Eureka was much surprised
to find herself in disgrace;
but she was, in spite of the
fact that she had not eaten
the piglet. For the folks of
Oz knew the kitten had tried
to commit the crime, and that
only an accident had prevented
her from doing so; therefore
even the Hungry Tiger preferred
not to associate with her.
Eureka was forbidden to wander
around the palace and was made
to stay in confinement in Dorothy's
room; so she began to beg her
mistress to send her to some
other place where she could
enjoy herself better.
Dorothy was herself anxious
to get home, so she promised
Eureka they would not stay
in the Land of Oz much longer.
The
next evening
after the
trial the little girl begged
Ozma to allow her to look in
the enchanted picture, and
the Princess readily consented.
She took the child to her room
and said: "Make your wish,
dear, and the picture will
show the scene you desire to
behold."
Then Dorothy found, with
the aid of the enchanted picture,
that Uncle Henry had returned
to the farm in Kansas, and
she also saw that both he and
Aunt Em were dressed in mourning,
because they thought their
little niece had been killed
by the earthquake.
"Really," said the girl,
anxiously, "I must get back
as soon as poss'ble to my own
folks."
Zeb also wanted to see his
home, and although he did not
find anyone morning for him,
the sight of Hugson's Ranch
in the picture made him long
to get back there.
"This is a fine country,
and I like all the people that
live in it," he told Dorothy. "But
the fact is, Jim and I don't
seem to fit into a fairyland,
and the old horse has been
begging me to go home again
ever since he lost the race.
So, if you can find a way to
fix it, we'll be much obliged
to you."
"Ozma can do it, easily," replied
Dorothy. "Tomorrow morning
I'll go to Kansas and you can
go to Californy."
That last evening was so
delightful that the boy will
never forget it as long as
he lives. They were all together
(except Eureka) in the pretty
rooms of the Princess, and
the Wizard did some new tricks,
and the Scarecrow told stories,
and the Tin Woodman sang a
love song in a sonorous, metallic
voice, and everybody laughed
and had a good time. Then Dorothy
wound up Tik-tok and he danced
a jig to amuse the company,
after which the Yellow Hen
related some of her adventures
with the Nome King in the Land
of Ev.
The Princess served delicious
refreshments to those who were
in the habit of eating, and
when Dorothy's bed time arrived
the company separated after
exchanging many friendly sentiments.
Next morning they all assembled
for the final parting, and
many of the officials and courtiers
came to look upon the impressive
ceremonies.
Dorothy held Eureka in her
arms and bade her friends a
fond good-bye.
"You must come again, some
time," said the little Wizard;
and she promised she would
if she found it possible to
do so.
"But Uncle Henry and Aunt
Em need me to help them," she
added, "so I can't ever be
very long away from the farm
in Kansas."
Ozma wore the Magic Belt;
and, when she had kissed Dorothy
farewell and had made her wish,
the little girl and her kitten
disappeared in a twinkling.
"Where is she?" asked
Zeb, rather
bewildered
by the
suddenness
of it.
"Greeting her uncle and aunt
in Kansas, by this time," returned
Ozma, with a smile.
Then Zeb brought out Jim,
all harnessed to the buggy,
and took his seat.
"I'm much obliged for all
your kindness," said the boy, "and
very grateful to you for saving
my life and sending me home
again after all the good times
I've had. I think this is the
loveliest country in the world;
but not being fairies Jim and
I feel we ought to be where
we belong--and that's at the
ranch. Good-bye, everybody!"
He gave a start and rubbed
his eyes. Jim was trotting
along the well-known road,
shaking his ears and whisking
his tail with a contented motion.
Just ahead of them were the
gates of Hugson's Ranch, and
Uncle Hugson now came out and
stood with uplifted arms and
wide open mouth, staring in
amazement.
"Goodness gracious! It's
Zeb--and Jim, too!" he exclaimed. "Where
in the world have you been,
my lad?"
"Why, in the world, Uncle," answered
Zeb, with a laugh.
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