263 Full page line-art drawing.
264 Princess Ozma of Oz
"You are my prisoner, and it is useless for you to struggle any longer,"said Glinda, in her soft, sweet voice. "Lie still a moment, and restyourself, and then I will carry you back to my tent."
"Why do you seek me?" asked Mombi, still scarce able to speak plainly forlack of breath. "What have I done to you, to be so persecuted?"
"You have done nothing to me," answered the gentle Sorceress; "but I suspectyou have been guilty of several wicked actions; and if I find it is truethat you have so abused your knowledge of magic, I intend to punish youseverely."
"I defy you!" croaked the old hag. "You dare not harm me!"
Just then the Gump flew up to them and alighted upon the desert sands besideGlinda. Our friends
265were delighted to find that Mombi had finally been captured, and after ahurried consultation it was decided they should all return to the camp inthe Gump. So the Saw-Horse was tossed aboard, and then Glinda still holdingan end of the golden thread that was around Mombi's neck, forced herprisoner to climb into the sofas. The others now followed, and Tip gave theword to the Gump to return.
The Journey was made in safety, Mombi sitting in her place with a grim andsullen air; for the old hag was absolutely helpless so long as the magicalthread encircled her throat. The army hailed Glinda's return with loudcheers, and the party of friends soon gathered again in the royal tent,which had been neatly repaired during their absence.
"Now," said the Sorceress to Mombi, "I want you to tell us why the WonderfulWizard of Oz paid you three visits, and what became of the child, Ozma,which so curiously disappeared."
The Witch looked at Glinda defiantly, but said not a word.
"Answer me!" cried the Sorceress.
But still Mombi remained silent.
"Perhaps she doesn't know," remarked Jack.
"I beg you will keep quiet," said Tip. "You might spoil everything with yourfoolishness."
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"Very well, dear father!" returned the Pumpkinhead, meekly.
"How glad I am to be a Woggle-Bug!" murmured the Highly Magnified Insect,softly. "No one can expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin."
"Well," said the Scarecrow, "what shall we do to make Mombi speak? Unlessshe tells us what we wish to know her capture will do us no good at all."
"Suppose we try kindness," suggested the Tin Woodman. "I've heard thatanyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be."
At this the Witch turned to glare upon him so horribly that the Tin Woodmanshrank back abashed.
Glinda had been carefully considering what to do, and now she turned toMombi and said:
"You will gain nothing, I assure you, by thus defying us. For I amdetermined to learn the truth about the girl Ozma, and unless you tell meall that you know, I will certainly put you to death."
"Oh, no! Don't do that!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman. "It would be an awfulthing to kill anyone--even old Mombi!"
"But it is merely a threat," returned Glinda. "I shall not put Mombi todeath, because she will prefer to tell me the truth."
"Oh, I see!" said the tin man, much relieved.
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"Suppose I tell you all that you wish to know,". said Mombi, speaking sosuddenly that she startled them all. "What will you do with me then?"
"In that case," replied Glinda, "I shall merely ask you to drink a powerfuldraught which will cause you to forget all the magic you have ever learned."
"Then I would become a helpless old woman!"
"But you would be alive," suggested the Pumpkinhead, consolingly.
"Do try to keep silent!" said Tip, nervously.
"I'll try," responded Jack; "but you will admit that it's a good thing to bealive."
"Especially if one happens to be Thoroughly Educated," added the Woggle-Bug,nodding approval.
"You may make your choice," Glinda said to old Mombi, "between death if youremain silent, and the loss of your magical powers if you tell me the truth.But I think you will prefer to live.
Mombi cast an uneasy glance at the Sorceress, and saw that she was inearnest, and not to be trifled with. So she replied, slowly:
"I will answer your questions."
"That is what I expected," said Glinda, pleasantly. "You have chosen wisely,I assure you."
She then motioned to one of her Captains, who brought her a beautiful goldencasket. From this
268the Sorceress drew an immense white pearl, attached to a slender chain whichshe placed around her neck in such a way that the pearl rested upon herbosom, directly over her heart.
"Now," said she, "I will ask my first question: Why did the Wizard pay youthree visits?"
"Because I would not come to him," answered Mombi.
"That is no answer," said Glinda, sternly. "Tell me the truth."
"Well," returned Mombi, with downcast eyes, "he visited me to learn the wayI make tea-biscuits."
"Look up!" commanded the Sorceress.
Mombi obeyed.
"What is the color of my pearl?" demanded Glinda.
"Why--it is black!" replied the old Witch, in a tone of wonder.
"Then you have told me a falsehood!" cried Glinda, angrily. "Only when thetruth is spoken will my magic pearl remain a pure white in color."
Mombi now saw how useless it was to try to deceive the Sorceress; so shesaid, meanwhile scowling at her defeat:
"The Wizard brought to me the girl Ozma, who was then no more than a baby,and begged me to conceal the child."
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"That is what I thought," declared Glinda, calmly. "What did he give you forthus serving him?"
"He taught me all the magical tricks he knew. Some were good tricks, andsome were only frauds; but I have remained faithful to my promise."
"What did you do with the girl?" asked Glinda; and at this question everyonebent forward and listened eagerly for the reply.
"I enchanted her," answered Mombi.
"In what way?"
"I transformed her into--into--"
"Into what?" demanded Glinda, as the Witch hesitated.
"Into a boy!" said Mombi, in a low tone."
A boy!" echoed every voice; and then, because they knew that this old womanhad reared Tip from childhood, all eyes were turned to where the boy stood.
"Yes," said the old Witch, nodding her head; "that is the Princess Ozma--thechild brought to me by the Wizard who stole her father's throne. That isthe rightful ruler of the Emerald City!" and she pointed her long bonyfinger straight at the boy.
"I!" cried Tip, in amazement. "Why, I'm no Princess Ozma--I'm not a girl!"
Glinda smiled, and going to Tip she took his small brown hand within herdainty white one.
270 Full page line-art drawing.
MOMBI POINTED HER LONG, BONY FINGER AT THE BOY
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"You are not a girl just now" said she, gently, "because Mombi transformedyou into a boy. But you were born a girl, and also a Princess; so you mustresume your proper form, that you may become Queen of the Emerald City."
"Oh, let Jinjur be the Queen!" exclaimed Tip, ready to cry. "I want to staya boy, and travel with the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and the Woggle-Bug, and Jack--yes! and my friend the Saw-Horse--and the Gump! I don'twant to be a girl!"
"Never mind, old chap," said the Tin Woodman, soothingly; "it don't hurt tobe a girl, I'm told; and we will all remain your faithful friends just thesame. And, to be honest with you, I've always considered girls nicer thanboys."
"They're just as nice, anyway," added the Scarecrow, patting Tipaffectionately upon the head.
"And they are equally good students," proclaimed the Woggle-Bug. "I shouldlike to become your tutor, when you are transformed into a girl again."
"But--see here!" said Jack Pumpkinhead, with a gasp: "if you become agirl, you can't be my dear father any more!"
"No," answered Tip, laughing in spit
e of his anxiety. "and I shall not besorry to escape the relationship." Then he added, hesitatingly, as he turnedto
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Glinda: "I might try it for awhile,-just to see how it seems, you know. Butif I don't like being a girl you must promise to change me into a boyagain."
"Really," said the Sorceress, "that is beyond my magic. I never deal intransformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likesto make things appear to be what they are not. Only unscrupulous witches usethe art, and therefore I must ask Mombi to effect your release from hercharm, and restore you to your proper form. It will be the last opportunityshe will have to practice magic."
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Now that the truth about Princes Ozma had been discovered, Mombi did notcare what became of Tip; but she feared Glinda's anger, and the boygenerously promised to provide for Mombi in her old age if he became theruler of the Emerald City. So the Witch consented to effect thetransformation, and preparations for the event were at once made.
Glinda ordered her own royal couch to be placed in the center of the tent.It was piled high with cushions covered with rose-colored silk, and from agolden railing above hung many folds of pink gossamer, completely concealingthe interior of the couch.
The first act of the Witch was to make the boy drink a potion which quicklysent him into a deep and dreamless sleep. Then the Tin Woodman and theWoggle-Bug bore him gently to the couch, placed him upon the soft cushions,and drew the gossamer hangings to shut him from all earthly view.
The Witch squatted upon the ground and kindled a tiny fire of dried herbs,which she drew from her bosom. When the blaze shot up and burned clearly oldMombi scattered a handful of magical powder over the fire, which straightwaygave off a rich violet vapor, filling all the tent with its fragrance andforcing the Saw-Horse to sneeze--although he had been warned to keepquiet.
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MOMBI AT HER MAGICAL INCANTATIONS.
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Then, while the others watched her curiously, the hag chanted a rhythmicalverse in words which no one understood, and bent her lean body seven timesback and forth over the fire. And now the incantation seemed complete, forthe Witch stood upright and cried the one word "Yeowa!" in a loud voice.
The vapor floated away; the atmosphere became, clear again; a whiff of freshair filled the tent, and the pink curtains of the couch trembled slightly,as if stirred from within.
Glinda walked to the canopy and parted the silken hangings. Then she bentover the cushions, reached out her hand, and from the couch arose the formof a young girl, fresh and beautiful as a May morning. Her eyes sparkled astwo diamonds, and her lips were tinted like a tourmaline. All adown her backfloated tresses of ruddy gold, with a slender jeweled circlet confining themat the brow. Her robes of silken gauze floated around her like a cloud, anddainty satin slippers shod her feet.
At this exquisite vision Tip's old comrades stared in wonder for the spaceof a full minute, and then every head bent low in honest admiration of thelovely Princess Ozma. The girl herself cast one look into Glinda's brightface, which glowed with pleasure and satisfaction, and then turned upon the
276others. Speaking the words with sweet diffidence, she said:
"I hope none of you will care less for me than you did before. I'm just thesame Tip, you know; only--only--"
"Only you're different!" said the Pumpkinhead; and everyone thought it wasthe wisest speech he had ever made.
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277 Full page line-art drawing.
278 The Riches of Content
When the wonderful tidings reached the ears of Queen Jinjur--how Mombi theWitch had been captured; how she had confessed her crime to Glinda; and howthe long-lost Princess Ozma had been discovered in no less a personage thanthe boy Tip--she wept real tears of grief and despair.
"To think," she moaned, "that after having ruled as Queen, and lived in apalace, I must go back to scrubbing floors and churning butter again! It istoo horrible to think of! I will never consent!"
So when her soldiers, who spent most of their time making fudge in thepalace kitchens, counseled Jinjur to resist, she listened to their foolishprattle and sent a sharp defiance to Glinda the Good and the Princess Ozma.The result was a declaration of war, and the very next day Glinda marchedupon the Emerald City with pennants flying and bands playing,
279and a forest of shining spears, sparkling brightly beneath the sun's rays.
But when it came to the walls this brave assembly made a sudden halt; forJinjur had closed and barred every gateway, and the walls of the EmeraldCity were builded high and thick with many blocks of green marble. Findingher advance thus baffled, Glinda bent her brows in deep thought, while theWoggle-Bug said, in his most positive tone:
"We must lay siege to the city, and starve it into submission. It is theonly thing we can do."
"Not so," answered the Scarecrow. "We still have the Gump, and the Gump canstill fly"
The Sorceress turned quickly at this speech, and her face now wore a brightsmile.
"You are right," she exclaimed, "and certainly have reason to be proud ofyour brains. Let us go to the Gump at once!"
So they passed through the ranks of the army until they came to the place,near the Scarecrow's tent, where the Gump lay. Glinda and Princess Ozmamounted first, and sat upon the sofas. Then the Scarecrow and his friendsclimbed aboard, and still there was room for a Captain and three soldiers,which Glinda considered sufficient for a guard.
Now, at a word from the Princess, the queer
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Thing they had called the Gump flopped its palm-leaf wings and rose into theair, carrying the party of adventurers high above the walls. They hoveredover the palace, and soon perceived Jinjur reclining in a hammock in thecourtyard, where she was comfortably reading a novel with a green cover andeating green chocolates, confident that the walls would protect her from herenemies. Obeying a quick command, the Gump alighted safely in this verycourtyard, and before Jinjur had time to do more than scream, the Captainand three soldiers
281leaped out and made the former Queen a prisoner, locking strong chains uponboth her wrists.
That act really ended the war; for the Army of Revolt submitted as soon asthey knew Jinjur to be a captive, and the Captain marched in safety throughthe streets and up to the gates of the city, which she threw wide open. Thenthe bands played their most stirring music while Glinda's army marched intothe city, and heralds proclaimed the conquest of the audacious Jinjur andthe accession of the beautiful Princess Ozma to the throne of her royalancestors.
At once the men of the Emerald City cast off their aprons. And it is saidthat the women were so tired eating of their husbands' cooking that they
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282all hailed the conquest of Jinjur with Joy. Certain it is that, rushing oneand all to the kitchens of their houses, the good wives prepared sodelicious a feast for the weary men that harmony was immediately restored inevery family.
Ozma's first act was to oblige the Army of Revolt to return to her everyemerald or other gem stolen from the public streets and buildings; and sogreat was the number of precious stones picked from their settings by thesevain girls, that every one of the royal jewelers worked steadily for morethan a month to replace them in their settings.
Meanwhile the Army of Revolt was disbanded and the girls sent home to theirmothers. On promise of good behavior Jinjur was likewise released.
Ozma made the loveliest Queen the Emerald City had ever known; and, althoughshe was so young and inexperienced, she ruled her people with wisdom andJustice. For Glinda gave her good advice on all occasions; and theWoggle-Bug, who was appointed to the important post of Public Educator, was quitehelpful to Ozma when her royal duties grew perplexing.
The girl, in her gratitude to the Gump for its services, offered thecreature any reward it
might name.
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"Then," replied the Gump, "please take me to pieces. I did not wish to bebrought to life, and I am greatly ashamed of my conglomerate personality.Once I was a monarch of the forest, as my antlers fully prove; but now, inmy present upholstered condition of servitude, I am compelled to fly throughthe air--my legs being of no use to me whatever. Therefore I beg to bedispersed."
So Ozma ordered the Gump taken apart. The antlered head was again hung overthe mantle-piece in the hall, and the sofas were untied and placed in thereception parlors. The broom tail resumed its accustomed duties in thekitchen, and finally, the Scarecrow replaced all the clotheslines and ropeson the pegs from which he had taken them on the eventful day when the Thingwas constructed.
You might think that was the end of the Gump; and so it was, as aflying-machine. But the head over the mantle-piece continued to talk whenever ittook a notion to do so, and it frequently startled, with its abruptquestions, the people who waited in the hall for an audience with the Queen.
The Saw-Horse, being Ozma's personal property, was tenderly cared for; andoften she rode the queer creature along the streets of the Emerald City. Shehad its wooden legs shod with gold, to keep them
The Marvelous Land of Oz Page 14
