Tik Tok of Oz
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L. Frank Baum >> Tik Tok of Oz
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"Don't you love me, Gardy?" asked Shaggy,
carelessly displaying the Magnet.
"I do. I dote on thee!" answered the Gardener
earnestly; "but no true man will neglect his duty
for the sake of love. My duty is to drive you out,
so--out you go!"
With this he seized a garden fork and began
jabbing it at the strangers, in order to force them
to leave. Hank the mule was not afraid of the
fork and when he got his heels near to the
Gardener the man fell back to avoid a kick.
But now the Roses crowded around the outcasts
and it was soon discovered that beneath their
draperies of green leaves were many sharp thorns
which were more dangerous than Hank's heels.
Neither Betsy nor Ozga nor Shaggy nor the mule
cared to brave those thorns and when they pressed
away from them they found themselves slowly
driven through the garden door into the
greenhouse. From there they were forced out at the
entrance and so through the territory of the
flower-strewn Rose Kingdom, which was not of very
great extent.
The Rose Princess was sobbing bitterly; Betsy
was indignant and angry; Hank uttered defiant
"Hee-haws" and the Shaggy Man whistled softly to
himself.
The boundary of the Rose Kingdom was a deep
gulf, but there was a drawbridge in one place and
this the Royal Gardener let down until the
outcasts had passed over it. Then he drew it up
again and returned with his Roses to the
greenhouse, leaving the four queerly assorted
comrades to wander into the bleak and unknown
country that lay beyond.
"I don't mind, much," remarked Shaggy, as he led
the way over the stony, barren ground. "I've got
to search for my long-lost little brother, anyhow,
so it won't matter where I go."
"Hank and I will help you find your brother,"
said Betsy in her most cheerful voice. "I'm so far
away from home now that I don't s'pose I'll ever
find my way back; and, to tell the truth, it's
more fun traveling around and having adventures
than sticking at home. Don't you think so, Hank?"
"Hee-haw!" said Hank, and the Shaggy Man thanked
them both.
"For my part," said Princess Ozga of Roseland,
with a gentle sigh, "I must remain forever exiled
from my Kingdom. So I, too, will be glad to help
the Shaggy Man find his lost brother."
"That's very kind of you, ma'am," said Shaggy.
"But unless I can find the underground cavern of
Ruggedo, the Metal Monarch, I shall never find
poor brother."
(This King was formerly named "Roquat," but after he
drank of the "Waters of Oblivion" he forgot his own name
and had to take another.)
"Doesn't anyone know where it is?" inquired
Betsy.
"Some one must know, of course," was Shaggy's
reply. "But we are not the ones. The only way to
succeed is for us to keep going until we find a
person who can direct us to Ruggedo's cavern."
"We may find it ourselves, without any help,"
suggested Betsy. "Who knows?"
"No one knows that, except the person who's
writing this story," said Shaggy. "But we won't
find anything--not even supper--unless we travel
on. Here's a path. Let's take it and see where it
leads to."
Chapter Seven
Polychrome's Pitiful Plight
The Rain King got too much water in his basin and
spilled some over the brim. That made it rain in a
certain part of the country--a real hard shower,
for a time--and sent the Rainbow scampering to the
place to show the gorgeous colors of his glorious
bow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and the
sky was clear.
The coming of the Rainbow is always a joyous
event to earth folk, yet few have ever seen it
close by. Usually the Rainbow is so far distant
that you can observe its splendid hues but dimly,
and that is why we seldom catch sight of the
dancing Daughters of the Rainbow.
In the barren country where the rain had
just fallen there appeared to be no human
beings at all; but the Rainbow appeared, just
the same, and dancing gayly upon its arch were
the Rainbow's Daughters, led by the fairylike
Polychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful that
no girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness.
Polychrome was in a merry mood and danced down
the arch of the bow to the ground, daring her
sisters to follow her. Laughing and gleeful, they
also touched the ground with their twinkling feet;
but all the Daughters of the Rainbow knew that
this was a dangerous pastime, so they quickly
climbed upon their bow again.
All but Polychrome. Though the sweetest and
merriest of them all, she was likewise the most
reckless. Moreover, it was an unusual sensation to
pat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes.
Before she realized it the bow had lifted and
disappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here was
Polychrome standing helpless upon a rock, her
gauzy draperies floating about her like brilliant
cobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to help
her regain her lost bow!
"Dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing across
her pretty face, "I'm caught again. This is the
second time my carelessness has left me on earth
while my sisters returned to our Sky Palaces. The
first time I enjoyed some pleasant adventures, but
this is a lonely, forsaken country and I shall be
very unhappy until my Rainbow comes again and I
can climb aboard. Let me think what is best to be
done."
She crouched low upon the flat rock, drew her
draperies about her and bowed her head.
It was in this position that Betsy Bobbin spied
Polychrome as she came along the stony path,
followed by Hank, the Princess and Shaggy. At once
the girl ran up to the radiant Daughter of the
Rainbow and exclaimed:
"Oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!"
Polychrome raised her golden head. There
were tears in her blue eyes.
"I'm the most miserable girl in the whole
world!" she sobbed.
The others gathered around her.
"Tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged the
Princess.
"I--I've lost my bow!" wailed Polychrome.
"Take me, my dear," said Shaggy Man in a
sympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau"
instead of "bow."
"I don't want you!" cried Polychrome, stamping
her foot imperiously; "I want my Rainbow."
"Oh; that's different," said Shaggy. "But try to
forget it. When I was young I used to cry for the
Rainbow myself, but I couldn't have it. Looks as
if you couldn't have it, either; so please don't
cry."
Polychrome looked at him reproachfully.
"I don't like you," she said.
"No?" replied Shaggy, drawing the Love Magnet
from his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a wee
speck of a like?"
"Yes, yes!" said Polychrome, clasping her
hands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchanted
talisman; "I love you, Shaggy Man!"
"Of course you do," said he calmly; "but I don't
take any credit for it. It's the Love Magnet's
powerful charm. But you seem quite alone and
friendless, little Rainbow. Don't you want to join
our party until you find your father and sisters
again?"
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"We don't just know that," said Betsy, taking
her hand; "but we're trying to find Shaggy's long-
lost brother, who has been captured by the
terrible Metal Monarch. Won't you come with us,
and help us?"
Polychrome looked from one to another of the
queer party of travelers and a bewitching smile
suddenly lighted her face.
"A donkey, a mortal maid, a Rose Princess and a
Shaggy Man!" she exclaimed. "Surely you need help,
if you intend to face Ruggedo."
"Do you know him, then?" inquired Betsy.
"No, indeed. Ruggedo's caverns are beneath the
earth's surface, where no Rainbow can ever
penetrate. But I've heard of the Metal Monarch. He
is also called the Nome King, you know, and he has
made trouble for a good many people --mortals and
fairies--in his time," said Polychrome.
"Do you fear him, then?" asked the Princess,
anxiously.
"No one can harm a Daughter of the Rainbow,"
said Polychrome proudly. "I'm a sky fairy."
"Then," said Betsy, quickly, "you will be able
to tell us the way to Ruggedo's cavern."
"No," returned Polychrome, shaking her head,
"that is one thing I cannot do. But I will gladly
go with you and help you search for the place."
This promise delighted all the wanderers and
after the Shaggy Man had found the path again
they began moving along it in a more happy
mood. The Rainbow's Daughter danced lightly
over the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with her
beautiful features wreathed in smiles. Shaggy
came next, walking steadily and now and then
supporting the Rose Princess, who followed him.
Betsy and Hank brought up the rear, and if she
tired with walking the girl got upon Hank's back
and let the stout little donkey carry her for
a while.
At nightfall they came to some trees that grew
beside a tiny brook and here they made camp and
rested until morning. Then away they tramped,
finding berries and fruits here and there which
satisfied the hunger of Betsy, Shaggy and Hank,
so that they were well content with their lot.
It surprised Betsy to see the Rose Princess
partake of their food, for she considered her a
fairy; but when she mentioned this to Polychrome,
the Rainbow's Daughter explained that when Ozga
was driven out of her Rose Kingdom she ceased to
be a fairy and would never again be more than a
mere mortal. Polychrome, however, was a fairy
wherever she happened to be, and if she sipped a
few dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no one
ever saw her do it.
As they continued their wandering journey,
direction meant very little to them, for they were
hopelessly lost in this strange country. Shaggy
said it would be best to go toward the mountains,
as the natural entrance to Ruggedo's underground
cavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky,
deserted place; but mountains seemed all around
them except in the one direction that they had
come from, which led to the Rose Kingdom and the
sea. Therefore it mattered little which way they
traveled.
By and by they espied a faint trail that looked
like a path and after following this for some time
they reached a crossroads. Here were many paths,
leading in various directions, and there was a
signpost so old that there were now no words upon
the sign. At one side was an old well, with a
chain windlass for drawing water, yet there was no
house or other building anywhere in sight.
While the party halted, puzzled which way
to proceed, the mule approached the well and
tried to look into it.
"He's thirsty," said Betsy.
"It's a dry well," remarked Shaggy. "Probably
there has been no water in it for many years. But,
come; let us decide which way to travel."
No one seemed able to decide that. They sat
down in a group and tried to consider which
road might be the best to take. Hank, however,
could not keep away from the well and finally
he reared up on his hind legs, got his head over
the edge and uttered a loud "Hee-haw!" Betsy
watched her animal friend curiously.
"I wonder if he sees anything down there?" she
said.
At this, Shaggy rose and went over to the well
to investigate, and Betsy went with him. The
Princess and Polychrome, who had become fast
friends, linked arms and sauntered down one of the
roads, to find an easy path.
"Really," said Shaggy, "there does seem to
be something at the bottom of this old well."
"Can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" asked
the girl.
There was no bucket at the end of the windlass
chain, but there was a big hook that at one time
was used to hold a bucket. Shaggy let down this
hook, dragged it around on the bottom and then
pulled it up. An old hoopskirt came with it, and
Betsy laughed and threw it away. The thing
frightened Hank, who had never seen a hoopskirt
before, and he kept a good distance away from it.
Several other objects the Shaggy Man captured
with the hook and drew up, but none of these was
important.
"This well seems to have been the dump for
all the old rubbish in the country," he said,
letting down the hook once more. "I guess I've
captured everything now. No--the hook has caught
again. Help me, Betsy! Whatever this thing is,
it's heavy."
She ran up and helped him turn the windlass
and after much effort a confused mass of copper
came in sight.
"Good gracious!" exclaimed Shaggy. "Here is
a surprise, indeed!"
"What is it?" inquired Betsy, clinging to the
windlass and panting for breath.
For answer the Shaggy Man grasped the
bundle of copper and dumped it upon the
ground, free of the well. Then he turned it over
with his foot, spread it out, and to Betsy's
astonishment the thing proved to be a copper
man.
"Just as I thought," said Shaggy, looking hard
at the object. "But unless there are two copper
men in the world this is the most astonishing
thing I ever came across."
At this moment the Rainbow's Daughter and the
Rose Princess approached them, and Polychrome
said:
"What have you found, Shaggy One?"
"Either an old friend, or a stranger," he
replied.
"Oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried Betsy,
who had knelt down to examine the man. "Dear me;
how funny! Listen to this."
Then she read the following words, engraved
upon the copper plates of the man's body:
SMITH & TINKER'S
Patent Double-Action, Extra-Responsive,
Thought-Creating, Perfect-Talking
MECHANICAL MAN
Fitted with our Special Clockwork Attachment.
Thinks, Speaks, Acts, and Does Everything
but Live.
"Isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the Princess.
"Yes; but here's more," said Betsy, reading
from another engraved plate:
DIRECTIONS FOR USING:
For THINKING:--Wind the Clockwork
Man under his left arm, (marked No. 1).
For SPEAKING:--Wind the Clockwork
Man under his right arm, (marked No. 2).
For WALKING and ACTION:--Wind Clockwork Man
in the middle of his back, (marked No. 3).
N. B.--This Mechanism is guaranteed to
work perfectly for a thousand years.
"If he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said
Polychrome, "he ought to work yet."
"Of course," replied Shaggy. "Let's wind him up."
In order to do this they were obliged to set the
copper man upon his feet, in an upright position,
and this was no easy task. He was inclined to
topple over, and had to be propped again and
again. The girls assisted Shaggy, and at last Tik-
Tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon his
broad feet.
"Yes," said Shaggy, looking at the copper man
carefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friend
Tik-Tok, whom I left ticking merrily in the
Land of Oz. But how he came to this lonely
place, and got into that old well, is surely a
mystery."
"If we wind him, perhaps he will tell us,"
suggested Betsy. "Here's the key, hanging to a
hook on his back. What part of him shall I wind up
first?"
"His thoughts, of course," said Polychrome,
"for it requires thought to speak or move
intelligently."
So Betsy wound him under his left arm, and
at once little flashes of light began to show in
the top of his head, which was proof that he had
begun to think.
"Now, then," said Shaggy, "wind up his
phonograph."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Why, his talking-machine. His thoughts may
be interesting, but they don't tell us anything."
So Betsy wound the copper man under his right
arm, and then from the interior of his copper body
came in jerky tones the words: "Ma-ny thanks!"
"Hurrah!" cried Shaggy, joyfully, and he slapped
Tik-Tok upon the back in such a hearty manner that
the copper man lost his balance and tumbled to the
ground in a heap. But the clockwork that enabled
him to speak had been wound up and he kept saying:
"Pick-me-up! Pick-me-up! Pick-me-up!" until they
had again raised him and balanced him upon his
feet, when he added politely: "Ma-ny thanks!"
"He won't be self-supporting until we wind
up his action," remarked Shaggy; so Betsy
wound it, as tight as she could--for the key
turned rather hard--and then Tik-Tok lifted his
feet, marched around in a circle and ended by
stopping before the group and making them all
a low bow.
"How in the world did you happen to be in
that well, when I left you safe in Oz?" inquired
Shaggy.
"It is a long sto-ry," replied Tik-Tok, "but
I'll tell it in a few words. Af-ter you had gone
in search of your broth-er, Oz-ma saw you wan-der-
ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in her
mag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er in
the Nome King's cavern; so she sent me to tell you
where to find your broth-er and told me to help you
if I could. The Sor-cer-ess, Glin-da the Good,
trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of an
eye; but here I met the Nome King him-self--old
Rug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the Met-al
Mon-arch. Rug-ge-do knew what I had come for, and
he was so an-gry that he threw me down the well.
Af-ter my works ran down I was help-less un-til you
came a-long and pulled me out a-gain. Ma-ny
thanks."
"This is, indeed, good news," said Shaggy. "I
suspected that my brother was the prisoner of
Ruggedo; but now I know it. Tell us, Tik-Tok, how
shall we get to the Nome King's underground
cavern?"
"The best way is to walk," said Tik-Tok. "We
might crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-ver
until we get there; but the best way is to walk."
"I know; but which road shall we take?"
"My ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that,"
replied Tik-Tok.
"There is more than one entrance to the
underground cavern," said Polychrome; "but old
Ruggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, so
that earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain.
If we find our way underground at all, it will be
by chance."
"Then," said Betsy, "let us select any road,
haphazard, and see where it leads us."
"That seems sensible," declared the Princess.
"It may require a lot of time for us to find
Ruggedo, but we have more time than anything
else."
"If you keep me wound up," said Tik-Tok, "I
will last a thou-sand years."
"Then the only question to decide is which
way to go," added Shaggy, looking first at one
road and then at another.
But while they stood hesitating, a peculiar
sound reached their ears--a sound like the
tramping of many feet.
"What's coming?" cried Betsy; and then she
ran to the left-hand road and glanced along the
path. "Why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "What
shall we do, hide or run?"
"Stand still," commanded Shaggy. "I'm not afraid
of an army. If they prove to be friendly, they can
help us; if they are enemies, I'll show them the
Love Magnet."
Chapter Eight
Tik-Tok Tackles a Tough Task
While Shaggy and his companions stood huddled in a
group at one side, the Army of Oogaboo was
approaching along the pathway, the tramp of their
feet being now and then accompanied by a dismal
groan as one of the officers stepped on a sharp
stone or knocked his funnybone against his
neighbor's sword-handle.
Then out from among the trees marched Private
Files, bearing the banner of Oogaboo, which
fluttered from a long pole. This pole he stuck in
the ground just in front of the well and then he
cried in a loud voice:
"I hereby conquer this territory in the name of
Queen Ann Soforth of Oogaboo, and all the
inhabitants of the land I proclaim her slaves!"
Some of the officers now stuck their heads out
of the bushes and asked:
"Is the coast clear, Private Files?"
"There is no coast here," was the reply, "but
all's well."
"I hope there's water in it," said General Cone,
mustering courage to advance to the well; but just
then he caught a glimpse of Tik-Tok and Shaggy and
at once fell upon his knees, trembling and
frightened and cried out:
"Mercy, kind enemies! Mercy! Spare us, and
we will be your slaves forever!"
The other officers, who had now advanced into
the clearing, likewise fell upon their knees and
begged for mercy.
Files turned around and, seeing the strangers
for the first time, examined them with much
curiosity. Then, discovering that three of the
party were girls, he lifted his cap and made a
polite bow.
"What's all this?" demanded a harsh voice, as
Queen Ann reached the place and beheld her
kneeling army.
"Permit us to introduce ourselves," replied
Shaggy, stepping forward. "This is Tik-Tok, the
Clockwork Man--who works better than some meat
people. And here is Princess Ozga of Roseland,
just now unfortunately exiled from her Kingdom of
Roses. I next present Polychrome, a sky fairy, who
lost her Bow by an accident and can't find her way
home. The small girl here is Betsy Bobbin, from
some unknown earthly paradise called Oklahoma,
and with her you see Mr. Hank, a mule with a long
tail and a short temper."
"Puh!" said Ann, scornfully; "a pretty lot of
vagabonds you are, indeed; all lost or strayed,
I suppose, and not worth a Queen's plundering.
I'm sorry I've conquered you."
"But you haven't conquered us yet," called
Betsy indignantly.
"No," agreed Files, "that is a fact. But if my
officers will kindly command me to conquer you,
I will do so at once, after which we can stop
arguing and converse more at our ease."
The officers had by this time risen from their
knees and brushed the dust from their trousers. To
them the enemy did not look very fierce, so the
Generals and Colonels and Majors and Captains
gained courage to face them and began strutting in
their most haughty manner.
"You must understand," said Ann, "that I am the
Queen of Oogaboo, and this is my invincible Army.
We are busy conquering the world, and since you
seem to be a part of the world, and are
obstructing our journey, it is necessary for us to
conquer you--unworthy though you may be of such
high honor."
"That's all right," replied Shaggy. "Conquer us
as often as you like. We don't mind."
"But we won't be anybody's slaves," added Betsy,
positively.
"We'll see about that," retorted the Queen,
angrily. "Advance, Private Files, and bind the
enemy hand and foot!"
But Private Files looked at pretty Betsy and
fascinating Polychrome and the beautiful Rose
Princess and shook his head.
"It would be impolite, and I won't do it," he
asserted.
"You must!" cried Ann. "It is your duty to obey
orders."
"I haven't received any orders from my
officers," objected the Private.
But the Generals now shouted: "Forward, and bind
the prisoners!" and the Colonels and Majors and
Captains repeated the command, yelling it as loud
as they could.
All this noise annoyed Hank, who had been eyeing
the Army of Oogaboo with strong disfavor. The mule
now dashed forward and began backing upon the
officers and kicking fierce and dangerous heels at
them. The attack was so sudden that the officers
scattered like dust in a whirlwind, dropping their
swords as they ran and trying to seek refuge
behind the trees and bushes.
Betsy laughed joyously at the comical rout of
the "noble army," and Polychrome danced with glee.
But Ann was furious at this ignoble defeat of her
gallant forces by one small mule.
"Private Files, I command you to do your duty!"
she cried again, and then she herself ducked to
escape the mule's heels--for Hank made no
distinction in favor of a lady who was an open
enemy. Betsy grabbed her champion by the forelock,
however, and so held him fast, and when the
officers saw that the mule was restrained from
further attacks they crept fearfully back and
picked up their discarded swords.
"Private Files, seize and bind these prisoners!"
screamed the Queen.
"No," said Files, throwing down his gun and
removing the knapsack which was strapped to his
back, "I resign my position as the Army of
Oogaboo. I enlisted to fight the enemy and become
a hero, but if you want some one to bind harmless
girls you will have to hire another Private."
Then he walked over to the others and shook
hands with Shaggy and Tik-Tok.
"Treason!" shrieked Ann, and all the officers
echoed her cry.
"Nonsense," said Files. "I've the right to
resign if I want to."
"Indeed you haven't!" retorted the Queen. "If
you resign it will break up my Army, and then I
cannot conquer the world." She now turned to the
officers and said: "I must ask you to do me a
favor. I know it is undignified in officers to
fight, but unless you immediately capture Private
Files and force him to obey my orders there will
be no plunder for any of us. Also it is likely you
will all suffer the pangs of hunger, and when we
meet a powerful foe you are liable to be captured
and made slaves."
The prospect of this awful fate so frightened
the officers that they drew their swords and
rushed upon Files, who stood beside Shaggy, in a
truly ferocious manner. The next instant, however,
they halted and again fell upon their knees; for
there, before them, was the glistening Love
Magnet, held in the hand of the smiling Shaggy
Man, and the sight of this magic talisman at once
won the heart of every Oogabooite. Even Ann saw
the Love Magnet, and forgetting all enmity and
anger threw herself upon Shaggy and embraced him
lovingly.
Quite disconcerted by this unexpected effect of
the Magnet, Shaggy disengaged himself from the
Queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the
talisman in his pocket. The adventurers from
Oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was
no more talk about conquering and binding any of
his party.
"If you insist on conquering anyone," said
Shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground
Kingdom of Ruggedo. To conquer the world, as you
have set out to do, you must conquer everyone
under its surface as well as those upon its
surface, and no one in all the world needs
conquering so much as Ruggedo."
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