Many servants dressed in handsome
uniforms stood ready to welcome
the new arrivals, and when
the Wizard got out of the buggy
a pretty girl in a green gown
cried out in surprise:
"Why,
it's Oz,
the Wonderful
Wizard, come back again!"
The little man looked at
her closely and then took both
the maiden's hands in his and
shook them cordially.
"On my word," he exclaimed, "it's
little Jellia Jamb--as pert
and pretty as ever!"
"Why not, Mr. Wizard?" asked
Jellia, bowing low. "But I'm
afraid you cannot rule the
Emerald City, as you used to,
because we now have a beautiful
Princess whom everyone loves
dearly."
"And the people will not
willingly part with her," added
a tall soldier in a Captain-General's
uniform.
The Wizard turned to look
at him.
"Did you not wear green whiskers
at one time?" he asked.
"Yes," said the soldier; "but
I shaved them off long ago,
and since then I have risen
from a private to be the Chief
General of the Royal Armies."
"That's nice," said the little
man. "But I assure you, my
good people, that I do not
wish to rule the Emerald City," he
added, earnestly.
"In that case you are very
welcome!" cried all the servants,
and it pleased the Wizard to
note the respect with which
the royal retainers bowed before
him. His fame had not been
forgotten in the Land of Oz,
by any means.
"Where is Dorothy?" enquired
Zeb, anxiously, as he left
the buggy and stood beside
his friend the little Wizard.
"She is with the Princess
Ozma, in the private rooms
of the palace," replied Jellia
Jamb. "But she has ordered
me to make you welcome and
to show you to your apartments."
The boy looked around him
with wondering eyes. Such magnificence
and wealth as was displayed
in this palace was more than
he had ever dreamed of, and
he could scarcely believe that
all the gorgeous glitter was
real and not tinsel.
"What's to become of me?" asked
the horse, uneasily. He had
seen considerable of life in
the cities in his younger days,
and knew that this regal palace
was no place for him.
It perplexed even Jellia
Jamb, for a time, to know what
to do with the animal. The
green maiden was much astonished
at the sight of so unusual
a creature, for horses were
unknown in this Land; but those
who lived in the Emerald City
were apt to be astonished by
queer sights, so after inspecting
the cab-horse and noting the
mild look in his big eyes the
girl decided not to be afraid
of him.
"There are no stables here," said
the Wizard, "unless some have
been built since I went away."
"We have never needed them
before," answered Jellia; "for
the Sawhorse lives in a room
of the palace, being much smaller
and more natural in appearance
than this great beast you have
brought with you."
"Do you mean that I'm a freak?" asked
Jim, angrily.
"Oh, no," she hastened to
say, "there may be many more
like you in the place you came
from, but in Oz any horse but
a Sawhorse is unusual."
This mollified Jim a little,
and after some thought the
green maiden decided to give
the cab-horse a room in the
palace, such a big building
having many rooms that were
seldom in use.
So Zeb unharnessed Jim, and
several of the servants then
led the horse around to the
rear, where they selected a
nice large apartment that he
could have all to himself.
Then Jellia said to the Wizard:
"Your
own room--which
was back
of the
great Throne
Room--has
been vacant ever since you
left us. Would you like it
again?"
"Yes, indeed!" returned the
little man. "It will seem like
being at home again, for I
lived in that room for many,
many years."
He knew the way to it, and
a servant followed him, carrying
his satchel. Zeb was also escorted
to a room--so grand and beautiful
that he almost feared to sit
in the chairs or lie upon the
bed, lest he might dim their
splendor. In the closets he
discovered many fancy costumes
of rich velvets and brocades,
and one of the attendants told
him to dress himself in any
of the clothes that pleased
him and to be prepared to dine
with the Princess and Dorothy
in an hour's time.
Opening from the chamber
was a fine bathroom having
a marble tub with perfumed
water; so the boy, still dazed
by the novelty of his surroundings,
indulged in a good bath and
then selected a maroon velvet
costume with silver buttons
to replace his own soiled and
much worn clothing. There were
silk stockings and soft leather
slippers with diamond buckles
to accompany his new costume,
and when he was fully dressed
Zeb looked much more dignified
and imposing than ever before
in his life.
He was all ready when an
attendant came to escort him
to the presence of the Princess;
he followed bashfully and was
ushered into a room more dainty
and attractive than it was
splendid. Here he found Dorothy
seated beside a young girl
so marvelously beautiful that
the boy stopped suddenly with
a gasp of admiration.
But Dorothy sprang up and
ran to seize her friend's hand
drawing him impulsively toward
the lovely Princess, who smiled
most graciously upon her guest.
Then the Wizard entered, and
his presence relieved the boy's
embarrassment. The little man
was clothed in black velvet,
with many sparkling emerald
ornaments decorating his breast;
but his bald head and wrinkled
features made him appear more
amusing than impressive.
Ozma had been quite curious
to meet the famous man who
had built the Emerald City
and united the Munchkins, Gillikins,
Quadlings and Winkies into
one people; so when they were
all four seated at the dinner
table the Princess said:
"Please
tell me,
Mr. Wizard,
whether you called yourself
Oz after this great country,
or whether you believe my country
is called Oz after you. It
is a matter that I have long
wished to enquire about, because
you are of a strange race and
my own name is Ozma. No, one,
I am sure, is better able to
explain this mystery than you."
"That is true," answered
the little Wizard; "therefore
it will give me pleasure to
explain my connection with
your country. In the first
place, I must tell you that
I was born in Omaha, and my
father, who was a politician,
named me Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig
Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel
Ambroise Diggs, Diggs being
the last name because he could
think of no more to go before
it. Taken altogether, it was
a dreadfully long name to weigh
down a poor innocent child,
and one of the hardest lessons
I ever learned was to remember
my own name. When I grew up
I just called myself O. Z.,
because the other initials
were P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that
spelled 'pinhead,' which was
a reflection on my intelligence."
"Surely no one could blame
you for cutting your name short," said
Ozma, sympathetically. "But
didn't you cut it almost too
short?"
"Perhaps so," replied the
Wizard. "When a young man I
ran away from home and joined
a circus. I used to call myself
a Wizard, and do tricks of
ventriloquism."
"What does that mean?" asked
the Princess.
"Throwing
my voice
into any
object I pleased, to make it
appear that the object was
speaking instead of me. Also
I began to make balloon ascensions.
On my balloon and on all the
other articles I used in the
circus I painted the two initials:
'O. Z.', to show that those
things belonged to me.
"One
day my
balloon
ran away
with me and brought me across
the deserts to this beautiful
country. When the people saw
me come from the sky they naturally
thought me some superior creature,
and bowed down before me. I
told them I was a Wizard, and
showed them some easy tricks
that amazed them; and when
they saw the initials painted
on the balloon they called
me Oz."
"Now I begin to understand," said
the Princess, smiling.
"At that time," continued
the Wizard, busily eating his
soup while talking, "there
were four separate countries
in this Land, each one of the
four being ruled by a Witch.
But the people thought my power
was greater than that of the
Witches; and perhaps the Witches
thought so too, for they never
dared oppose me. I ordered
the Emerald City to be built
just where the four countries
cornered together, and when
it was completed I announced
myself the Ruler of the Land
of Oz, which included all the
four countries of the Munchkins,
the Gillikins, the Winkies
and the Quadlings. Over this
Land I ruled in peace for many
years, until I grew old and
longed to see my native city
once again. So when Dorothy
was first blown to this place
by a cyclone I arranged to
go away with her in a balloon;
but the balloon escaped too
soon and carried me back alone.
After many adventures I reached
Omaha, only to find that all
my old friends were dead or
had moved away. So, having
nothing else to do, I joined
a circus again, and made my
balloon ascensions until the
earthquake caught me."
"That is quite a history," said
Ozma; "but there is a little
more history about the Land
of Oz that you do not seem
to understand--perhaps for
the reason that no one ever
told it you. Many years before
you came here this Land was
united under one Ruler, as
it is now, and the Ruler's
name was always 'Oz,' which
means in our language 'Great
and Good'; or, if the Ruler
happened to be a woman, her
name was always 'Ozma.' But
once upon a time four Witches
leagued together to depose
the king and rule the four
parts of the kingdom themselves;
so when the Ruler, my grandfather,
was hunting one day, one Wicked
Witch named Mombi stole him
and carried him away, keeping
him a close prisoner. Then
the Witches divided up the
kingdom, and ruled the four
parts of it until you came
here. That was why the people
were so glad to see you, and
why they thought from your
initials that you were their
rightful ruler."
"But, at that time," said
the Wizard, thoughtfully, "there
were two Good Witches and two
Wicked Witches ruling in the
land."
"Yes," replied Ozma, "because
a good Witch had conquered
Mombi in the North and Glinda
the Good had conquered the
evil Witch in the South. But
Mombi was still my grandfather's
jailor, and afterward my father's
jailor. When I was born she
transformed me into a boy,
hoping that no one would ever
recognize me and know that
I was the rightful Princess
of the Land of Oz. But I escaped
from her and am now the Ruler
of my people."
"I am very glad of that," said
the Wizard, "and hope you will
consider me one of your most
faithful and devoted subjects."
"We owe a great deal to the
Wonderful Wizard," continued
the Princess, "for it was you
who built this splendid Emerald
City."
"Your people built it," he
answered. "I only bossed the
job, as we say in Omaha."
"But you ruled it wisely
and well for many years," said
she, "and made the people proud
of your magical art. So, as
you are now too old to wander
abroad and work in a circus,
I offer you a home here as
long as you live. You shall
be the Official Wizard of my
kingdom, and be treated with
every respect and consideration."
"I accept your kind offer
with gratitude, gracious Princess," the
little man said, in a soft
voice, and they could all see
that tear-drops were standing
in his keen old eyes. It meant
a good deal to him to secure
a home like this.
"He's only a humbug Wizard,
though," said Dorothy, smiling
at him.
"And that is the safest kind
of a Wizard to have," replied
Ozma, promptly.
"Oz can do some good tricks,
humbug or no humbug," announced
Zeb, who was now feeling more
at ease.
"He shall amuse us with his
tricks tomorrow," said the
Princess. "I have sent messengers
to summon all of Dorothy's
old friends to meet her and
give her welcome, and they
ought to arrive very soon,
now."
Indeed, the dinner was no
sooner finished than in rushed
the Scarecrow, to hug Dorothy
in his padded arms and tell
her how glad he was to see
her again. The Wizard was also
most heartily welcomed by the
straw man, who was an important
personage in the Land of Oz.
"How are your brains?" enquired
the little humbug, as he grasped
the soft, stuffed hands of
his old friend.
"Working finely," answered
the Scarecrow. "I'm very certain,
Oz, that you gave me the best
brains in the world, for I
can think with them day and
night, when all other brains
are fast asleep."
"How long did you rule the
Emerald City, after I left
here?" was the next question.
"Quite
awhile,
until I
was conquered
by a girl
named General
Jinjur. But Ozma soon conquered
her, with the help of Glinda
the Good, and after that I
went to live with Nick Chopper,
the Tin Woodman."
Just then a loud cackling
was heard outside; and, when
a servant threw open the door
with a low bow, a yellow hen
strutted in. Dorothy sprang
forward and caught the fluffy
fowl in her arms, uttering
at the same time a glad cry.
"Oh, Billina!" she said; "how
fat and sleek you've grown."
"Why shouldn't I?" asked
the hen, in a sharp, clear
voice. "I live on the fat of
the land--don't I, Ozma?"
"You have everything you
wish for," said the Princess.
Around Billina's neck was
a string of beautiful pearls,
and on her legs were bracelets
of emeralds. She nestled herself
comfortably in Dorothy's lap
until the kitten gave a snarl
of jealous anger and leaped
up with a sharp claw fiercely
bared to strike Billina a blow.
But the little girl gave the
angry kitten such a severe
cuff that it jumped down again
without daring to scratch.
"How horrid of you, Eureka!" cried
Dorothy. "Is that the way to
treat my friends?"
"You have queer friends,
seems to me," replied the kitten,
in a surly tone.
"Seems to me the same way," said
Billina, scornfully, "if that
beastly cat is one of them."
"Look here!" said Dorothy,
sternly. "I won't have any
quarrelling in the Land of
Oz, I can tell you! Everybody
lives in peace here, and loves
everybody else; and unless
you two, Billina and Eureka,
make up and be friends, I'll
take my Magic Belt and wish
you both home again, IMMEJITLY.
So, there!"
They were both much frightened
at the threat, and promised
meekly to be good. But it was
never noticed that they became
very warm friends, for all
of that.
And now the Tin Woodman arrived,
his body most beautifully nickle-plated,
so that it shone splendidly
in the brilliant light of the
room. The Tin Woodman loved
Dorothy most tenderly, and
welcomed with joy the return
of the little old Wizard.
"Sir," said he to the latter, "I
never can thank you enough
for the excellent heart you
once gave me. It has made me
many friends, I assure you,
and it beats as kindly and
lovingly today as it every
did."
"I'm glad to hear that," said
the Wizard. "I was afraid it
would get moldy in that tin
body of yours."
"Not at all," returned Nick
Chopper. "It keeps finely,
being preserved in my air-tight
chest."
Zeb was a little shy when
first introduced to these queer
people; but they were so friendly
and sincere that he soon grew
to admire them very much, even
finding some good qualities
in the yellow hen. But he became
nervous again when the next
visitor was announced.
"This," said Princess Ozma, "is
my friend Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug,
T. E., who assisted me one
time when I was in great distress,
and is now the Dean of the
Royal College of Athletic Science."
"Ah," said the Wizard; "I'm
pleased to meet so distinguished
a personage."
"H. M.," said the Woggle-Bug,
pompously, "means Highly Magnified;
and T. E. means Thoroughly
Educated. I am, in reality,
a very big bug, and doubtless
the most intelligent being
in all this broad domain."
"How well you disguise it," said
the Wizard. "But I don't doubt
your word in the least."
"Nobody doubts it, sir," replied
the Woggle-Bug, and drawing
a book from its pocket the
strange insect turned its back
on the company and sat down
in a corner to read.
Nobody minded this rudeness,
which might have seemed more
impolite in one less thoroughly
educated; so they straightway
forgot him and joined in a
merry conversation that kept
them well amused until bed-time
arrived.
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