Many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome the
new arrivals, and when the Wizard got out of the buggy a pretty girl in
a green gown cried out in surprise:
"Why, it's Oz, the Wonderful Wizard, come back again!"
The little man looked at her closely and then took both the maiden's
hands in his and shook them cordially.
"On my word," he exclaimed, "it's little Jellia Jamb--as pert and
pretty as ever!"
"Why not, Mr. Wizard?" asked Jellia, bowing low. "But I'm afraid you
cannot rule the Emerald City, as you used to, because we now have a
beautiful Princess whom everyone loves dearly."
"And the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall soldier
in a Captain-General's uniform.
The Wizard turned to look at him.
"Did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked.
"Yes," said the soldier; "but I shaved them off long ago, and since
then I have risen from a private to be the Chief General of the Royal
Armies."
"That's nice," said the little man. "But I assure you, my good people,
that I do not wish to rule the Emerald City," he added, earnestly.
"In that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and it
pleased the Wizard to note the respect with which the royal retainers
bowed before him. His fame had not been forgotten in the Land of Oz,
by any means.
"Where is Dorothy?" enquired Zeb, anxiously, as he left the buggy and
stood beside his friend the little Wizard.
"She is with the Princess Ozma, in the private rooms of the palace,"
replied Jellia Jamb. "But she has ordered me to make you welcome and
to show you to your apartments."
The boy looked around him with wondering eyes. Such magnificence and
wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than he had ever
dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the gorgeous glitter
was real and not tinsel.
"What's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. He had seen
considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew that
this regal palace was no place for him.
It perplexed even Jellia Jamb, for a time, to know what to do with the
animal. The green maiden was much astonished at the sight of so
unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this Land; but those who
lived in the Emerald City were apt to be astonished by queer sights, so
after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild look in his big eyes
the girl decided not to be afraid of him.
"There are no stables here," said the Wizard, "unless some have been
built since I went away."
"We have never needed them before," answered Jellia; "for the Sawhorse
lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more natural in
appearance than this great beast you have brought with you."
"Do you mean that I'm a freak?" asked Jim, angrily.
"Oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you in the
place you came from, but in Oz any horse but a Sawhorse is unusual."
This mollified Jim a little, and after some thought the green maiden
decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big building
having many rooms that were seldom in use.
So Zeb unharnessed Jim, and several of the servants then led the horse
around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment that he
could have all to himself.
Then Jellia said to the Wizard:
"Your own room--which was back of the great Throne Room--has been
vacant ever since you left us. Would you like it again?"
"Yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "It will seem like being at
home again, for I lived in that room for many, many years."
He knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his
satchel. Zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful that
he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest he
might dim their splendor. In the closets he discovered many fancy
costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told
him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be
prepared to dine with the Princess and Dorothy in an hour's time.
Opening from the chamber was a fine bathroom having a marble tub with
perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his
surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon velvet
costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much worn
clothing. There were silk stockings and soft leather slippers with
diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was fully
dressed Zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever before in
his life.
He was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence
of the Princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more
dainty and attractive than it was splendid. Here he found Dorothy
seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful that the boy
stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration.
But Dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand drawing him
impulsively toward the lovely Princess, who smiled most graciously upon
her guest. Then the Wizard entered, and his presence relieved the
boy's embarrassment. The little man was clothed in black velvet, with
many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his breast; but his bald
head and wrinkled features made him appear more amusing than impressive.
Ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built the
Emerald City and united the Munchkins, Gillikins, Quadlings and Winkies
into one people; so when they were all four seated at the dinner table
the Princess said:
"Please tell me, Mr. Wizard, whether you called yourself Oz after this
great country, or whether you believe my country is called Oz after
you. It is a matter that I have long wished to enquire about, because
you are of a strange race and my own name is Ozma. No, one, I am sure,
is better able to explain this mystery than you."
"That is true," answered the little Wizard; "therefore it will give me
pleasure to explain my connection with your country. In the first
place, I must tell you that I was born in Omaha, and my father, who was
a politician, named me Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle
Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, Diggs being the last name because he could
think of no more to go before it. Taken altogether, it was a
dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of
the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When I
grew up I just called myself O. Z., because the other initials were
P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my
intelligence."
"Surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short," said Ozma,
sympathetically. "But didn't you cut it almost too short?"
"Perhaps so," replied the Wizard. "When a young man I ran away from
home and joined a circus. I used to call myself a Wizard, and do
tricks of ventriloquism."
"What does that mean?" asked the Princess.
"Throwing my voice into any object I pleased, to make it appear that
the object was speaking instead of me. Also I began to make balloon
ascensions. On my balloon and on all the other articles I used in the
circus I painted the two initials: 'O. Z.', to show that those things
belonged to me.
"One day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the deserts
to this beautiful country. When the people saw me come from the sky
they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before
me. I told them I was a Wizard, and showed them some easy tricks that
amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted on the balloon they
called me Oz."
"Now I begin to understand," said the Princess, smiling.
"At that time," continued the Wizard, busily eating his soup while
talking, "there were four separate countries in this Land, each one of
the four being ruled by a Witch. But the people thought my power was
greater than that of the Witches; and perhaps the Witches thought so
too, for they never dared oppose me. I ordered the Emerald City to be
built just where the four countries cornered together, and when it was
completed I announced myself the Ruler of the Land of Oz, which
included all the four countries of the Munchkins, the Gillikins, the
Winkies and the Quadlings. Over this Land I ruled in peace for many
years, until I grew old and longed to see my native city once again.
So when Dorothy was first blown to this place by a cyclone I arranged
to go away with her in a balloon; but the balloon escaped too soon and
carried me back alone. After many adventures I reached Omaha, only to
find that all my old friends were dead or had moved away. So, having
nothing else to do, I joined a circus again, and made my balloon
ascensions until the earthquake caught me."
"That is quite a history," said Ozma; "but there is a little more
history about the Land of Oz that you do not seem to
understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you. Many
years before you came here this Land was united under one Ruler, as it
is now, and the Ruler's name was always 'Oz,' which means in our
language 'Great and Good'; or, if the Ruler happened to be a woman, her
name was always 'Ozma.' But once upon a time four Witches leagued
together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the kingdom
themselves; so when the Ruler, my grandfather, was hunting one day, one
Wicked Witch named Mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a
close prisoner. Then the Witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the
four parts of it until you came here. That was why the people were so
glad to see you, and why they thought from your initials that you were
their rightful ruler."
"But, at that time," said the Wizard, thoughtfully, "there were two
Good Witches and two Wicked Witches ruling in the land."
"Yes," replied Ozma, "because a good Witch had conquered Mombi in the
North and Glinda the Good had conquered the evil Witch in the South.
But Mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's
jailor. When I was born she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no
one would ever recognize me and know that I was the rightful Princess
of the Land of Oz. But I escaped from her and am now the Ruler of my
people."
"I am very glad of that," said the Wizard, "and hope you will consider
me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects."
"We owe a great deal to the Wonderful Wizard," continued the Princess,
"for it was you who built this splendid Emerald City."
"Your people built it," he answered. "I only bossed the job, as we say
in Omaha."
"But you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she, "and made
the people proud of your magical art. So, as you are now too old to
wander abroad and work in a circus, I offer you a home here as long as
you live. You shall be the Official Wizard of my kingdom, and be
treated with every respect and consideration."
"I accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious Princess," the
little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that
tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. It meant a good deal to
him to secure a home like this.
"He's only a humbug Wizard, though," said Dorothy, smiling at him.
"And that is the safest kind of a Wizard to have," replied Ozma,
promptly.
"Oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced Zeb, who
was now feeling more at ease.
"He shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the Princess. "I
have sent messengers to summon all of Dorothy's old friends to meet her
and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon, now."
Indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the Scarecrow,
to hug Dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he was to see
her again. The Wizard was also most heartily welcomed by the straw
man, who was an important personage in the Land of Oz.
"How are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped the
soft, stuffed hands of his old friend.
"Working finely," answered the Scarecrow. "I'm very certain, Oz, that
you gave me the best brains in the world, for I can think with them day
and night, when all other brains are fast asleep."
"How long did you rule the Emerald City, after I left here?" was the
next question.
"Quite awhile, until I was conquered by a girl named General Jinjur.
But Ozma soon conquered her, with the help of Glinda the Good, and
after that I went to live with Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman."
Just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant threw
open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in. Dorothy sprang
forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms, uttering at the same
time a glad cry.
"Oh, Billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown."
"Why shouldn't I?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "I live on
the fat of the land--don't I, Ozma?"
"You have everything you wish for," said the Princess.
Around Billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on her legs
were bracelets of emeralds. She nestled herself comfortably in
Dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and leaped
up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike Billina a blow. But the
little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it jumped
down again without daring to scratch.
"How horrid of you, Eureka!" cried Dorothy. "Is that the way to treat
my friends?"
"You have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a surly
tone.
"Seems to me the same way," said Billina, scornfully, "if that beastly
cat is one of them."
"Look here!" said Dorothy, sternly. "I won't have any quarrelling in
the Land of Oz, I can tell you! Everybody lives in peace here, and
loves everybody else; and unless you two, Billina and Eureka, make up
and be friends, I'll take my Magic Belt and wish you both home again,
IMMEJITLY. So, there!"
They were both much frightened at the threat, and promised meekly to be
good. But it was never noticed that they became very warm friends, for
all of that.
And now the Tin Woodman arrived, his body most beautifully
nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of
the room. The Tin Woodman loved Dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed
with joy the return of the little old Wizard.
"Sir," said he to the latter, "I never can thank you enough for the
excellent heart you once gave me. It has made me many friends, I
assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it every did."
"I'm glad to hear that," said the Wizard. "I was afraid it would get
moldy in that tin body of yours."
"Not at all," returned Nick Chopper. "It keeps finely, being preserved
in my air-tight chest."
Zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer people; but
they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to admire them very
much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow hen. But he
became nervous again when the next visitor was announced.
"This," said Princess Ozma, "is my friend Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug, T. E.,
who assisted me one time when I was in great distress, and is now the
Dean of the Royal College of Athletic Science."
"Ah," said the Wizard; "I'm pleased to meet so distinguished a
personage."
"H. M.," said the Woggle-Bug, pompously, "means Highly Magnified; and
T. E. means Thoroughly Educated. I am, in reality, a very big bug, and
doubtless the most intelligent being in all this broad domain."
"How well you disguise it," said the Wizard. "But I don't doubt your
word in the least."
"Nobody doubts it, sir," replied the Woggle-Bug, and drawing a book
from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the company and
sat down in a corner to read.
Nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more impolite in
one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot him and joined
in a merry conversation that kept them well amused until bed-time
arrived.