The Patchwork Girl of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

  PRINCESS DOROTHY

  CHAP. 16

  Dorothy Gale was sitting in one of her rooms in the royal palace, whilecurled up at her feet was a little black dog with a shaggy coat and verybright eyes. She wore a plain white frock, without any jewels or otherornaments except an emerald-green hair-ribbon, for Dorothy was a simplelittle girl and had not been in the least spoiled by the magnificencesurrounding her. Once the child had lived on the Kansas prairies, butshe seemed marked for adventure, for she had made several trips to theLand of Oz before she came to live there for good. Her very best friendwas the beautiful Ozma of Oz, who loved Dorothy so well that she kepther in her own palace, so as to be near her. The girl's Uncle Henry andAunt Em--the only relatives she had in the world--had also been broughthere by Ozma and given a pleasant home. Dorothy knew almost everybody inOz, and it was she who had discovered the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman andthe Cowardly Lion, as well as Tik-tok the Clockwork Man. Her life wasvery pleasant now, and although she had been made a Princess of Oz byher friend Ozma she did not care much to be a Princess and remained assweet as when she had been plain Dorothy Gale of Kansas.

  Dorothy was reading in a book this evening when Jellia Jamb, thefavorite servant-maid of the palace, came to say that the Shaggy Manwanted to see her.

  "All right," said Dorothy; "tell him to come right up."

  "But he has some queer creatures with him--some of the queerest I'veever laid eyes on," reported Jellia.

  "Never mind; let 'em all come up," replied Dorothy.

  But when the door opened to admit not only the Shaggy Man, but Scraps,the Woozy and the Glass Cat, Dorothy jumped up and looked at her strangevisitors in amazement. The Patchwork Girl was the most curious of alland Dorothy was uncertain at first whether Scraps was really alive oronly a dream or a nightmare. Toto, her dog, slowly uncurled himself andgoing to the Patchwork Girl sniffed at her inquiringly; but soon he laydown again, as if to say he had no interest in such an irregularcreation.

  "You're a new one to me," Dorothy said reflectively, addressing thePatchwork Girl. "I can't imagine where you've come from."

  "Who, me?" asked Scraps, looking around the pretty room instead of atthe girl. "Oh, I came from a bed-quilt, I guess. That's what they say,anyhow. Some call it a crazy-quilt and some a patchwork quilt. But myname is Scraps--and now you know all about me."

  "Not quite all," returned Dorothy with a smile. "I wish you'd tell mehow you came to be alive."

  "That's an easy job," said Scraps, sitting upon a big upholstered chairand making the springs bounce her up and down. "Margolotte wanted aslave, so she made me out of an old bed-quilt she didn't use. Cottonstuffing, suspender-button eyes, red velvet tongue, pearl beads forteeth. The Crooked Magician made a Powder of Life, sprinkled me with itand--here I am. Perhaps you've noticed my different colors. A veryrefined and educated gentleman named the Scarecrow, whom I met, told meI am the most beautiful creature in all Oz, and I believe it."

  "Oh! Have you met our Scarecrow, then?" asked Dorothy, a little puzzledto understand the brief history related.

  "Yes; isn't he jolly?"

  "The Scarecrow has many good qualities," replied Dorothy. "But I'm sorryto hear all this 'bout the Crooked Magician. Ozma'll be mad as hops whenshe hears he's been doing magic again. She told him not to."

  "He only practices magic for the benefit of his own family," explainedBungle, who was keeping at a respectful distance from the little blackdog.

  "Dear me," said Dorothy; "I hadn't noticed you before. Are you glass, orwhat?"

  "I'm glass, and transparent, too, which is more than can be said of somefolks," answered the cat. "Also I have some lovely pink brains; you cansee 'em work."

  "Oh; is that so? Come over here and let me see."

  The Glass Cat hesitated, eyeing the dog.

  "Send that beast away and I will," she said.

  "Beast! Why, that's my dog Toto, an' he's the kindest dog in all theworld. Toto knows a good many things, too; 'most as much as I do, Iguess."

  "Why doesn't he say anything?" asked Bungle.

  "He can't talk, not being a fairy dog," explained Dorothy. "He's just acommon United States dog; but that's a good deal; and I understand him,and he understands me, just as well as if he could talk."

  Toto, at this, got up and rubbed his head softly against Dorothy's hand,which she held out to him, and he looked up into her face as if he hadunderstood every word she had said.

  "This cat, Toto," she said to him, "is made of glass, so you mustn'tbother it, or chase it, any more than you do my Pink Kitten. It'sprob'ly brittle and might break if it bumped against anything."

  "Woof!" said Toto, and that meant he understood.

  The Glass Cat was so proud of her pink brains that she ventured to comeclose to Dorothy, in order that the girl might "see 'em work." This wasreally interesting, but when Dorothy patted the cat she found the glasscold and hard and unresponsive, so she decided at once that Bungle wouldnever do for a pet.

  "What do you know about the Crooked Magician who lives on the mountain?"asked Dorothy.

  "He made me," replied the cat; "so I know all about him. The PatchworkGirl is new--three or four days old--but I've lived with Dr. Pipt foryears; and, though I don't much care for him, I will say that he hasalways refused to work magic for any of the people who come to hishouse. He thinks there's no harm in doing magic things for his ownfamily, and he made me out of glass because the meat cats drink too muchmilk. He also made Scraps come to life so she could do the housework forhis wife Margolotte."

  "Then why did you both leave him?" asked Dorothy.

  "I think you'd better let me explain that," interrupted the Shaggy Man,and then he told Dorothy all of Ojo's story, and how Unc Nunkie andMargolotte had accidentally been turned to marble by the Liquid ofPetrifaction. Then he related how the boy had started out in search ofthe things needed to make the magic charm, which would restore theunfortunates to life, and how he had found the Woozy and taken him alongbecause he could not pull the three hairs out of its tail. Dorothylistened to all this with much interest, and thought that so far Ojo hadacted very well. But when the Shaggy Man told her of the Munchkin boy'sarrest by the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, because he was accused ofwilfully breaking a Law of Oz, the little girl was greatly shocked.

  "What do you s'pose he's done?" she asked.

  "I fear he has picked a six-leaved clover," answered the Shaggy Man,sadly. "I did not see him do it, and I warned him that to do so wasagainst the Law; but perhaps that is what he did, nevertheless."

  "I'm sorry 'bout that," said Dorothy gravely, "for now there will be noone to help his poor uncle and Margolotte--'cept this Patchwork Girl,the Woozy and the Glass Cat."

  "Don't mention it," said Scraps. "That's no affair of mine. Margolotteand Unc Nunkie are perfect strangers to me, for the moment I came tolife they came to marble."

  "I see," remarked Dorothy with a sigh of regret; "the woman forgot togive you a heart."

  "I'm glad she did," retorted the Patchwork Girl. "A heart must be agreat annoyance to one. It makes a person feel sad or sorry or devotedor sympathetic--all of which sensations interfere with one's happiness."

  "I have a heart," murmured the Glass Cat. "It's made of a ruby; but Idon't imagine I shall let it bother me about helping Unc Nunkie andMargolotte."

  "That's a pretty hard heart of yours," said Dorothy. "And the Woozy, ofcourse--"

  "Why, as for me," observed the Woozy, who was reclining on the floorwith his legs doubled under him, so that he looked much like a squarebox, "I have never seen those unfortunate people you are speaking of,and yet I am sorry for them, having at times been unfortunate myself.When I was shut up in that forest I longed for some one to help me, andby and by Ojo came and did help me. So I'm willing to help his uncle.I'm only a stupid beast, Dorothy, but I can't help that, and if you'lltell me what to do to help Ojo and his uncle, I'll gladly do it."

  Dorothy walked over and patted the Woozy on his square head.

&nbs
p; "You're not pretty," she said, "but I like you. What are you able to do;anything 'special?"

  "I can make my eyes flash fire--real fire--when I'm angry. When anyonesays: 'Krizzle-Kroo' to me I get angry, and then my eyes flash fire."

  "I don't see as fireworks could help Ojo's uncle," remarked Dorothy."Can you do anything else?"

  "I--I thought I had a very terrifying growl," said the Woozy, withhesitation; "but perhaps I was mistaken."

  "Yes," said the Shaggy Man, "you were certainly wrong about that." Thenhe turned to Dorothy and added: "What will become of the Munchkin boy?"

  "I don't know," she said, shaking her head thoughtfully. "Ozma will seehim 'bout it, of course, and then she'll punish him. But how, I don'tknow, 'cause no one ever has been punished in Oz since I knew anythingabout the place. Too bad, Shaggy Man, isn't it?"

  While they were talking Scraps had been roaming around the room andlooking at all the pretty things it contained. She had carried Ojo'sbasket in her hand, until now, when she decided to see what was insideit. She found the bread and cheese, which she had no use for, and thebundle of charms, which were curious but quite a mystery to her. Then,turning these over, she came upon the six-leaved clover which the boyhad plucked.

  Scraps was quick-witted, and although she had no heart she recognizedthe fact that Ojo was her first friend. She knew at once that becausethe boy had taken the clover he had been imprisoned, and she understoodthat Ojo had given her the basket so they would not find the clover inhis possession and have proof of his crime. So, turning her head to seethat no one noticed her, she took the clover from the basket and droppedit into a golden vase that stood on Dorothy's table. Then she cameforward and said to Dorothy:

  "I wouldn't care to help Ojo's uncle, but I will help Ojo. He did notbreak the Law--no one can prove he did--and that green-whiskered soldierhad no right to arrest him."

  "Ozma ordered the boy's arrest," said Dorothy, "and of course she knewwhat she was doing. But if you can prove Ojo is innocent they will sethim free at once."

  "They'll have to prove him guilty, won't they?" asked Scraps.

  "I s'pose so."

  "Well, they can't do that," declared the Patchwork Girl.

  As it was nearly time for Dorothy to dine with Ozma, which she didevery evening, she rang for a servant and ordered the Woozy taken to anice room and given plenty of such food as he liked best.

  "That's honey-bees," said the Woozy.

  "You can't eat honey-bees, but you'll be given something just as nice,"Dorothy told him. Then she had the Glass Cat taken to another room forthe night and the Patchwork Girl she kept in one of her own rooms, forshe was much interested in the strange creature and wanted to talk withher again and try to understand her better.