First entered a band of Ryls
from the Happy Valley, all
merry little sprites like fairy
elves. A dozen crooked Knooks
followed from the
great Forest of Burzee. They had long whiskers and pointed caps and
curling toes, yet were no taller than Button-Bright's shoulder. With
this group came a man so easy to recognize and so important and dearly
beloved throughout the known world, that all present rose to their feet
and bowed their heads in respectful homage, even before the High
Chamberlain knelt to announce his name.
"The most Mighty and Loyal
Friend of Children, His Supreme
Highness--Santa Claus!" said
the Chamberlain, in an awed
voice.
"Well, well, well! Glad to
see you--glad to meet you all!" cried
Santa Claus, briskly, as he
trotted up the long room.
He was round as an apple,
with a fresh rosy face, laughing
eyes, and a bushy beard as
white as snow. A red cloak
trimmed with beautiful ermine
hung from his shoulders and
upon his back was a basket
filled with pretty presents
for the Princess Ozma.
"Hello, Dorothy; still having
adventures?" he asked in his
jolly way, as he took the girl's
hand in both his own.
"How did you know my name,
Santa?" she replied, feeling
more shy in the presence of
this immortal saint than she
ever had before in her young
life.
"Why, don't I see you every
Christmas Eve, when you're
asleep?" he rejoined, pinching
her blushing cheek.
"Oh,
do you?"
"And here's Button-Bright,
I declare!" cried Santa Claus,
holding up the boy to kiss
him. "What a long way from
home you are; dear me!"
"Do you know Button-Bright,
too?" questioned Dorothy, eagerly.
"Indeed
I do. I've
visited
his home several Christmas
Eves."
"And do you know his father?" asked
the girl.
"Certainly, my dear. Who
else do you suppose brings
him his Christmas neckties
and stockings?" with a sly
wink at the Wizard.
"Then where does he live?
We're just crazy to know, 'cause
Button-Bright's lost," she
said.
Santa laughed and laid his
finger aside of his nose as
if thinking what to reply.
He leaned over and whispered
something in the Wizard's ear,
at which the Wizard smiled
and nodded as if he understood.
Now Santa Claus spied Polychrome,
and trotted over to where she
stood.
"Seems to me the Rainbow's
Daughter is farther from home
than any of you," he observed,
looking at the pretty maiden
admiringly. "I'll have to tell
your father where you are,
Polly, and send him to get
you."
"Please do, dear Santa Claus," implored
the little maid, beseechingly.
"But just now we must all
have a jolly good time at Ozma's
party," said the old gentleman,
turning to put his presents
on the table with the others
already there. "It isn't often
I find time to leave my castle,
as you know; but Ozma invited
me and I just couldn't help
coming to celebrate the happy
occasion."
"I'm so glad!" exclaimed
Dorothy.
"These are my Ryls," pointing
to the little sprites squatting
around him. "Their business
is to paint the colors of the
flowers when they bud and bloom;
but I brought the merry fellows
along to see Oz, and they've
left their paint-pots behind
them. Also I brought these
crooked Knooks, whom I love.
My dears, the Knooks are much
nicer than they look, for their
duty is to water and care for
the young trees of the forest,
and they do their work faithfully
and well. It's hard work, though,
and it makes my Knooks crooked
and gnarled, like the trees
themselves; but their hearts
are big and kind, as are the
hearts of all who do good in
our beautiful world."
"I've read of the Ryls and
Knooks," said Dorothy, looking
upon these little workers with
interest.
Santa
Claus turned
to talk
with the Scarecrow and the
Tin Woodman, and he also said
a kind word to the shaggy man,
and afterward went away to
ride the Saw-Horse around the
Emerald City. "For," said he, "I
must see all the grand sights
while I am here and have the
chance, and Ozma has promised
to let me ride the Saw-Horse
because I'm getting fat and
short of breath."
"Where are your reindeer?" asked
Polychrome.
"I left them at home, for
it is too warm for them in
this sunny country," he answered. "They're
used to winter weather when
they travel."
In a flash he was gone, and
the Ryls and Knooks with him;
but they could all hear the
golden hoofs of the Saw-Horse
ringing on the marble pavement
outside, as he pranced away
with his noble rider.
Presently the band played
again, and the High Chamberlain
announced:
"Her
Gracious
Majesty,
the Queen
of Merryland."
They
looked
earnestly
to discover
whom this
queen might
be, and saw advancing up the
room an exquisite wax doll
dressed in dainty fluffs and
ruffles and spangled gown.
She was almost as big as Button-Bright,
and her cheeks and mouth and
eyebrow were prettily painted
in delicate colors. Her blue
eyes stared a bit, being of
glass, yet the expression upon
her Majesty's face was quite
pleasant and decidedly winning.
With the Queen of Merryland
were four wooden soldiers,
two stalking ahead of her with
much dignity and two following
behind, like a royal bodyguard.
The soldiers were painted in
bright colors and carried wooden
guns, and after them came a
fat little man who attracted
attention at once, although
he seemed modest and retiring.
For he was made of candy, and
carried a tin sugar-sifter
filled with powdered sugar,
with which he dusted himself
frequently so that he wouldn't
stick to things if he touched
them. The High Chamberlain
had called him "The Candy Man
of Merryland," and Dorothy
saw that one of his thumbs
looked as if it had been bitten
off by some one who was fond
of candy and couldn't resist
the temptation.
The wax doll Queen spoke
prettily to Dorothy and the
others, and sent her loving
greetings to Ozma before she
retired to the rooms prepared
for her. She had brought a
birthday present wrapped in
tissue paper and tied with
pink and blue ribbons, and
one of the wooden soldiers
placed it on the table with
the other gifts. But the Candy
Man did not go to his room,
because he said he preferred
to stay and talk with the Scarecrow
and Tik-tok and the Wizard
and Tin Woodman, whom he declared
the queerest people he had
ever met. Button-Bright was
glad the Candy Man stayed in
the Throne Room, because the
boy thought this guest smelled
deliciously of wintergreen
and maple sugar.
The Braided Man now entered
the room, having been fortunate
enough to receive an invitation
to the Princess Ozma's party.
He was from a cave halfway
between the Invisible Valley
and the Country of the Gargoyles,
and his hair and whiskers were
so long that he was obliged
to plait them into many braids
that hung to his feet, and
every braid was tied with a
bow of colored ribbon.
"I've brought Princess Ozma
a box of flutters for her birthday," said
the Braided Man, earnestly; "and
I hope she will like them,
for they are the finest quality
I have ever made."
"I'm sure she will be greatly
pleased," said Dorothy, who
remembered the Braided Man
well; and the Wizard introduced
the guest to the rest of the
company and made him sit down
in a chair and keep quiet,
for, if allowed, he would talk
continually about his flutters.
The band then played a welcome
to another set of guests, and
into the Throne-Room swept
the handsome and stately Queen
of Ev. Beside her was young
King Evardo, and following
them came the entire royal
family of five Princesses and
four Princes of Ev. The Kingdom
of Ev lay just across the Deadly
Desert to the North of Oz,
and once Ozma and her people
had rescued the Queen of Ev
and her ten children from the
Nome King, who had enslaved
them. Dorothy had been present
on this adventure, so she greeted
the royal family cordially;
and all the visitors were delighted
to meet the little Kansas girl
again. They knew Tik-tok and
Billina, too, and the Scarecrow
and Tin Woodman, as well as
the Lion and Tiger; so there
was a joyful reunion, as you
may imagine, and it was fully
an hour before the Queen and
her train retired to their
rooms. Perhaps they would not
have gone then had not the
band begun to play to announce
new arrivals; but before they
left the great Throne-Room
King Evardo added to Ozma's
birthday presents a diadem
of diamonds set in radium.
The next comer proved to
be King Renard of Foxville;
or King Dox, as he preferred
to be called. He was magnificently
dressed in a new feather costume
and wore white kid mittens
over his paws and a flower
in his button-hole and had
his hair parted in the middle.
King Dox thanked Dorothy
fervently for getting him the
invitation to come to Oz, which
he all his life longed to visit.
He strutted around rather absurdly
as he was introduced to all
the famous people assembled
in the Throne-Room, and when
he learned that Dorothy was
a Princess of Oz the Fox King
insisted on kneeling at her
feet and afterward retired
backward--a dangerous thing
to do, as he might have stubbed
his paw and tumbled over.
No sooner was he gone than
the blasts of bugles and clatter
of drums and cymbals announced
important visitors, and the
High Chamberlain assumed his
most dignified tone as he threw
open the door and said proudly:
"Her
Sublime
and Resplendent
Majesty, Queen Zixi of Ix!
His Serene and Tremendous Majesty,
King Bud of Noland. Her Royal
Highness, the Princess Fluff."
That three such high and
mighty royal personages should
arrive at once was enough to
make Dorothy and her companions
grow solemn and assume their
best company manners; but when
the exquisite beauty of Queen
Zixi met their eyes they thought
they had never beheld anything
so charming. Dorothy decided
that Zixi must be about sixteen
years old, but the Wizard whispered
to her that this wonderful
queen had lived thousands of
years, but knew the secret
of remaining always fresh and
beautiful.
King Bud of Noland and his
dainty fair-haired sister,
the Princess Fluff, were friends
of Zixi, as their kingdoms
were adjoining, so they had
traveled together from their
far-off domains to do honor
to Ozma of Oz on the occasion
of her birthday. They brought
many splendid gifts; so the
table was now fairly loaded
down with presents.
Dorothy and Polly loved the
Princess Fluff the moment they
saw her, and little King Bud
was so frank and boyish that
Button-Bright accepted him
as a chum at once and did not
want him to go away. But it
was after noon now, and the
royal guests must prepare their
toilets for the grand banquet
at which they were to assemble
that evening to meet the reigning
Princess of this Fairyland;
so Queen Zixi was shown to
her room by a troop of maidens
led by Jellia Jamb, and Bud
and Fluff presently withdrew
to their own apartments.
"My! what a big party Ozma
is going to have," exclaimed
Dorothy. "I guess the palace
will be chock full, Button-Bright;
don't you think so?"
"Don't know," said
the boy.
"But we must go to our rooms,
pretty soon, to dress for the
banquet," continued the girl.
"I don't have to dress," said
the Candy Man from Merryland. "All
I need do is to dust myself
with fresh sugar."
"Tik-tok always wears the
same suits of clothes," said
the Tin Woodman; "and so does
our friend the Scarecrow."
"My feathers are good enough
for any occasion," cried Billina,
from her corner.
"Then I shall leave you four
to welcome any new guests that
come," said Dorothy; "for Button-Bright
and I must look our very best
at Ozma's banquet."
"Who is still to come?" asked
the Scarecrow.
"Well,
there's
King Kik-a-bray
of Dunkiton, and Johnny Dooit,
and the Good Witch of the North.
But Johnny Dooit may not get
here until late, he's so very
busy."
"We will receive them and
give them a proper welcome," promised
the Scarecrow. "So run along,
little Dorothy, and get yourself
dressed."
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