TIKTOK AND THE NOME KING
The Nome King was unpleasantly angry. He had carelessly bitten histongue at breakfast and it still hurt; so he roared and raved andstamped around in his underground palace in a way that rendered him verydisagreeable.
It so happened that on this unfortunate day Tiktok, the Clockwork Man,visited the Nome King to ask a favor. Tiktok lived in the Land of Oz,and although he was an active and important person, he was made entirelyof metal. Machinery within him, something like the works of a clock,made him move; other machinery made him talk; still other machinery madehim think.
Although so cleverly constructed, the Clockwork Man was far fromperfect. Three separate keys wound up his motion machinery, his speechworks, and his thoughts. One or more of these contrivances was likely torun down at a critical moment, leaving poor Tiktok helpless. Also someof his parts were wearing out, through much use, and just now histhought machinery needed repair. The skillful little Wizard of Oz hadtinkered with Tiktok's thoughts without being able to get them properlyregulated, so he had advised the Clockwork Man to go to the Nome Kingand secure a new set of springs, which would render his thoughts moreelastic and responsive.
"Be careful what you say to the Nome King," warned the Wizard. "He has abad temper and the least little thing makes him angry."
Tiktok promised, and the Wizard wound his machinery and set him walkingin the direction of the Nome King's dominions, just across the desertfrom the Land of Oz. He ran down just as he reached the entrance to theunderground palace, and there Kaliko, the Nome King's Chief Steward,found him and wound him up again.
"I want to see the King," said Tiktok, in his jerky voice.
"Well," remarked Kaliko, "it may be safe for a cast-iron person like youto face his Majesty this morning; but you must announce yourself, forshould I show my face inside the jewel-studded cavern where the King isnow raving, I'd soon look like a dish of mashed potatoes, and be of nofurther use to anyone."
"I'm not a-fraid," said Tiktok.
"Then walk in and make yourself at home," answered Kaliko, and threwopen the door of the King's cavern.
Tiktok promptly walked in and faced the astonished Nome King, to whomhe said: "Good morn-ing. I want two new steel springs for mythought-works and a new cog-wheel for my speech-pro-du-cer. How a-boutit, your Maj-es-ty?"
The Nome King growled a menacing growl and his eyes were red with rage.
"How dare you enter my presence?" he shouted.
"I dare an-y-thing," said Tiktok. "I'm not a-fraid of a fat Nome."
This was true, yet an unwise speech. Had Tiktok's thoughts been in goodworking order he would have said something else. The angry Nome Kingquickly caught up his heavy mace and hurled it straight at Tiktok. Whenit struck the metal man's breast, the force of the blow burst thebolts which held the plates of his body together and they clattered tothe floor in a score of pieces. Hundreds and hundreds of wheels, pins,cogs and springs filled the air like a cloud and then rattled like hailupon the floor.
Where Tiktok had stood was now only a scrap-heap and the Nome King wasso amazed by the terrible effect of his blow that he stared in wonder.
His Majesty's anger quickly cooled. He remembered that the Clockwork Manwas a favorite subject of the powerful Princess, Ozma of Oz, who wouldbe sure to resent Tiktok's ruin.
"Too bad! too bad!" he muttered, regretfully. "I'm really sorry I madejunk of the fellow. I didn't know he'd break."
"You'd better be," remarked Kaliko, who now ventured to enter the room."You'll have a war on your hands when Ozma hears of this, and thechances are you will lose your throne and your kingdom."
The Nome King turned pale, for he loved to rule the Nomes and did notknow of any other way to earn a living in case Ozma fought and conqueredhim.
"Do--do you think Ozma will be angry?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm sure of it," said Kaliko. "And she has the right to be. You've madescrap-iron of her favorite."
The King groaned.
"Sweep him up and throw the rubbish into the black pit," he commanded;and then he shut himself up in his private den and for days would see noone, because he was so ashamed of his unreasoning anger and so fearedthe results of his rash act.
Kaliko swept up the pieces, but he did not throw them into the blackpit. Being a clever and skillful mechanic he determined to fit thepieces together again.
No man ever faced a greater puzzle; but it was interesting work andKaliko succeeded. When he found a spring or wheel worn or imperfect, hemade a new one.
Within two weeks, by working steadily night and day, the Chief Stewardcompleted his task and put the three sets of clockworks and the lastrivet into Tiktok's body. He then wound up the motion machinery, and theClockwork Man walked up and down the room as naturally as ever. ThenKaliko wound up the thought works and the speech regulator and said toTiktok:
"How do you feel now?"
"Fine," said the Clockwork Man. "You have done a ve-ry good job,Kal-i-ko, and saved me from de-struc-tion. Much o-bliged."
"Don't mention it," replied the Chief Steward. "I quite enjoyed thework."
Just then the Nome King's gong sounded, and Kaliko rushed away throughthe jewel-studded cavern and into the den where the King had hidden,leaving the doors ajar.
"Kaliko," said the King, in a meek voice, "I've been shut up here longenough to repent bitterly the destruction of Tiktok. Of course Ozma willhave revenge, and send an army to fight us, but we must take ourmedicine. One thing comforts me: Tiktok wasn't really a live person; hewas only a machine man, and so it wasn't very wicked to stop hisclockworks. I couldn't sleep nights, at first, for worry; but there's nomore harm in smashing a machine man than in breaking a wax doll. Don'tyou think so?"
"I am too humble to think in the presence of your Majesty," said Kaliko.
"Then get me something to eat," commanded the King, "for I'm nearlystarved. Two roasted goats, a barrel of cakes and nine mince pies willdo me until dinnertime."
Kaliko bowed and hurried away to the royal kitchen, forgetting Tiktok,who was wandering around in the outer cavern. Suddenly the Nome Kinglooked up and saw the Clockwork Man standing before him, and at thesight the monarch's eyes grew big and round and he fell a-trembling inevery limb.
"Away, grim Shadow!" he cried. "You're not here, you know; you're only ahash of cogwheels and springs, lying at the bottom of the black pit.Vanish, thou Vision of the demolished Tiktok, and leave me in peace--forI have bitterly repented!"
"Then beg my pardon," said Tiktok in a gruff voice, for Kaliko hadforgotten to oil the speech works.
But the sound of a voice coming from what he thought a mere vision wastoo much for the Nome King's shaken nerves. He gave a yell of fear andrushed from the room. Tiktok followed, so the King bolted through thecorridors on a swift run and bumped against Kaliko, who was returningwith a tray of things to eat. The sound of the breaking dishes, as theystruck the floor, added to the King's terror and he yelled again anddashed into a great cavern where a thousand Nomes were at work hammeringmetal.
"Look out! Here comes a phantom clockwork man!" screamed theterrified monarch, and every Nome dropped his tools and made a rushfrom the cavern, knocking over their King in their mad flight andrecklessly trampling upon his prostrate fat body. So, when Tiktok cameinto the cavern, there was only the Nome King left, and he was rollingupon the rocky floor and howling for mercy, with his eyes fast shut sothat he could not see what he was sure was a dreadful phantom that wascoming straight toward him.
"It oc-curs to me," said Tiktok calmly, "that your Maj-es-ty is act-inglike a ba-by I am not a phan-tom. A phan-tom is unreal, while I am thereal thing."
The King rolled over, sat up and opened his eyes.
"Didn't I smash you to pieces?" he asked in trembling tones.
"Yes," said Tiktok.
"Then you are nothing but a junk-heap, and this form in which you nowappear cannot be real."
"It is, though," declared Tiktok. "Kal-i-ko picked up my piec-es and putme
to-geth-er a-gain. I'm as good as new, and perhaps bet-ter."
"That is true, your Majesty," added Kaliko, who now made his appearance,"and I hope you will forgive me for mending Tiktok. He was quite brokenup, after you smashed him, and I found it almost as hard a job to matchhis pieces as to pick turnips from gooseberry bushes. But I did it," headded proudly.
"You are forgiven," announced the Nome King, rising to his feet anddrawing a long breath. "I will raise your wages one specto a year, andTiktok shall return to the Land of Oz loaded with jewels for thePrincess Ozma."
"That is all right," said Tiktok. "But what I want to know is, why didyou hit me with your mace?"
"Because I was angry," admitted the King. "When I am angry I always dosomething that I am sorry for afterward. So I have firmly resolved neverto get angry again; unless--unless--"
"Unless what, your Majesty?" inquired Kaliko.
"Unless something annoys me," said the Nome King. And then he went tohis treasure-chamber to get the jewels for Princess Ozma of Oz.