The Lost Princess of Oz

  They thanked him for his courtesy and, mounting their own animals, rode to the farther side of the city and right through the Wall of Illusion out into the open country.

  "I'm glad we got away so easily," said Betsy. "I didn't like those queer-shaped people."

  "Nor did I," agreed Dorothy. "It seems dreadful to be lined with sheets of pure gold and have nothing to eat but thistles."

  "They seemed happy and contented, though," remarked the little Wizard, "and those who are contented have nothing to regret and nothing more to wish for."

  * * *

  CHAPTER 10

  For a while the

  travelers were

  constantly losing

  their direction,

  for beyond

  the thistle fields they again found themselves upon the turning-lands, which swung them around in such a freakish manner that first they were headed one way and then another. But by keeping the City of Thi constantly behind them the adventurers finally passed the treacherous turning-lands and came upon a stony country where no grass grew at all. There were plenty of bushes, however, and although it was now almost dark the girls discovered some delicious yellow berries growing upon the bushes, one taste of which set them all to picking as many as they could find. The berries relieved their pangs of hunger, for a time, and as it now became too dark to see anything they camped where they were.

  The three girls lay down upon one of the blankets—all in a row—and then the Wizard covered them with the other blanket and tucked them in. Button-Bright crawled under the shelter of some bushes and was asleep in half a minute. The Wizard sat down with his back to a big stone and looked at the stars in the sky and thought gravely upon the dangerous adventure they had undertaken, wondering if they would ever be able to find their beloved Ozma again. The animals lay in a group by themselves, a little distance from the others.

  "I've lost my growl!" said Toto, who had been very silent and sober all that day. "What do you suppose has become of it?"

  "If you had asked me to keep track of your growl, I might be able to tell you," remarked the Lion sleepily. "But, frankly, Toto, I supposed you were taking care of it yourself."

  "It's an awful thing to lose one's growl," said Toto, wagging his tail disconsolately. "What if you lost your roar, Lion? Wouldn't you feel terrible?"

  "My roar," replied the Lion, "is the fiercest thing about me. I depend on it to frighten my enemies so badly that they won't dare to fight me."

  "Once," said the Mule, "I lost my bray, so that I couldn't call to Betsy to let her know I was hungry. That was before I could talk, you know, for I had not yet come into the Land of Oz, and I found it was certainly very uncomfortable not to be able to make a noise."

  "You make enough noise now," declared Toto. "But none of you has answered my question: Where is my growl?"

  "You may search me" said the Woozy. "I don't care for such things myself."

  "You snore terribly," asserted Toto.

  "It may be," said the Woozy. "What one does when asleep one is not accountable for. I wish you would wake me up, some time when I'm snoring, and let me hear the sound. Then I can judge whether it is terrible or delightful."

  "It isn't pleasant, I assure you," said the Lion, yawning.

  "To me it seems wholly unnecessary," declared Hank the Mule.

  "You ought to break yourself of the habit," said the Sawhorse. "You never hear me snore, because I never sleep. I don't even whinny, as those puffy meat horses do. I wish that whoever stole Toto's growl had taken the Mule's bray and the Lion's roar and the Woozy's snore at the same time."

  "Do you think, then, that my growl was stolen?"

  "You have never lost it before, have you?" inquired the Sawhorse.

  "Only once, when I had a sore throat from barking too long at the moon."

  "Is your throat sore now?" asked the Woozy.

  "No," replied the dog.

  "I can't understand," said Hank, "why dogs bark at the moon. They can't scare the moon, and the moon doesn't pay any attention to the bark. So why do dogs do it?"

  "Were you ever a dog?" asked Toto.

  "No, indeed," replied Hank. "I am thankful to say I was created a mule—the most beautiful of all beasts—and have always remained one."

  The Woozy sat upon his square haunches to examine Hank with care.

  "Beauty," said he, "must be a matter of taste. I don't say your judgment is bad, friend Hank, or that you are so vulgar as to be conceited. But if you admire big waggly ears, and a tail like a paint-brush, and hoofs big enough for an elephant, and a long neck and a body so skinny that one can count the ribs with one eye shut—if that's your idea of beauty, Hank—then either you or I must be much mistaken."

  "You're full of edges," sneered the Mule. "If I were square, as you are, I suppose you'd think me lovely."

  "Outwardly, dear Hank, I would," replied the Woozy. "But to be really lovely one must be beautiful without and within."

  The Mule couldn't deny this statement, so he gave a disgusted grunt and rolled over so that his back was toward the Woozy. But the Lion, regarding the two calmly with his great yellow eyes, said to the dog:

  "My dear Toto, our friends have taught us a lesson in humility. If the Woozy and the Mule are indeed beautiful creatures, as they seem to think, you and I must be decidedly ugly."

  "Not to ourselves," protested Toto, who was a shrewd little dog. "You and I, Lion, are fine specimens of our own races. I am a fine dog and you are a fine lion. Only in point of comparison, one with another, can we be properly judged, so I will leave it to the poor old Sawhorse to decide which is the most beautiful animal among us all. The Sawhorse is wood, so he won't be prejudiced and will speak the truth."

  "I surely will," responded the Sawhorse, wagging his ears, which were chips set in his wooden head. "Are you all agreed to accept my judgment?"

  "We are!" they declared, each one hopeful.

  "Then," said the Sawhorse, "I must point out to you the fact that you are all meat creatures, who tire unless they sleep, and starve unless they eat, and suffer from thirst unless they drink. Such animals must be very imperfect, and imperfect creatures cannot be beautiful. Now, I am made of wood."

  "You surely have a wooden head," said the Mule.

  "Yes, and a wooden body and wooden legs—which are as swift as the wind and as tireless. I've heard Dorothy say that 'handsome is as handsome does,' and I surely perform my duties in a handsome manner. Therefore, if you wish my honest judgment, I will confess that among us all I am the most beautiful."

  The Mule snorted and the Woozy laughed; Toto had lost his growl and could only look scornfully at the Sawhorse, who stood in his place unmoved. But the Lion stretched himself and yawned, saying quietly:

  "Were we all like the Sawhorse we would all be Sawhorses, which would be too many of the kind; were we all like Hank, we would be a herd of mules; if like Toto, we would be a pack of dogs; should we all become the shape of the Woozy, he would no longer be remarkable for his unusual appearance. Finally, were you all like me, I would consider you so common that I would not care to associate with you. To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad, therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition. Variety is the spice of life and we are various enough to enjoy one another's society; so let us be content."

  "There is some truth in that speech," remarked Toto reflectively. "But how about my lost growl?"

  "The growl is of importance only to you," responded the Lion, "so it is your business to worry over the loss, not ours. If you love us, do not inflict your burdens on us; be unhappy all by yourself."

  "If the same person stole my growl who stole Ozma," said the little dog, "I hope we shall find him very soon and punish him as he deserves. He must be the most cruel person in all the world, for to prevent a dog from growling when it is his nature to growl is just as wicked, in my opinion, as stealing all the mag
ic in Oz."

  * * *

  CHAPTER 11

  The Patchwork

  Girl, who never

  slept and who

  could see very

  well in the

  dark, had wandered among the rocks and bushes all night long, with the result that she was able to tell some good news the next morning.

  "Over the crest of the hill before us," she said, "is a big grove of trees of many kinds, on which all sorts of fruits grow. If you will go there you will find a nice breakfast awaiting you."

  This made them eager to start, so as soon as the blankets were folded and strapped to the back of the Sawhorse they all took their places on the animals and set out for the big grove Scraps had told them of.

  As soon as they got over the brow of the hill they discovered it to be a really immense orchard, extending for miles to the right and left of them. As their way led straight through the trees they hurried forward as fast as possible.

  The first trees they came to bore quinces, which they did not like. Then there were rows of citron trees and then crab apples and afterward limes and lemons. But beyond these they found a grove of big golden oranges, juicy and sweet, and the fruit hung low on the branches, so they could pluck it easily.

  They helped themselves freely and all ate oranges as they continued on their way. Then, a little farther along, they came to some trees bearing fine red apples, which they also feasted on, and the Wizard stopped here long enough to tie a lot of the apples in one end of a blanket.

  "We do not know what will happen to us after we leave this delightful orchard," he said, "so I think it wise to carry a supply of apples with us. We can't starve as long as we have apples, you know."

  Scraps wasn't riding the Woozy just now. She loved to climb the trees and swing herself by the branches from one tree to another. Some of the choicest fruit was gathered by the Patchwork Girl from the very highest limbs and tossed down to the others.

  Suddenly Trot asked: "Where's Button-Bright?" and when the others looked for him they found the boy had disappeared.

  "Dear me!" cried Dorothy. "I guess he's lost again, and that will mean our waiting here until we can find him."

  "It's a good place to wait," suggested Betsy, who had found a plum tree and was eating some of its fruit.

  "How can you wait here, and find Button-Bright, at one and the same time?" inquired the Patchwork Girl, hanging by her toes on a limb just over the heads of the three mortal girls.

  "Perhaps he'll come back here," answered Dorothy.

  "If he tries that, he'll prob'ly lose his way," said Trot. "I've known him to do that, lots of times. It's losing his way that gets him lost."

  "Very true," said the Wizard. "So all the rest of you must stay here while I go look for the boy."

  "Won't you get lost, too?" asked Betsy.

  "I hope not, my dear."

  "Let me go," said Scraps, dropping lightly to the ground. "I can't get lost, and I'm more likely to find Button-Bright than any of you."

  Without waiting for permission she darted away through the trees and soon disappeared from their view.

  "Dorothy," said Toto, squatting beside his little mistress, "I've lost my growl."

  "How did that happen?" she asked.

  "I don't know," replied Toto. "Yesterday morning the Woozy nearly stepped on me and I tried to growl at him and found I couldn't growl a bit."

  "Can you bark?" inquired Dorothy.

  "Oh, yes, indeed!"

  "Then never mind the growl," said she.

  "But what will I do when I get home to the Glass Cat and the Pink Kitten?" asked the little dog in an anxious voice.

  "They won't mind, if you can't growl at them, I'm sure," said Dorothy. "I'm sorry for you, of course, Toto, for it's just those things we can't do that we want to do most of all; but before we get back you may find your growl again."

  "Do you think the person who stole Ozma stole my growl?"

  Dorothy smiled.

  "Perhaps, Toto."

  "Then he's a scoundrel!" cried the little dog.

  "Anyone who would steal Ozma is as bad as bad can be," agreed Dorothy, "and when we remember that our dear friend, the lovely Ruler of Oz, is lost, we ought not to worry over just a growl."

  Toto was not entirely satisfied with this remark, for the more he thought upon his lost growl the more important his misfortune became. When no one was looking he went away among the trees and tried his best to growl—even a little bit—but could not manage to do so. All he could do was bark, and a bark cannot take the place of a growl, so he sadly returned to the others.

  Now, Button-Bright had no idea that he was lost, at first. He had merely wandered from tree to tree, seeking the finest fruit, until he discovered he was alone in the great orchard. But that didn't worry him just then and seeing some apricot trees farther on he went to them; then he discovered some cherry trees; just beyond these were some tangerines.

  "We've found 'most ev'ry kind of fruit but peaches," he said to himself, "so I guess there are peaches here, too, if I can find the trees."

  He searched here and there, paying no attention to his way, until he found that the trees surrounding him bore only nuts. He put some walnuts in his pockets and kept on searching and at last—right among the nut trees—he came upon one solitary peach tree. It was a graceful, beautiful tree, but although it was thickly leaved it bore no fruit except one large, splendid peach, rosy-cheeked and fuzzy and just right to eat.

  Button-Bright had some trouble getting that lonesome peach, for it hung far out of reach; but he climbed the tree nimbly and crept out on the branch on which it grew and after several trials, during which he was in danger of falling, he finally managed to pick it. Then he got back to the ground and decided the fruit was well worth his trouble. It was delightfully fragrant and when he bit into it he found it the most delicious morsel he had ever tasted.

  "I really ought to divide it with Trot and Dorothy and Betsy," he said; "but p'rhaps there are plenty more in some other part of the orchard."

  In his heart he doubted this statement, for this was a solitary peach tree, while all the other fruits grew upon many trees set close to one another; but that one luscious bite made him unable to resist eating the rest of it and soon the peach was all gone except the pit.

  Button-Bright was about to throw this peach-pit away when he noticed that it was of pure gold. Of course this surprised him, but so many things in the Land of Oz were surprising that he did not give much thought to the golden peach-pit. He put it in his pocket, however, to show to the girls, and five minutes afterward had forgotten all about it.

  For now he realized that he was far separated from his companions, and knowing that this would worry them and delay their journey, he began to shout as loud as he could. His voice did not penetrate very far among all those trees, and after shouting a dozen times and getting no answer he sat down on the ground and said:

  "Well, I'm lost again. It's too bad, but I don't see how it can be helped."

  As he leaned his back against a tree he looked up and saw a Bluefinch fly down from the sky and alight upon a branch just before him. The bird looked and looked at him. First it looked with one bright eye and then turned its head and looked at him with the other eye. Then, fluttering its wings a little, it said:

  [Click here to view this image enlarged.]

  "Oho! so you've eaten the enchanted peach, have you?"

  "Was it enchanted?" asked Button-Bright.

  "Of course," replied the Bluefinch. "Ugu the Shoemaker did that."

  "But why? And how was it enchanted? And what will happen to one who eats it?" questioned the boy.

  "Ask Ugu the Shoemaker; he knows," said the bird, pruning its feathers with its bill.

  "And who is Ugu the Shoemaker?"

  "The one who enchanted the peach, and placed it here—in the exact center of the Great Orchard—so no one would ever find it. We birds didn't dare to eat it; we are too wise for that. But you are Butto
n-Bright, from the Emerald City, and you—you—YOU ate the enchanted peach! You must explain to Ugu the Shoemaker why you did that."

  And then, before the boy could ask any more questions, the bird flew away and left him alone.

  Button-Bright was not much worried to find that the peach he had eaten was enchanted. It certainly had tasted very good and his stomach didn't ache a bit. So again he began to reflect upon the best way to rejoin his friends.

  "Whichever direction I follow is likely to be the wrong one," he said to himself, "so I'd better stay just where I am and let them find me—if they can."

  A White Rabbit came hopping through the orchard and paused a little way off to look at him.

  "Don't be afraid," said Button-Bright; "I won't hurt you."

  "Oh, I'm not afraid for myself," returned the White Rabbit. "It's you I'm worried about."

  "Yes; I'm lost," said the boy.

  "I fear you are, indeed," answered the Rabbit. "Why on earth did you eat the enchanted peach?"

  The boy looked at the excited little animal thoughtfully.

  "There were two reasons," he explained. "One reason was that I like peaches, and the other reason was that I didn't know it was enchanted."

  "That won't save you from Ugu the Shoemaker," declared the White Rabbit and it scurried away before the boy could ask any more questions.

  "Rabbits and birds," he thought, "are timid creatures and seem afraid of this shoemaker—whoever he may be. If there was another peach half as good as that other, I'd eat it in spite of a dozen enchantments or a hundred shoemakers!"

  Just then Scraps came dancing along and saw him sitting at the foot of the tree.

  "Oh, here you are!" she said. "Up to your old tricks, eh? Don't you know it's impolite to get lost and keep everybody waiting for you? Come along, and I'll lead you back to Dorothy and the others."

  Button-Bright rose slowly to accompany her.

  "That wasn't much of a loss," he said cheerfully. "I haven't been gone half a day, so there's no harm done."