CHAPTER 19
The Conquest of the Witch
Now as soon as the conquest of King Krewl had taken place, one of theOrks had been dispatched to Pon's house with the joyful news. At onceGloria and Pon and Trot and Button-Bright hastened toward the castle.They were somewhat surprised by the sight that met their eyes, for therewas the Scarecrow, crowned King, and all the people kneeling humblybefore him. So they likewise bowed low to the new ruler and then stoodbeside the throne. Cap'n Bill, as the gray grasshopper, was still perchedupon Trot's shoulder, but now he hopped to the shoulder of the Scarecrowand whispered into the painted ear:
"I thought Gloria was to be Queen of Jinxland."
The Scarecrow shook his head.
"Not yet," he answered. "No Queen with a frozen heart is fit to rule anycountry." Then he turned to his new friend, the Ork, who was struttingabout, very proud of what he had done, and said: "Do you suppose you, oryour followers, could find old Blinkie the Witch?"
"Where is she?" asked the Ork.
"Somewhere in Jinxland, I'm sure."
"Then," said the Ork, "we shall certainly be able to find her."
"It will give me great pleasure," declared the Scarecrow. "When you havefound her, bring her here to me, and I will then decide what to do withher."
The Ork called his followers together and spoke a few words to them ina low tone. A moment after they rose into the air--so suddenly that theScarecrow, who was very light in weight, was blown quite out of histhrone and into the arms of Pon, who replaced him carefully upon hisseat. There was an eddy of dust and ashes, too, and the grasshopper onlysaved himself from being whirled into the crowd of people by jumping intoa tree, from where a series of hops soon brought him back to Trot'sshoulder again.
The Orks were quite out of sight by this time, so the Scarecrow made aspeech to the people and presented Gloria to them, whom they knew wellalready and were fond of. But not all of them knew of her frozen heart,and when the Scarecrow related the story of the Wicked Witch's misdeeds,which had been encouraged and paid for by Krewl and Googly-Goo, thepeople were very indignant.
Meantime the fifty Orks had scattered all over Jinxland, which is not avery big country, and their sharp eyes were peering into every valleyand grove and gully. Finally one of them spied a pair of heels stickingout from underneath some bushes, and with a shrill whistle to warn hiscomrades that the witch was found the Ork flew down and dragged oldBlinkie from her hiding-place. Then two or three of the Orks seized theclothing of the wicked woman in their strong claws and, lifting her highin the air, where she struggled and screamed to no avail, they flew withher straight to the royal castle and set her down before the throne ofthe Scarecrow.
"Good!" exclaimed the straw man, nodding his stuffed head withsatisfaction. "Now we can proceed to business. Mistress Witch, I amobliged to request, gently but firmly, that you undo all the wrongs youhave done by means of your witchcraft."
"Pah!" cried old Blinkie in a scornful voice. "I defy you all! By mymagic powers I can turn you all into pigs, rooting in the mud, and I'lldo it if you are not careful."
"I think you are mistaken about that," said the Scarecrow, and risingfrom his throne he walked with wobbling steps to the side of the WickedWitch. "Before I left the Land of Oz, Glinda the Royal Sorceress gave mea box, which I was not to open except in an emergency. But I feel prettysure that this occasion is an emergency; don't you, Trot?' he asked,turning toward the little girl.
"Why, we've got to do _something_," replied Trot seriously. "Things seemin an awful muddle here, jus' now, and they'll be worse if we don't stopthis witch from doing more harm to people."
"That is my idea, exactly," said the Scarecrow, and taking a small boxfrom his pocket he opened the cover and tossed the contents towardBlinkie.
The old woman shrank back, pale and trembling, as a fine white dustsettled all about her. Under its influence she seemed to the eyes of allobservers to shrivel and grow smaller.
"Oh, dear--oh, dear!" she wailed, wringing her hands in fear. "Haven'tyou the antidote, Scarecrow? Didn't the great Sorceress give you anotherbox?"
"She did," answered the Scarecrow.
"Then give it me--quick!" pleaded the witch. "Give it me--and I'll doanything you ask me to!"
"You will do what I ask first," declared the Scarecrow, firmly.
The witch was shriveling and growing smaller every moment.
"Be quick, then!" she cried. "Tell me what I must do and let me do it, orit will be too late."
"You made Trot's friend, Cap'n Bill, a grasshopper. I command you to givehim back his proper form again," said the Scarecrow.
"Where is he? Where's the grasshopper? Quick--quick!" she screamed.
Cap'n Bill, who had been deeply interested in this conversation, gavea great leap from Trot's shoulder and landed on that of the Scarecrow.Blinkie saw him alight and at once began to make magic passes and tomumble magic incantations. She was in a desperate hurry, knowing that shehad no time to waste, and the grasshopper was so suddenly transformedinto the old sailor-man, Cap'n Bill, that he had no opportunity to jumpoff the Scarecrow's shoulder; so his great weight bore the stuffedScarecrow to the ground. No harm was done, however, and the straw man gotup and brushed the dust from his clothes while Trot delightedly embracedCap'n Bill.
"The other box! Quick! Give me the other box," begged Blinkie, who hadnow shrunk to half her former size.
"Not yet," said the Scarecrow. "You must first melt Princess Gloria'sfrozen heart."
"I can't; it's an awful job to do that! I can't," asserted the witch, inan agony of fear--for still she was growing smaller.
"You must!" declared the Scarecrow, firmly.
The witch cast a shrewd look at him and saw that he meant it; so shebegan dancing around Gloria in a frantic manner. The Princess lookedcoldly on, as if not at all interested in the proceedings, while Blinkietore a handful of hair from her own head and ripped a strip of cloth fromthe bottom of her gown. Then the witch sank upon her knees, took a purplepowder from her black bag and sprinkled it over the hair and cloth.
"I hate to do it--I hate to do it!" she wailed, "for there is no moreof this magic compound in all the world. But I must sacrifice it to savemy own life. A match! Give me a match, quick!" and panting from lack ofbreath she gazed imploringly from one to another.
Cap'n Bill was the only one who had a match, but he lost no time inhanding it to Blinkie, who quickly set fire to the hair and the clothand the purple powder. At once a purple cloud enveloped Gloria, and thisgradually turned to a rosy pink color--brilliant and quite transparent.Through the rosy cloud they could all see the beautiful Princess,standing proud and erect. Then her heart became visible, at firstfrosted with ice but slowly growing brighter and warmer until all thefrost had disappeared and it was beating as softly and regularly as anyother heart. And now the cloud dispersed and disclosed Gloria, her facesuffused with joy, smiling tenderly upon the friends who were groupedabout her.
Poor Pon stepped forward--timidly, fearing a repulse, but with pleadingeyes and arms fondly outstretched toward his former sweetheart--and thePrincess saw him and her sweet face lighted with a radiant smile. Withoutan instant's hesitation she threw herself into Pon's arms and thisreunion of two loving hearts was so affecting that the people turned awayand lowered their eyes so as not to mar the sacred joy of the faithfullovers.
But Blinkie's small voice was shouting to the Scarecrow for help.
"The antidote!" she screamed. "Give me the other box--quick!"
The Scarecrow looked at the witch with his quaint, painted eyes and sawthat she was now no taller than his knee. So he took from his pocket thesecond box and scattered its contents on Blinkie. She ceased to grow anysmaller, but she could never regain her former size, and this the wickedold woman well knew.
She did not know, however, that the second powder had destroyed all herpower to work magic, and seeking to be revenged upon the Scarecrow andhis friends she at once began to mumble a charm so terrible in i
ts effectthat it would have destroyed half the population of Jinxland--had itworked. But it did not work at all, to the amazement of old Blinkie. Andby this time the Scarecrow noticed what the little witch was trying todo, and said to her:
"Go home, Blinkie, and behave yourself. You are no longer a witch, but anordinary old woman, and since you are powerless to do more evil I adviseyou to try to do some good in the world. Believe me, it is more fun toaccomplish a good act than an evil one, as you will discover when onceyou have tried it."
But Blinkie was at that moment filled with grief and chagrin at losingher magic powers. She started away toward her home, sobbing and bewailingher fate, and not one who saw her go was at all sorry for her.
The Scarecrow of Oz Page 21
