Next
morning Dorothy's breakfast
was served in her own pretty
sitting room, and she sent
to invite Polly and the shaggy
man to join her and Button-Bright
at the meal. They came gladly,
and Toto also had breakfast
with them, so that the little
party that had traveled together
to Oz was once more reunited.
No sooner had they finished
eating than they heard the
distant blast of many trumpets,
and the sound of a brass band
playing martial music; so they
all went out upon the balcony.
This was at the front of the
palace and overlooked the streets
of the City, being higher than
the wall that shut in the palace
grounds. They saw approaching
down the street a band of musicians,
playing as hard and loud as
they could, while the people
of the Emerald City crowded
the sidewalks and cheered so
lustily that they almost drowned
the noise of the drums and
horns.
Dorothy looked to see what
they were cheering at, and
discovered that behind the
band was the famous Scarecrow,
riding proudly upon the back
of a wooden Saw-Horse which
pranced along the street almost
as gracefully as if it had
been made of flesh. Its hoofs,
or rather the ends of its wooden
legs, were shod with plates
of solid gold, and the saddle
strapped to the wooden body
was richly embroidered and
glistened with jewels.
As he reached the palace
the Scarecrow looked up and
saw Dorothy, and at once waved
his peaked hat at her in greeting.
He rode up to the front door
and dismounted, and the band
stopped playing and went away
and the crowds of people returned
to their dwellings.
By the time Dorothy and her
friends had re-entered her
room, the Scarecrow was there,
and he gave the girl a hearty
embrace and shook the hands
of the others with his own
squashy hands, which were white
gloves filled with straw.
The shaggy man, Button-Bright,
and Polychrome stared hard
at this celebrated person,
who was acknowledged to be
the most popular and most beloved
man in all the Land of Oz.
"Why, your face has been
newly painted!" exclaimed Dorothy,
when the first greetings were
over.
"I had it touched up a bit
by the Munchkin farmer who
first made me," answered the
Scarecrow, pleasantly. "My
complexion had become a bit
grey and faded, you know, and
the paint had peeled off one
end of my mouth, so I couldn't
talk quite straight. Now I
feel like myself again, and
I may say without immodesty
that my body is stuffed with
the loveliest oat-straw in
all Oz." He pushed against
his chest. "Hear me crunkle?" he
asked.
"Yes," said Dorothy; "you
sound fine."
Button-Bright was wonderfully
attracted by the strawman,
and so was Polly. The shaggy
man treated him with great
respect, because he was so
queerly made.
Jellia Jamb now came to say
that Ozma wanted Princess Dorothy
to receive the invited guests
in the Throne-Room, as they
arrived. The Ruler was herself
busy ordering the preparations
for the morrow's festivities,
so she wished her friend to
act in her place.
Dorothy willingly agreed,
being the only other Princess
in the Emerald City; so she
went to the great Throne-Room
and sat in Ozma's seat, placing
Polly on one side of her and
Button-Bright on the other.
The Scarecrow stood at the
left of the throne and the
Tin Woodman at the right, while
the Wonderful Wizard and the
shaggy man stood behind.
The Cowardly Lion and the
Hungry Tiger came in, with
bright new bows of ribbon on
their collars and tails. After
greeting Dorothy affectionately
the huge beasts lay down at
the foot of the throne.
While they waited, the Scarecrow,
who was near the little boy,
asked:
"Why
are you
called
Button-Bright?"
"Don't know," was
the answer.
"Oh yes, you do, dear," said
Dorothy. "Tell the Scarecrow
how you got your name."
"Papa always said I was bright
as a button, so mama always
called me Button-Bright," announced
the boy.
"Where is your mama?" asked
the Scarecrow.
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
"Where is your home?" asked
the Scarecrow.
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
"Don't you want to find your
mama again?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright,
calmly.
The Scarecrow looked thoughtful.
"Your papa may have been
right," he observed; "but there
are many kinds of buttons,
you see. There are silver and
gold buttons, which are highly
polished and glitter brightly.
There are pearl and rubber
buttons, and other kinds, with
surfaces more or less bright.
But there is still another
sort of button which is covered
with dull cloth, and that must
be the sort your papa meant
when he said you were bright
as a button. Don't you think
so?"
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
Jack Pumpkinhead arrived,
wearing a pair of new, white
kid gloves; and he brought
a birthday present for Ozma
consisting of a necklace of
pumpkin-seeds. In each seed
was set a sparkling carolite,
which is considered the rarest
and most beautiful gem that
exists. The necklace was in
a plush case and Jellia Jamb
put it on a table with the
Princess Ozma's other presents.
Next came a tall, beautiful
woman clothed in a splendid
trailing gown, trimmed with
exquisite lace as fine as cobweb.
This was the important Sorceress
known as Glinda the Good, who
had been of great assistance
to both Ozma and Dorothy. There
was no humbug about her magic,
you may be sure, and Glinda
was as kind as she was powerful.
She greeted Dorothy most lovingly,
and kissed Button-Bright and
Polly, and smiled upon the
shaggy man, after which Jellia
Jamb led the Sorceress to one
of the most magnificent rooms
of the royal palace and appointed
fifty servants to wait upon
her.
The
next arrival
was Mr.
H. M. Woggle-Bug, T.E.; the "H.
M." meaning Highly Magnified
and the "T.E." meaning Thoroughly
Educated. The Woggle-Bug was
head professor at the Royal
College of Oz, and he had composed
a fine Ode in honor of Ozma's
birthday. This he wanted to
read to them; but the Scarecrow
wouldn't let him.
Soon
they heard
a clucking
sound and a chorus of "cheep!
cheep!" and a servant threw
open the door to allow Billina
and her ten fluffy chicks to
enter the Throne-Room. As the
Yellow Hen marched proudly
at the head of her family,
Dorothy cried, "Oh, you lovely
things!" and ran down from
her seat to pet the little
yellow downy balls. Billina
wore a pearl necklace, and
around the neck of each chicken
was a tiny gold chain holding
a locket with the letter "D" engraved
upon the outside.
"Open the lockets, Dorothy," said
Billina. The girl obeyed and
found a picture of herself
in each locket. "They were
named after you, my dear," continued
the Yellow Hen, "so I wanted
all my chickens to wear your
picture. Cluck--cluck! come
here, Dorothy--this minute!" she
cried, for the chickens were
scattered and wandering all
around the big room.
They obeyed the call at once,
and came running as fast as
they could, fluttering their
fluffy wings in a laughable
way.
It was lucky that Billina
gathered the little ones under
her soft breast just then,
for Tik-tok came in and tramped
up to the throne on his flat
copper feet.
"I am all wound up and work-ing
fine-ly," said the clock-work
man to Dorothy.
"I can hear him tick," declared
Button-Bright.
"You are quite the polished
gentleman," said the Tin Woodman. "Stand
up here beside the shaggy man,
Tik-tok, and help receive the
company."
Dorothy placed soft cushions
in a corner for Billina and
her chicks, and had just returned
to the Throne and seated herself
when the playing of the royal
band outside the palace announced
the approach of distinguished
guests.
And my, how they did stare
when the High Chamberlain threw
open the doors and the visitors
entered the Throne-Room!
First walked a gingerbread
man neatly formed and baked
to a lovely brown tint. He
wore a silk hat and carried
a candy cane prettily striped
with red and yellow. His shirt-front
and cuffs were white frosting,
and the buttons on his coat
were licorice drops.
Behind the gingerbread man
came a child with flaxen hair
and merry blue eyes, dressed
in white pajamas, with sandals
on the soles of its pretty
bare feet. The child looked
around smiling and thrust its
hands into the pockets of the
pajamas. Close after it came
a big rubber bear, walking
erect on its hind feet. The
bear had twinkling black eyes,
and its body looked as if it
had been pumped full of air.
Following these curious visitors
were two tall, thin men and
two short, fat men, all four
dressed in gorgeous uniforms.
Ozma's High Chamberlain now
hurried forward to announce
the names of the new arrivals,
calling out in a loud voice:
"His
Gracious
and Most
Edible
Majesty,
King Dough
the First,
Ruler of the Two Kingdoms of
Hiland and Loland. Also the
Head Boolywag of his Majesty,
known as Chick the Cherub,
and their faithful friend Para
Bruin, the rubber bear."
These great personages bowed
low as their names were called,
and Dorothy hastened to introduce
them to the assembled company.
They were the first foreign
arrivals, and the friends of
Princess Ozma were polite to
them and tried to make them
feel that they were welcome.
Chick the Cherub shook hands
with every one, including Billina,
and was so joyous and frank
and full of good spirits that
John Dough's Head Booleywag
at once became a prime favorite.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" whispered
Dorothy.
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
"Goodness me! what a queer
lot of people you are," exclaimed
the rubber bear, looking at
the assembled company.
"So're you," said Button-Bright,
gravely. "Is King Dough good
to eat?"
"He's too good to eat," laughed
Chick the Cherub.
"I hope none of you are fond
of gingerbread," said the King,
rather anxiously.
"We should never think of
eating our visitors, if we
were," declared the Scarecrow; "so
please do not worry, for you
will be perfectly safe while
you remain in Oz."
"Why do they call you Chick?" the
Yellow Hen asked the child.
"Because I'm an Incubator
Baby, and never had any parents," replied
the Head Booleywag.
"My chicks have a parent,
and I'm it," said Billina.
"I'm glad of that," answered
the Cherub, "because they'll
have more fun worrying you
than if they were brought up
in an Incubator. The Incubator
never worries, you know."
King John Dough had brought
for Ozma's birthday present
a lovely gingerbread crown,
with rows of small pearls around
it and a fine big pearl in
each of its five points. After
this had been received by Dorothy
with proper thanks and placed
on the table with the other
presents, the visitors from
Hiland and Loland were escorted
to their rooms by the High
Chamberlain.
They had no sooner departed
than the band before the palace
began to play again, announcing
more arrivals, and as these
were doubtless from foreign
parts the High Chamberlain
hurried back to receive them
in his most official manner.
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