The girl now took off Rosalie's ring and put it carefully away in her
pocket.
"It won't matter who sees me now," she remarked, "an' I want 'em to know
that you an' me, Cap'n, are running this kingdom. I'm Queen o' the
Pinkies an' Booloorooess o' the Blues, an ----"
"What's that?" asked the sailor. "You're--you're _what_, Trot?"
"Booloorooess. Isn't that right, Cap'n?"
"I dunno, mate. It sounds bigger ner you are, an' I don't like the word,
anyhow. S'pose you jus' call yourself the Boss? That fills the bill an'
don't need pernouncin'."
"All right," she said; "Queen o' the Pinkies an' Boss o' the Blues.
Seems funny, don't it, Cap'n Bill?"
Just then they heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor. The soldiers
had partly recovered their courage and, fearful of the anger of their
dreaded Boolooroo, whom the Princesses declared would punish them
severely, had ventured to return to the room. They came rather
haltingly, though, and the Captain of the Guards first put his head
cautiously through the doorway to see if the coast was clear. The goat
discovered him and tried to make a rush, but the rope held the animal
back and when the Captain saw this he came forward more boldly.
"Halt!" cried Trot.
The Captain halted, his soldiers peering curiously over his shoulders
and the Six Snubnosed Princesses looking on from behind, where they
considered themselves safe.
"If anyone dares enter this room without my permission," said Trot,
"I'll pull this cord and slice your master that once was the Boolooroo."
"Don't come in! Don't come in!" yelled the Boolooroo in a terrified
voice.
Then they saw that the sailor was free and the Boolooroo bound in his
place. The soldiers were secretly glad to observe this, but the
Princesses were highly indignant.
"Release his Majesty at once!" cried Indigo from the corridor. "You
shall be severely punished for this rebellion."
"Don't worry," replied Trot. "His Majesty isn't his Majesty any longer;
he's jus' a common Blueskin. Cap'n Bill and I perpose runnin' this
Island ourselves, after this. You've all got to obey _me_, for I'm the
Booloorooess--no, I mean the Boss--o' the Blues, and I've a notion to
run things my own way."
"You can't," said Turquoise, scornfully; "the Law says----"
"Bother the Law!" exclaimed Trot. "I'll make the Laws myself, from now
on, and I'll unmake every Law you ever had before I conquered you."
"Oh. Have you conquered us, then?" asked the Captain of the Guards, in a
surprised tone.
"Of course," said Trot. "Can't you see?"
"It looks like it," admitted the Captain.
"Cap'n Bill is goin' to be my General o' the Army an' the Royal Manager
o' the Blue Country," continued Trot; "so you'll mind what he says."
"Nonsense!" shouted Indigo. "March in and capture them, Captain! Never
mind if they do slice the Boolooroo. I'm his daughter, and _I'll_ rule
the kingdom."
"You won't!" screamed Cobalt. "I'll rule it!"
"I'll rule it myself!" cried Cerulia.
"No, no!" yelled Turquoise; "I'll be the Ruler."
"That shall be _my_ privilege!" shouted Sapphire. Cobalt began to say:
"I'm the ----"
"Be quiet!" said Trot, sternly. "Would you have your own father sliced,
so that you could rule in his place?"
"Yes, yes; of course!" rejoined the six Princesses, without a second's
hesitation.
"Well, well! What d' ye think o' that, Mr. Boolooroo?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"They're undutiful daughters; don't pay any attention to them," replied
the frightened Boolooroo.
"We're not goin' to," said Trot. "Now, you Blue Cap'n, who are you and
your soldiers going to obey--me or the snubnosed ones?"
"You!" declared the Captain of the Guards, positively, for he hated the
Princesses, as did all the Blueskins.
"Then escort those girls to their rooms, lock 'em in, an' put a guard
before the door."
At once the soldiers seized the Princesses and, notwithstanding their
snarls and struggles, marched them to their rooms and locked them in.
While they were gone on this errand the Boolooroo begged to be released,
whining and wailing for fear the knife would fall upon him. But Trot did
not think it safe to unbind him just then. When the soldiers returned
she told their leader to put a strong guard before the palace and to
admit no one unless either she or Cap'n Bill gave the order to do so.
The soldiers obeyed readily, and when Trot and Cap'n Bill were left
alone they turned the goat loose in the Room of the Great Knife and then
locked the animal in with the Boolooroo.
"The billygoat is the very best guard we could have, for ever'body's
'fraid o' him," remarked Cap'n Bill, as he put the key of the room in
his pocket. "So now, Queen Trot, what's next on the program?"
"Next," said Trot, "we're goin' to hunt for that umbrel, Cap'n. I don't
mean to stay in this dismal Blue Country long, even if I am the Queen.
Let's find the umbrel and get home as soon as we can."
"That suits me," the sailor joyfully exclaimed, and then the two began a
careful search through the palace.
They went into every room and looked behind the furniture and underneath
the beds and in every crack and corner, but no place could they spy the
Magic Umbrella. Cap'n Bill even ventured to enter the rooms of the Six
Snubnosed Princesses, who were by this time so thoroughly alarmed that
they had become meek and mild as could be. But the umbrella wasn't
there, either.
Finally they returned to the great throne room of the palace, where they
seated themselves on the throne and tried to think what could possibly
have become of the precious umbrella. While they were sitting and
talking together the Captain of the Guards entered and bowed
respectfully.
"Beg pardon, your Small-Sized Majesty," said he to Trot, "but it is my
duty to report that the Pinkies are preparing to attack the City."
"Oh; I'd forgotten the Pinkies!" exclaimed the girl. "Tell me, Captain,
have you such a thing as a Brass Band in this City?"
"We have two fine bands, but they are not brass," replied the Captain.
"Their instruments are made of blue metal."
"Well, order 'em out," commanded Trot. "And, say; get all the soldiers
together and tell all the people there's going to be a high time in the
Blue City to-night. We'll have music and dancing and eating and ----"
[Illustration]
"An' neckties to drink, Trot; don't forget the royal neckties," urged
Cap'n Bill.
"We'll have all the fun there is going," continued the girl, "for we are
to entertain the Army of the Pinkies."
"The Pinkies!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guards; "why, they're our
enemies, your Short Highness."
"Not any more," replied Trot. "I'm Queen of the Pinkies, an' I'm also
Queen of the Blues, so I won't have my people quarreling. Tell the Blue
people we are to throw open the gates and welcome the Pinkies to the
City, where everybody will join in a grand celebration. And jus' as soon
as you've spread the news an' got the bands tuned up and the soldiers
ready to march, you let us know and we'll head the procession."
"Your Microscopic Majesty shall be obeyed," said the Captain, and went
away to carry out these commands.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
TROT CELEBRATES HER VICTORY