Tik-Tok of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER 23

  Ruggedo Reforms

  It did not take them long to regain the royal cavern of the Nome King,where Kaliko ordered served to them the nicest refreshments the placeafforded.

  Ruggedo had come trailing along after the rest of the party and while noone paid any attention to the old King they did not offer any objectionto his presence or command him to leave them. He looked fearfully tosee if the eggs were still guarding the entrance, but they had nowdisappeared; so he crept into the cavern after the others and humblysquatted down in a corner of the room.

  There Betsy discovered him. All of the little girl's companions werenow so happy at the success of Shaggy's quest for his brother, and thelaughter and merriment seemed so general, that Betsy's heart softenedtoward the friendless old man who had once been their bitter enemy, andshe carried to him some of the food and drink.

  Ruggedo's eyes filled with tears at this unexpected kindness. He took thechild's hand in his own and pressed it gratefully.

  "Look here, Kaliko," said Betsy, addressing the new King, "what's the useof being hard on Ruggedo? All his magic power is gone, so he can't do anymore harm, and I'm sure he's sorry he acted so badly to everybody."

  "Are you?" asked Kaliko, looking down at his former master.

  "I am," said Ruggedo. "The girl speaks truly. I'm sorry and I'm harmless.I don't want to wander through the wide world, on top of the ground, forI'm a nome. No nome can ever be happy any place but underground."

  "That being the case," said Kaliko, "I will let you stay here as long asyou behave yourself; but, if you try to act badly again, I shall driveyou out, as Tititi-Hoochoo has commanded, and you'll have to wander."

  "Never fear. I'll behave," promised Ruggedo. "It is hard work being aKing, and harder still to be a good King. But now that I am a common nomeI am sure I can lead a blameless life."

  They were all pleased to hear this and to know that Ruggedo had reallyreformed.

  "I hope he'll keep his word," whispered Betsy to Shaggy; "but if he getsbad again we will be far away from the Nome Kingdom and Kaliko will haveto 'tend to the old nome himself."

  Polychrome had been a little restless during the last hour or two. Thelovely Daughter of the Rainbow knew that she had now done all in herpower to assist her earth friends, and so she began to long for her skyhome.

  "I think," she said, after listening intently, "that it is beginning torain. The Rain King is my uncle, you know, and perhaps he has read mythoughts and is going to help me. Anyway, I must take a look at the skyand make sure."

  So she jumped up and ran through the passage to the outer entrance, andthey all followed after her and grouped themselves on a ledge of themountain-side. Sure enough, dark clouds had filled the sky and a slow,drizzling rain had set in.

  "It can't last for long," said Shaggy, looking upward, "and when it stopswe shall lose the sweet little fairy we have learned to love. Alas," hecontinued, after a moment, "the clouds are already breaking in the west,and--see!--isn't that the Rainbow coming?"

  Betsy didn't look at the sky; she looked at Polychrome, whose happy,smiling face surely foretold the coming of her father to take her to theCloud Palaces. A moment later a gleam of sunshine flooded the mountainand a gorgeous Rainbow appeared.

  With a cry of gladness Polychrome sprang upon a point of rock and heldout her arms. Straightway the Rainbow descended until its end was at hervery feet, when with a graceful leap she sprang upon it and was at onceclasped in the arms of her radiant sisters, the Daughters of the Rainbow.But Polychrome released herself to lean over the edge of the glowing archand nod, and smile and throw a dozen kisses to her late comrades.

  "Good-bye!" she called, and they all shouted "Good-bye!" in return andwaved their hands to their pretty friend.

  Slowly the magnificent bow lifted and melted into the sky, until the eyesof the earnest watchers saw only fleecy clouds flitting across the blue.

  "I'm dreadful sorry to see Polychrome go," said Betsy, who felt likecrying; "but I s'pose she'll be a good deal happier with her sisters inthe sky palaces."

  "To be sure," returned Shaggy, nodding gravely. "It's her home, you know,and those poor wanderers who, like ourselves, have no home, can realizewhat that means to her."

  "Once," said Betsy, "I, too, had a home. Now, I've only--only--dear oldHank!"

  She twined her arms around her shaggy friend who was not human, and hesaid: "Hee-haw!" in a tone that showed he understood her mood. And theshaggy friend who was human stroked the child's head tenderly and said:"You're wrong about that, Betsy dear. I will never desert you."

  "Nor I!" exclaimed Shaggy's brother, in earnest tones.

  The little girl looked up at them gratefully, and her eyes smiled throughtheir tears.

  "All right," she said. "It's raining again, so let's go back into thecavern."

  Rather soberly, for all loved Polychrome and would miss her, theyreentered the dominions of the Nome King.