The Classic Children's Literature Collection: 39 Classic Novels

by Various Authors

  Dorothy had a nice visit with these old friends, and also talked a long time with the Wizard, who was little and old and withered and dried up, but as merry and active as a child. Afterward, she went to see Billina’s fast-growing family of chicks.

  Toto, Dorothy’s little black dog, also met with a cordial reception. Toto was an especial friend of the Shaggy Man, and he knew every one else. Being the only dog in the Land of Oz, he was highly respected by the people, who believed animals entitled to every consideration if they behaved themselves properly.

  Dorothy had four lovely rooms in the palace, which were always reserved for her use and were called “Dorothy’s rooms.” These consisted of a beautiful sitting room, a dressing room, a dainty bedchamber and a big marble bathroom. And in these rooms were everything that heart could desire, placed there with loving thoughtfulness by Ozma for her little friend’s use. The royal dressmakers had the little girl’s measure, so they kept the closets in her dressing room filled with lovely dresses of every description and suitable for every occasion. No wonder Dorothy had refrained from bringing with her her old calico and gingham dresses! Here everything that was dear to a little girl’s heart was supplied in profusion, and nothing so rich and beautiful could ever have been found in the biggest department stores in America. Of course Dorothy enjoyed all these luxuries, and the only reason she had heretofore preferred to live in Kansas was because her uncle and aunt loved her and needed her with them.

  Now, however, all was to be changed, and Dorothy was really more delighted to know that her dear relatives were to share in her good fortune and enjoy the delights of the Land of Oz, than she was to possess such luxury for herself.

  Next morning, at Ozma’s request, Dorothy dressed herself in a pretty sky-blue gown of rich silk, trimmed with real pearls. The buckles of her shoes were set with pearls, too, and more of these priceless gems were on a lovely coronet which she wore upon her forehead. “For,” said her friend Ozma, “from this time forth, my dear, you must assume your rightful rank as a Princess of Oz, and being my chosen companion you must dress in a way befitting the dignity of your position.”

  Dorothy agreed to this, although she knew that neither gowns nor jewels could make her anything else than the simple, unaffected little girl she had always been.

  As soon as they had breakfasted—the girls eating together in Ozma’s pretty boudoir—the Ruler of Oz said:

  “Now, dear friend, we will use the Magic Belt to transport your uncle and aunt from Kansas to the Emerald City. But I think it would be fitting, in receiving such distinguished guests, for us to sit in my Throne Room.”

  “Oh, they’re not very ‘stinguished, Ozma,” said Dorothy. “They’re just plain people, like me.”

  “Being your friends and relatives, Princess Dorothy, they are certainly distinguished,” replied the Ruler, with a smile.

  “They—they won’t hardly know what to make of all your splendid furniture and things,” protested Dorothy, gravely. “It may scare ‘em to see your grand Throne Room, an’ p’raps we’d better go into the back yard, Ozma, where the cabbages grow an’ the chickens are playing. Then it would seem more natural to Uncle Henry and Aunt Em.”

  “No; they shall first see me in my Throne Room,” replied Ozma, decidedly; and when she spoke in that tone Dorothy knew it was not wise to oppose her, for Ozma was accustomed to having her own way.

  So together they went to the Throne Room, an immense domed chamber in the center of the palace. Here stood the royal throne, made of solid gold and encrusted with enough precious stones to stock a dozen jewelry stores in our country.

  Ozma, who was wearing the Magic Belt, seated herself in the throne, and Dorothy sat at her feet. In the room were assembled many ladies and gentlemen of the court, clothed in rich apparel and wearing fine jewelry. Two immense animals squatted, one on each side of the throne—the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. In a balcony high up in the dome an orchestra played sweet music, and beneath the dome two electric fountains sent sprays of colored perfumed water shooting up nearly as high as the arched ceiling.

  “Are you ready, Dorothy?” asked the Ruler.

  “I am,” replied Dorothy; “but I don’t know whether Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are ready.”

  “That won’t matter,” declared Ozma. “The old life can have very little to interest them, and the sooner they begin the new life here the happier they will be. Here they come, my dear!”

  As she spoke, there before the throne appeared Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who for a moment stood motionless, glaring with white and startled faces at the scene that confronted them. If the ladies and gentlemen present had not been so polite I am sure they would have laughed at the two strangers.

  Aunt Em had her calico dress skirt “tucked up,” and she wore a faded, blue-checked apron. Her hair was rather straggly and she had on a pair of Uncle Henry’s old slippers. In one hand she held a dish-towel and in the other a cracked earthenware plate, which she had been engaged in wiping when so suddenly transported to the Land of Oz.

  Uncle Henry, when the summons came, had been out in the barn “doin’ chores.” He wore a ragged and much soiled straw hat, a checked shirt without any collar and blue overalls tucked into the tops of his old cowhide boots.

  “By gum!” gasped Uncle Henry, looking around as if bewildered.

  “Well, I swan!” gurgled Aunt Em in a hoarse, frightened voice. Then her eyes fell upon Dorothy, and she said: “D-d-d-don’t that look like our little girl—our Dorothy, Henry?”

  “Hi, there—look out, Em!” exclaimed the old man, as Aunt Em advanced a step; “take care o’ the wild beastses, or you’re a goner!”

  But now Dorothy sprang forward and embraced and kissed her aunt and uncle affectionately, afterward taking their hands in her own.

  “Don’t be afraid,” she said to them. “You are now in the Land of Oz, where you are to live always, and be comfer’ble an’ happy. You’ll never have to worry over anything again, ‘cause there won’t be anything to worry about. And you owe it all to the kindness of my friend Princess Ozma.”

  Here she led them before the throne and continued:

  “Your Highness, this is Uncle Henry. And this is Aunt Em. They want to thank you for bringing them here from Kansas.”

  Aunt Em tried to “slick” her hair, and she hid the dish-towel and dish under her apron while she bowed to the lovely Ozma. Uncle Henry took off his straw hat and held it awkwardly in his hands.

  But the Ruler of Oz rose and came from her throne to greet her newly arrived guests, and she smiled as sweetly upon them as if they had been a king and queen.

  “You are very welcome here, where I have brought you for Princess Dorothy’s sake,” she said, graciously, “and I hope you will be quite happy in your new home.” Then she turned to her courtiers, who were silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: “I present to my people our Princess Dorothy’s beloved Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who will hereafter be subjects of our kingdom. It will please me to have you show them every kindness and honor in your power, and to join me in making them happy and contented.”

  Hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and respectfully to the old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in return.

  “And now,” said Ozma to them, “Dorothy will show you the rooms prepared for you. I hope you will like them, and shall expect you to join me at luncheon.”

  So Dorothy led her relatives away, and as soon as they were out of the Throne Room and alone in the corridor, Aunt Em squeezed Dorothy’s hand and said:

  “Child, child! How in the world did we ever get here so quick? And is it all real? And are we to stay here, as she says? And what does it all mean, anyhow?”

  Dorothy laughed.

  “Why didn’t you tell us what you were goin’ to do?” inquired Uncle Henry, reproachfully. “If I’d known about it, I’d ‘a put on my Sun
day clothes.”

  “I’ll ‘splain ever’thing as soon as we get to your rooms,” promised Dorothy. “You’re in great luck, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em; an’ so am I! And oh! I’m so happy to have got you here, at last!”

  As he walked by the little girl’s side, Uncle Henry stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. “‘Pears to me, Dorothy, we won’t make bang-up fairies,” he remarked.

  “An’ my back hair looks like a fright!” wailed Aunt Em.

  “Never mind,” returned the little girl, reassuringly. “You won’t have anything to do now but to look pretty, Aunt Em; an’ Uncle Henry won’t have to work till his back aches, that’s certain.”

  “Sure?” they asked, wonderingly, and in the same breath.

  “Course I’m sure,” said Dorothy. “You’re in the Fairyland of Oz, now; an’ what’s more, you belong to it!”

  6. How Guph Visited the Whimsies

  The new General of the Nome King’s army knew perfectly well that to fail in his plans meant death for him. Yet he was not at all anxious or worried. He hated every one who was good and longed to make all who were happy unhappy. Therefore he had accepted this dangerous position as General quite willingly, feeling sure in his evil mind that he would be able to do a lot of mischief and finally conquer the Land of Oz.

  Yet Guph determined to be careful, and to lay his plans well, so as not to fail. He argued that only careless people fail in what they attempt to do.

  The mountains underneath which the Nome King’s extensive caverns were located lay grouped just north of the Land of Ev, which lay directly across the deadly desert to the east of the Land of Oz. As the mountains were also on the edge of the desert the Nome King found that he had only to tunnel underneath the desert to reach Ozma’s dominions. He did not wish his armies to appear above ground in the Country of the Winkies, which was the part of the Land of Oz nearest to King Roquat’s own country, as then the people would give the alarm and enable Ozma to fortify the Emerald City and assemble an army. He wanted to take all the Oz people by surprise; so he decided to run the tunnel clear through to the Emerald City, where he and his hosts could break through the ground without warning and conquer the people before they had time to defend themselves.

  Roquat the Red began work at once upon his tunnel, setting a thousand miners at the task and building it high and broad enough for his armies to march through it with ease. The Nomes were used to making tunnels, as all the kingdom in which they lived was under ground; so they made rapid progress.

  While this work was going on General Guph started out alone to visit the Chief of the Whimsies.

  These Whimsies were curious people who lived in a retired country of their own. They had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than door-knobs. Of course, such tiny heads could not contain any great amount of brains, and the Whimsies were so ashamed of their personal appearance and lack of commonsense that they wore big heads made of pasteboard, which they fastened over their own little heads. On these pasteboard heads they sewed sheep’s wool for hair, and the wool was colored many tints—pink, green and lavender being the favorite colors. The faces of these false heads were painted in many ridiculous ways, according to the whims of the owners, and these big, burly creatures looked so whimsical and absurd in their queer masks that they were called “Whimsies.” They foolishly imagined that no one would suspect the little heads that were inside the imitation ones, not knowing that it is folly to try to appear otherwise than as nature has made us.

  The Chief of the Whimsies had as little wisdom as the others, and had been chosen chief merely because none among them was any wiser or more capable of ruling. The Whimsies were evil spirits and could not be killed. They were hated and feared by every one and were known as terrible fighters because they were so strong and muscular and had not sense enough to know when they were defeated.

  General Guph thought the Whimsies would be a great help to the Nomes in the conquest of Oz, for under his leadership they could be induced to fight as long so they could stand up. So he traveled to their country and asked to see the Chief, who lived in a house that had a picture of his grotesque false head painted over the doorway.

  The Chief’s false head had blue hair, a turned-up nose, and a mouth that stretched half across the face. Big green eyes had been painted upon it, but in the center of the chin were two small holes made in the pasteboard, so that the Chief could see through them with his own tiny eyes; for when the big head was fastened upon his shoulders the eyes in his own natural head were on a level with the false chin.

  Said General Guph to the Chief of the Whimsies:

  “We Nomes are going to conquer the Land of Oz and capture our King’s Magic Belt, which the Oz people stole from him. Then we are going to plunder and destroy the whole country. And we want the Whimsies to help us.”

  “Will there be any fighting?” asked the Chief.

  “Plenty,” replied Guph.

  That must have pleased the Chief, for he got up and danced around the room three times. Then he seated himself again, adjusted his false head, and said:

  “We have no quarrel with Ozma of Oz.”

  “But you Whimsies love to fight, and here is a splendid chance to do so,” urged Guph.

  “Wait till I sing a song,” said the Chief. Then he lay back in his chair and sang a foolish song that did not seem to the General to mean anything, although he listened carefully. When he had finished, the Chief Whimsie looked at him through the holes in his chin and asked:

  “What reward will you give us if we help you?”

  The General was prepared for this question, for he had been thinking the matter over on his journey. People often do a good deed without hope of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment.

  “When we get our Magic Belt,” he made reply, “our King, Roquat the Red, will use its power to give every Whimsie a natural head as big and fine as the false head he now wears. Then you will no longer be ashamed because your big strong bodies have such teenty-weenty heads.”

  “Oh! Will you do that?” asked the Chief, eagerly.

  “We surely will,” promised the General.

  “I’ll talk to my people,” said the Chief.

  So he called a meeting of all the Whimsies and told them of the offer made by the Nomes. The creatures were delighted with the bargain, and at once agreed to fight for the Nome King and help him to conquer Oz.

  One Whimsie alone seemed to have a glimmer of sense, for he asked:

  “Suppose we fail to capture the Magic Belt? What will happen then, and what good will all our fighting do?”

  But they threw him into the river for asking foolish questions, and laughed when the water ruined his pasteboard head before he could swim out again.

  So the compact was made and General Guph was delighted with his success in gaining such powerful allies.

  But there were other people, too, just as important as the Whimsies, whom the clever old Nome had determined to win to his side.

  7. How Aunt Em Conquered the Lion

  “These are your rooms,” said Dorothy, opening a door.

  Aunt Em drew back at the sight of the splendid furniture and draperies.

  “Ain’t there any place to wipe my feet?” she asked.

  “You will soon change your slippers for new shoes,” replied Dorothy. “Don’t be afraid, Aunt Em. Here is where you are to live, so walk right in and make yourself at home.”

  Aunt Em advanced hesitatingly.

  “It beats the Topeka Hotel!” she cried admiringly. “But this place is too grand for us, child. Can’t we have some back room in the attic, that’s more in our class?”

  “No,” said Dorothy. “You’ve got to live here, ‘cause Ozma says so. And all the rooms in this palace are just as fine as these, and some are better. It won’t do any good to fuss, Aunt Em. You’ve got to
be swell and high-toned in the Land of Oz, whether you want to or not; so you may as well make up your mind to it.”

  “It’s hard luck,” replied her aunt, looking around with an awed expression; “but folks can get used to anything, if they try. Eh, Henry?”

  “Why, as to that,” said Uncle Henry, slowly, “I b’lieve in takin’ what’s pervided us, an’ askin’ no questions. I’ve traveled some, Em, in my time, and you hain’t; an’ that makes a difference atween us.”

  Then Dorothy showed them through the rooms. The first was a handsome sitting-room, with windows opening upon the rose gardens. Then came separate bedrooms for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, with a fine bathroom between them. Aunt Em had a pretty dressing room, besides, and Dorothy opened the closets and showed several exquisite costumes that had been provided for her aunt by the royal dressmakers, who had worked all night to get them ready. Everything that Aunt Em could possibly need was in the drawers and closets, and her dressing-table was covered with engraved gold toilet articles.

  Uncle Henry had nine suits of clothes, cut in the popular Munchkin fashion, with knee-breeches, silk stockings, and low shoes with jeweled buckles. The hats to match these costumes had pointed tops and wide brims with small gold bells around the edges. His shirts were of fine linen with frilled bosoms, and his vests were richly embroidered with colored silks.

  Uncle Henry decided that he would first take a bath and then dress himself in a blue satin suit that had caught his fancy. He accepted his good fortune with calm composure and refused to have a servant to assist him. But Aunt Em was “all of a flutter,” as she said, and it took Dorothy and Jellia Jamb, the housekeeper, and two maids a long time to dress her and do up her hair and get her “rigged like a popinjay,” as she quaintly expressed it. She wanted to stop and admire everything that caught her eye, and she sighed continually and declared that such finery was too good for an old country woman, and that she never thought she would have to “put on airs” at her time of life.