The Patchwork Girl of Oz
L >>
L. Frank Baum >> The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 | 9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13
That story interested the Shaggy Man very much,
as well as the others, who had often heard it
before. The dinner being now concluded, they all
went to Ozma's drawing-room, where they passed a
pleasant evening before it came time to retire.
Chapter Eighteen
Ojo is Forgiven
The next morning the Soldier with the Green
Whiskers went to the prison and took Ojo away to
the royal palace, where he was summoned to appear
before the girl Ruler for judgment. Again the
soldier put upon the boy the jeweled handcuffs and
white prisoner's robe with the peaked top and
holes for the eyes. Ojo was so ashamed, both of
his disgrace and the fault he had committed, that
he was glad to be covered up in this way, so that
people could not see him or know who he was. He
followed the Soldier with the Green Whiskers very
willingly, anxious that his fate might be decided
as soon as possible.
The inhabitants of the Emerald City were polite
people and never jeered at the unfortunate; but it
was so long since they had seen a prisoner that
they cast many curious looks toward the boy and
many of them hurried away to the royal palace to
be present during the trial.
When Ojo was escorted into the great Throne
Room of the palace he found hundreds of people
assembled there. In the magnificent emerald
throne, which sparkled with countless jewels, sat
Ozma of Oz in her Robe of State, which was
embroidered with emeralds and pearls. On her
right, but a little lower, was Dorothy, and on her
left the Scarecrow. Still lower, but nearly in
front of Ozma, sat the wonderful Wizard of Oz and
on a small table beside him was the golden vase
from Dorothy's room, into which Scraps had dropped
the stolen clover.
At Ozma's feet crouched two enormous beasts,
each the largest and most powerful of its kind.
Although these beasts were quite free, no one
present was alarmed by them; for the Cowardly Lion
and the Hungry Tiger were well known and respected
in the Emerald City and they always guarded the
Ruler when she held high court in the Throne Room.
There was still another beast present, but this
one Dorothy held in her arms, for it was her
constant companion, the little dog Toto. Toto knew
the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger and often
played and romped with them, for they were good
friends.
Seated on ivory chairs before Ozma, with a clear
space between them and the throne, were many of
the nobility of the Emerald City, lords and ladies
in beautiful costumes, and officials of the
kingdom in the royal uniforms of Oz. Behind these
courtiers were others of less importance, filling
the great hall to the very doors.
At the same moment that the Soldier with the
Green Whiskers arrived with Ojo, the Shaggy Man
entered from a side door, escorting the Patchwork
Girl, the Woozy and the Glass Cat. All these came
to the vacant space before the throne and stood
facing the Ruler.
"Hullo, Ojo," said Scraps; "how are you?"
"All right," he replied; but the scene awed the
boy and his voice trembled a little with fear.
Nothing could awe the Patchwork Girl, and although
the Woozy was somewhat uneasy in these splendid
surroundings the Glass Cat was delighted with the
sumptuousness of the court and the impressiveness
of the occasion--pretty big words but quite
expressive.
At a sign from Ozma the soldier removed Ojo's
white robe and the boy stood face to face with the
girl who was to decide his punishment. He saw at a
glance how lovely and sweet she was, and his heart
gave a bound of joy, for he hoped she would be
merciful.
Ozma sat looking at the prisoner a long time.
Then she said gently:
"One of the Laws of Oz forbids anyone to
pick a six-leaved clover. You are accused of
having broken this Law, even after you had
been warned not to do so."
Ojo hung his head and while he hesitated how to
reply the Patchwork Girl stepped forward and spoke
for him.
"All this fuss is about nothing at all," she
said, facing Ozma unabashed. "You can't prove he
picked the six-leaved clover, so you've no right
to accuse him of it. Search him, if you like, but
you won't find the clover; look in his basket and
you'll find it's not there. He hasn't got it, so I
demand that you set this poor Munchkin boy free."
The people of Oz listened to this defiance in
amazement and wondered at the queer Patchwork Girl
who dared talk so boldly to their Ruler. But Ozma
sat silent and motionless and it was the little
Wizard who answered Scraps.
"So the clover hasn't been picked, eh?" he said.
"I think it has. I think the boy hid it in his
basket, and then gave the basket to you. I also
think you dropped the clover into this vase, which
stood in Princess Dorothy's room, hoping to get
rid of it so it would not prove the boy guilty.
You're a stranger here, Miss Patches, and so you
don't know that nothing can be hidden from our
powerful Ruler's Magic Picture--nor from the
watchful eyes of the humble Wizard of Oz. Look,
all of you!" With these words he waved his hands
toward the vase on the table, which Scraps now
noticed for the first time.
From the mouth of the vase a plant sprouted,
slowly growing before their eyes until it became a
beautiful bush, and on the topmost branch appeared
the six-leaved clover which Ojo had unfortunately
picked.
The Patchwork Girl looked at the clover and
said: "Oh, so you've found it. Very well; prove
he picked it, if you can."
Ozma turned to Ojo.
"Did you pick the six-leaved clover?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I knew it was against the
Law, but I wanted to save Unc Nunkie and I was
afraid if I asked your consent to pick it you
would refuse me."
"What caused you to think that?" asked the
Ruler.
"Why, it seemed to me a foolish law, unjust and
unreasonable. Even now I can see no harm in
picking a six-leaved clover. And I--I had not seen
the Emerald City, then, nor you, and I thought a
girl who would make such a silly Law would not be
likely to help anyone in trouble."
Ozma regarded him musingly, her chin resting
upon her hand; but she was not angry. On the
contrary she smiled a little at her thoughts and
then grew sober again.
"I suppose a good many laws seem foolish to
those people who do not understand them," she
said; "but no law is ever made without some
purpose, and that purpose is usually to protect
all the people and guard their welfare. As you are
a stranger, I will explain this Law which to you
seems so foolish. Years ago there were many
Witches and Magicians in the Land of Oz, and one
of the things they often used in making their
magic charms and transformations was a six-leaved
clover. These Witches and Magicians caused so much
trouble among my people, often using their powers
for evil rather than good, that I decided to
forbid anyone to practice magic or sorcery except
Glinda the Good and her assistant, the Wizard of
Oz, both of whom I can trust to use their arts
only to benefit my people and to make them
happier. Since I issued that Law the Land of Oz
has been far more peaceful and quiet; but I
learned that some of the Witches and Magicians
were still practicing magic on the sly and using
the six-leaved clovers to make their potions and
charms. Therefore I made another Law forbidding
anyone from plucking a six-leaved clover or from
gathering other plants and herbs which the Witches
boil in their kettles to work magic with. That has
almost put an end to wicked sorcery in our land,
so you see the Law was not a foolish one, but wise
and just; and, in any event, it is wrong to
disobey a Law."
Ojo knew she was right and felt greatly
mortified to realize he had acted and spoken so
ridiculously. But he raised his head and looked
Ozma in the face, saying:
"I am sorry I have acted wrongly and broken
your Law. I did it to save Unc Nunkie, and
thought I would not be found out. But I am
guilty of this act and whatever punishment you
think I deserve I will suffer willingly."
Ozma smiled more brightly, then, and nodded
graciously.
"You are forgiven," she said. "For, although
you have committed a serious fault, you are now
penitent and I think you have been punished
enough. Soldier, release Ojo the Lucky and--"
"I beg your pardon; I'm Ojo the Unlucky,"
said the boy.
"At this moment you are lucky," said she.
"Release him, Soldier, and let him go free."
The people were glad to hear Ozma's decree and
murmured their approval. As the royal audience was
now over, they began to leave the Throne Room and
soon there were none remaining except Ojo and his
friends and Ozma and her favorites.
The girl Ruler now asked Ojo to sit down and
tell her all his story, which he did, beginning
at the time he had left his home in the forest
and ending with his arrival at the Emerald City
and his arrest. Ozma listened attentively and
was thoughtful for some moments after the boy
had finished speaking. Then she said:
"The Crooked Magician was wrong to make the
Glass Cat and the Patchwork Girl, for it was
against the Law. And if he had not unlawfully kept
the bottle of Liquid of Petrifaction standing on
his shelf, the accident to his wife Margolotte and
to Unc Nunkie could not have occurred. I can
understand, however, that Ojo, who loves his
uncle, will be unhappy unless he can save him.
Also I feel it is wrong to leave those two victims
standing as marble statues, when they ought to be
alive. So I propose we allow Dr. Pipt to make the
magic charm which will save them, and that we
assist Ojo to find the things he is seeking. What
do you think, Wizard?"
"That is perhaps the best thing to do," replied
the Wizard. "But after the Crooked Magician
has restored those poor people to life you must
take away his magic powers."
"I will," promised Ozma.
"Now tell me, please, what magic things must you
find?" continued the Wizard, addressing Ojo.
"The three hairs from the Woozy's tail I
have," said the boy. "That is, I have the Woozy,
and the hairs are in his tail. The six-leaved
clover I--I--"
"You may take it and keep it," said Ozma. "That
will not be breaking the Law, for it is already
picked, and the crime of picking it is forgiven."
"Thank you!" cried Ojo gratefully. Then he
continued: "The next thing I must find is a gill
of water from a dark well."
The Wizard shook his head. "That," said he,
"will be a hard task, but if you travel far enough
you may discover it."
"I am willing to travel for years, if it will
save Unc Nunkie," declared Ojo, earnestly.
"Then you'd better begin your journey at
once," advised the Wizard.
Dorothy had been listening with interest to
this conversation. Now she turned to Ozma and
asked: "May I go with Ojo, to help him?"
"Would you like to?" returned Ozma.
"Yes. I know Oz pretty well, but Ojo doesn't
know it at all. I'm sorry for his uncle and poor
Margolotte and I'd like to help save them. May
I go?"
"If you wish to," replied Ozma.
"If Dorothy goes, then I must go to take care of
her," said the Scarecrow, decidedly. "A dark well
can only be discovered in some out-of-the-way
place, and there may be dangers there."
"You have my permission to accompany Dorothy,"
said Ozma. "And while you are gone I will take
care of the Patchwork Girl."
"I'll take care of myself," announced Scraps,
"for I'm going with the Scarecrow and Dorothy.
I promised Ojo to help him find the things he
wants and I'll stick to my promise."
"Very well," replied Ozma. "But I see no need
for Ojo to take the Glass Cat and the Woozy."
"I prefer to remain here," said the cat. "I've
nearly been nicked half a dozen times, already,
and if they're going into dangers it's best for me
to keep away from them."
"Let Jellia Jamb keep her till Ojo returns,"
suggested Dorothy. "We won't need to take the
Woozy, either, but he ought to be saved because
of the three hairs in his tail."
"Better take me along," said the Woozy. "My eyes
can flash fire, you know, and I can growl--a
little."
"I'm sure you'll be safer here," Ozma decided,
and the Woozy made no further objection to the
plan.
After consulting together they decided that Ojo
and his party should leave the very next day to
search for the gill of water from a dark well, so
they now separated to make preparations for the
journey.
Ozma gave the Munchkin boy a room in the palace
for that night and the afternoon he passed with
Dorothy--getting acquainted, as she said--and
receiving advice from the Shaggy Man as to where
they must go. The Shaggy Man had wandered in many
parts of Oz, and so had Dorothy, for that matter,
yet neither of them knew where a dark well was to
be found.
"If such a thing is anywhere in the settled
parts of Oz," said Dorothy, "we'd prob'ly have
heard of it long ago. If it's in the wild parts of
the country, no one there would need a dark
well. P'raps there isn't such a thing."
"Oh, there must be!" returned Ojo, positively;
"or else the recipe of Dr. Pipt wouldn't call
for it."
"That's true," agreed Dorothy; "and, if it's
anywhere in the Land of Oz, we're bound to find
it."
"Well, we're bound to search for it, anyhow,"
said the Scarecrow. "As for finding it, we must
trust to luck."
"Don't do that," begged Ojo, earnestly. "I'm
called Ojo the Unlucky, you know."
Chapter Nineteen
Trouble with the Tottenhots
A day's journey from the Emerald City brought the
little band of adventurers to the home of Jack
Pumpkinhead, which was a house formed from the
shell of an immense pumpkin. Jack had made it
himself and was very proud of it. There was a
door, and several windows, and through the top was
stuck a stovepipe that led from a small stove
inside. The door was reached by a flight of three
steps and there was a good floor on which was
arranged some furniture that was quite
comfortable.
It is certain that Jack Pumpkinhead might
have had a much finer house to live in had he
wanted it, for Ozma loved the stupid fellow,
who had been her earliest companion; but Jack
preferred his pumpkin house, as it matched
himself very well, and in this he was not so
stupid, after all.
The body of this remarkable person was made of
wood, branches of trees of various sizes having
been used for the purpose. This wooden framework
was covered by a red shirt--with white spots in
it--blue trousers, a yellow vest, a jacket of
green-and-gold and stout leather shoes. The neck
was a sharpened stick on which the pumpkin head
was set, and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth were
carved on the skin of the pumpkin, very like a
child's jack-o'-lantern.
The house of this interesting creation stood
in the center of a vast pumpkin-field, where the
vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of
extraordinary size as well as those which were
smaller. Some of the pumpkins now ripening
on the vines were almost as large as Jack's house,
and he told Dorothy he intended to add another
pumpkin to his mansion.
The travelers were cordially welcomed to this
quaint domicile and invited to pass the night
there, which they had planned to do. The
Patchwork Girl was greatly interested in Jack
and examined him admiringly.
"You are quite handsome," she said; "but not
as really beautiful as the Scarecrow."
Jack turned, at this, to examine the Scarecrow
critically, and his old friend slyly winked one
painted eye at him.
"There is no accounting for tastes," remarked
the Pumpkinhead, with a sigh. "An old crow
once told me I was very fascinating, but of
course the bird might have been mistaken. Yet
I have noticed that the crows usually avoid the
Scarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in his
way, but stuffed. I am not stuffed, you will
observe; my body is good solid hickory."
"I adore stuffing," said the Patchwork Girl.
"Well, as for that, my head is stuffed with
pumpkin-seeds," declared Jack. "I use them for
brains, and when they are fresh I am intellectual.
Just now, I regret to say, my seeds are rattling a
bit, so I must soon get another head."
"Oh; do you change your head?" asked Ojo.
"To be sure. Pumpkins are not permanent, more's
the pity, and in time they spoil. That is why I
grow such a great field of pumpkins--that I may
select a new head whenever necessary."
"Who carves the faces on them?" inquired the
boy.
"I do that myself. I lift off my old head, place
it on a table before me, and use the face for a
pattern to go by. Sometimes the faces I carve are
better than others--more expressive and cheerful,
you know--but I think they average very well."
Before she had started on the journey Dorothy
had packed a knapsack with the things she might
need, and this knapsack the Scarecrow carried
strapped to his back. The little girl wore a plain
gingham dress and a checked sunbonnet, as she knew
they were best fitted for travel. Ojo also had
brought along his basket, to which Ozma had added
a bottle of "Square Meal Tablets" and some fruit.
But Jack Pumpkinhead grew a lot of things in his
garden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them a
fine vegetable soup and gave Dorothy, Ojo and
Toto, the only ones who found it necessary to eat,
a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. For beds they
must use the sweet dried grasses which Jack had
strewn along one side of the room, but that
satisfied Dorothy and Ojo very well. Toto, of
course, slept beside his little mistress.
The Scarecrow, Scraps and the Pumpkinhead
were tireless and had no need to sleep, so they
sat up and talked together all night; but they
stayed outside the house, under the bright stars,
and talked in low tones so as not to disturb the
sleepers. During the conversation the Scarecrow
explained their quest for a dark well, and asked
Jack's advice where to find it.
The Pumpkinhead considered the matter gravely.
"That is going to be a difficult task," said he,
"and if I were you I'd take any ordinary well
and enclose it, so as to make it dark."
"I fear that wouldn't do," replied the
Scarecrow. "The well must be naturally dark, and
the water must never have seen the light of day,
for otherwise the magic charm might not work at
all."
"How much of the water do you need?" asked Jack.
"A gill."
"How much is a gill?"
"Why--a gill is a gill, of course," answered
the Scarecrow, who did not wish to display his
ignorance.
"I know!" cried Scraps. "Jack and Jill went up
the hill to fetch--"
"No, no; that's wrong," interrupted the
Scarecrow. "There are two kinds of gills, I think;
one is a girl, and the other is--"
"A gillyflower," said Jack.
"No; a measure."
"How big a measure?"
"Well, I'll ask Dorothy."
So next morning they asked Dorothy, and she
said:
"I don't just know how much a gill is, but I've
brought along a gold flask that holds a pint.
That's more than a gill, I'm sure, and the Crooked
Magician may measure it to suit himself. But the
thing that's bothering us most, Jack, is to find
the well."
Jack gazed around the landscape, for he was
standing in the doorway of his house.
"This is a flat country, so you won't find any
dark wells here," said he. "You must go into the
mountains, where rocks and caverns are."
"And where is that?" asked Ojo.
"In the Quadling Country, which lies south
of here," replied the Scarecrow. "I've known all
along that we must go to the mountains."
"So have I," said Dorothy.
"But--goodness me!--the Quadling Country is full
of dangers," declared Jack. "I've never been there
myself, but--"
"I have," said the Scarecrow. "I've faced the
dreadful Hammerheads, which have no arms and butt
you like a goat; and I've faced the Fighting
Trees, which bend down their branches to pound and
whip you, and had many other adventures there."
"It's a wild country," remarked Dorothy,
soberly, "and if we go there we're sure to have
troubles of our own. But I guess we'll have to go,
if we want that gill of water from the dark well."
So they said good-bye to the Pumpkinhead and
resumed their travels, heading now directly toward
the South Country, where mountains and rocks and
caverns and forests of great trees abounded. This
part of the Land of Oz, while it belonged to Ozma
and owed her allegiance, was so wild and secluded
that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and
lived in their own way, without even a knowledge
that they had a Ruler in the Emerald City. If they
were left alone, these creatures never troubled
the inhabitants of the rest of Oz, but those who
invaded their domains encountered many dangers
from them.
It was a two days journey from Jack Pumkinhead's
house to the edge of the Quadling Country, for
neither Dorothy nor Ojo could walk very fast and
they often stopped by the wayside to rest. The
first night they slept on the broad fields, among
the buttercups and daisies, and the Scarecrow
covered the children with a gauze blanket taken
from his knapsack, so they would not be chilled by
the night air. Toward evening of the second day
they reached a sandy plain where walking was
difficult; but some distance before them they saw
a group of palm trees, with many curious black
dots under them; so they trudged bravely on to
reach that place by dark and spend the night under
the shelter of the trees.
The black dots grew larger as they advanced and
although the light was dim Dorothy thought they
looked like big kettles turned upside down. Just
beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks
lay scattered, rising to the mountains behind
them.
Our travelers preferred to attempt to climb
these rocks by daylight, and they realized that
for a time this would be their last night on the
plains.
Twilight had fallen by the time they came to the
trees, beneath which were the black, circular
objects they had marked from a distance. Dozens of
them were scattered around and Dorothy bent near
to one, which was about as tall as she was, to
examine it more closely. As she did so the top
flew open and out popped a dusky creature, rising
its length into the air and then plumping down
upon the ground just beside the little girl.
Another and another popped out of the circular,
pot-like dwelling, while from all the other black
objects came popping more creatures--very like
jumping-jacks when their boxes are unhooked--until
fully a hundred stood gathered around our little
group of travelers.
By this time Dorothy had discovered they
were people, tiny and curiously formed, but still
people. Their skins were dusky and their hair
stood straight up, like wires, and was brilliant
scarlet in color. Their bodies were bare except
for skins fastened around their waists and they
wore bracelets on their ankles and wrists, and
necklaces, and great pendant earrings.
Toto crouched beside his mistress and wailed
as if he did not like these strange creatures a bit.
Scraps began to mutter something about "hoppity,
poppity, jumpity, dump!" but no one paid any
attention to her. Ojo kept close to the Scarecrow
and the Scarecrow kept close to Dorothy; but the
little girl turned to the queer creatures and
asked:
"Who are you?"
They answered this question all together, in
a sort of chanting chorus, the words being as follows:
"We're the jolly Tottenhots;
We do not like the day,
But in the night 'tis our delight
To gambol, skip and play.
"We hate the sun and from it run,
The moon is cool and clear,
So on this spot each Tottenhot
Waits for it to appear.
"We're ev'ry one chock full of fun,
And full of mischief, too;
But if you're gay and with us play
We'll do no harm to you.
"Glad to meet you, Tottenhots," said the
Scarecrow solemnly. "But you mustn't expect us
to play with you all night, for we've traveled
all day and some of us are tired."
"And we never gamble," added the Patchwork Girl.
"It's against the Law."
These remarks were greeted with shouts of
laughter by the impish creatures and one seized
the Scarecrow's arm and was astonished to find the
straw man whirl around so easily. So the Tottenhot
raised the Scarecrow high in the air and tossed
him over the heads of the crowd. Some one caught
him and tossed him back, and so with shouts of
glee they continued throwing the Scarecrow here
and there, as if he had been a basket-ball.
Presently another imp seized Scraps and began to
throw her about, in the same way. They found her a
little heavier than the Scarecrow but still light
enough to be tossed like a sofa-cushion, and they
were enjoying the sport immensely when Dorothy,
angry and indignant at the treatment her friends
were receiving, rushed among the Tottenhots and
began slapping and pushing them until she had
rescued the Scarecrow and the Patchwork Girl and
held them close on either side of her. Perhaps she
would not have accomplished this victory so easily
had not Toto helped her, barking and snapping at
the bare legs of the imps until they were glad to
flee from his attack. As for Ojo, some of the
creatures had attempted to toss him, also, but
finding his body too heavy they threw him to the
ground and a row of the imps sat on him and held
him from assisting Dorothy in her battle.
The little brown folks were much surprised
at being attacked by the girl and the dog, and
one or two who had been slapped hardest began
to cry. Then suddenly they gave a shout, all
together, and disappeared in a flash into their
various houses, the tops of which closed with a
series of pops that sounded like a bunch of
firecrackers being exploded.
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 | 9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13