Sky Island

by L. Frank Baum

  TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN

  CHAPTER 14.

  The open space which they entered was paved with pink marble and aroundit were two rows of large pink statues, at least life-size andbeautifully sculptured. All were set upon nicely carved pink pedestals.They were, of course, statues of Pinky men and women and all had bandsof pink metal around their foreheads, in the center of each band being aglistening pink jewel.

  About the middle of the open space inside the statues, which appeared tobe the public meeting place of the Pinkies, was a small, low house,domed like all the other houses but built of a coarse pink stone insteadof the fine marble to be seen everywhere else. It had no ornamentation,being exceedingly plain in appearance. No banners floated from it; noflowers grew near it.

  "Here," said one of their guides, as the procession halted before thelittle stone building, "is the palace of Tourmaline, who is our Queen."

  "What! that little cabin?" exclaimed Trot.

  "Of course. Did you suppose a palace would be like one of our handsomeresidences?" asked the woman, evidently surprised.

  "I thought it would be better," said the girl. "All the palaces I'veseen were splendid."

  "A splendid palace!" exclaimed one of the Pinkies, and then they lookedat one another in amazement and seemed to doubt that their ears hadheard aright.

  "These intruders are very peculiar people," remarked a man in the crowd.

  "They seem very ignorant, poor things!" said another, in reply.

  "Come!" commanded the woman who led the party; "you three must follow meto the presence of Tourmaline. The people must wait outside, for thereis no room for them in the palace."

  So they followed her through the low archway, and in a room beyond, verysimply furnished, sat a young girl engaged in darning a pair of pinkstockings. She was a beautiful girl of about seventeen years of age, notfat like all the rest of the Pinkies, but slender and well formedaccording to our own ideas of beauty. Her complexion was not a decidedpink but a soft rosy tint not much deeper than that of Trot's skin.Instead of a silken gown, furbelowed like all the others they had seenwomen wear in this land, Tourmaline was dressed in a severely plain robeof coarse pink cloth much resembling bedticking. Across her brow,however, was a band of rose gold, in the center of which was set aluminous pink jewel which gleamed more brilliantly than a diamond. Itwas her badge of office, and seemed very incongruous when compared withher poor raiment and simple surroundings.

  As they entered, the girl sighed and laid down her work. Her expressionwas patient and resigned as she faced her audience.

  "What is it, Coralie?" she asked the woman.

  "Here are three strange people, Tourmaline," was the reply, "who saythey have entered our country through the Fog Bank. They tell a queerstory of an escape from the Blueskins, so I decided to bring them toyou, that you may determine their fate."

  The Queen gazed upon our friends with evident interest. She smiled--alittle sadly--at Trot, seemed to approve Button-Bright's open, frankface and was quite surprised because Cap'n Bill was so much bigger thanher own people.

  "Are you a giant?" she asked the sailor, in a soft, sweet voice.

  "No, your Majesty," he replied; "I'm only ----"

  "Majesty!" she exclaimed, flushing a deeper pink. "Are you addressingthat word to me?"

  "O' course, ma'am," answered Cap'n Bill; "I'm told that's the proper wayto speak to a Queen."

  "Perhaps you are trying to ridicule me," she continued, regarding thesailor's face closely. "There is nothing majestic about me, as you knowvery well. Coralie, do you consider 'majesty' a proper word to use whenaddressing a Queen?" she added, appealing to the Pinky woman.

  "By no means," was the prompt reply.

  "What shall I call her, then?" inquired Cap'n Bill.

  "Just Tourmaline. That is her name, and it is sufficient," said thewoman.

  "The Ruler of a country ought to be treated with great respec',"declared Trot, a little indignantly, for she thought the pretty littlequeen was not being properly deferred to.

  "Why?" asked Tourmaline, curiously.

  "Because the Ruler is the mos' 'risticratic person in any land,"explained the little girl. "Even in America ever'body bows low to ourPresident, an' the Blueskins are so 'fraid o' their Boolooroo that theytremble whenever they go near him."

  "But surely that is all wrong," said Tourmaline gravely. "The Ruler isappointed to protect and serve the people, and here in the Pink CountryI have the full power to carry out the laws. I even decree death, whensuch a punishment is merited. Therefore I am a mere agent to direct thelaws, which are the Will of the People, and am only a public servant,obliged constantly to guard the welfare of my subjects."

  "In that case," said Button-Bright, "you're entitled to the best thereis, to pay for your trouble. A powerful ruler ought to be rich and tolive in a splendid palace. Your folks ought to treat you with greatrespect, as Trot says."

  "Oh, no," responded Tourmaline quickly; "that would indeed be verywrong. Too much should never be given to anyone. If, with my greatpower, conferred upon me by the people, I also possessed great wealth, Imight be tempted to be cruel and overbearing. In that case my subjectswould justly grow envious of my superior station. If I lived asluxuriously as my people do, and had servants and costly gowns, the goodPinkies would say that their Queen had more than they themselves--and itwould be true. No; our way is best. The Ruler, be it king or queen, hasabsolute power to rule, but no riches--no high station--no falseadulation. The people have the wealth and honor, for it is their due.The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjustgrievances and to compel order."

  "What pays you, then, for all your bother?" asked Trot.

  "I have one great privilege. After my death a pink marble statue of mewill be set up in the Grand Court, with the statues of the other Kingsand Queens who have ruled this land, and all the Pinkies in ages tocome will then honor me as having been a just and upright queen. That ismy reward."

  "I'm sorry for you, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill. "Your pay for bein' a queenis sort o' like a life-insurance. It don't come due till after you'redead, an' then you can't get much fun out o' it."

  "I did not choose to be the Queen," answered Tourmaline, simply. "Amisfortune of birth placed me here and I cannot escape my fate. It ismuch more desirable to be a private citizen, happy and care free. But wehave talked long enough of myself. Tell me who you are, and why you havecome here."

  Between them they told the story of how the Magic Umbrella had takenthem to Sky Island, which they did not know, when they started, wasanywhere in existence. Button-Bright told this, and then Trot relatedtheir adventures among the Blueskins and how the Boolooroo had stolenthe umbrella and prevented them from going home again. The parrot on hershoulder kept interrupting her continually, for the mention of theBoolooroo seemed to make the bird frantic with rage.

  "Naughty, naugh-ty Boo-loo-roo! He's the worst I ev-er knew!"

  the parrot repeated over and over again.

  Cap'n Bill finished the story by telling of their escape through theFog Bank. "We didn't know what your Pink Country was like, o' course,"he said, "but we knew it couldn't be worse than the Blue Country, an' wedidn't take any stock in their stories that the Fog Bank would be thedeath o' us."

  "Pretty wet! Pretty wet Was the journey, you can bet!"

  declared the parrot, in conclusion.

  "Yes, it was wet an' sticky, all right," agreed the sailor; "but the bigfrog helped us an' we got through all right."

  "But what can you do here?" asked Tourmaline. "You are not like mypeople, the Pinkies, and there is no place for you in our country."

  "That's true enough," said Cap'n Bill; "but we had to go somewhere, an'this was the likeliest place we could think of. Your Sky Island ain'tvery big, so when we couldn't stay in the Blue Country, where ever'bodyhated us, or in the Fog Bank, which ain't healthy an' is too wet forhumans to live in for long, we nat'rally were forced to enter the PinkCountry, wh
ere we expected to find nice people."

  "We _are_ nice," said Tourmaline; "but it is our country--not yours--andwe have no place here for strangers. In all our history you are thefirst people from outside our borders who have ever stepped a foot inour land. We do not hate you, as you say the Blueskins do, nor are wesavage or cruel; but we do not want you here and I am really puzzledwhat to do with you."

  "Isn't there a law to cover this case?" asked Coralie.

  "I do not remember any such law," replied the queen; "but I will searchin the Great Book and see if I can find anything that refers to strangepeople entering our land."

  "If not," said the woman, "you must make a law. It is your duty."

  "I know," answered Tourmaline; "but I hope such a responsibility willnot fall upon my shoulders. These poor strangers are in a veryuncomfortable position and I wish I could help them to get back to theirown country."

  "Thank you," said Trot. "We wish so, too. Haven't you any fairies here?"

  "Oh, there are fairies, of course, as there are everywhere," answeredTourmaline; "but none that we can call to our assistance, or command todo our bidding."

  "How about witches?" asked Button-Bright.

  "I know of one witch," said Tourmaline, thoughtfully, "but she is notvery obliging. She says it makes her head ache to perform witchcraft andso she seldom indulges in it. But, if there is no other way, I may beobliged to call upon Rosalie for help. I'll look in the Great Bookfirst. Meantime you will go home with Coralie, who will feed you andgive you entertainment. To-morrow morning come to me again and then Iwill decree your fate."

  The little Queen then picked up her stocking and began to darn the holesin it, and Coralie, without any formal parting, led the strangers fromthe miserable palace.