Imperial Laundry, and you'll come out as good as new."
"Won't I be mangled?" asked the Scarecrow.
"No, indeed!" was the reply. "But tell me, how came your Majesty here?
and who are your companions?"
The Scarecrow, with great politeness, introduced Tip and Jack
Pumpkinhead, and the latter personage seemed to interest the Tin
Woodman greatly.
"You are not very substantial, I must admit," said the Emperor; "but
you are certainly unusual, and therefore worthy to become a member of
our select society."
"I thank your Majesty," said Jack, humbly.
[Illustration]
"I hope you are enjoying good health?" continued the Woodman.
"At present, yes;" replied the Pumpkinhead, with a sigh; "but I am in
constant terror of the day when I shall spoil."
"Nonsense!" said the Emperor--but in a kindly, sympathetic tone. "Do
not, I beg of you, dampen today's sun with the showers of tomorrow. For
before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that
way it may be preserved indefinitely."
Tip, during this conversation, was looking at the Woodman with
undisguised amazement, and noticed that the celebrated Emperor of
the Winkies was composed entirely of pieces of tin, neatly soldered
and riveted together into the form of a man. He rattled and clanked
a little, as he moved, but in the main he seemed to be most cleverly
constructed, and his appearance was only marred by the thick coating of
polishing-paste that covered him from head to foot.
The boy's intent gaze caused the Tin Woodman to remember that he was
not in the most presentable condition, so he begged his friends to
excuse him while he retired to his private apartment and allowed his
servants to polish him. This was accomplished in a short time, and when
the Emperor returned his nickel-plated body shone so magnificently that
the Scarecrow heartily congratulated him on his improved appearance.
"That nickel-plate was, I confess, a happy thought," said Nick; "and it
was the more necessary because I had become somewhat scratched during
my adventurous experiences. You will observe this engraved star upon
my left breast. It not only indicates where my excellent heart lies,
but covers very neatly the patch made by the Wonderful Wizard when he
placed that valued organ in my breast with his own skillful hands."
"Is your heart, then, a hand-organ?" asked the Pumpkinhead, curiously.
"By no means," responded the Emperor, with dignity. "It is, I am
convinced, a strictly orthodox heart, although somewhat larger and
warmer than most people possess."
Then he turned to the Scarecrow and asked:
"Are your subjects happy and contented, my dear friend?"
"I cannot say," was the reply; "for the girls of Oz have risen in
revolt and driven me out of the Emerald City."
"Great Goodness!" cried the Tin Woodman. "What a calamity! They surely
do not complain of your wise and gracious rule?"
"No; but they say it is a poor rule that don't work both ways,"
answered the Scarecrow; "and these females are also of the opinion that
men have ruled the land long enough. So they have captured my city,
robbed the treasury of all its jewels, and are running things to suit
themselves."
"Dear me! What an extraordinary idea!" cried the Emperor, who was both
shocked and surprised.
"And I heard some of them say," said Tip, "that they intend to march
here and capture the castle and city of the Tin Woodman."
"Ah! we must not give them time to do that," said the Emperor, quickly;
"we will go at once and recapture the Emerald City and place the
Scarecrow again upon his throne."
[Illustration: RENOVATING HIS MAJESTY, THE SCARECROW.]
"I was sure you would help me," remarked the Scarecrow in a pleased
voice. "How large an army can you assemble?"
"We do not need an army," replied the Woodman. "We four, with the aid
of my gleaming axe, are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the
rebels."
"We five," corrected the Pumpkinhead.
"Five?" repeated the Tin Woodman.
"Yes; the Saw-Horse is brave and fearless," answered Jack, forgetting
his recent quarrel with the quadruped.
The Tin Woodman looked around him in a puzzled way, for the Saw-Horse
had until now remained quietly standing in a corner, where the Emperor
had not noticed him. Tip immediately called the odd-looking creature to
them, and it approached so awkwardly that it nearly upset the beautiful
center-table and the engraved oil-can.
"I begin to think," remarked the Tin Woodman as he looked earnestly at
the Saw-Horse, "that wonders will never cease! How came this creature
alive?"
"I did it with a magic powder," modestly asserted the boy; "and the
Saw-Horse has been very useful to us."
"He enabled us to escape the rebels," added the Scarecrow.
"Then we must surely accept him as a comrade," declared the Emperor. "A
live Saw-Horse is a distinct novelty, and should prove an interesting
study. Does he know anything?"
"Well, I cannot claim any great experience in life," the Saw-Horse
answered for himself; "but I seem to learn very quickly, and often it
occurs to me that I know more than any of those around me."
"Perhaps you do," said the Emperor; "for experience does not always
mean wisdom. But time is precious just now, so let us quickly make
preparations to start upon our journey."
The Emperor called his Lord High Chancellor and instructed him how to
run the kingdom during his absence. Meanwhile the Scarecrow was taken
apart and the painted sack that served him for a head was carefully
laundered and restuffed with the brains originally given him by the
great Wizard. His clothes were also cleaned and pressed by the Imperial
tailors, and his crown polished and again sewed upon his head, for the
Tin Woodman insisted he should not renounce this badge of royalty. The
Scarecrow now presented a very respectable appearance, and although
in no way addicted to vanity he was quite pleased with himself and
strutted a trifle as he walked. While this was being done Tip mended
the wooden limbs of Jack Pumpkinhead and made them stronger than
before, and the Saw-Horse was also inspected to see if he was in good
working order.
Then bright and early the next morning they set out upon the return
journey to the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman bearing upon his shoulder
a gleaming axe and leading the way, while the Pumpkinhead rode upon the
Saw-Horse and Tip and the Scarecrow walked upon either side to make
sure that he didn't fall off or become damaged.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration:
Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug, T. E.
]
Now, General Jinjur--who, you will remember, commanded the Army of
Revolt--was rendered very uneasy by the escape of the Scarecrow from
the Emerald City. She feared, and with good reason, that if his Majesty
and the Tin Woodman joined forces, it would mean danger to her and
her entire army; for the people of Oz had not yet forgotten the deeds
of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully through so many
startling adventures.
So Jinjur sent post-haste for old Mombi, the witch, and promised her
large rewards if she would come to the assistance of the rebel army.
Mombi was furious at the trick Tip had played upon her, as well as at
his escape and the theft of the precious Powder of Life; so she needed
no urging to induce her to travel to the Emerald City to assist Jinjur
in defeating the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, who had made Tip one of
their friends.
Mombi had no sooner arrived at the royal palace than she discovered,
by means of her secret magic, that the adventurers were starting upon
their journey to the Emerald City; so she retired to a small room high
up in a tower and locked herself in while she practised such arts
as she could command to prevent the return of the Scarecrow and his
companions.
That was why the Tin Woodman presently stopped and said:
"Something very curious has happened. I ought to know by heart every
step of this journey, and yet I fear we have already lost our way."
"That is quite impossible!" protested the Scarecrow. "Why do you think,
my dear friend, that we have gone astray?"
"Why, here before us is a great field of sunflowers--and I never saw
this field before in all my life."
At these words they all looked around, only to find that they were
indeed surrounded by a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at
its top a gigantic sunflower. And not only were these flowers almost
blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one whirled
around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, completely dazzling
the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not
which way to turn.
"It's witchcraft!" exclaimed Tip.
While they paused, hesitating and wondering, the Tin Woodman uttered
a cry of impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the
stalks before him. But now the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid
whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in the
center of each flower. These lovely faces looked upon the astonished
band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a chorus of merry
laughter at the dismay their appearance caused.
"Stop! stop!" cried Tip, seizing the Woodman's arm; "they're alive!
they're girls!"
At that moment the flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded
away and were lost in the rapid revolutions.
The Tin Woodman dropped his axe and sat down upon the ground.
"It would be heartless to chop down those pretty creatures," said he,
despondently; "and yet I do not know how else we can proceed upon our
way."
"They looked to me strangely like the faces of the Army of Revolt,"
mused the Scarecrow. "But I cannot conceive how the girls could have
followed us here so quickly."
"I believe it's magic," said Tip, positively, "and that someone is
playing a trick upon us. I've known old Mombi do things like that
before. Probably it's nothing more than an illusion, and there are no
sunflowers here at all."
"Then let us shut our eyes and walk forward," suggested the Woodman.
"Excuse me," replied the Scarecrow. "My eyes are not painted to shut.
Because you happen to have tin eyelids, you must not imagine we are all
built in the same way."
"And the eyes of the Saw-Horse are knot eyes," said Jack, leaning
forward to examine them.
"Nevertheless, you must ride quickly forward," commanded Tip, "and we
will follow after you and so try to escape. My eyes are already so
dazzled that I can scarcely see."
So the Pumpkinhead rode boldly forward, and Tip grasped the stub tail
of the Saw-Horse and followed with closed eyes. The Scarecrow and the
Tin Woodman brought up the rear, and before they had gone many yards a
joyful shout from Jack announced that the way was clear before them.
Then all paused to look backward, but not a trace of the field of
sunflowers remained.
More cheerfully, now, they proceeded upon their journey; but old Mombi
had so changed the appearance of the landscape that they would surely
have been lost had not the Scarecrow wisely concluded to take their
direction from the sun. For no witchcraft could change the course of
the sun, and it was therefore a safe guide.
However, other difficulties lay before them. The Saw-Horse stepped into
a rabbit hole and fell to the ground. The Pumpkinhead was pitched high
into the air, and his history would probably have ended at that exact
moment had not the Tin Woodman skillfully caught the pumpkin as it
descended and saved it from injury.
Tip soon had it fitted to the neck again and replaced Jack upon his
feet. But the Saw-Horse did not escape so easily. For when his leg was
pulled from the rabbit hole it was found to be broken short off, and
must be replaced or repaired before he could go a step farther.
"This is quite serious," said the Tin Woodman. "If there were trees
near by I might soon manufacture another leg for this animal; but I
cannot see even a shrub for miles around."
[Illustration: THE TIN WOODMAN SKILLFULLY CAUGHT THE PUMPKIN]
"And there are neither fences nor houses in this part of the land of
Oz," added the Scarecrow, disconsolately.
"Then what shall we do?" enquired the boy.
"I suppose I must start my brains working," replied his Majesty the
Scarecrow; "for experience has taught me that I can do anything if I
but take time to think it out."
"Let us all think," said Tip; "and perhaps we shall find a way to
repair the Saw-Horse."
So they sat in a row upon the grass and began to think, while the
Saw-Horse occupied itself by gazing curiously upon its broken limb.
"Does it hurt?" asked the Tin Woodman, in a soft, sympathetic voice.
"Not in the least," returned the Saw-Horse; "but my pride is injured to
find that my anatomy is so brittle."
For a time the little group remained in silent thought. Presently the
Tin Woodman raised his head and looked over the fields.
"What sort of creature is that which approaches us?" he asked,
wonderingly.
The others followed his gaze, and discovered coming toward them the
most extraordinary object they had ever beheld. It advanced quickly
and noiselessly over the soft grass and in a few minutes stood before
the adventurers and regarded them with an astonishment equal to their
own.
The Scarecrow was calm under all circumstances.
"Good morning!" he said, politely.
The stranger removed his hat with a flourish, bowed very low, and then
responded:
[Illustration]
"Good morning, one and all. I hope you are, as an aggregation, enjoying
excellent health. Permit me to present my card."
With this courteous speech it extended a card toward the Scarecrow, who
accepted it, turned it over and over, and then handed it with a shake
of his head to Tip.
The boy read aloud:
"MR. H. M. WOGGLE-BUG, T. E."
"Dear me!" ejaculated the Pumpkinhead, staring somewhat intently.
"How very peculiar!" said the Tin Woodman.
Tip's eyes were round and wondering, and the Saw-Horse uttered a sigh
and turned away its head.
"Are you really a Woggle-Bug?" enquired the Scarecrow.
"Most certainly, my dear sir!" answered the stranger, briskly. "Is not
my name upon the card?"
"It is," said the Scarecrow. "But may I ask what 'H. M.' stands for?"
"'H. M.' means Highly Magnified," returned the Woggle-Bug, proudly.
"Oh, I see." The Scarecrow viewed the stranger critically. "And are
you, in truth, highly magnified?"
"Sir," said the Woggle-Bug, "I take you for a gentleman of judgment
and discernment. Does it not occur to you that I am several thousand
times greater than any Woggle-Bug you ever saw before? Therefore it is
plainly evident that I am Highly Magnified, and there is no good reason
why you should doubt the fact."
"Pardon me," returned the Scarecrow. "My brains are slightly mixed
since I was last laundered. Would it be improper for me to ask, also,
what the 'T. E.' at the end of your name stands for?"
"Those letters express my degree," answered the Woggle-Bug, with a
condescending smile. "To be more explicit, the initials mean that I am
Thoroughly Educated."
"Oh!" said the Scarecrow, much relieved.
Tip had not yet taken his eyes off this wonderful personage. What he
saw was a great, round, bug-like body supported upon two slender legs
which ended in delicate feet--the toes curling upward. The body of the
Woggle-Bug was rather flat, and judging from what could be seen of it
was of a glistening dark brown color upon the back, while the front
was striped with alternate bands of light brown and white, blending
together at the edges. Its arms were fully as slender as its legs, and
upon a rather long neck was perched its head--not unlike the head of a
man, except that its nose ended in a curling antenna, or "feeler," and
its ears from the upper points bore antennæ that decorated the sides
of its head like two miniature, curling pig tails. It must be admitted
that the round, black eyes were rather bulging in appearance; but the
expression upon the Woggle-Bug's face was by no means unpleasant.
For dress the insect wore a dark-blue swallow-tail coat with a yellow
silk lining and a flower in the button-hole; a vest of white duck that
stretched tightly across the wide body; knickerbockers of fawn-colored
plush, fastened at the knees with gilt buckles; and, perched upon its
small head, was jauntily set a tall silk hat.
Standing upright before our amazed friends the Woggle-Bug appeared to
be fully as tall as the Tin Woodman; and surely no bug in all the Land
of Oz had ever before attained so enormous a size.
"I confess," said the Scarecrow, "that your abrupt appearance has
caused me surprise, and no doubt has startled my companions. I hope,
however, that this circumstance will not distress you. We shall
probably get used to you in time."
"Do not apologize, I beg of you!" returned the Woggle-Bug, earnestly.
"It affords me great pleasure to surprise people; for surely I cannot
be classed with ordinary insects and am entitled to both curiosity and
admiration from those I meet."
"You are, indeed," agreed his Majesty.
"If you will permit me to seat myself in your august company,"
continued the stranger, "I will gladly relate my history, so
that you will be better able to comprehend my unusual--may I say
remarkable?--appearance."
"You may say what you please," answered the Tin Woodman, briefly.
So the Woggle-Bug sat down upon the grass, facing the little group of
wanderers, and told them the following story:
[Illustration]
[Illustration:
A Highly Magnified
History
]
"It is but honest that I should acknowledge at the beginning of my
recital that I was born an ordinary Woggle-Bug," began the creature, in
a frank and friendly tone. "Knowing no better, I used my arms as well
as my legs for walking, and crawled under the edges of stones or hid
among the roots of grasses with no thought beyond finding a few insects
smaller than myself to feed upon.
"The chill nights rendered me stiff and motionless, for I wore no
clothing, but each morning the warm rays of the sun gave me new life
and restored me to activity. A horrible existence is this, but you must
remember it is the regularly ordained existence of Woggle-Bugs, as well
as of many other tiny creatures that inhabit the earth.
"But Destiny had singled me out, humble though I was, for a grander
fate! One day I crawled near to a country school house, and my
curiosity being excited by the monotonous hum of the students within,
I made bold to enter and creep along a crack between two boards until
I reached the far end, where, in front of a hearth of glowing embers,
sat the master at his desk.
"No one noticed so small a creature as a Woggle-Bug, and when I found
that the hearth was even warmer and more comfortable than the sunshine,
I resolved to establish my future home beside it. So I found a charming
nest between two bricks and hid myself therein for many, many months.
"Professor Nowitall is, doubtless, the most famous scholar in the land
of Oz, and after a few days I began to listen to the lectures and
discourses he gave his pupils. Not one of them was more attentive than
the humble, unnoticed Woggle-Bug, and I acquired in this way a fund of
knowledge that I will myself confess is simply marvelous. That is why
I place 'T. E.'--Thoroughly Educated--upon my cards; for my greatest
pride lies in the fact that the world cannot produce another Woggle-Bug
with a tenth part of my own culture and erudition."
"I do not blame you," said the Scarecrow. "Education is a thing to
be proud of. I'm educated myself. The mess of brains given me by the
Great Wizard is considered by my friends to be unexcelled."
"Nevertheless," interrupted the Tin Woodman, "a good heart is, I
believe, much more desirable than education or brains."
"To me," said the Saw-Horse, "a good leg is more desirable than either."
"Could seeds be considered in the light of brains?" enquired the
Pumpkinhead, abruptly.
"Keep quiet!" commanded Tip, sternly.
"Very well, dear father," answered the obedient Jack.
The Woggle-Bug listened patiently--even respectfully--to these remarks,
and then resumed his story.
"I must have lived fully three years in that secluded school-house
hearth," said he, "drinking thirstily of the ever-flowing fount of
limpid knowledge before me."
"Quite poetical," commented the Scarecrow, nodding his head approvingly.
[Illustration: "Caught me between his thumb and forefinger."]
"But one day," continued the Bug, "a marvelous circumstance occurred
that altered my very existence and brought me to my present pinnacle of
greatness. The Professor discovered me in the act of crawling across
the hearth, and before I could escape he had caught me between his
thumb and forefinger.
"'My dear children,' said he, 'I have captured a Woggle-Bug--a very
rare and interesting specimen. Do any of you know what a Woggle-Bug is?'
"'No!' yelled the scholars, in chorus.
"'Then,' said the Professor, 'I will get out my famous magnifying-glass
and throw the insect upon a screen in a highly-magnified condition,
that you may all study carefully its peculiar construction and become
acquainted with its habits and manner of life.'
"He then brought from a cupboard a most curious instrument, and before
I could realize what had happened I found myself thrown upon a screen
in a highly-magnified state--even as you now behold me.
"The students stood up on their stools and craned their heads forward
to get a better view of me, and two little girls jumped upon the sill
of an open window where they could see more plainly.
"'Behold!' cried the Professor, in a loud voice, 'this highly-magnified
Woggle-Bug; one of the most curious insects in existence!'
"Being Thoroughly Educated, and knowing what is required of a cultured
gentleman, at this juncture I stood upright and, placing my hand upon
my bosom, made a very polite bow. My action, being unexpected, must
have startled them, for one of the little girls perched upon the
window-sill gave a scream and fell backward out the window, drawing her
companion with her as she disappeared.
[Illustration: "THE STUDENTS STOOD UP ON THEIR STOOLS."]
"The Professor uttered a cry of horror and rushed away through the
door to see if the poor children were injured by the fall. The
scholars followed after him in a wild mob, and I was left alone in the
school-room, still in a Highly-Magnified state and free to do as I
pleased.
"It immediately occurred to me that this was a good opportunity to
escape. I was proud of my great size, and realized that now I could
safely travel anywhere in the world, while my superior culture would
make me a fit associate for the most learned person I might chance to
meet.
"So, while the Professor picked the little girls--who were more
frightened than hurt--off the ground, and the pupils clustered around
him closely grouped, I calmly walked out of the school-house, turned a
corner, and escaped unnoticed to a grove of trees that stood near."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the Pumpkinhead, admiringly.
"It was, indeed," agreed the Woggle-Bug. "I have never ceased to
congratulate myself for escaping while I was Highly Magnified; for
even my excessive knowledge would have proved of little use to me had
I remained a tiny, insignificant insect."
[Illustration]
"I didn't know before," said Tip, looking at the Woggle-Bug with a
puzzled expression, "that insects wore clothes."
"Nor do they, in their natural state," returned the stranger. "But
in the course of my wanderings I had the good fortune to save the
ninth life of a tailor--tailors having, like cats, nine lives, as
you probably know. The fellow was exceedingly grateful, for had he
lost that ninth life it would have been the end of him; so he begged
permission to furnish me with the stylish costume I now wear. It fits
very nicely, does it not?" and the Woggle-Bug stood up and turned
himself around slowly, that all might examine his person.
"He must have been a good tailor," said the Scarecrow, somewhat
enviously.
"He was a good-hearted tailor, at any rate," observed Nick Chopper.
"But where were you going, when you met us?" Tip asked the Woggle-Bug.
"Nowhere in particular," was the reply, "although it is my intention
soon to visit the Emerald City and arrange to give a course of lectures
to select audiences on the 'Advantages of Magnification.'"
"We are bound for the Emerald City now," said the Tin Woodman; "so, if
it pleases you to do so, you are welcome to travel in our company."
The Woggle-Bug bowed with profound grace.