I
wish I could tell you how fine
the company was that assembled
that evening at Ozma's royal
banquet. A long table was spread
in the center of the great
dining-hall of the palace and
the splendor of the decorations
and the blaze of lights and
jewels was acknowledged to
be the most magnificent sight
that any of the guests had
ever seen.
The jolliest person present,
as well as the most important,
was of course old Santa Claus;
so he was given the seat of
honor at one end of the table
while at the other end sat
Princess Ozma, the hostess.
John Dough, Queen Zixi, King
Bud, the Queen of Ev and her
son Evardo, and the Queen of
Merryland had golden thrones
to sit in, while the others
were supplied with beautiful
chairs.
At the upper end of the banquet
room was a separate table provided
for the animals. Toto sat at
one end of this table with
a bib tied around his neck
and a silver platter to eat
from. At the other end was
placed a small stand, with
a low rail around the edge
of it, for Billina and her
chicks. The rail kept the ten
little Dorothys from falling
off the stand, while the Yellow
Hen could easily reach over
and take her food from her
tray upon the table. At other
places sat the Hungry Tiger,
the Cowardly Lion, the Saw-Horse,
the Rubber Bear, the Fox King
and the Donkey King; they made
quite a company of animals.
At the lower end of the great
room was another table, at
which sat the Ryls and Knooks
who had come with Santa Claus,
the wooden soldiers who had
come with the Queen of Merryland,
and the Hilanders and Lolanders
who had come with John Dough.
Here were also seated the officers
of the royal palace and of
Ozma's army.
The splendid costumes of
those at the three tables made
a gorgeous and glittering display
that no one present was ever
likely to forget; perhaps there
has never been in any part
of the world at any time another
assemblage of such wonderful
people as that which gathered
this evening to honor the birthday
of the Ruler of Oz.
When all members of ethe
company were in their places
an orchestra of five hundred
pieces, in a balcony overlooking
the banquet room, began to
play sweet and delightful music.
Then a door draped with royal
green opened, and in came the
fair and girlish Princess Ozma,
who now greeted her guests
in person for the first time.
As she stood by her throne
at the head of the banquet
table every eye was turned
eagerly upon the lovely Princess,
who was as dignified as she
was bewitching, and who smiled
upon all her old and new friends
in a way that touched their
hearts and brought an answering
smile to every face.
Each guest had been served
with a crystal goblet filled
with lacasa, which is a sort
of nectar famous in Oz and
nicer to drink than soda-water
or lemonade. Santa now made
a pretty speech in verse, congratulating
Ozma on having a birthday,
and asking every one present
to drink to the health and
happiness of their dearly beloved
hostess. This was done with
great enthusiasm by those who
were made so they could drink
at all, and those who could
not drink politely touched
the rims of their goblets to
their lips. All seated themselves
at the tables and the servants
of the Princess began serving
the feast.
I am quite sure that only
in Fairyland could such a delicious
repast be prepared. The dishes
were of precious metals set
with brilliant jewels and the
good things to eat which were
placed upon them were countless
in number and of exquisite
flavor. Several present, such
as the Candy Man, the Rubber
Bear, Tik-tok, and the Scarecrow,
were not made so they could
eat, and the Queen of Merryland
contented herself with a small
dish of sawdust; but these
enjoyed the pomp and glitter
of the gorgeous scene as much
as did those who feasted.
The
Woggle-Bug
read his "Ode
to Ozma," which was written
in very good rhythm and was
well received by the company.
The Wizard added to the entertainment
by making a big pie appear
before Dorothy, and when the
little girl cut the pie the
nine tiny piglets leaped out
of it and danced around the
table, while the orchestra
played a merry tune. This amused
the company very much, but
they were even more pleased
when Polychrome, whose hunger
had been easily satisfied,
rose from the table and performed
her graceful and bewildering
Rainbow Dance for them. When
it was ended, the people clapped
their hands and the animals
clapped their paws, while Billina
cackled and the Donkey King
brayed approval.
Johnny Dooit was present,
and of course he proved he
could do wonders in the way
of eating, as well as in everything
else that he undertook to do;
the Tin Woodman sang a love
song, every one joining in
the chorus; and the wooden
soldiers from Merryland gave
an exhibition of a lightning
drill with their wooden muskets;
the Ryls and Knooks danced
the Fairy Circle; and the Rubber
Bear bounced himself all around
the room. There was laughter
and merriment on every side,
and everybody was having a
royal good time. Button-Bright
was so excited and interested
that he paid little attention
to his fine dinner and a great
deal of attention to his queer
companions; and perhaps he
was wise to do this, because
he could eat at any other time.
The feasting and merrymaking
continued until late in the
evening, when they separated
to meet again the next morning
and take part in the birthday
celebration, to which this
royal banquet was merely the
introduction.
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