The boy was so bewildered by
this calamity that he made no
resistance at all. He knew very
well he was guilty, but it surprised
him that Ozma also knew it. He
wondered how she had found out
so soon that he had picked the
six-leaved clover. He handed
his basket to Scraps and said:
"Keep that,
until I get out of prison.
If I never get out,
take it to the Crooked Magician,
to whom it belongs."
The Shaggy Man had been gazing
earnestly in the boy's face,
uncertain whether to defend him
or not; but something he read
in Ojo's expression made him
draw back and refuse to interfere
to save him. The Shaggy Man was
greatly surprised and grieved,
but he knew that Ozma never made
mistakes and so Ojo must really
have broken the Law of Oz.
The Soldier with the Green
Whiskers now led them all through
the gate and into a little room
built in the wall. Here sat a
jolly little man, richly dressed
in green and having around his
neck a heavy gold chain to which
a number of great golden keys
were attached. This was the Guardian
of the Gate and at the moment
they entered his room he was
playing a tune upon a mouth-organ.
"Listen!" he said, holding
up his hand for silence. "I've
just composed a tune called 'The
Speckled Alligator.' It's in
patch-time, which is much superior
to rag-time, and I've composed
it in honor of the Patchwork
Girl, who has just arrived."
"How did you know I had arrived?" asked
Scraps, much interested.
"It's my business
to know who's coming, for I'm
the Guardian
of the Gate. Keep quiet while
I play you 'The Speckled Alligator.'"
It wasn't a very bad tune,
nor a very good one, but all
listened respectfully while he
shut his eyes and swayed his
head from side to side and blew
the notes from the little instrument.
When it was all over the Soldier
with the Green Whiskers said:
"Guardian,
I have here a prisoner."
"Good gracious! A prisoner?" cried
the little man, jumping up from
his chair. "Which one? Not the
Shaggy Man?"
"No; this boy."
"Ah; I hope his fault is as
small as himself," said the Guardian
of the Gate. "But what can he
have done, and what made him
do it?"
"Can't say," replied the soldier. "All
I know is that he has broken
the Law."
"But no one
ever does that!"
"Then he must
be innocent, and soon will
be released. I
hope you are right, Guardian.
Just now I am ordered to take
him to prison. Get me a prisoner's
robe from your Official Wardrobe."
The Guardian unlocked a closet
and took from it a white robe,
which the soldier threw over
Ojo. It covered him from head
to foot, but had two holes just
in front of his eyes, so he could
see where to go. In this attire
the boy presented a very quaint
appearance.
As the Guardian unlocked a
gate leading from his room into
the streets of the Emerald City,
the Shaggy Man said to Scraps:
"I think I
shall take you directly to
Dorothy, as the Scarecrow
advised, and the Glass Cat and
the Woozy may come with us. Ojo
must go to prison with the Soldier
with the Green Whiskers, but
he will he well treated and you
need not worry about him."
"What will they do with him?" asked
Scraps.
"That I cannot
tell. Since I came to the Land
of Oz no one
has ever been arrested or imprisoned--
until Ojo broke the Law."
"Seems to me that girl Ruler
of yours is making a big fuss
over nothing," remarked Scraps,
tossing her yarn hair out of
her eyes with a jerk of her patched
head. "I don't know what Ojo
has done, but it couldn't be
anything very, bad, for you and
I were with him all the time."
The Shaggy Man made no reply
to this speech and presently
the Patchwork Girl forgot all
about Ojo in her admiration of
the wonderful city she had entered.
They soon separated from the
Munchkin boy, who was led by
the Soldier with the Green Whiskers
down a side street toward the
prison. Ojo felt very miserable
and greatly ashamed of himself,
but he was beginning to grow
angry because he was treated
in such a disgraceful manner.
Instead of entering the splendid
Emerald City as a respectable
traveler who was entitled to
a welcome and to hospitality,
he was being brought in as a
criminal, handcuffed and in a
robe that told all he met of
his deep disgrace.
Ojo was by nature gentle and
affectionate and if he had disobeyed
the Law of Oz it was to restore
his dear Unc Nunkie to life.
His fault was more thoughtless
than wicked, but that did not
alter the fact that he had committed
a fault. At first he had felt
sorrow and remorse, but the more
he thought about the unjust treatment
he had received--unjust merely
because he considered it so--the
more he resented his arrest,
blaming Ozma for making foolish
laws and then punishing folks
who broke them. Only a six-leaved
clover! A tiny green plant growing
neglected and trampled under
foot. What harm could there be
in picking it? Ojo began to think
Ozma must be a very bad and oppressive
Ruler for such a lovely fairyland
as Oz. The Shaggy Man said the
people loved her; but how could
they?
The little Munchkin boy was
so busy thinking these things--which
many guilty prisoners have thought
before him--that he scarcely
noticed all the splendor of the
city streets through which they
passed. Whenever they met any
of the happy, smiling people,
the boy turned his head away
in shame, although none knew
who was beneath the robe.
By and by they reached a house
built just beside the great city
wall, but in a quiet, retired
place. It was a pretty house,
neatly painted and with many
windows. Before it was a garden
filled with blooming flowers.
The Soldier with the Green Whiskers
led Ojo up the gravel path to
the front door, on which he knocked.
A woman opened the door and,
seeing Ojo in his white robe,
exclaimed:
"Goodness me!
A prisoner at last. But what
a small one, Soldier."
"The size doesn't matter, Tollydiggle,
my dear. The fact remains that
he is a prisoner," said the soldier. "And,
this being the prison, and you
the jailer, it is my duty to
place the prisoner in your charge."
"True. Come
in, then, and I'll give you
a receipt for him."
They entered the house and
passed through a hall to a large
circular room, where the woman
pulled the robe off from Ojo
and looked at him with kindly
interest. The boy, on his part,
was gazing around him in amazement,
for never had he dreamed of such
a magnificent apartment as this
in which he stood. The roof of
the dome was of colored glass,
worked into beautiful designs.
The walls were paneled with plates
of
gold decorated with gems of
great size and many colors, and
upon the tiled floor were soft
rags delightful to walk upon.
The furniture was framed in gold
and upholstered in satin brocade
and it consisted of easy chairs,
divans and stools in great variety.
Also there were several tables
with mirror tops and cabinets
filled with rare and curious
things. In one place a case filled
with books stood against the
wall, and elsewhere Ojo saw a
cupboard containing all sorts
of games.
"May I stay here a little while
before I go to prison?" asked
the boy, pleadingly.
"Why, this is your prison," replied
Tollydiggle, "and in me behold
your jailor. Take off those handcuffs,
Soldier, for it is impossible
for anyone to escape from this
house."
"I know that very well," replied
the soldier and at once unlocked
the handcuffs and released the
prisoner.
The woman touched a button
on the wall and lighted a big
chandelier that hung suspended
from the ceiling, for it was
growing dark outside. Then she
seated herself at a desk and
asked:
"What name?"
"Ojo the Unlucky," answered
the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.
"Unlucky? Ah, that accounts
for it," said she. "What crime?"
"Breaking a
Law of Oz."
"All right. There's your receipt,
Soldier; and now I'm responsible
for the prisoner. I'm glad of
it, for this is the first time
I've ever had anything to do,
in my official capacity," remarked
the jailer, in a pleased tone.
"It's the same with me, Tollydiggle," laughed
the soldier. "But my task is
finished and I must go and report
to Ozma that I've done my duty
like a faithful Police Force,
a loyal Army and an honest Body-Guard--as
I hope I am."
Saying this, be nodded farewell
to Tollydiggle and Ojo and went
away.
"Now, then," said the woman
briskly, "I must get you some
supper, for you are doubtless
hungry. What would you prefer:
planked whitefish, omelet with
jelly or mutton-chops with gravy?"
Ojo thought
about it. Then he said: "I'll
take the chops, if you please."
"Very well; amuse yourself
while I'm gone; I won't be long," and
then she went out by a door and
left the prisoner alone.
Ojo was much astonished, for
not only was this unlike any
prison he had ever heard of,
but he was being treated more
as a guest than a criminal. There
were many windows and they bad
no locks. There were three doors
to the room and none were bolted.
He cautiously opened one of the
doors and found it led into a
hallway. But he had no intention
of trying to escape. If his jailor
was willing to trust him in this
way he would not betray her trust,
and moreover a hot supper was
being prepared for him and his
prison was very pleasant and
comfortable. So he took a book
from the case and sat down in
a big chair to look at the pictures.
This amused him until the woman
came in with a large tray and
spread a cloth on one of the
tables. Then she arranged his
supper, which proved the most
varied and delicious meal Ojo
had ever eaten in his life.
Tollydiggle sat near him while
he ate, sewing on some fancy
work she held in her lap. When
he had finished she cleared the
table and then read to him a
story from one of the books.
"Is this really a prison?" he
asked, when she had finished
reading.
"Indeed it is," she replied. "It
is the only prison in the Land
of Oz."
"And am I a
prisoner?"
"Bless the
child! Of course."
"Then why is the prison so
fine, and why are you so kind
to me?" he earnestly asked.
Tollydiggle seemed surprised
by the question, but she presently
answered:
"We consider
a prisoner unfortunate. He
is unfortunate in two ways--because
he has done something wrong and
because he is deprived of his
liberty. Therefore we should
treat him kindly, because of
his misfortune, for otherwise
he would become hard and bitter
and would not be sorry he had
done wrong. Ozma thinks that
one who has committed a fault
did so because he was not strong
and brave; therefore she puts
him in prison to make him strong
and brave. When that is accomplished
he is no longer a prisoner, but
a good and loyal citizen and
everyone is glad that he is now
strong enough to resist doing
wrong. You see, it is kindness
that makes one strong and brave;
and so we are kind to our prisoners."
Ojo thought
this over very carefully. "I had an idea," said
he, "that prisoners were always
treated harshly, to punish them."
"That would be dreadful!" cried
Tollydiggle. "Isn't one punished
enough in knowing he has done
wrong? Don't you wish, Ojo, with
all your heart, that you had
not been disobedient and broken
a Law of Oz?"
"I--I hate to be different
from other people," he admitted.
"Yes; one likes to be respected
as highly as his neighbors are," said
the woman. "When you are tried
and found guilty, you will be
obliged to make amends, in some
way. I don't know just what Ozma
will do to you, because this
is the first time one of us has
broken a Law; but you may be
sure she will be just and merciful.
Here in the Emerald City people
are too happy and contented ever
to do wrong; but perhaps you
came from some faraway corner
of our land, and having no love
for Ozma carelessly broke one
of her Laws."
"Yes," said Ojo, "I've
lived all my life in the heart
of a
lonely forest, where I saw no
one but dear Unc Nunkie."
"I thought so," said Tollydiggle. "But
now we have talked enough, so
let us play a game until bedtime."
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