to Betsy and Shaggy and said in a delightfully
sweet voice: "I thank you."
But at the sound of these words the Gardener and the Roses turned and
discovered that the Princess had been picked, and was now alive. Over
every face flashed an expression of resentment and anger, and one of
the Roses cried aloud.
"Audacious mortals! What have you done?"
"Picked a Princess for you, that's all," replied Betsy, cheerfully.
"But we won't have her! We want a King!" exclaimed a Jacque Rose, and
another added with a voice of scorn: "No girl shall rule over us!"
The newly-picked Princess looked from one to another of her rebellious
subjects in astonishment. A grieved look came over her exquisite
features.
"Have I no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she asked gently. "Have I
not come from my Royal Bush to be your Ruler?"
"You were picked by mortals, without our consent," replied the Moss
Rose, coldly; "so we refuse to allow you to rule us."
"Turn her out, Gardener, with the others!" cried the Tea Rose.
"Just a second, please!" called Shaggy, taking the Love Magnet from his
pocket. "I guess this will win their love, Princess. Here--take it in
your hand and let the roses see it."