author - "Lyman Frank Baum"
ely to befighting and much trouble as the result.'"
"Is that all the Book says?" asked Ozma.
"Every word," said Dorothy, and Ozma and Glinda bothlooked at the Record and seemed surprised andperplexed.
"Tell me, Glinda," said Ozma, "who are theFlatheads?"
"I cannot, your Majesty," confessed the Sorceress."Until now I never have heard of them, nor have I everheard the Skeezers mentioned. In the faraway corners ofOz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and thosewho never leave their own countries and never arevisited by those from our favored part of Oz, naturallyare unknown to me. However, if you so desire, I canlearn through my arts of sorcery something of theSkeezers and the Flatheads."
"I wish you would," answered Ozma seriously. "Yousee, Glinda, if these are Oz people they are mysubjects and I cannot allow any wars or troubles in theLand I rule, if I can possibly help it."
"Very well, your Majesty," said the Sorceress, "Iwill try to get some information to guide you. P
ared the King.
"You will have to go to the Land of Oz to recover it, and your Majestycan't get to the Land of Oz in any possible way," said the Steward,yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six hours, and was sleepy.
"Why not?" asked the King.
"Because there is a deadly desert all around that fairy country, whichno one is able to cross. You know that fact as well as I do, yourMajesty. Never mind the lost Belt. You have plenty of power left,for you rule this underground kingdom like a tyrant, and thousands ofNomes obey your commands. I advise you to drink a glass of meltedsilver, to quiet your nerves, and then go to bed."
The King grabbed a big ruby and threw it at Kaliko's head. TheSteward ducked to escape the heavy jewel, which crashed against thedoor just over his left ear.
"Get out of my sight! Vanish! Go away--and send General Blug here,"screamed the Nome King.
Kaliko hastily withdrew, and the Nome King stamped up and down untilthe General of his armies appeared.
nstrument, and this must have been done while all in the castle slept. Glinda was shocked and grieved. Who could have done this wicked, bold thing? And who could wish to deprive her of her Great Book of Records?
The Sorceress was thoughtful for a time, considering the consequences of her loss. Then she went to her Room of Magic to prepare a charm that would tell her who had stolen the Record Book. But, when she unlocked her cupboards and threw open the doors, all of her magical instruments and rare chemical compounds had been removed from the shelves.
The Sorceress was now both angry and alarmed. She sat down in a chair and tried to think how this extraordinary robbery could have taken place. It was evident that the thief was some person of very great power, or the theft could never have been accomplished without her knowledge. But who, in all the Land of Oz, was powerful and skillful enough to do this awful thing? And who, having the power, could also have an object in defying the wisest and mo
e pumpkins in Mombi's corn-fields, lying golden red among the rowsof green stalks; and these had been planted and carefully tended that thefour-horned cow might eat of them in the winter time. But one day, after thecorn had all been cut and stacked, and Tip was carrying the pumpkins to thestable, he took a notion to make a "Jack Lantern" and try to give the oldwoman a fright with it.
So he selected a fine, big pumpkin -- one with a lustrous, orange-red color-- and began carving it. With the point of his knife he made two round eyes,a three-cornered nose, and
Line-Art Drawing
10a mouth shaped like a new moon. The face, when completed, could not havebeen considered strictly beautiful; but it wore a smile so big and broad,and was so Jolly in expression, that even Tip laughed as he lookedadmiringly at his work.
The child had no playmates, so he did not know that boys often dig out theinside of a "pumpkin-jack," and in the space thus made put a lighted candleto render t
d at Zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous.
"Isn't it funny?" she said.
The boy was startled and his eyes were big. Dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.
"I--I don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered.
[Illustration: HORSE, BUGGY AND ALL FELL SLOWLY.]
Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. But they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. Then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. During this time Jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice:
"Well, that's better!"
Dorothy and Z
e end of her nose, while she counted "One, two, three" in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks:
"LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS"
The little old woman took the slate from her nose, and having read the words on it, asked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?"
"Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.
"Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you."
"Where is this city?" asked Dorothy.
"It is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of."
"Is he a good man?" inquired the girl anxiously.
"He is a good Wizard. Whether he is a man or not I cannot tell, for I have never seen him."
"How can I get there?" asked Dorothy.
"You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm.
ely to befighting and much trouble as the result.'"
"Is that all the Book says?" asked Ozma.
"Every word," said Dorothy, and Ozma and Glinda bothlooked at the Record and seemed surprised andperplexed.
"Tell me, Glinda," said Ozma, "who are theFlatheads?"
"I cannot, your Majesty," confessed the Sorceress."Until now I never have heard of them, nor have I everheard the Skeezers mentioned. In the faraway corners ofOz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and thosewho never leave their own countries and never arevisited by those from our favored part of Oz, naturallyare unknown to me. However, if you so desire, I canlearn through my arts of sorcery something of theSkeezers and the Flatheads."
"I wish you would," answered Ozma seriously. "Yousee, Glinda, if these are Oz people they are mysubjects and I cannot allow any wars or troubles in theLand I rule, if I can possibly help it."
"Very well, your Majesty," said the Sorceress, "Iwill try to get some information to guide you. P
ared the King.
"You will have to go to the Land of Oz to recover it, and your Majestycan't get to the Land of Oz in any possible way," said the Steward,yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six hours, and was sleepy.
"Why not?" asked the King.
"Because there is a deadly desert all around that fairy country, whichno one is able to cross. You know that fact as well as I do, yourMajesty. Never mind the lost Belt. You have plenty of power left,for you rule this underground kingdom like a tyrant, and thousands ofNomes obey your commands. I advise you to drink a glass of meltedsilver, to quiet your nerves, and then go to bed."
The King grabbed a big ruby and threw it at Kaliko's head. TheSteward ducked to escape the heavy jewel, which crashed against thedoor just over his left ear.
"Get out of my sight! Vanish! Go away--and send General Blug here,"screamed the Nome King.
Kaliko hastily withdrew, and the Nome King stamped up and down untilthe General of his armies appeared.
nstrument, and this must have been done while all in the castle slept. Glinda was shocked and grieved. Who could have done this wicked, bold thing? And who could wish to deprive her of her Great Book of Records?
The Sorceress was thoughtful for a time, considering the consequences of her loss. Then she went to her Room of Magic to prepare a charm that would tell her who had stolen the Record Book. But, when she unlocked her cupboards and threw open the doors, all of her magical instruments and rare chemical compounds had been removed from the shelves.
The Sorceress was now both angry and alarmed. She sat down in a chair and tried to think how this extraordinary robbery could have taken place. It was evident that the thief was some person of very great power, or the theft could never have been accomplished without her knowledge. But who, in all the Land of Oz, was powerful and skillful enough to do this awful thing? And who, having the power, could also have an object in defying the wisest and mo
e pumpkins in Mombi's corn-fields, lying golden red among the rowsof green stalks; and these had been planted and carefully tended that thefour-horned cow might eat of them in the winter time. But one day, after thecorn had all been cut and stacked, and Tip was carrying the pumpkins to thestable, he took a notion to make a "Jack Lantern" and try to give the oldwoman a fright with it.
So he selected a fine, big pumpkin -- one with a lustrous, orange-red color-- and began carving it. With the point of his knife he made two round eyes,a three-cornered nose, and
Line-Art Drawing
10a mouth shaped like a new moon. The face, when completed, could not havebeen considered strictly beautiful; but it wore a smile so big and broad,and was so Jolly in expression, that even Tip laughed as he lookedadmiringly at his work.
The child had no playmates, so he did not know that boys often dig out theinside of a "pumpkin-jack," and in the space thus made put a lighted candleto render t
d at Zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous.
"Isn't it funny?" she said.
The boy was startled and his eyes were big. Dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.
"I--I don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered.
[Illustration: HORSE, BUGGY AND ALL FELL SLOWLY.]
Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. But they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. Then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. During this time Jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice:
"Well, that's better!"
Dorothy and Z
e end of her nose, while she counted "One, two, three" in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks:
"LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS"
The little old woman took the slate from her nose, and having read the words on it, asked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?"
"Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.
"Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you."
"Where is this city?" asked Dorothy.
"It is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of."
"Is he a good man?" inquired the girl anxiously.
"He is a good Wizard. Whether he is a man or not I cannot tell, for I have never seen him."
"How can I get there?" asked Dorothy.
"You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm.