5. Dorothy Picks the Princess
The words of the cold and moist vegetable Prince were not verycomforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure.The children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him whenthe Wizard touched Dorothy softly on her shoulder.
"Wait!" he whispered.
"What for?" asked the girl.
"Suppose we pick the Royal Princess," said the Wizard. "I'm quite sureshe's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the Ruler, andmay treat us better than that heartless Prince intends to."
"All right!" exclaimed Dorothy, eagerly. "Let's pick her while we havethe chance, before the man with the star comes back."
So together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized onehand of the lovely Princess.
"Pull!" cried Dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned towardthem and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. She was not atall heavy, so the Wizard and Dorothy managed to lift her gently to theground.
The beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant,tucked in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after alook around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in asweet but even toned voice:
"I thank you very much."
"We salute your Royal Highness!" cried the Wizard, kneeling and kissingher hand.
Just then the voice of the Prince was heard calling upon them tohasten, and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by anumber of his people.
Instantly the Princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that shewas picked the Prince stood still and began to tremble.
"Sir," said the Royal Lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged megreatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangerscome to my rescue. I have been ready for picking all the past week,but because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawfulrule, you left me to stand silent upon my bush."
"I did not know that you were ripe," answered the Prince, in a lowvoice.
"Give me the Star of Royalty!" she commanded.
Slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it uponthat of the Princess. Then all the people bowed low to her, and thePrince turned and walked away alone. What became of him afterward ourfriends never knew.
The people of Mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession andmarched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palaceand to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. But while thepeople in the procession walked upon the ground the Princess walked inthe air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior beingand more exalted than her subjects.
No one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so Dorothy andZeb and the Wizard let the train pass on and then wandered bythemselves into the vegetable gardens. They did not bother to crossthe bridges over the brooks, but when they came to a stream theystepped high and walked in the air to the other side. This was a veryinteresting experience to them, and Dorothy said:
"I wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air."
"Perhaps," answered the Wizard, "it is because we are close to thecenter of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is veryslight. But I've noticed that many queer things happen in fairycountries."
"Is this a fairy country?" asked the boy.
"Of course it is," returned Dorothy promptly. "Only a fairy countrycould have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could Eurekaand Jim talk as we do."
"That's true," said Zeb, thoughtfully.
In the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, andseveral other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily.But the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, andcalled the Wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milkby means of his magical arts.
As they sat upon the grass watching Jim, who was still busily eating,Eureka said:
"I don't believe you are a Wizard at all!"
"No," answered the little man, "you are quite right. In the strictsense of the word I am not a Wizard, but only a humbug."
"The Wizard of Oz has always been a humbug," agreed Dorothy. "I'veknown him for a long time."
"If that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trickwith the nine tiny piglets?"
"Don't know," said Dorothy, "but it must have been humbug."
"Very true," declared the Wizard, nodding at her. "It was necessary todeceive that ugly Sorcerer and the Prince, as well as their stupidpeople; but I don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that thething was only a trick."
"But I saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed Zeb.
"So did I," purred the kitten.
"To be sure," answered the Wizard. "You saw them because they werethere. They are in my inside pocket now. But the pulling of themapart and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick."
"Let's see the pigs," said Eureka, eagerly.
The little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tinypiglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran aroundand nibbled the tender blades.
"They're hungry, too," he said.
"Oh, what cunning things!" cried Dorothy, catching up one and pettingit.
"Be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!"
"Dear me!" murmured the Wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment."They can actually talk!"
"May I eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "I'mawfully hungry."
"Why, Eureka," said Dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! Itwould be dreadful to eat these dear little things."
"I should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily atthe kitten; "cats are cruel things."
"I'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "I'm just hungry."
"You cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared thelittle man, in a stern voice. "They are the only things I have toprove I'm a wizard."
"How did they happen to be so little?" asked Dorothy. "I never sawsuch small pigs before."
"They are from the Island of Teenty-Weent," said the Wizard, "whereeverything is small because it's a small island. A sailor brought themto Los Angeles and I gave him nine tickets to the circus for them."
"But what am I going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front ofDorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "There are no cows hereto give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. And if I can't eatthe piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup."
"I have an idea," said the Wizard, "that there are fishes in thesebrooks. Do you like fish?"
"Fish!" cried the kitten. "Do I like fish? Why, they're better thanpiglets--or even milk!"
"Then I'll try to catch you some," said he.
"But won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked thekitten.
"I think not. Fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moistas the vegetables themselves. There is no reason, that I can see, whythey may not exist in the waters of this strange country."
Then the Wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of stringfrom his pocket for a fish-line. The only bait he could find was abright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to foolif anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try theblossom. Having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearbybrook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and wascaught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sureenough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore, whereit began to flop around in great excitement.
The fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifullycut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine itclosely, for Eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and ina few moments it had entirely disappeared.
"Oh, Eureka!" cried Dorothy, "did you eat the bones?"
"If it had any bones, I ate them
," replied the kitten, composedly, asit washed its face after the meal. "But I don't think that fish hadany bones, because I didn't feel them scratch my throat."
"You were very greedy," said the girl.
"I was very hungry," replied the kitten.
The little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene withfrightened eyes.
"Cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them.
"I'm glad we are not fishes!" said another.
"Don't worry," Dorothy murmured, soothingly, "I'll not let the kittenhurt you."
Then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case wereone or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train,and she went to the buggy and brought them. Eureka stuck up her noseat such food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight ofthe crackers and ate them up in a jiffy.
"Now let us go back to the city," suggested the Wizard. "That is, ifJim has had enough of the pink grass."
The cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh.
"I've tried to eat a lot while I had the chance," said he, "for it'slikely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. ButI'm ready to go, now, at any time you wish."
So, after the Wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket,where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into thebuggy and Jim started back to the town.
"Where shall we stay?" asked the girl.
"I think I shall take possession of the House of the Sorcerer," repliedthe Wizard; "for the Prince said in the presence of his people that hewould keep me until they picked another Sorcerer, and the new Princesswon't know but that we belong there."
They agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square Jimdrew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall.
"It doesn't look very homelike," said Dorothy, gazing around at thebare room. "But it's a place to stay, anyhow."
"What are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to someopenings that appeared near the top of the dome.
"They look like doorways," said Dorothy; "only there are no stairs toget to them."
"You forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the Wizard. "Let uswalk up, and see where the doors lead to."
With this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, andDorothy and Zeb followed him. It was the same sort of climb oneexperiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breathwhen they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to bedoorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. Followingthese halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, andsome were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. But therewere no beds at all.
"I wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl.
"Why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," Zeb replied."Those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when wecame, and if there is no sunset there can be no night."
"Very true," agreed the Wizard. "But it is a long time since I havehad any sleep, and I'm tired. So I think I shall lie down upon one ofthese hard glass benches and take a nap."
"I will, too," said Dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of thehall.
Zeb walked down again to unharness Jim, who, when he found himselffree, rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, withEureka nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. Then the boyreturned to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of theglass bench was soon deep in slumberland.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz Page 6
