“Ozma will have something to say about this,” said Dorothy indignantly. “If
you think she’ll let you come in here and steal all the Wizard’s magic and
then try to steal his name on top of all that, you’re very badly mistaken.” “I’ll take care of Ozma when the time comes. After all, she’s only a girl,”
said Conjo easily. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go up and
study the Wizard’s magic. Please set a place for me at dinner; I shall be
quite hungry. And don’t bother to look for the Wizard’s Black Bag. You’ll
never find it. Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, he, he, he!”
Conjo was about to close the door when the King of the Fairy Beavers raised his beechwood wand. From the tip of it came a stream of water that played directly on Conjo’s face. Conjo gasped and sputtered, opened his mouth to cry out, and the stream of water filled his mouth. He choked and swallowed a large amount of the water. Immediately the stream ceased flowing from the beaver King’s wand. Conjo stared at them all with innocent wonder in his eyes.
“Where am I?” he said. CHAPTER 23
TWIFFLE SAYS GOODBYE
Conjo wandered from the doorway of the tower toward the Wizard and his friends. “Do you know who I am?” he asked the Wizard amiably. Then the fat little man saw the young beavers. He immediately seated himself on the floor and called to the animals to play with him.
“I think his Majesty, the King of the Fairy Beavers, can explain what has happened to Conjo,” said the Wizard.
“It is very simple,” replied the beaver King. “As I have told you, I am proficient in water magic. So when I saw that Conjo could not be talked out of his mischievousness and that he meant further trouble, I directed a stream of water through my Fairy Wand toward Conjo. The water came from Ozma’s Fountain of Oblivion.”
“Then Conjo has forgotten all his bad ways and all his magic powers?” asked Dorothy.
“Yes,” replied the beaver King. “He is now as harmless as a child. The water of the Fountain of Oblivion is truly wonderful. With Ozma’s gracious permission I shall take a quantity of it back to my kingdom with me when I return.”
“You have the permission now, your Majesty,” said a girlish voice. All eyes turned to the throne from which the voice came. There sat Ozma, regarding them with a quiet smile. “I returned only a moment ago,” Ozma said, “just in time to see the outcome of Conjo’s ambitious schemes and to grant the request of our good friend the King of the Fairy Beavers. I am sure he will use the water from the Fountain of Oblivion wisely and well.” “Then you know all about our adventures?” asked the Shaggy Man. “Yes,” replied Ozma. “Glinda and I finished our tasks on which we have been working steadily, and only a few minutes ago we hurried to open Glinda’s Great Book of Records and brought ourselves up to date on what has happened to you, Shaggy, and your friends, as well as the events transpiring here in the Emerald City during my absence. Now that we are together, I am happy to greet all my friends old and new,” Ozma concluded, smiling at Twink and Tom.
The Wizard stepped to the side of Conjo, who was still seated on the throne room floor prattling to the beavers. He reached down and unfastened from Conjo’s wrist Ozma’s Magic Compass. The Girl Ruler received the magic instrument gravely, her eyes upon Conjo. “I wonder,” she said, “what we should do with him. He is quite harmless now, but we don’t want him to learn his old, bad ways again.”
Here Twiffle stepped forward. “Your Highness,” the little clown began, “if I may make a suggestion. I have known Conjo longer than anyone else here. He
is not really a bad man. His threats are worse than his deeds. Most of the time he is quite jovial and pleasant. He loves his magic and his wizardry and wants to show off. Now that he has a chance to begin all over again, if he learned everything again except vanity and if he had the right guide, I believe it is possible that he might become a good wizard.” “And you want to be that guide,” said Ozma, smiling kindly at Twiffle. “What do you think, Wizard?”
“I believe Twiffle is right,” said the Wizard. “Conjo needs someone to help him now, and Twiffle seems the person to do it.” “I am very fond of my old home on the island, and I would like to help Conjo,” said Twiffle simply.
“For my part, Twiffle is a brick,” put in the Shaggy Man heartily. “Then it is decided,” replied Ozma. “I will use the Magic Belt to send Conjo and Twiffle back to the Isle of Conjo. There Twiffle will help Conjo to become a thoroughly good wizard. Here, Twiffle,” Ozma removed a small golden ring from her finger and handed it to Twiffle. “Keep this ring with you always. Should Conjo ever again cause any mischief, or should you need any help, just rub this ring and you will be transported immediately to wherever I may be.”
“Thank you, your Majesty,” said Twiffle, looking at Ozma gratefully. Twiffle then bade a fond farewell to Twink and Tom, the Shaggy Man, the King of the Fairy Beavers, and all his other new friends. When he had finished, Ozma placed her hands on the Magic Belt and murmured a command. Twink and Tom looked about the throne room. Conjo and Twiffle were nowhere to be seen. The children knew they would miss the little toy clown. But
perhaps he would come to their home sometimes to visit his third cousin, Twoffle.
CHAPTER 24
TWINK AND TOM IN OZ
The remainder of the day was given over to sightseeing for Twink, Tom, the King of the Fairy Beavers, and the young beavers. Dorothy and the Shaggy Man loaded the party into the Red Wagon, which was drawn by the Sawhorse, and conducted their guests on a tour of the beautiful City of Emeralds and the nearby countryside. When they reached the gates of the Emerald City, the Shaggy Man ordered the Sawhorse to stop while he, with the aid of Omby Amby, a bright new nail and a hammer, proudly restored the Love Magnet to its position over the entrance to the city. The company then drove out to call on Miss Cuttenclip and her famous village whose inhabitants were artfully cut out of magic paper and moved about and talked like living people. Next they visited Professor Wogglebug in his College, where the students learned their lessons by swallowing sugar-coated pills. On the return journey they met the Scarecrow, who had been spending the day with a Munchkin Farmer for the purpose of being restuffed with fresh new straw C4 all except his head, of course, which was filled with the marvelous brains the Wizard had given him. Twink and Tom were delighted with this droll personage, who took an instant liking to them. That evening there was a great dinner in honor of Twink, Tom and the King of the Fairy Beavers. Many of the most famous personages of Oz were there. Among these were the Patchwork Girl, the Tin Woodman C4 who had traveled from his tin castle in the Winkie country for the occasion C4 Princess
Ozana, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, Ojo, Button Bright, Betsy Bobbin, Trot, Cap’n Bill, the Woozy, and many, many others. It was a wonderful dinner, and Twink and Tom were fascinated by all the curious and unusual personalities. The twins felt as if they were among old friends, since they had read so much about the famous people of Oz and their exciting adventures. On such occasions as this it was always the custom of the Wizard to put on a display of his magic. Tonight he did not. In fact, the Little Wizard seemed silent and worried throughout the dinner. As the guests began to leave the table, the Wizard approached Ozma unhappily. “I can’t imagine what Conjo did with my Black Bag of Magic Tools,” he said. “We should have questioned him before you sent him back to the Isle of Conjo.”
Ozma shook her head. “That would have done no good. Conjo lost all memory of his former actions when he drank of the waters of the Fountain of Oblivion.”
The only others remaining around the table now were Dorothy, Shaggy, Twink,
Tom and the beaver King. “Did you look in the Magic Picture to see where
Conjo might have hidden the Black Bag?” Ozma asked.
“No,” said the Wizard. “We were so excited and things happened so swiftly
that we never thought of the Magic Picture.”
“Then l
et us consult the picture immediately,” said Ozma. The Girl Ruler rose and motioned the rest to follow her as she made her way to her suite of rooms and the Magic Picture.
CHAPTER 25
THE BLACK BAG OF MAGIC TOOLS
Ozma swept the velvet drape from the Magic Picture. There was the familiar scene that appeared when the Picture was not in use: a peaceful Oz countryside with rolling fields and hills and a large tree growing in the foreground. “Show us the Wizard’s Black Bag of Magic Tools,” Ozma said. There was no change in the picture. “What can be wrong?” whispered Dorothy soberly.
“Perhaps the Magic Picture can only show $$people&& and not $$things&&,” suggested the Shaggy Man. “I don’t recall our ever having asked it to show an $$object&& before.”
Ozma’s face was puzzled. She was staring intently at the familiar picture. “No,” she said quietly. “I think the Magic Picture is doing its best to show us the Black Bag right now.” Everyone looked at Ozma in astonishment. There was nothing in the Magic Picture that looked anything like the Black Bag. It was merely the old familiar scene that the magic picture showed when it was not in use. “Conjo was very clever in a way,” said Ozma. “He hid the Black Bag by means of his wizard powers in a place where few people would think to look. But he forgot that the Magic Picture is my own fairy creation, and I understand its magic better than anyone else.” The Little Ruler paused, saying to those around her. “Watch this closely, now.” She murmured a fairy charm so softly that none of the group could distinguish the words. Something was moving in the Magic Picture. From behind the trunk of the tree that arose in the foreground of the picture slipped a small, black object. It grew larger and larger until it filled a quarter of the picture. Then it fell out of the picture frame to the floor. It was the Wizard’s Black Bag of Magic Tools!
The Little Wizard leaped forward and gratefully seized his precious Black Bag. “So Conjo hid it behind the tree in the Magic Picture!” he exclaimed.
CHAPTER 26
TWINK AND TOM HOME AGAIN
“It is growing quite late,” Ozma said, turning to Twink and Tom, “and I am sure you children must be tired after the strenuous adventures of the day.” The Little Ruler paused and then added, “I know, too, that you are anxious to return home to your parents.”
Twink nodded. “Yes, your Highness,” she said. “We have had a wonderful time in Oz, and we love you all very dearly, but we must go home as soon as we can.”
“Twink’s right,” agreed Tom. “We have had a great time, and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, but we belong at home in Buffalo.” Ozma smiled her most charming smile. “Very well,” she said. “We will say goodbye now. Then Dorothy and the Shaggy Man will show you to your room, where beds are prepared for you. While you sleep, I will use the Magic Belt to transport you to your beds in your own home.” Twink and Tom bade goodnight and goodbye to Ozma and the King of the Fairy Beavers. The little animal had accepted Ozma’s invitation to be her guest as long as he felt he could absent himself from his Kingdom. Then Dorothy and the Shaggy Man led Twink and Tom to one of the most beautiful sleeping rooms the children had ever seen. The four talked together for a short time, after which Dorothy and Shaggy said farewell and slipped quietly from the room. It had been a long, exciting day, and Twink and Tom had no difficulty
falling asleep, although they knew that sometime during the night they would travel magically from the Land of Oz to their own beds in their home in far-away Buffalo. And that was just what happened.
THE END
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
L. Frank Baum - Oz 38 Page 10
