Approaching the gateway of
the Emerald City the travelers
found it guarded by two girls
of the Army of Revolt, who opposed
their entrance by drawing
the knitting-needles from their hair and threatening to prod the first that
came near.
But
the Tin Woodman
was not afraid."
At
the worst they
can but scratch
my beautiful nickel-plate," he
said. "But there will be no 'worst,'
for I think I can manage to frighten
these absurd soldiers very easily.
Follow me closely, all of you!"
Then, swinging his axe in a
great circle to right and left
before him, he advanced upon
the gate, and the others followed
him without hesitation.
The girls, who had expected
no resistance whatever, were
terrified by the sweep of the
glittering axe and fled screaming
into the city; so that our travelers
passed the gates in safety and
marched down the green marble
pavement of the wide street toward
the royal palace.
"At this rate we will soon
have your Majesty upon the throne
again," said the Tin Woodman,
laughing at his easy conquest
of the guards.
"Thank you, friend Nick," returned
the Scarecrow, gratefully. "Nothing
can resist your kind heart and
your sharp axe."
As they passed the rows of
houses they saw through the open
doors that men were sweeping
and dusting and washing dishes,
while the women sat around in
groups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the
Scarecrow asked
a sad-looking
man with
a bushy beard, who wore an apron
and was wheeling a baby-carriage
along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution,
your Majesty as you ought to
know very well," replied the
man; "and since you went away
the women have been running things
to suit themselves. I'm glad
you have decided to come back
and restore order, for doing
housework and minding the children
is wearing out the strength of
every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If
it is such hard work as you say,
how did the women manage it so
easily?"
"I really do not know" replied
the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps
the women are made of castiron."
No movement was made, as they
passed along the street, to oppose
their progress. Several of the
women stopped their gossip long
enough to cast curious looks
upon our friends, but immediately
they would turn away with a laugh
or a sneer and resume their chatter.
And when they met with several
girls belonging to the Army of
Revolt, those soldiers, instead
of being alarmed or appearing
surprised, merely stepped out
of the way and allowed them to
advance without protest.
This
action rendered
the Scarecrow
uneasy."
I'm
afraid we are
walking into
a trap," said he.
"Nonsense!" returned Nick Chopper,
confidently; "the silly creatures
are conquered already!"
But the Scarecrow shook his
head in a way that expressed
doubt, and Tip said:
"It's
too easy, altogether.
Look out for trouble ahead."
"I will," returned
his Majesty.
Unopposed they reached the royal
palace and marched up the marble
steps, which had once been thickly
crusted with emeralds but were
now filled with tiny holes where
the jewels had been ruthlessly
torn from their settings by the
Army of Revolt. And so far not
a rebel barred their way.
Through the arched hallways
and into the magnificent throne
room marched the Tin Woodman
and his followers, and here,
when the green silken curtains
fell behind them, they saw a
curious sight.
Seated within the glittering
throne was General Jinjur, with
the Scarecrow's second-best crown
upon her head, and the royal
sceptre in her right hand. A
box of caramels, from which she
was eating, rested in her lap,
and the girl seemed entirely
at ease in her royal surroundings.
The Scarecrow stepped forward
and confronted her, while the
Tin Woodman leaned upon his axe
and the others formed a half-circle
back of his Majesty's person.
"How dare you sit in my throne?" demanded
the Scarecrow, sternly eyeing
the intruder. "Don't you know
you are guilty of treason, and
that there is a law against treason?"
"The throne belongs to whoever
is able to take it," answered
Jinjur, as she slowly ate another
caramel. "I have taken it, as
you see; so just now I am the
Queen, and all who oppose me
are guilty of treason, and must
be punished by the law you have
just mentioned."
This view of the case puzzled
the Scarecrow.
"How is it, friend Nick?" he
asked, turning to the Tin Woodman.
"Why, when it comes to Law,
I have nothing to, say" answered
that personage. "for laws were
never meant to be understood,
and it is foolish to make the
attempt."
"Then what shall we do?" asked
the Scarecrow, in dismay.
"Why don't you marry the Queen?
And then you can both rule," suggested
the Woggle-Bug.
Jinjur
glared at the
insect fiercely. "Why don't you send
her back to her mother, where
she belongs?" asked Jack Pumpkinhead.
Jinjur frowned.
"Why don't you shut her up
in a closet until she behaves
herself, and promises to be good?" enquired
Tip. Jinjur's lip curled scornfully.
"Or give her a good shaking!" added
the Saw-Horse.
"No," said the Tin Woodman, "we
must treat the poor girl with
gentleness. Let us give her all
the Jewels she can carry, and
send her away happy and contented."
At this Queen Jinjur laughed
aloud, and the next minute clapped
her pretty hands together thrice,
as if for a signal.
"You are very absurd creatures," said
she; "but I am tired of your
nonsense and have no time to
bother with you longer."
While the monarch and his friends
listened in amazement to this
impudent speech, a startling
thing happened. The Tin Woodman's
axe was snatched from his grasp
by some person behind him, and
he found himself disarmed and
helpless. At the same instant
a shout of laughter rang in the
ears of the devoted band, and
turning to see whence this came
they found themselves surrounded
by the Army of Revolt, the girls
bearing in either hand their
glistening knitting-needles.
The entire throne room seemed
to be filled with the rebels,
and the Scarecrow and his comrades
realized that they were prisoners.
"You see how foolish it is
to oppose a woman's wit," said
Jinjur, gaily; "and this event
only proves that I am more fit
to rule the Emerald City than
a Scarecrow. I bear you no ill
will, I assure you; but lest
you should prove troublesome
to me in the future I shall order
you all to be destroyed. That
is, all except the boy, who belongs
to old Mombi and must be restored
to her keeping. The rest of you
are not human, and therefore
it will not be wicked to demolish
you. The Saw-Horse and the Pumpkinhead's
body I will have chopped up for
kindling- wood; and the pumpkin
shall be made into tarts. The
Scarecrow will do nicely to start
a bonfire, and the tin man can
be cut into small pieces and
fed to the goats. As for this
immense Woggle-Bug -- "
"Highly Magnified, if you please!" interrupted
the insect.
"I think I will ask the cook
to make green-turtle soup of
you," continued the Queen, reflectively.
The Woggle-Bug shuddered.
"Or, if that won't do, we might
use you for a Hungarian goulash,
stewed and highly spiced," she
added, cruelly.
This programme of extermination
was so terrible that the prisoners
looked upon one another in a
panic of fear. The Scarecrow
alone did not give way to despair.
He stood quietly before the Queen
and his brow was wrinkled in
deep thought as he strove to
find some means to escape.
While thus engaged he felt
the straw within his breast move
gently. At once his expression
changed from sadness to joy,
and raising his hand he quickly
unbuttoned the front of his jacket.
This action did not pass unnoticed
by the crowd of girls clustering
about him, but none of them suspected
what he was doing until a tiny
grey mouse leaped from his bosom
to the floor and scampered away
between the feet of the Army
of Revolt. Another mouse quickly
followed; then another and another,
in rapid succession. And suddenly
such a scream of terror went
up from the Army that it might
easily have filled the stoutest
heart with consternation. The
flight that ensued turned to
a stampede, and the stampede
to a panic.
For while the startled mice
rushed wildly about the room
the Scarecrow had only time to
note a whirl of skirts and a
twinkling of feet as the girls
disappeared from the palace --
pushing and crowding one another
in their mad efforts to escape.
The Queen, at the first alarm,
stood up on the cushions of the
throne and began to dance frantically
upon her tiptoes. Then a mouse
ran up the cushions, and with
a terrified leap poor Jinjur
shot clear over the head of the
Scarecrow and escaped through
an archway -- never pausing in
her wild career until she had
reached the city gates.
So, in less time than I can
explain, the throne room was
deserted by all save the Scarecrow
and his friends, and the Woggle-Bug
heaved a deep sigh of relief
as he exclaimed:
"Thank
goodness, we
are saved!"
"For a time, yes;" answered
the Tin Woodman. "But the enemy
will soon return, I fear."
"Let us bar all the entrances
to the palace!" said the Scarecrow. "Then
we shall have time to think what
is best to be done."
So all except Jack Pumpkinhead,
who was still tied fast to the
Saw-Horse, ran to the various
entrances of the royal palace
and closed the heavy doors, bolting
and locking them securely. Then,
knowing that the Army of Revolt
could not batter down the barriers
in several days, the adventurers
gathered once more in the throne
room for a council of war.
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