The Golden Pear
The great silver bells in the sapphire tower had tolled ten. It was
night time, and still Cheeriobed and his councillors had thought of
no plan to appease Quiberon. In gloomy knots the Ozure Islanders
gathered to discuss the almost certain destruction that threatened
their Kingdom. In the castle Toddledy and the King pored over ancient
books and maps trying to devise some way out of their difficulties, but
as Quiberon would allow no one to leave the islands how were they to
search for a mortal maiden?
"And even if we did find one," sighed Cheeriobed wearily, "I would
never turn her over to a monster like that. We who are magically
constructed can be destroyed without pain, but a mortal can be hurt and
no one shall ever suffer to save me or my Kingdom."
"Then we must perish, I suppose." Pushing his specs high up on his
forehead, Toddledy looked resignedly at the King. "It might be quite
restful to be destroyed," observed the poor Prime Moneyster, trying
to look on the cheerful side of things. But Umtillio rose with a
protesting screech and striking both fiddles at once sobbed dolefully.
"Oh no, no, no! Let us go, go, go, far away!
Cheerio Oh, Oh! You don't know, know, know, what you say!
To be _de_ destroyed with life half enjoyed is too bad,
Can't you see, see, see, it would be, be, be, much too sad?"
"Well, we still have two days," mumbled the King unhappily. "Maybe
something will turn up."
"Nothing will ever turn up here but your Majesty's nose," sniffed
Akbad, who had been listening to the conversation with growing
impatience. "You may stay here and be destroyed if you like, but I, I,
Akbad, the Soothsayer, shall think of something better!"
Folding his robes haughtily about him, Akbad swept from the throne
room. In his own high tower he flung the sapphire casements wide and
leaning both elbows on the sill, stared moodily out into the night.
"Surely it is better for one mortal to be destroyed than a whole
Kingdom," reflected Akbad. "The King's a soft hearted old Joffywax. The
way to solve a problem is to begin at the beginning and go on to the
conclusion. Quiberon desires a mortal maiden and a mortal maiden he
shall have. Now where am I to find a mortal maiden?" Striding to the
book-case he pulled out a history of Oz which opened almost instantly
to the picture of three little girls sitting in a hammock.
[Illustration: DOROTHY AT HOME IN OZ]
"Dorothy, Betsy and Trot," muttered the Soothsayer, reading the names
under the picture. "These little girls, though native Americans, now
live in the Emerald City of Oz and are loved and honored by the entire
populace." Akbad paused thoughtfully after reading this sentence, then
tearing out the page stuffed the picture into his sleeve. "One will be
quite enough," he remarked, with a little shrug of his shoulders,
"and all that I have to do now is to reach the Emerald City." Standing
before a huge map of Oz that covered one side of the wall, Akbad traced
with his finger a line between Sapphire City and the capital. Not a
great distance, to be sure, but to the old Soothsayer who had never
been away from the Ozure Isles in his entire life, it seemed a long and
perilous journey. Sinking into an easy chair he began tugging at his
whiskers and pulling his long nose and soon a perfectly splendid plan
popped into his turbaned head.
"The pear!" puffed Akbad delightedly. "I will pick the golden pear
and save myself and the entire Kingdom." Jerking out his magic
descriptionary, a booklet all soothsayers carry in their pockets, Akbad
turned to the proper page though he knew almost by heart what it would
say of the golden pear. "In the gardens of the King grows an emerald
tree, bearing always one golden fruit. This fruit shall be plucked by
the Prince of the realm in times of extreme danger or peril. It will
immediately transport him wheresoever he desires to go."
"If it transports a Prince it will surely carry a soothsayer," decided
Akbad. "If the King is too stupid to bid Philador to pick the pear
I myself shall pluck it from the bough and save the people from
destruction."
The King, as it happened, was at that very moment thinking of the
golden fruit. "If nothing turns up to-morrow," yawned his Majesty,
blowing out the tall candle beside his bed, "I shall command Philador
to pick the magic pear. I have lived a long time and do not mind being
destroyed, but he is too young to suffer destruction." Comforted by the
thought that the little Prince, at least, would escape so hard a fate,
Cheeriobed sank down among his silk cushions and was soon fast asleep.
His slumbers would not have been so calm nor his dreams so untroubled
had he seen the two figures that presently stepped out of his castle.
One passed from the Eastern Gateway into the gardens, the other from
the Western Doorway and, after looking all around to see that he was
not observed, hastened down to the beach.
In the moonlight the radiant capital of Cheeriobed floated like a
City of dreams in a silver mist. Looking over his shoulder at its
sparkling turrets and spires, Philador wondered if he should ever have
the courage to leave so lovely a spot. Then catching a glimpse of the
horrid head of Quiberon, rising suddenly above the waters of Orizon,
the little Prince shuddered and gathering his cloak about him hurried
down to the rocks. He wondered if the blue gull had kept her promise
and looked anxiously up and down the deserted strand. There was no one
in sight and dejectedly he was about to return to the castle when a low
whistle from a nearby cave came floating up to him.
Running down and into the cave, Philador stopped short in perfect
astonishment. Crouched upon the rocks and regarding him with bright
interested eyes was a giant blue gull twice as large as Philador
himself. On its head, the feathers grew into a circlet that rested like
a crown upon its brow.
"You wish to leave the Ozure Isle?" asked the gull quietly. "Climb upon
my back, then; you have been kind and gentle to my subjects, therefore
I, the grand Mo-gull, King of all the land and sea birds, will carry
you wheresoever you wish to go."
For a moment Philador was too startled to move. Then as a deep roar
from the throat of Quiberon came reverberating through the grotto,
he sprang upon the gull's back and clasping his arms around its neck
whispered hoarsely, "Carry me to the Good Witch of the North!"
With scarcely a flutter, the great gull rose, mounting higher and
higher, till the Ozure Isles were no more than sparkling dots on the
waters of the Lake. Akbad, standing under the magic tree in the King's
garden, saw a great shadow cross the moon. Brushing his hand uneasily
across his eyes he looked again, but this time the shadow had gone.
Concluding that it had been but a dark cloud, the Soothsayer drew a
deep breath and, leaning forward, broke the golden pear from the sacred
bough. Now Akbad hardly knew what to expect, but the thing that did
happen exceeded his wildest imaginings. The pear in his hands grew
larger and larger, bursting finally with such a golden splutter and
glare he was almost blinded. Stars! It was a pair of wings!
Thoroughly frightened, the soothsayer fell back against the tree,
putting up both hands to beat off the whirling pinions. But it was
no use. The great wings swooped down upon him and next moment had
fastened themselves to his shoulders. His heart, as they lifted him
into the air, dropped so suddenly into his boots both boots fell
off. Motionless and helpless and just above the emerald tree he
hung suspended, trembling so violently his turban came unwound and
fluttered like a banner in the evening breeze. For about as long as you
could count ten Akbad dangled limply between the golden wings. Then
recovering a little of his courage he moistened his lips and muttered
weakly.
"Take me to the Emerald City of Oz." Next instant, another shadow had
crossed the moon and Akbad, like some strange ungainly bird, was being
borne swiftly and silently towards the South.
[Illustration: THE VANISHED QUEEN OF THE OZURE ISLES]