L. Frank Baum - Oz 38

by The Shaggy Man Of Oz

  CHAPTER 9

  THE VALLEY OF ROMANCE

  Before the travelers lay one of the most beautiful valleys they had ever seen. Gently sloping hills led down to green fields. Through the middle of the valley flowed a steam that looked like a shimmering blue ribbon stretched out on a green carpet. On the near bank of the stream, in the very center of the valley, stood a castle. Its spires, turrets, and towers were so delicately formed that they glistened like lace-filigree in the sunlight. Twink’s eyes glowed. “Isn’t it just the most beautiful sight you ever saw?” she exclaimed.

  “It certainly is elegant,” admitted the Shaggy Man. “But what we want to

  know is, what kind of folks live in it.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they must be very happy and contented,” said Twink. “They just $$must&& be to live in a place like that.”

  “Then we are going to visit the castle?” asked Twiffle a bit doubtfully. “It seems the only thing to do,” replied the Shaggy Man. “I admit I have no idea where we are, and there is just the possibility that whoever lives in that castle may be able to help us get to Oz, or at least give us directions to the Deadly Desert.”

  Tom was already on his way, running happily down the green slope toward the stream and the castle. A ten-minute walk in the bright sunlight brought the little group of adventurers to the doors of the castle. So far they had seen no living persons. Birds sang in the trees, and once a white rabbit had bounded across Tom’s path, but there were no signs of human beings. The Shaggy Man stepped forward and knocked boldly on the heavy door. Instantly it swung silently open. As the adventurers stepped inside, Twink gasped, and even the Shaggy Man, accustomed as he was to the splendor of Ozma’s Royal Palace, was impressed with the magnificence of his surroundings. The floor and walls of the castle were of the whitest alabaster, polished so that the creamy depths of the stone mirrored the luxurious furnishings, casting a luster that enhanced the woven richness of the deep-hued draperies in the paneled walls.

  Who had built such a castle? Each of the travelers tried to picture in his own mind the kind of people who might live here. Would they be friendly or unfriendly, helpful or dangerous? Still there was no sign of people. The only sound that broke the stillness of the foyer in which Shaggy and his

  friends stood was the tinkling of water as it flowed from a small fountain

  in the center of the room. This fountain was fashioned like an ordinary

  drinking fountain, the stream of water that rose from it being not more

  than three or four inches in height. Around the rim of the alabaster

  fountain was a metal plate with writing inscribed upon it. Her curiosity aroused, Twink advanced to the fountain and read: This is a Phontain. Any visitors are requested to speak their messages into it. Signed: Rex Ticket & Regina Curtain.

  “What in the world can it mean?” whispered Twink. Her companions had

  gathered about her and were reading the metal plate with wonder.

  “Rex and Regina,” ventured the Shaggy Man, “are King and Queen. That’s

  Latin. So evidently the head folks of this castle are King Ticket and Queen

  Curtain.Hmmm C4 certainly odd names for a King and Queen.” “A Phontain, and we’re supposed to talk into it!” sniffed Twiffle with

  disgust. “Whoever heard of such nonsense?”

  “Well,” observed the Shaggy Man, “I’ve heard of babbling brooks, so why not a talking fountain that will carry our words?” “A phoney fountain, I suppose,” said Tom, grinning. Shaggy stooped over the Phontain and spoke clearly and distinctly: “This is the Shaggy Man of Oz speaking. In behalf of my friends, Twink and Tom of the United States of America, Twiffle, late of the Isle of Conjo, and myself, I request an audience with King Ticket and Queen Curtain.” Almost immediately a red neon sign lighted up over two large double doors at the opposite end of the foyer. The sign flashed the single word “Entrance.”

  “I guess this is where we go in,” remarked the Shaggy Man as he walked to the door and pushed the large metal handle.

  They were in a small, brightly lighted theater containing about one hundred seats. On the stage, seated on two thrones, were a man and a woman C4 evidently King Ticket and Queen Curtain. All about the King and Queen on the stage there was a bustle of the most frenzied activity. There sounded the clash and clatter of hammers, the ripping of saws and the whirring of drills and bits. Perhaps fifteen or twenty men were hard at work knocking together and erecting a bewildering array of scenery. Calmly seated about the stage on three-cornered stools, their sewing baskets at their sides, were a number of ladies sewing on costumes. Others were apparently sewing together large pieces of canvas. Still other ladies were engaged in painting artistic pictures on the canvas which was then stretched on wooden frameworks to serve as backdrops for the stage. After Shaggy and his friends had watched this display of industry for several minutes, they advanced down the middle aisle of the theater. The King and queen had been doing no actual work. They merely issued directions to the others, who seemed not to pay them the slightest heed, but continued with their tasks. King Ticket looked up. “Well,” he said to the Shaggy Man, “you certainly took your time getting here. It was at least three minutes ago that you announced yourselves on the Phontain.” “Do you mean you really heard us through that water fountain?” asked the Shaggy Man.

  “Water hath a limpid tongue with which to lave the naked ear,” said King Ticket in a voice which was meant to be impressive. “Of course we heard you

  through the Phontain. There are Phontains in all the rooms of the Castle C4 even in the theater, here C4 which repeat messages when we speak into them.”

  Twink thought this was much nicer than telephones which (sic C4 with?) rudely jangling bells, although probably not as private. “You didn’t think,” commented Queen Curtain as though she had read Twink’s thoughts, “that we would use ordinary means of communication such as telephones in the Valley of Romance, did you?”

  “Oh,” said the Shaggy Man, “is this the Valley of Romance?” “It is, and since you are from the Land of Oz,” said King Ticket, “you must surely have heard of the Valley of Romance.”

  The Shaggy Man reflected. It seemed he could recall Ozma mentioning something about some such valley, but he couldn’t remember anything that she had said about it. “How far are we from the Land of Oz?” asked Twiffle. “Dear me!” exclaimed King Ticket, staring at Twiffle. “For a moment I thought you were real!”

  “I am real,” stated Twiffle with dignity. “I just don’t happen to be made of flesh and blood and bones, that’s all.”

  “And as for the Land of Oz,” remarked Queen Curtain meditatively, “it is indeed very far away C4 over the stream and over the hill C4 far, far away to the desert, and then over that, too. In fact, it isn’t even in the Valley of Romance, so that means it must be quite some distance off. Too far even to think of,” she added as though to say that closed the subject. The Shaggy Man shrugged. Evidently these two weren’t going to be of much help to the travelers in finding their way back to Oz. Well, they would make a lunch of the apples he carried in his pockets and then continue on

  their journey. Shaggy and his friends made themselves comfortable in the deeply upholstered seats in the front row of the theater. Shaggy divided the apples between Twink, Tom, and himself. He offered several to King Ticket and Queen Curtain, who refused them rather disdainfully. Shaggy and his friends ate in silence while they watched the activity on the stage. Not one of the busily working men and women seemed even to be aware of the presence of the strangers. Finishing his apples, the Shaggy Man arose and said, “Looks like you folks are getting ready for quite a play. What’s the name of it?”

  Unexpectedly one of the workers on a ladder stopped his task of hammering together a bit of framework for the scenery and replied to Shaggy’s question: “That we won’t know until the curtain goes up tonight. Tonight’s the First Night of this new play, and I shall be in charge.” The fellow added i
mpressively, “For I am the First Knight of the Realm, you know.” “No,” replied the Shaggy Man, “I didn’t know.” Shaggy was a little angry, for he thought the man was making fun of him.

  “Oh yes,” Queen Curtain went on placidly. “He is the First Knight of the Realm C4 in fact, all these people are Lords and Ladies of the Royal Theater.”

  “And do you always build your own scenery and make your own costumes?” asked the Shaggy Man.

  King Ticket shifted uneasily on his throne. “Yes, and it always seems to turn out rather badly. I suppose all we were really meant to do was to enjoy the magnificent performances on the stage. And,” the King brightened, “that is all we truly have any desire to do. That is a full life for us and

  quite enough C4 to sit in the theater and watch great drama unfold. What need have we for any lives of our own when the stage is a world in itself and therein we are content to dwell?” The King’s voice gently subsided to a whisper, and his eyes stared dreamily into space.

  Queen Curtain took up the story. “During the performances Lord Props and

  Lady Cue help the actors, although none too well, I must admit. Lord Props

  seldom gets things right: when a gunshot is called for, there is very

  likely to be a bell ringing. Once when the scene required a bowl of

  goldfish, Lord Props actually managed to cram a whole live lobster into a

  soup tureen. Lady Cues does, however, manage to do a bit better with her

  cues. She is seldom more than two lines behind the actors.” “How long do your plays run?” asked Shaggy. “Night after night after glorious night for years and years and years C4

  sometimes as long as we can remember there has been the same wonderful play

  for us to see on the stage at night,” said the King, who had awakened from

  his dream.

  “And what do you do the rest of the time?” queried the Shaggy Man. “Nothing C4 nothing but sleep,” answered King Ticket. “Why should we? We have the glorious stage for our lives.” The King looked about him at the work going on.

  “Who are your actors?” asked Tom.

  For a moment, King Ticket seemed embarrassed. Then he replied vaguely with a wave of his hand as if to dismiss the matter as of little importance. “Oh, just actors C4 you know, the usual thing, leading man, leading lady, villain, comedian, and so forth.”

  “Come,” said the Shaggy Man, “we’re wasting time here. We should be on our

  way if we ever hope to reach the Land of Oz.” Queen Curtain looked up. “You won’t stay for dinner and the theater?” “No thank you,” replied Shaggy. “We have a long journey ahead of us, and we really must be going on our way now.” With this, Shaggy and his friends walked up the aisle toward the door by which they had entered the theater. King Ticket had been staring intently at the Shaggy Man, and now he whispered something in a low voice to Queen Curtain. The Queen considered for a moment and then nodded her head. Twink and Tom, who were directly behind the Shaggy Man, stopped and stared at each other. They were only halfway up the aisle. The Shaggy Man had been only a step ahead of them. Now he was gone C4 vanished completely!

  CHAPTER 10 LADY CUE

  Twink and Tom were utterly bewildered at their friend’s disappearance. They

  didn’t know what to do next. Twiffle turned to King Ticket and Queen

  Curtain on the stage and demanded, “Where is the Shaggy Man?” King Ticket looked up innocently. “Why, has he gone somewhere?” “Certainly he has gone somewhere,” said Twiffle, who was becoming angry.

  “And you had better tell us where. Don’t forget that the Shaggy Man is an

  important personage of the Land of Oz. If anything happens to him, you will

  be sorry.”

  “Pooh!” sniffed King Ticket. “We know all about the Land of Oz and its silly girl ruler, Ozma. But your famous Shaggy Man had not even heard of the Valley of Romance. What can anyone in Oz do? They don’t even know of our

  existence.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” declared Twiffle with more courage than he

  felt.

  “Anyway,” continued King Ticket musingly, “the Land of Oz is vastly overrated. Why, as far as I know, there isn’t a single theater in all the country!”

  “And so,” began Queen Curtain quietly, “why don’t you children just make yourselves comfortable until dinner time? Then you may join us for the meal, and afterwards you shall be our guests in the Royal Box to witness the performance of our new play.”

  Twiffle was aroused now. He climbed right up on the arm of King Ticket’s chair. “We don’t want your dinner. We don’t want to see your play. All we want is the Shaggy Man, and then we shall continue our journey.” “Tut, tut,” admonished King Ticket. “What a violent disposition the little puppet has.”

  “I am afraid,” said Queen Curtain, “that you really have no choice. You must stay here until we are ready for you to depart. After all, you came of your own accord, you know.”

  Twiffle was silent. He was at a loss to know what to say or do. Twink and Tom felt suddenly alone and a little bit frightened now that the Shaggy Man was gone. Even in the brief time they had known him, they had grown very fond of him and had come to rely upon him. Seeing this, Twiffle returned to stand by the children and said, “Never you mind. We’ll find the Shaggy Man all right. Perhaps it would be wise to remain here tonight as these people wish us to do. That will give us a chance to find out what they have done with Shaggy.”

  This was said in a whisper, to which Tom answered, “Well, I could enjoy a good meal. We haven’t had anything to eat but fruit since yesterday.” Actually, Tom was as worried about Shaggy as Twink, but being a boy, he didn’t want to let the girl know.

  Twink was indignant. “I’m surprised at you, Tom! The idea of talking about food when we’ve just lost our best friend! But I suppose Twiffle is right.”

  “Good!” said King Ticket. “Then that is settled, and you will be with us for dinner and the theater!”

  “Gosh!” exclaimed Tom. “Do you suppose he heard everything we said?” “I don’t have any doubt of it,” replied Twiffle calmly. “Therefore we might as well converse in our ordinary voices.”

  “You were indeed fortunate to have arrived just in time for the opening night of our new play,” said Queen Curtain pleasantly. “I am sure you will enjoy it immensely. Tell me, have you children seen many plays?” “Oh yes,” replied Tom, “we have seen lots of our school plays, and last Christmas Twink and I had important parts in the Christmas pageant.” “Well, then, you will certainly enjoy yourselves tonight,” said the Queen, smiling happily at the children. “We will work only about an hour more. Then everything will be in readiness. That will give us plenty of time to tidy up, dress in our finest, and enjoy the dinner and the play to the utmost.”

  The hour passed swiftly. The children apparently were engrossed in the work going on on the stage, but actually their thoughts were busy puzzling over the mystery of what had happened to the Shaggy Man. “Lady Cue will show you to your rooms, children,” announced Queen Curtain,

  rising from her throne. The Lords and Ladies were putting away their tools and sewing. A tall, thin, worried-looking woman, sewing basket on her arm, stepped down a short flight of stairs from the stage and smiled rather absent-mindedly at Twink and Tom. “You will come with me, I think?” she said hesitantly.

  Twink and Tom looked at Twiffle, who nodded, and all three followed the tall lady, who was proceeding uncertainly up the aisle. Outside the theater, Lady Cue led Twiffle and the children up a broad staircase leading to the second floor of the castle. Here there was a long corridor, with smaller corridors leading off of it, each with many doors opening into various suites and rooms. Lady Cue had advanced only a short distance down the main corridor when she stopped uncertainly before a door and turned to her charges. “This is a door,” she said, “but do you think it is the right

  one?”

  �
��I’m sure we wouldn’t know, Madame,” replied Twiffle. “After all, you live in this castle and should know all about it.”

  Lady Cue sighed. “Of course, of course. I forgot for the moment that you are the strangers. Well, we shall have to do our best to find the right door.” “Haven’t you been in any of these rooms?” asked Tom curiously. “$$In&& them?” asked Lady Cue vaguely. “Oh, I must have, since I live here, you know. Once inside the rooms I am sure I would be able to find my way with no trouble. But outside them it is most confusing. How is one to know what is $$inside&& when one is $$outside?&&” Lady Cue looked at them beseechingly and wandered down the corridor to another door exactly like the one she had just left. She stared at this one for several minutes, then boldly opened it a crack and peered in. “Oh goodness! I beg your pardon,”

  she said to someone in the room, hastily closing the door. “Well,” she

  said, “that’s one that isn’t the one. The First Knight of the Realm is in

  there pressing his breeches for tonight’s performance.”

  “The First Knight of the Realm presses his own clothes?” asked Twink.

  “He does, he does,” asserted Lady Cue, wagging her head. “I did it for him

  once, but somehow the creases ran zigzag, and he looked like he was

  corrugated. It is my opinion, though,” Lady Cue added in a confidential

  whisper, “that he wears a poor quality garment.” Lady Cue turned and

  started off down one of the smaller corridors. Twink, Tom and Twiffle

  followed her, at which Lady Cue stopped and looked at them with a puzzled

  expression. “Did you wish to see me?” she asked.

  “You were taking us to our rooms,” reminded Twiffle.

  “I was?” exclaimed Lady Cue, greatly surprised. “Well, then you just show me

  where your rooms are, and I will be glad to take you to them.”

  “But you were supposed to show $$us&& to our rooms,” said Tom.