“Then I found I had escaped one danger only to encounter another, for as I reached the ground the man seized me and carried me under his arm to his home. Entering the house, he said to his wife:
“‘Here is a nice, fat hen for our breakfast.’
“‘Put her in the coop,’ replied the woman. ‘After supper I will cut off her head and pick the feathers from her body.’
“This frightened me greatly, as you may suppose, and when the man placed me in the coop I nearly gave way to despair. But, finding myself alone, I plucked up courage and began looking for a way to escape. To my great joy I soon discovered that one of the slats of the coop was loose, and, having pushed it aside, I was not long in gaining my liberty.
“Once free, I ran away from the place as fast as possible, but did not know in which direction to go, the country being so strange to me. So I fluttered on, half running and half flying, until I reached the place where an army of soldiers was encamped. If these men saw me I feared they would also wish to eat me for breakfast; so I crept into the mouth of a big cannon, thinking I should escape attention and be safe until morning. Soon I fell asleep, and so sound was my slumber that the next thing I heard was the conversation of some soldiers who stood beside the cannon.
“‘It is nearly sunrise,’ said one. ‘You must fire the salute. Is the cannon loaded?’
“‘Oh, yes,’ answered the other. ‘What shall I shoot at?’
“‘ Fire into the air, for then you will not hurt any one,’ said the first soldier.
“By this time I was trembling with fear, and had decided to creep out of the cannon and take the chances of being caught, when, suddenly, ‘Bang!’ went the big gun, and I shot into the air with a rush like that of a whirlwind.
“The noise nearly deafened me, and my nerves were so shattered that for a time I was helpless. I felt myself go up and up into the air, until soon I was far above the clouds. Then I recovered my wits, and when I began to come down again I tried to fly. I knew the Valley of Mo must be somewhere to the west; so I flew in that direction until I found myself just over the Valley, when I allowed myself to flutter to the ground.
“It seems my troubles were not yet over; for, before I had fully recovered my breath after this long flight, your soldiers seized me and brought me here.
“I am accused of stealing your plum-pudding; but, in truth, your Majesty, I have been away from your kingdom for nine days, and am therefore wholly innocent.”
The Yellow Hen had scarce finished this story when the King flew into a violent rage at the deceptions of his Wise Men, and turning to his soldiers he ordered them to arrest the Wise Men and cast them into prison.
Having given the unfortunate Hen a pair of gold earrings that fitted her ears and matched her complexion, the King sent her home with many apologies for having accused her wrongfully.
Then his Majesty seated himself in an easy chair, and pondered how best to punish the foolish Wise Men.
“I would rather have one really Wise Man,” he said to himself, “than fifty of these, who pretend to be wise and are not.”
That gave him an idea; so the next morning he ordered the Wise Men taken to the royal kitchen, where all were run through the meat chopper until they were ground as fine as mincemeat. Having thoroughly mixed them, the King stirred in a handful of salt, and then made them into one man, which the cook baked in the oven until it was well done.
“Now,” said the King, “I have one Wise Man instead of several foolish ones. Perhaps he can tell me who stole the plum-pudding.”
“Certainly,” replied the Wise Man. “That is quite easy. It was the Purple Dragon.”
“Good,” cried the monarch; “I have discovered the truth at last!”
And so he had, as you will find by reading the next surprise.
THE FOURTEENTH SURPRISE: THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PURPLE DRAGON
SCARCELY had the King spoken when some of his soldiers came running with news that they had seen the Purple Dragon eating plum-pudding in the royal garden.
“What did you do about it?” asked the monarch.
“We did nothing,” they answered; “for, had we interfered with its repast, the Dragon would probably have eaten us for dessert.”
“That is true,” remarked the King. “Yet something must be done to protect us from this monster. For many years it has annoyed us by eating our choicest crops, and nothing we can do seems of any avail to save us from its ravages.”
“If we were able to destroy the Dragon,” said Prince Thinkabit, “we should be doing our country the greatest possible service.”
“We have often tried to destroy it,” replied the King, “but the beast always manages to get the best of the fight, having wonderful strength and great cunning. However, let us hold a council of war, and see what is suggested.”
So a council of war was called. The Wise Man, all the Princes and Noblemen, the Dog and the Wise Donkey being assembled to talk the matter over.
“I advise that you build a high wall around the Dragon,” said the Wise Man. “Then it will be unable to get out, and will starve to death.”
“It is strong enough to break down the wall,” said the King.
“I suggest you dig a great hole in the ground,” remarked the Donkey. “Then the Dragon will fall into it and perish.”
“It is too clever to fall into the hole,” said the King.
“The best thing to do,” declared Timtom, “is to cut off its legs; for then it could not walk into our gardens.”
“The scales on its legs are too hard and thick,” said the King. “We have tried that, and failed.”
“We might take a red-hot iron, and put the Dragon’s eyes out,” ventured Prince Jollikin.
“Its eyes are glass,” replied the King with a sigh, “and the iron would have no effect on them.”
“Suppose we tie a tin can to its tail,” suggested the Dog. “The rattling of the can would so frighten the Dragon that it would run out of the country.”
“Its tail is so long,” answered the King, gloomily, “that the Dragon could not hear the can rattle.”
Then they all remained silent for a time, thinking so hard that their heads began to ache; but no one seemed able to think of the right thing to do.
Finally the King himself made a proposition.
“One thing we might attempt with some hope of success,” said his Majesty. “Should it fail, we can not be worse off than we are at present. My idea is for us to go in a great body to the castle of the Dragon, and pull out its teeth with a pair of forceps. Having no teeth, the monster will be harmless to annoy us in any way; and, since we seem unable to kill it, I believe this is the best way out of our difficulty.”
The King’s plan pleased every one, and met with shouts of approval. The council then adjourned, and all the members went to prepare for the fight with the Purple Dragon.
First the blacksmith made a large pair of forceps, to pull the Dragon’s teeth with. The handles of the forceps were so long that fifty men could take hold of them at one time. Then the people armed themselves with swords and spears and marched in a great body to the castle of the Purple Dragon.
This remarkable beast, which for so long had kept the Valley of Mo in constant terror, was standing on the front porch of its castle when the army arrived. It looked at the crowd of people in surprise, and said:
“Are you not weary with your attempts to destroy me? What selfish people you must be! Whenever I eat anything that belongs to you, there is a great row, and immediately you come here to fight me. These battles are unpleasant to all of us. The best thing for you to do is to return home and behave yourselves; for I am not in the least afraid of you.”
Neither the King nor his people replied to these taunts. They simply brought forward the big pair of forceps and reached them toward the Dragon.
This movement astonished the monster, who, never having been to a dentist in his life, had no idea what the strange instrument was for.
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��Surely you can not think to hurt me with that iron thing,” it called out, in derision. And then the Dragon laughed at the idea of any one attempting to injure it.
But when the Dragon opened its mouth to laugh, the King opened the jaws of the forceps, quickly closing them again on one of the monster’s front teeth.
“Pull!” cried the King; and fifty men seized the handles of the forceps and began to pull with all their strength.
But, pull as they might, the tooth would not come out, and this was the reason: The teeth of Dragons are different from ours, for they go through the jaw and are clinched on the other side. Therefore, no amount of pulling will draw them out.
The King did not know this fact, but thought the tooth must have a long root; so he called again:
“Pull! my brave men; pull!”
And they pulled so hard that the Dragon was nearly pulled from the porch of its castle. To avoid this danger the cunning beast wound the end of its tail around a post of the porch, and tied a hard knot in it.
“Pull!” shouted the King for the third time.
Then a surprising thing happened. Any one who knows anything at all about Dragons is aware that these beasts stretch as easily as if made of india-rubber. Therefore the strong pulling of the fifty men resulted in the Dragon being pulled from its foothold, and, as its tail was fastened to the post, its body began to stretch out.
The King and his people, thinking the tooth was being pulled, started down the hill, the forceps still clinging fast to the monster’s big front tooth. And the farther they went the more Dragon’s body stretched out.
“Keep going!” cried the King; “we mustn’t let go now!” And away marched the fifty men, and farther and farther stretched the body of the Dragon.
Still holding fast to the forceps, the King and his army marched into the Valley, and away across it, and up the hills on the other side, not even stopping to take breath. When they came to the mountains and the forests, and could go no farther, they looked back; and behold! the Dragon had stretched out so far that it was now no bigger around than a fiddle-string!
“What shall we do now?” asked the fifty men, who were perspiring with the long pull and the march across the Valley.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” replied the panting King. “Let us tie this end of the beast around a tree. Then we can think what is best to be done.”
So they tied that end of the Dragon to a big tree, and sat down to rest, being filled with wonder that the mighty Purple Dragon was now no larger around than a piece of twine.
“The wicked creature will never bother us again,” said the King. “Yet it was only by accident we found a way to destroy it. The question now is, what shall we do with this long, thin Dragon? If we leave it here it will trip any one who stumbles against it.”
“I shall use it for fiddle-strings,” said Prince Fiddlecumdoo, “for the crop failed this year, and I have none for my violin. Let us cut the Dragon up into the proper sizes, and store the strings in the royal warehouse for general use.”
The King and the people heartily approved this plan. So the Prince brought a pair of shears and cut the Dragon into equal lengths to use on his violin. Thus the wicked monster was made good use of at last, for the strings had an excellent tone.
And that was not only the end of the Purple Dragon, but there were two other ends of him; one tied to a tree in the mountains and the other fastened to a post of the castle.
That same day the Monarch of Mo gave a magnificent feast to all his people to celebrate the destruction of their greatest foe; and ever afterward the gardens of the Beautiful Valley were free from molestation.
DOT AND TOT OF MERRYLAND
Dot and Tot of Merryland appeared in 1901, published by George M. Hill Company with artwork by W. W. Denslow, famous for his illustrations in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published the year before. It was his last collaboration with L. Frank Baum. The fantasy follows the adventures of two children, who after picnicking, float along a river in their boat, pass through a tunnel and reach the seven valleys of magical Merryland, a land near Oz. Two citizens from Merryland, the queen and the Candy Man visit the Emerald City for Princess Ozma’s birthday party in The Road to Oz.
A first edition copy of Dot and Tot of Merryland
CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I. — Roselawn
II. — Tot
III. — The Boat
IV. — Under the Cliffs
V. — The Watch-Dog of Merryland
VI. — The First Valley
VII. — The Clown Country
VIII. — The Second Valley
IX. — The Third Valley
X. — The Queen of Merryland
XI. — The Palace of Wonders
XII. — Prince Tot and Princess Dot
XIII. — The Revolt of the Dolls
XIV. — The Queen’s Fairy Wand
XV. — The Valley of Pussycats
XVI. — The Busy Mr. Split
XVII. — The Animals that Wound Up
XVIII. — The Valley of Lost Things
XIX. — The Lost Crowns
XX. — The Voyage Ends
L. Frank Baum at work, circa 1899
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The success achieved last year by “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” — a book that not only ran through many large editions, but brought the author hundreds of letters from interested little folks — has induced me to follow that tale with another, herein presented.
Should “Dot and Tot of Merryland” win the approval of my young friends, I shall be pleased and contented.
In any event Mr. Denslow’s quaint and merry pictures, which, in this book excel all his previous work, will be sure to induce happiness in the heart of every beholder.
L. FRANK BAUM.
Chicago, July 1, 1901.
DEDICATION.
To ev’ry laughter-loving Tot —
Whether your name be Dot or not;
And may you find a Merryland
Forever lying close at hand.
I. — Roselawn
YOU should have seen Dot as she nestled among the cushions of the carriage on her way to the railway station with her father and governess, Miss Bombien. Her dainty white gown was covered with tucks and puffings and embroideries, as became the dress of the daughter of the wealthy banker who sat smilingly beside her. Her soft, braided white hat had a wide brim that drooped languidly over the pale little face beneath, and broad, white ribbons drew down the brim until all the yellow curls were hidden away. Indeed, the only bits of color about Dot that showed were her deep blue eyes and rosy lips. Even these last were not so rosy as they should have been, for Dot was not in her usual good health, having been confined to the big city house during a long winter and a chill, uncomfortable spring.
But, now that the flowers were blooming and the birds singing in the new-leaved trees, she was going, in charge of her governess, to pass the summer at Roselawn, a beautiful country home her father had recently purchased.
“You must try not to be lonely, dear,” said her father, as he held her little hand in his big, strong one. “I have told Miss Bombien to let you run and romp to your heart’s content, so the roses may more quickly return to your pale cheeks.”
Dot’s eyes brightened. To run and romp as she pleased would indeed be a new experience to her, and she was happy even to think of such delight.
“You will have no one but Miss Bombien for company,” continued her father; “but there are plenty of servants, and I am told the grounds are in beautiful condition. In a few days, at most, Sweetheart, I shall run down to see you, and then you can tell me how you like your new home. In the meanwhile, Miss Bombien will simply look after your comfort; there will be no lessons to bother you. All you must do is eat and sleep and play, and to grow strong and rosy-cheeked again.”
Dot listened to al this with much pleasure, and decided she was about to have a fine holiday. Her real name, by the way, was Evangeline Jo
sephine Freeland; but mamma and papa had always called her “Dot” from the day she was born, so sometimes she almost forgot she had such a beautiful name as Evangeline Josephine.
Dot’s mamma was an invalid, and had been taken by her father — Dot’s grandfather, you know — for a trip to Europe, in search of better health, and so she had been forced to leave her little daughter to the watchful care of Miss Bombien. Mr. Freeland, although he loved Dot dearly, was a very busy man and could devote but little time to his child. “So, Sweetheart,” he told her, “you will be Queen of Roselawn this summer, and I will come down once in a while to bow before your Majesty’s throne.”
What he really feared was that Dot might grow up weak and delicate as her mother was; but he did not tell the child this. He resolved, however, that if fresh air and healthy surroundings could give his little girl strength and health, they should be at her command, and therefore he had purchased Roselawn almost entirely on Dot’s account.
Before she realized it, Dot found herself at the railway station and aboard a parlor car, where her father gave her a long and loving farewell kiss. Then Mr. Freeland stood upon the platform and waved his hand to his daughter, while the train slowly glided out from the station and began its journey into the sweet, fresh country.
Roselawn won the girl’s heart at first sight. The cool but sun-kissed mansion seemed delightful after the stuffy, formal city house. It was built in a quaint yet pretty fashion, with many wings and gables and broad verandas on every side. Before it were acres and acres of velvety green lawn, sprinkled with shrubbery and dotted with beds of bright flowers. In every direction were winding paths, covered with white gravel, which led to all parts of the grounds, looking for all the world like a map, Dot thought.
From the first day of her arrival, Dot was all eagerness and joy. Miss Bombien fully obeyed her instructions to let the child run. Dot entered the house only to eat her meals, which she did with growing appetite, and then away she would romp to chase butterflies, visit the stables or poultry yard, or sit near the river bank and watch the driftwood float by. Sometimes a boat danced over the broad, blue waters, and then Dot would jump up and down and clap her hands in ecstasy at the pretty sight. The river soon became her favorite resort, for the green banks and terraces before the house ran down to the water’s edge.
Complete Works of L. Frank Baum Page 222
