With Scraps and Dorothy for guides and the Cowardly Lion and Hungry
Tiger for steeds, Peter and Grumpy rode over the whole Emerald City
next morning, receiving everywhere the cheers and acclaim of the
inhabitants. The story of Peter’s prowess had gone abroad and he was
everywhere hailed as the hero of the hour. Right after breakfast,
he had written a long note to Kuma, telling him the whole story
of Ruggedo’s treachery and thanking him for his great generosity.
Kuma’s arm, which had needed for the night only a little elbow room,
immediately flew back to its master, with the note and a great bag of
emeralds sent by Ozma to express her thanks and appreciation.
Luncheon was another party, but, as Dorothy and Betsy explained to the
little boy, every day in the Emerald City is just like one big party.
“Do stay here!” urged Dorothy and, Ozma herself, coming to Peter’s
chair, begged him to make his home in the marvelous land of Oz.
“You shall be a Prince!” promised Ozma graciously, “and rule over one
of our smaller Kingdoms. Prince Peter the First, how is that?” The
celebrities waved and cheered at Ozma’s words, and Peter, seeing that
everyone expected it, rose to make the most important speech of his
life.
“I’d like to stay and be a Prince,” said Peter slowly, “but you see,
folks, I’m a pitcher and I couldn’t go back on the fellows and on my
grandfather, so if your Majesty will just transport me to Philadelphia,
why that will be reward enough.”
“Spoken like a true and loyal Knight!” cried Sir Hokus, thumping on the
table.
“Good-night!” sighed Scraps, for she had taken a great fancy to Peter,
and had rather hoped he would stay in Oz.
[Illustration]
“Would you like to go now?” asked Ozma, with a merry smile, for Ozma
had a little plan of her own. Peter nodded a little bashfully, for it
did seem a bit rude to want to leave so delightful a place and company,
but he felt that he ought to get in a little practice for the game.
So Ozma immediately put on her magic belt and, extending her right
hand, said, imperiously:
“I command you to transport this boy and the pirate’s gold to
Philadelphia!” Instantly Peter vanished and the Ozites, running up the
stairs two at a time, crowded round the magic picture in Ozma’s sitting
room.
“Show us Peter,” panted Ozma, for she was a little out of breath from
her run. At her words the country scene in the picture faded and there
_was_ Peter, sitting in the middle of a dusty ball field, with a bag of
gold on each side, and a crowd of cheering boys around him.
“I thought some of that gold might be real!” exclaimed Ozma, turning
triumphantly to the Wizard. “Polacky must have been a real pirate
before he sailed into the Nonestic Ocean and while I could not
transport any of our gold or jewels to Philadelphia, two bags of the
pirate’s gold were real.”
“Oh! Won’t he have fun!” squealed Dorothy, giving Scraps a hug.
That night Peter, sitting on the arm of his grandfather’s chair, had
the pleasure of seeing in the evening paper the heading he had thought
up himself:
“Philadelphia Boy Finds Treasure and Saves the Emerald City of Oz.”
Back in the Capital there were only a few things to settle now. The
Silence Stone and Magic Cloak were carefully stored away in the emerald
safe in the Wizard’s laboratory to be used in case of extreme danger or
war.
Kaliko was at once notified of Ruggedo’s capture and permitted to
resume his place as King of the Gnomes.
Walking in the garden, the same afternoon that Peter had been sent back
to Philadelphia, the Wizard of Oz had noticed a gold thread running
under one of the benches. Following it curiously he found that it led
into the palace, up the stairs to the very top sunny chamber where
an old Winkie Woman named Susan Smiggs did all the palace mending.
Susan, then, was the proper ruler of Patch, and Scraps, shaking her head
dubiously, watched the fat little seamstress drive away in the Red
Wagon, to take up her duties as Queen of the Quilties. But as Ozma had
promised to revise the laws of Patch, perhaps Susan will have a better
time than the Patchwork Girl did.
As for Ruggedo, deciding that the loss of speech for seven years was
punishment enough, Ozma kindly granted the gnome his freedom, first
taking the precaution to have him dipped into the fountain of Oblivion.
As anyone touched by these waters forgets all his past wickedness, let
us hope that from now on Ruggedo will lead a better life and cause no
more trouble in Oz.
[Illustration]
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Spelling and grammar have been left as originally printed.