The Pinkies were rejoiced to find themselves again in their beloved land
of sunrises and sunsets. They sang and shouted with glee and the Band
uncovered its pink instruments and played the National Pink Anthem,
while the parrot flew from Trot's shoulder to Cap'n Bill's shoulder and
back again, screaming ecstatically:
"Hooray! we're through the wetful fogs
Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs!"
There was a magnificent sunset in the sky just then and it cheered the
Pinkies and gave them renewed strength. Away they hastened across the
pink fields to the Pink City, where all the Pink people who had been
left behind ran out to welcome them home again.
Trot and Button-Bright, with Cap'n Bill and Rosalie the Witch, went to
the humble palace, where they had a simple supper of coarse food and
slept upon hard beds. In the houses of the City, however, there was much
feasting and merrymaking, and it seemed to Trot that the laws of the
country which forbade the Queen from enjoying all the good things the
people did were decidedly wrong and needed changing.
The next morning Rosalie said to the little girl:
"Will you make Tourmaline the Queen again, when you go away?"
"I'll send for her and see about it," replied Trot.
But when Tourmaline arrived at the palace, dressed all in lovely fluffy
robes and with a dainty pink plume in her pink hair, she begged most
earnestly not to be made the Queen again.
"I'm having a good time, just now, after years of worry and
uncomfortable living in this uncomfortable old hut of a palace," said
the poor girl, "so it would be cruel for you to make me the servant of
the people again and condemn me to want and misery."
"That seems reason'ble," replied Trot, thoughtfully.
"Rosalie's skin is just as light a pink as my own," continued
Tourmaline. "Why don't you make her the Queen?"
"I hadn't thought of that," said Trot. Then she turned to Rosalie and
asked: "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?"
"I wouldn't like it," replied the Witch, with a smile. "The Queen is the
poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom and I'm sure I
don't deserve such a fate. I've always tried to be a good witch and to
do my duty."
Trot thought this over quite seriously for a time. Then one of her
quaint ideas came to her--so quaint that it was entirely sensible.
"I'm the Queen of the Pinkies just now, am I not?" she asked.
"Of course," answered Rosalie; "none can dispute that."
"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?"
"I believe so."
"In that case," said the girl, "I'm goin' to make a law that the Queen
shall have the same food an' the same dresses an' the same good times
that her people have; and she shall live in a house jus' as good as the
houses of any of her people, an' have as much money to spend as anybody.
But no more. The Queen can have her share of ever'thing, 'cordin' to the
new law, but if she tries to get more than her share I'll have the law
say she shall be taken to the edge an' pushed off. What do you think of
_that_ law, Rosalie?"
"It's a good law, and a just one," replied the Witch approvingly.
So Trot sent for the Royal Scribbler, who was a very fat Pinky with
large pink eyes and curly pink hair, and had him carefully write the new
law in the Great Book of Laws. The Royal Scribbler wrote it very nicely
in pink ink, with a big capital letter at the beginning and a fine
flourish at the end. After Trot had signed her name to it as Queen she
called all of the important people of the land to assemble in the Court
of the Statues and ordered the Royal Declaimer to read to them the new
law. The Pinkies seemed to think it was a just law and much better than
the old one, and Rosalie said:
"Now no one can object to becoming the Queen, since the Ruler of the
Pinkies will no longer be obliged to endure suffering and hardships."
"All right," said Trot. "In that case I'll make you the Queen, Rosalie,
for you've got more sense than Tourmaline has and your powers as a witch
will help you to protect the people."
At once she made the announcement, telling the assembled Pinkies that by
virtue of her high office as Queen of Sky Island she would leave Rosalie
the Witch to rule over the Pink Country while she returned to the Earth
with her friends. As Rosalie was greatly loved and respected, the people
joyfully accepted her as their Queen, and Trot ordered them to tear down
the old hut and build a new palace for Rosalie--one which would be just
as good as any other house in the City, but no better. She further
ordered a pink statue of Tourmaline to be set up in the Court, and also
a pink statue of herself, so that the record of all the rulers of the
Pinkies should be complete.
The people agreed to do all this as soon as possible, and some of the
leaders whispered together and then asked Coralie to be their spokesman
in replying to Queen Trot's speech.
Coralie stood on a chair and made a bow, after which she thanked Trot in
the name of the Pinkies for leading them safely into the Blue Country
and out again, and for giving them so good a Queen as Rosalie. The
Pinkies would be sorry to have their new friends, the Earth people,
leave them, but asked the Queen of Sky Island to carry with her the
royal band of pink gold which she now wore upon her brow, together with
the glistening pink jewel set in its center. It would remind her,
Coralie declared, of the Beautiful Land of Sunset and Sunrise and of the
fact that the Pinkies would always be glad to welcome her back.
Trot knew she would never return to Sky Island, but she did not tell
them that. She merely thanked Coralie and the Pinkies and said they
might all come to the Court after dinner and see her and her comrades
fly away through the sky.
[Illustration]
THE JOURNEY HOME.