[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

to re-stuff myself with when my interior gets musty or out of shape."
"Are you able to re-stuff yourself without help?" asked Aunt Em. "I
should think that after the straw was taken out of you there wouldn't
be anything left but your clothes."
"You are almost correct, madam," he answered. "My servants do the
stuffing, under my direction. For my head, in which are my excellent
brains, is a bag tied at the bottom. My face is neatly painted upon
one side of the bag, as you may see. My head does not need re-stuffing,
as my body does, for all that it requires is to have the face touched up
with fresh paint occasionally."
It was not far from the Scarecrow's mansion to the farm of Jack
Pumpkinhead, and when they arrived there both Uncle Henry and Aunt Em
were much impressed. The farm was one vast pumpkin field, and some of
the pumpkins were of enormous size. In one of them, which had been
neatly hollowed out, Jack himself lived, and he declared that it was a
very comfortable residence. The reason he grew so many pumpkins was
in order that he might change his head as often as it became wrinkled
or threatened to spoil.
The pumpkin-headed man welcomed his visitors joyfully and offered them
several delicious pumpkin pies to eat.
"I don't indulge in pumpkin pies myself, for two reasons," he said.
"One reason is that were I to eat pumpkins I would become a cannibal,
Page 205
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
and the other reason is that I never eat, not being hollow inside."
"Very good reasons," agreed the Scarecrow.
They told Jack Pumpkinhead of the dreadful news about the Nome King,
and he decided to go with them to the Emerald City and help comfort Ozma.
"I had expected to live here in ease and comfort for many centuries,"
said Jack, dolefully; "but of course if the Nome King destroys
everything in Oz I shall be destroyed too. Really, it seems too bad,
doesn't it?"
They were soon on their journey again, and so swiftly did the Sawhorse
draw the wagon over the smooth roads that before twilight fell they
had reached the royal palace in the Emerald City, and were at their
journey's end.
26. How Ozma Refused to Fight for Her Kingdom
Ozma was in her rose garden picking a bouquet when the party arrived,
and she greeted all her old and new friends as smilingly and sweetly
as ever.
Dorothy's eyes were full of tears as she kissed the lovely Ruler
of Oz, and she whispered to her:
"Oh, Ozma, Ozma! I'm SO sorry!"
Page 206
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Ozma seemed surprised.
"Sorry for what, Dorothy?" she asked.
"For all your trouble about the Nome King," was the reply.
Ozma laughed with genuine amusement.
"Why, that has not troubled me a bit, dear Princess," she replied.
Then, looking around at the sad faces of her friends, she added:
"Have you all been worrying about this tunnel?"
"We have!" they exclaimed in a chorus.
"Well, perhaps it is more serious than I imagined," admitted the fair
Ruler; "but I haven't given the matter much thought. After dinner we
will all meet together and talk it over."
So they went to their rooms and prepared for dinner, and Dorothy
dressed herself in her prettiest gown and put on her coronet, for she
thought that this might be the last time she would ever appear as a
Princess of Oz.
The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and Jack Pumpkinhead all sat at the
dinner table, although none of them was made so he could eat. Usually
they served to enliven the meal with their merry talk, but to-night
all seemed strangely silent and uneasy.
As soon as the dinner was finished Ozma led the company to her own
Page 207
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
private room in which hung the Magic Picture. When they had seated
themselves the Scarecrow was the first to speak.
"Is the Nome King's tunnel finished, Ozma?" he asked.
"It was completed to-day," she replied. "They have built it right
under my palace grounds, and it ends in front of the Forbidden
Fountain. Nothing but a crust of earth remains to separate our
enemies from us, and when they march here, they will easily break
through this crust and rush upon us."
"Who will assist the Nome King?" inquired the Scarecrow.
"The Whimsies, the Growleywogs and the Phanfasms," she replied. "I
watched to-day in my Magic Picture the messengers whom the Nome King
sent to all these people to summon them to assemble in his great caverns."
"Let us see what they are doing now," suggested the Tin Woodman.
So Ozma wished to see the Nome King's cavern, and at once the
landscape faded from the Magic Picture and was replaced by the
scene then being enacted in the jeweled cavern of King Roquat.
A wild and startling scene it was which the Oz people beheld.
Before the Nome King stood the Chief of the Whimsies and the Grand
Gallipoot of the Growleywogs, surrounded by their most skillful
generals. Very fierce and powerful they looked, so that even the Nome
King and General Guph, who stood beside his master, seemed a bit
fearful in the presence of their allies.
Page 208
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Now a still more formidable creature entered the cavern. It was the
First and Foremost of the Phanfasms and he proudly sat down in King
Roquat's own throne and demanded the right to lead his forces through
the tunnel in advance of all the others. The First and Foremost now
appeared to all eyes in his hairy skin and the bear's head. What his
real form was even Roquat did not know.
Through the arches leading into the vast series of caverns that lay
beyond the throne room of King Roquat could be seen ranks upon ranks
of the invaders--thousands of Phanfasms, Growleywogs and Whimsies
standing in serried lines, while behind them were massed the thousands
upon thousands of General Guph's own army of Nomes.
"Listen!" whispered Ozma. "I think we can hear what they are saying."
So they kept still and listened.
"Is all ready?" demanded the First and Foremost, haughtily.
"The tunnel is finally completed," replied General Guph.
"How long will it take us to march to the Emerald City?" asked the
Grand Gallipoot of the Growleywogs.
"If we start at midnight," replied the Nome King, "we shall arrive at
the Emerald City by daybreak. Then, while all the Oz people are
sleeping, we will capture them and make them our slaves. After that
we will destroy the city itself and march through the Land of Oz,
burning and devastating as we go."
Page 209 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

glaz.keep.pl