A Most Reluctant Starina
As the last note died away in a sweet, reluctant echo, Strut's Blowmen
threw down their horns. With wild shouts and cheers they began to
embrace as if each were the other's long lost brother. The behavior of
the rest of the Stratovanians was equally puzzling. They sang, they
whistled, they laughed and stamped their feet from sheer gaiety. Strut,
hurrying over to Nick Chopper, shook him heartily by the hand.
"Say, Hay-Hurray! How ARE you?" he demanded exuberantly. "How are you
and all of your aunts, uncles and infant nieces?"
"Wha--what's that?" sputtered Nick Chopper completely taken aback
by this sudden show of friendliness. Kabebe the Queen, tears of joy
streaming down her moon-shaped face, seized the hands of the Soldier
with Green Whiskers and was dancing him 'round and 'round. Unnoticed
in the general hubbub and hilarity, Jellia managed to steal another
glance at the green trumpet. Printed in white letters on the handle was
this surprising sentence: "_This trumpet contains cheer gas._" Cheer
Gas! With a tremulous sigh, for the last few moments had been a great
strain, Jellia slipped the Wizard's instrument back into the kit bag
and zipped it shut. Strangely enough the gas had not affected any of
the people from Oz. In fact Jellia had never felt less like cheering in
her whole life.
"This way! Ray, Ray, hur_ray_!" shouted Strut, who now had Nick by one
arm and the Soldier by the other. "Quickly! Go and prepare the Guest
Canopies, Queen Kabebe! These travellers are doubtless weary, and need
rest and refreshment. Have you any preference as to canopies?" he
inquired, leaning down to look in Nick Chopper's face.
"Do you have any _tin_ canopies?" asked Nick hoarsely. He was still
dazed by Strut's unaccountable change of manner. "I always feel safer
under a tin roof. It is such a beautiful and dependable metal."
"Tin? Oh, Ha-Ha-HA!" Strut blinked his star eyes rapidly. "I'm afraid
we have no tin, but any other kind, my dear--"
"Nick Chopper, Tin Woodman of Oz," put in Jellia, who felt it was high
time they were properly introduced. "And there--" She hastily indicated
the Soldier with Green Whiskers--"There is Wantowin Battles, the Grand
Army of Oz!" At Jellia's introduction, Wantowin dropped Strut's arm to
shake hands.
"And who are you, my lively little Skylark?" he questioned.
"Oh, I'm just Jellia Jam, Ozma's Chief Maid in Waiting," Jellia said as
she trotted uneasily along at his side. The rest of the Stratovanians,
still cheering and singing, but in a more subdued way, came streaming
after them. Rather anxiously Jellia wondered how long the effects of
the cheer gas would last, and how soon Strut would remember about
blowing Nick and the Soldier away again. It seemed unlikely that she
would have another chance to open the kit bag without detection. The
Queen, who had not been as cheered by the gas as the others, seemed
somewhat unfriendly as she walked along behind her Royal Husband. Every
few minutes, in fact, she would lean forward and give Jellia a spiteful
pinch. Jellia bore this rude treatment with extreme patience, making
no complaint or out-cry and merely walking a little faster to keep
out of the creature's way. Jellia wanted to see all she could of this
wonderful, sparkling airland so she could tell Ozma and Dorothy all
about it when she returned to Oz.
The Soldier with Green Whiskers had fallen back to a place beside Queen
Kabebe and was gazing about him with contemptuous snorts. Any country
that was not green like the land surrounding the Emerald City, held no
interest for him. Noticing that Jellia was faring quite well without
her helmet, and finding his rather stuffy, he took it off and slung it
over one shoulder. As he did so he caught the Queen in the very act
of pinching Jellia. Disgusted by such conduct, he sternly took her
arm, and each time Kabebe pinched Jellia, the Soldier would slap her
fingers. After the fifth slap the Queen peered at him with astonished
admiration, for on this whole Tip-toposphere there was no man bold
enough to strike a member of the reigning family. Soon, Kabebe was so
fascinated by Wantowin's flowing green whiskers she forgot all about
pinching Jellia. By this time the strange and still faintly cheering
procession had reached Strut's Royal Canopy. Waving away his giggling
Blowmen, Strut lifted Jellia to one of the splendid Star Thrones.
To Kabebe King Strut spoke impatiently. "Don't you remember you were to
see about the Guest Canopies?" Kabebe dared not object but looked quite
displeased. "Just tell Bittsywittle to bring us a tray of air-ades and
a wind pudding," ordered Strut, giving the Queen a jovial shove to help
her on her way. "You'd like an air-ade wouldn't you, little lady?"
Poor Jellia shook her head no and then quickly changed it to yes. The
furnishings of the Royal Pavilion were so rich and dazzling and the
Star Throne so high and grand that she felt completely bewildered. As
Kabebe shuffled away, Jellia smiled nervously at Nick and the Soldier.
At Strut's invitation they had seated themselves cross legged on bright
blue air cushions, and looked as uncomfortable as they felt.
"Well, what do you think of Stratovania by now?" inquired Strut,
settling back complacently. "I believe you will all enjoy high life as
much as we do, once you are used to it."
Nick Chopper was on the point of saying they had no intention of
getting used to it, or of staying one single moment longer than was
positively necessary, when he caught Jellia's worried expression and
muttered instead. "Beautiful--very beautiful."
"But where are the houses?" asked the Soldier with Green Whiskers,
bluntly. "These tent tops are all right for a war, or for field sports,
but I should think you'd find them rather chilly for all year 'round
living."
"Stratovania," explained Strut as he crossed his long legs, "is
never chilly. It is surrounded by a rim of warm air that keeps the
temperature just as you find it today. No wind, no rain, no storms of
any kind," he concluded, proudly.
"And it's all so bright and shiny," sighed Jellia Jam, blinking down
at the floor of the pavilion which was an inlay of sparkling glass,
and then off to the countless bright canopies that dotted the airscape
beyond. The surface of Strut's curious Skyland was of gleaming crystal,
sometimes smooth as ice, sometimes rough and rocky, but always flashing
with the brilliance of diamonds. "Everything sparkles so," finished
Jellia, rather wishing she had brought her dark glasses.
"That's because Stratovania is formed of solid air," smiled Strut,
tapping one of the iridescent posts that supported the silken canopy
over their heads. "And I am its High and Mighty Sovereign, ruler of the
Spikers who inhabit the strata below, and of the Zoomers who inhabit
the strata above, and of all the other spheres and half-spheres in
this particular area. Strut of the Strat! Consider THAT, Little One,
and be proud that you have been chosen to be our Starina!"
"But Jellia can't stay here!" cried the Soldier with Green Whiskers,
springing indignantly to his feet. "Jellia's--"
"Tut! Tut! Now do not excite yourself! Here comes Bittsywittle and
we'll all have a glass of liquid air." As Strut leaned forward to speak
to his small, electric-haired page, Jellia shook her head sharply at
Nick and the Soldier, for both seemed on the point of dragging her off
the throne.
"Wait!" Jellia formed the word soundlessly, and with puzzled frowns her
two friends sank back on their air cushions, accepting rather glumly
the sparkling goblets of air-ade from the light-footed servitor. With
the air-ade Bittsywittle passed heaping saucers of wind pudding, a
fluffy, cloud-like confection that made Jellia's mouth positively water.
"You will find the diet here light, but nourishing," Strut informed
them blandly. "Our atmosphere is so rare and exhilarating, we need
little but sun and star light to keep us going. But now, friends, I
propose a toast to Jellia, our new Starina!" As Nick and Wantowin
rose unwillingly to their feet, for the whole affair struck them as
perfectly preposterous, Strut lifted his glass and downed his air-ade.
Then the Soldier rather sulkily drank his. Nick, who never partook
of food or drink of any kind, set his goblet on a small tabouret and
stared sadly at Jellia Jam. The Tin Woodman feared she was seriously
considering Strut's proposal. Jellia surmised what Nick was thinking,
but as there was no way of explaining that she was just trying to gain
time till they could find some way to escape, she smiled wanly back at
him and swallowed her own air-ade.
Suddenly Jellia felt herself rising into the air. Before she could
utter a sound, her head was pressed tightly against the top of the
canopy. Then, dizzily, she began to float 'round and 'round like a
pretty balloon just let off its string.
"Ho, Ho!" roared Strut. "Our air-ade has made you light-headed, m'lass!
But wait--I'll fetch you down!" He tapped the winged staff he held in
his right hand sharply on the floor. Instantly it spread its wings,
carrying him up beside Jellia. Grasping her hand he drew her down to
the throne.
"There," he chuckled, handing her a heavy glass globe to hold, "that
will weigh you down!" Reflecting that one of these winged sticks might
be a handy thing to have, Jellia clutched the glass globe. Still weak
and giddy from her flight, she could not bring herself to touch the
wind pudding Bittsywittle had placed on the arm of the throne. The
Soldier with Green Whiskers, on account of his heavy weapons and boots,
had not gone so high as Jellia, but even he, instead of sitting on his
air cushion, was now seated on nothing--three feet above Nick Chopper's
head. He looked extremely unhappy, as indeed he was.
"Don't worry," grinned Strut, who seemed highly amused by the whole
affair, "you'll come down presently." He tapped his winged staff on the
head as he spoke, and the staff immediately folded its wings. "Tell
me," he urged, turning to Nick Chopper who was looking anxiously from
the Soldier to Jellia. "Do you come from below or be-high?"
"Be-oth," answered the Tin Woodman, too confused by this time to know
what he was saying. "Taking off from the Emerald City of Oz, we first
flew up, then over, then up and next down!"
"Hmm--mmmn, OZ?" Two very black clouds floated across Strut's
transparent brow. "I seem to remember your mentioning Oz before! I seem
to remember--" Strut's voice was no longer pleasant, and watching his
brow growing blacker and blacker, Jellia frantically sought to open the
Wizard's kit bag. Unless she could release some more of the cheer gas,
almost anything might happen.
Out of the third point of his left star eye, Strut saw what she was
doing. "Don't fidget, my dear," he snapped crossly. "It is unbecoming
for our new Starina of Stratovania to fidget, or to unpack her own bag.
Here--" Taking the kit bag from her he tossed it carelessly beneath his
throne. Jellia's heart sank. She hoped Nick would say no more about
claiming Stratovania for Ozma. But the Tin Woodman, already launched
upon a glowing description of their famous Fairy Land, was working up
to that very point.
"One hundred and one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven feet below
this airosphere," began Nick, taking a long breath, "lies the great,
grand and incomparable Fairyland of Oz. Oblong in shape, it is divided
into four triangular Kingdoms. The Northern and Purple Land of the
Gillikens is ruled by Jo King; the Blue, Western Land of the Munchkins,
by his Majesty King Cheeriobed; the Eastern, Yellow Land of the Winkies
is governed by myself; the Southern Red Land of the Quadlings, by
Glinda the Good Sorceress.
"But all of us are subject to the benign rule of Ozma, the young Fairy
Ruler of the whole Kingdom. Her capitol, the Emerald City, in the exact
center of Oz, is one of the most beautiful cities out of the world!
Surrounding Oz and protecting it from invasions is a deadly desert, and
in Ozma's possession are more jewels and treasure than you doubtless
have seen in the whole of your air existence."
"Humph!" growled Strut, looking fiercer than ever. But paying no
heed to the ominous storm clouds forming on his brow, Nick loftily
proceeded. "Not only is Ozma possessed of more jewels than any other
sovereign known, but in her castle are magic appliances that make her
the most powerful of rulers. For instance, Ozma has a magic belt
with which she can transport anyone anywhere. On her wall hangs a
magic picture in which she can see what is happening to her friends
or foes--right while it is happening. In her safe is a magic fan to
blow away her enemies, and so many other strange instruments of magic,
I have not time to describe them. Among her advisors is the famous
Wizard of Oz, who spends all his time studying magic and perfecting
new inventions. The Ozoplane in which we made this perilous flight is
his latest masterpiece. And now that you know a bit more of Ozma and
her famous country, I am sure you will be delighted to become a part
of our happy realm and acknowledge Ozma as the Supreme Sovereign of
Stratovania."
"What?" screamed Strut, bounding off his throne and furiously
confronting the Tin Woodman. "How DARE you suggest such a thing? This
is the second time you have done so! Why should I, Strut of the Strat,
acknowledge this miserable earthlander as my supreme anything? I am a
thousand times richer and more important than any Belowlander below.
Oz! OZ! Indeed!"
As Nick backed off in some alarm, Strut shook his long staff over the
Tin Woodman's head. "Why, you can't even pronounce the name of your
own country!" he sneered. "It is not Oz, as you say it, but OHS--the
zone of Ohs, to be more correct. And if Ohs is in the zone of Ohs it is
Ozone, which means AIR--and that makes it belong to ME! So I, Strut of
the Strat, hereby do claim OZONIA for myself and my people, and you, my
fine Mr. Funnel Top, shall take me there!"