After considering the matter
carefully, Tip decided that the
best place to locate Jack would
be at the bend in the road, a
little way from the house. So
he started to carry his man there,
but found him heavy and rather
awkward to handle. After dragging
the creature a short distance
Tip stood him on his feet, and
by first bending the joints of
one leg, and then those of the
other, at the same time pushing
from behind, the boy managed
to induce Jack to walk to the
bend in the road. It was not
accomplished without a few tumbles,
and Tip really worked harder
than he ever had in the fields
or forest; but a love of mischief
urged him on, and it pleased
him to test the cleverness of
his workmanship.
"Jack's all right, and works
fine!" he said to himself, panting
with the unusual exertion. But
just then he discovered the man's
left arm had fallen off in the
journey so he went back to find
it, and afterward, by whittling
a new and stouter pin for the
shoulder-joint, he repaired the
injury so successfully that the
arm was stronger than before.
Tip also noticed that Jack's
pumpkin head had twisted around
until it faced his back; but
this was easily remedied. When,
at last, the man was set up facing
the turn in the path where old
Mombi was to appear, he looked
natural enough to be a fair imitation
of a Gillikin farmer, -- and
unnatural enough to startle anyone
that came on him unawares.
As it was yet too early in
the day to expect the old woman
to return home, Tip went down
into the valley below the farm-house
and began to gather nuts from
the trees that grew there.
However, old Mombi returned
earlier than usual. She had met
a crooked wizard who resided
in a lonely cave in the mountains,
and had traded several important
secrets of magic with him. Having
in this way secured three new
recipes, four magical powders
and a selection of herbs of wonderful
power and potency, she hobbled
home as fast as she could, in
order to test her new sorceries.
So intent was Mombi on the
treasures she had gained that
when she turned the bend in the
road and caught a glimpse of
the man, she merely nodded and
said:
"Good evening,
sir."
But, a moment after, noting
that the person did not move
or reply, she cast a shrewd glance
into his face and discovered
his pumpkin head elaborately
carved by Tip's jack-knife.
"Heh!" ejaculated Mombi, giving
a sort of grunt; "that rascally
boy has been playing tricks again!
Very good! ve -- ry good! I'll
beat him black- and-blue for
trying to scare me in this fashion!"
Angrily she raised her stick
to smash in the grinning pumpkin
head of the dummy; but a sudden
thought made her pause, the uplifted
stick left motionless in the
air.
"Why, here is a good chance
to try my new powder!" said she,
eagerly. "And then I can tell
whether that crooked wizard has
fairly traded secrets, or whether
he has fooled me as wickedly
as I fooled him." So she set
down her basket and began fumbling
in it for one of the precious
powders she had obtained.
While Mombi was thus occupied
Tip strolled back, with his pockets
full of nuts, and discovered
the old woman standing beside
his man and apparently not the
least bit frightened by it.
At first he was generally disappointed;
but the next moment he became
curious to know what Mombi was
going to do. So he hid behind
a hedge, where he could see without
being seen, and prepared to watch.
After some search the woman
drew from her basket an old pepper-box,
upon the faded label of which
the wizard had written with a
lead-pencil:
"Powder of
Life."
"Ah -- here it is!" she cried,
joyfully. "And now let us see
if it is potent. The stingy wizard
didn't give me much of it, but
I guess there's enough for two
or three doses."
Tip was much surprised when
he overheard this speech. Then
he saw old Mombi raise her arm
and sprinkle the powder from
the box over the pumpkin head
of his man Jack. She did this
in the same way one would pepper
a baked potato, and the powder
sifted down from Jack's head
and scattered over the red shirt
and pink waistcoat and purple
trousers Tip had dressed him
in, and a portion even fell upon
the patched and worn shoes.
Then, putting the pepper-box
back into the basket, Mombi lifted
her left hand, with its little
finger pointed upward, and said:
"Weaugh!"
Then she lifted her right hand,
with the thumb pointed upward,
and said:
"Teaugh!"
Then she lifted both hands,
with all the fingers and thumbs
spread out, and cried:
"Peaugh!"
Jack Pumpkinhead stepped back
a pace, at this, and said in
a reproachful voice:
"Don't yell
like that! Do you think I'm
deaf?"
Old Mombi danced around him,
frantic with delight.
"He lives!" she screamed: "He
lives! he lives!"
Then she threw her stick into
the air and caught it as it came
down; and she hugged herself
with both arms, and tried to
do a step of a jig; and all the
time she repeated, rapturously:
"He lives!
-- he lives! -- he lives!"
Now you may well suppose that
Tip observed all this with amazement.
At first he was so frightened
and horrified that he wanted
to run away, but his legs trembled
and shook so badly that he couldn't.
Then it struck him as a very
funny thing for Jack to come
to life, especially as the expression
on his pumpkin face was so droll
and comical it excited laughter
on the instant. So, recovering
from his first fear, Tip began
to laugh; and the merry peals
reached old Mombi's ears and
made her hobble quickly to the
hedge, where she seized Tip's
collar and dragged him back to
where she had left her basket
and the pumpkinheaded man.
"You naughty, sneaking, wicked
boy!" she exclaimed, furiously:" I'll
teach you to spy out my secrets
and to make fun of me!"
"I wasn't making fun of you," protested
Tip. "I was laughing at old Pumpkinhead!
Look at him! Isn't he a picture,
though?"
"I hope you are not reflecting
on my personal appearance," said
Jack; and it was so funny to
hear his grave voice, while his
face continued to wear its jolly
smile, that Tip again burst into
a peal of laughter.
Even Mombi was not without
a curious interest in the man
her magic had brought to life;
for, after staring at him intently,
she presently asked:
"What do you
know?"
"Well, that is hard to tell," replied
Jack. "For although I feel that
I know a tremendous lot, I am
not yet aware how much there
is in the world to find out about.
It will take me a little time
to discover whether I am very
wise or very foolish."
"To be sure," said
Mombi, thoughtfully.
"But what are you going to
do with him, now he is alive?" asked
Tip, wondering.
"I must think it over," answered
Mombi. "But we must get home
at once, for it is growing dark.
Help the Pumpkinhead to walk."
"Never mind me," said Jack; "I
can walk as well as you can.
Haven't I got legs and feet,
and aren't they jointed?"
"Are they?" asked
the woman, turning to Tip.
"Of course they are; I made
'em myself," returned the boy,
with pride.
So they started for the house,
but when they reached the farm
yard old Mombi led the pumpkin
man to the cow stable and shut
him up in an empty stall, fastening
the door securely on the outside.
"I've got to attend to you,
first," she said, nodding her
head at Tip.
Hearing this, the boy became
uneasy; for he
knew Mombi had a bad and revengeful
heart, and would not hesitate
to do any evil thing.
They entered the house. It
was a round, domeshaped structure,
as are nearly all the farm houses
in the Land of Oz.
Mombi bade the boy light a
candle, while she put her basket
in a cupboard and hung her cloak
on a peg. Tip obeyed quickly,
for he was afraid of her.
After the candle had been lighted
Mombi ordered him to build a
fire in the hearth, and while
Tip was thus engaged the old
woman ate her supper. When the
flames began to crackle the boy
came to her and asked a share
of the bread and cheese; but
Mombi refused him.
"I'm hungry!" said
Tip, in a sulky tone.
"You won't be hungry long," replied
Mombi, with a grim look.
The boy didn't like this speech,
for it sounded like a threat;
but he happened to remember he
had nuts in his pocket, so he
cracked some of those and ate
them while the woman rose, shook
the crumbs from her apron, and
hung above the fire a small black
kettle.
Then she measured out equal
parts of milk and vinegar and
poured them into the kettle.
Next she
produced several packets of
herbs and powders and began adding
a portion of each to the contents
of the kettle. Occasionally she
would draw near the candle and
read from a yellow paper the
recipe of the mess she was concocting.
As Tip watched her his uneasiness
increased.
"What is that for?" he
asked.
"For you," returned
Mombi, briefly.
Tip wriggled around upon his
stool and stared awhile at the
kettle, which was beginning to
bubble. Then he would glance
at the stern and wrinkled features
of the witch and wish he were
any place but in that dim and
smoky kitchen, where even the
shadows cast by the candle upon
the wall were enough to give
one the horrors. So an hour passed
away, during which the silence
was only broken by the bubbling
of the pot and the hissing of
the flames.
Finally, Tip spoke again.
"Have I got to drink that stuff?" he
asked, nodding toward the pot.
"Yes," said
Mombi.
"What'll it do to me?" asked
Tip.
"If it's properly made," replied
Mombi, "it will change or transform
you into a marble statue."
Tip groaned, and wiped the
perspiration from his forehead
with his sleeve.
"I don't want to be a marble
statue!" he protested.
"That doesn't matter I want
you to be one," said the old
woman, looking at him severely.
"What use'll I be then?" asked
Tip. "There won't be any one
to work for you."
"I'll make the Pumpkinhead
work for me," said Mombi.
Again Tip groaned.
"Why don't you change me into
a goat, or a chicken?" he asked,
anxiously. "You can't do anything
with a marble statue."
"Oh, yes, I can," returned
Mombi. "I'm going to plant a
flower garden, next Spring, and
I'll put you in the middle of
it, for an ornament. I wonder
I haven't thought of that before;
you've been a bother to me for
years."
At this terrible speech Tip
felt the beads of perspiration
starting all over his body. but
he sat still and shivered and
looked anxiously at the kettle.
"Perhaps it won't work," he
mutttered, in a voice that sounded
weak and discouraged.
"Oh, I think it will," answered
Mombi, cheerfully. "I seldom
make a mistake."
Again there was a period of
silence a silence so long and
gloomy that when Mombi finally
lifted the kettle from the fire
it was close to midnight.
"You cannot drink it until
it has become quite cold," announced
the old witch for in spite of
the law she had acknowledged
practising witchcraft. "We must
both go to bed now, and at daybreak
I will call you and at once complete
your transformation into a marble
statue."
With this she hobbled into
her room, bearing the steaming
kettle with her, and Tip heard
her close and lock the door.
The boy did not go to bed,
as he had been commanded to do,
but still sat glaring at the
embers of the dying fire.
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