The yellow hen, stepping high
and with an air of vast importance,
walked slowly over the rich velvet
carpets of the splendid palace,
examining everything she met
with her sharp little eyes.
Billina had a right to feel
important; for she alone shared
the Nome King's secret and knew
how to tell the objects that
were transformations from those
that had never been alive. She
was very sure that her guesses
would be correct, but before
she began to make them she was
curious to behold all the magnificence
of this underground palace, which
was perhaps one of the most splendid
and beautiful places in any fairyland.
As she went through the rooms
she counted the purple ornaments;
and although some were small
and hidden in queer places, Billina
spied them all, and found the
entire ten scattered about the
various rooms. The green ornaments
she did not bother to count,
for she thought she could find
them all when the time came.
Finally, having
made a survey of the entire
palace and enjoyed
its splendor, the yellow hen
returned to one of the rooms
where she had noticed a large
purple footstool. She placed
a claw upon this and said "Ev," and
at once the footstool vanished
and a lovely lady, tall and slender
and most beautifully robed, stood
before her.
The lady's eyes were round
with astonishment for a moment,
for she could not remember her
transformation, nor imagine what
had restored her to life.
"Good morning, ma'am," said
Billina, in her sharp voice. "You're
looking quite well, considering
your age."
"Who speaks?" demanded
the Queen of Ev, drawing herself
up proudly.
"Why, my name's Bill, by rights," answered
the hen, who was now perched
upon the back of a chair; "although
Dorothy has put scollops on it
and made it Billina. But the
name doesn't matter. I've saved
you from the Nome King, and you
are a slave no longer."
"Then I thank you for the gracious
favor," said the Queen, with
a graceful courtesy. "But, my
children--tell me, I beg of you--where
are my children?" and she clasped
her hands in anxious entreaty.
"Don't worry," advised Billina,
pecking at a tiny bug that was
crawling over the chair back. "Just
at present they are out of mischief
and perfectly safe, for they
can't even wiggle."
"What mean you, O kindly stranger?" asked
the Queen, striving to repress
her anxiety.
"They're enchanted," said Billina, "just
as you have been--all, that is,
except the little fellow Dorothy
picked out. And the chances are
that they have been good boys
and girls for some time, because
they couldn't help it."
"Oh, my poor darlings!" cried
the Queen, with a sob of anguish.
"Not at all," returned the
hen. "Don't let their condition
make you unhappy, ma'am, because
I'll soon have them crowding
'round to bother and worry you
as naturally as ever. Come with
me, if you please, and I'll show
you how pretty they look."
She flew down from her perch
and walked into the next room,
the Queen following. As she passed
a low table a small green grasshopper
caught her eye, and instantly
Billina pounced upon it and snapped
it up in her sharp bill. For
grasshoppers are a favorite food
with hens, and they usually must
be caught quickly, before they
can hop away. It might easily
have been the end of Ozma of
Oz, had she been a real grasshopper
instead of an emerald one. But
Billina found the grasshopper
hard and lifeless, and suspecting
it was not good to eat she quickly
dropped it instead of letting
it slide down her throat.
"I might have known better," she
muttered to herself, "for where
there is no grass there can be
no live grasshoppers. This is
probably one of the King's transformations."
A moment later she approached
one of the purple ornaments,
and while the Queen watched her
curiously the hen broke the Nome
King's enchantment and a sweet-faced
girl, whose golden hair fell
in a cloud over her shoulders,
stood beside them.
"Evanna!" cried the Queen, "my
own Evanna!" and she clasped
the girl to her bosom and covered
her face with kisses.
"That's all right," said Billina,
contentedly. "Am I a good guesser,
Mr. Nome King? Well, I guess!"
Then she disenchanted another
girl, whom the Queen addressed
as Evrose, and afterwards a boy
named Evardo, who was older than
his brother Evring. Indeed, the
yellow hen kept the good Queen
exclaiming and embracing for
some time, until five Princesses
and four Princes, all looking
very much alike except for the
difference in size, stood in
a row beside their happy mother.
The Princesses were named,
Evanna, Evrose, Evella, Evirene
and Evedna, while the Princes
were Evrob, Evington, Evardo
and Evroland. Of these Evardo
was the eldest and would inherit
his father's throne and be crowned
King of Ev when he returned to
his own country. He was a grave
and quiet youth, and would doubtless
rule his people wisely and with
justice.
Billina, having restored all
of the royal family of Ev to
their proper forms, now began
to select the green ornaments
which were the transformations
of the people of Oz. She had
little trouble in finding these,
and before long all the twenty-six
officers, as well as the private,
were gathered around the yellow
hen, joyfully congratulating
her upon their release. The thirty-seven
people who were now alive in
the rooms of the palace knew
very well that they owed their
freedom to the cleverness of
the yellow hen, and they were
earnest in thanking her for saving
them from the magic of the Nome
King.
"Now," said Billina, "I
must find Ozma. She is sure
to be
here, somewhere, and of course
she is green, being from Oz.
So look around, you stupid soldiers,
and help me in my search."
For a while, however, they
could discover nothing more that
was green. But the Queen, who
had kissed all her nine children
once more and could now find
time to take an interest in what
was going on, said to the hen:
"Mayhap, my
gentle friend, it is the grasshopper
whom you
seek."
"Of course it's the grasshopper!" exclaimed
Billina. "I declare, I'm nearly
as stupid as these brave soldiers.
Wait here for me, and I'll go
back and get it."
So she went into the room where
she had seen the grasshopper,
and presently Ozma of Oz, as
lovely and dainty as ever, entered
and approached the Queen of Ev,
greeting her as one high born
princess greets another.
"But where are my friends,
the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman?" asked
the girl Ruler, when these courtesies
had been exchanged.
"I'll hunt them up," replied
Billina. "The Scarecrow is solid
gold, and so is Tiktok; but I
don't exactly know what the Tin
Woodman is, because the Nome
King said he had been transformed
into something funny."
Ozma eagerly assisted the hen
in her quest, and soon the Scarecrow
and the machine man, being ornaments
of shining gold, were discovered
and restored to their accustomed
forms. But, search as they might,
in no place could they find a
funny ornament that might be
the transformation of the Tin
Woodman.
"Only one thing can be done," said
Ozma, at last, "and that is to
return to the Nome King and oblige
him to tell us what has become
of our friend."
"Perhaps he won't," suggested
Billina.
"He must," returned Ozma, firmly. "The
King has not treated us honestly,
for under the mask of fairness
and good nature he entrapped
us all, and we would have been
forever enchanted had not our
wise and clever friend, the yellow
hen, found a way to save us."
"The King is a villain," declared
the Scarecrow.
"His laugh is worse than another
man's frown," said the private,
with a shudder.
"I thought he was hon-est,
but I was mis-tak-en," remarked
Tiktok. "My thoughts are us-u-al-ly
cor-rect, but it is Smith & Tin-ker's
fault if they some-times go wrong
or do not work prop-er-ly."
"Smith & Tinker made a very
good job of you," said Ozma,
kindly. "I do not think they
should be blamed if you are not
quite perfect."
"Thank you," replied
Tiktok.
"Then," said Billina, in her
brisk little voice, "let us all
go back to the Nome King, and
see what he has to say for himself."
So they started for the entrance,
Ozma going first, with the Queen
and her train of little Princes
and Princesses following. Then
came Tiktok, and the Scarecrow
with Billina perched upon his
straw-stuffed shoulder. The twenty-seven
officers and the private brought
up the rear.
As they reached the hall the
doors flew open before them;
but then they all stopped and
stared into the domed cavern
with faces of astonishment and
dismay. For the room was filled
with the mail-clad warriors of
the Nome King, rank after rank
standing in orderly array. The
electric lights upon their brows
gleamed brightly, their battle-axes
were poised as if to strike down
their foes; yet they remained
motionless as statues, awaiting
the word of command.
And in the center of this terrible
army sat the little King upon
his throne of rock. But he neither
smiled nor laughed. Instead,
his face was distorted with rage,
and most dreadful to behold.
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