The Scarecrow of Oz
Page 12
CHAPTER 10
Pon, the Gardener's Boy
It was Button-Bright who first discovered, lying on his face beneatha broad spreading tree near the pathway, a young man whose body shookwith the force of his sobs. He was dressed in a long brown smock and hadsandals on his feet, betokening one in humble life. His head was bare andshowed a shock of brown, curly hair. Button-Bright looked down on theyoung man and said:
"Who cares, anyhow?"
"I do!" cried the young man, interrupting his sobs to roll over, faceupward, that he might see who had spoken. "I care, for my heart isbroken!"
"Can't you get another one?" asked the little boy.
"I don't want another!" wailed the young man.
By this time Trot and Cap'n Bill arrived at the spot and the girl leanedover and said in a sympathetic voice:
"Tell us your troubles and perhaps we may help you."
The youth sat up, then, and bowed politely. Afterward he got upon hisfeet, but still kept wringing his hands as he tried to choke down hissobs. Trot thought he was very brave to control such awful agony so well.
"My name is Pon," he began. "I'm the gardener's boy."
"Then the gardener of the King is your father, I suppose," said Trot.
"Not my father, but my master," was the reply.
"I do the work and the gardener gives the orders. And it was not myfault, in the least, that the Princess Gloria fell in love with me."
"Did she, really?" asked the little girl.
"I don't see why," remarked Button-Bright, staring at the youth.
"And who may the Princess Gloria be?" inquired Cap'n Bill.
"She is the niece of King Krewl, who is her guardian. The Princesslives in the castle and is the loveliest and sweetest maiden in allJinxland. She is fond of flowers and used to walk in the gardens withher attendants. At such times, if I was working at my tasks, I used tocast down my eyes as Gloria passed me; but one day I glanced up and foundher gazing at me with a very tender look in her eyes. The next day shedismissed her attendants and, coming to my side, began to talk with me.She said I had touched her heart as no other young man had ever done. Ikissed her hand. Just then the King came around a bend in the walk. Hestruck me with his fist and kicked me with his foot. Then he seized thearm of the Princess and rudely dragged her into the castle."
"Wasn't he awful!" gasped Trot indignantly.
"He is a very abrupt King," said Pon, "so it was the least I couldexpect. Up to that time I had not thought of loving Princess Gloria, butrealizing it would be impolite not to return her love, I did so. We metat evening, now and then, and she told me the King wanted her to marry arich courtier named Googly-Goo, who is old enough to be Gloria's father.She has refused Googly-Goo thirty-nine times, but he still persists andhas brought many rich presents to bribe the King. On that account KingKrewl has commanded his niece to marry the old man, but the Princess hasassured me, time and again, that she will wed only me. This morning wehappened to meet in the grape arbor and as I was respectfully salutingthe cheek of the Princess, two of the King's guards seized me and beat meterribly before the very eyes of Gloria, whom the King himself held backso she could not interfere."
"Why, this King must be a monster!" cried Trot.
"He is far worse than that," said Pon, mournfully.
"But, see here," interrupted Cap'n Bill, who had listened carefully toPon. "This King may not be so much to blame, after all. Kings are proudfolks, because they're so high an' mighty, an' it isn't reasonable for aroyal Princess to marry a common gardener's boy."
"It isn't right," declared Button-Bright. "A Princess should marry aPrince."
"I'm not a common gardener's boy," protested Pon. "If I had my rights Iwould be the King instead of Krewl. As it is, I'm a Prince, and as royalas any man in Jinxland."
"How does that come?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"My father used to be the King and Krewl was his Prime Minister. But oneday while out hunting, King Phearse--that was my father's name--had aquarrel with Krewl and tapped him gently on the nose with the knucklesof his closed hand. This so provoked the wicked Krewl that he tripped myfather backward, so that he fell into a deep pond. At once Krewl threwin a mass of heavy stones, which so weighted down my poor father thathis body could not rise again to the surface. It is impossible to killanyone in this land, as perhaps you know, but when my father was presseddown into the mud at the bottom of the deep pool and the stones held himso he could never escape, he was of no more use to himself or the worldthan if he had died. Knowing this, Krewl proclaimed himself King, takingpossession of the royal castle and driving all my father's people out.I was a small boy, then, but when I grew up I became a gardener. I haveserved King Krewl without his knowing that I am the son of the same KingPhearse whom he so cruelly made away with."
"My, but that's a terr'bly exciting story!" said Trot, drawing a longbreath. "But tell us, Pon, who was Gloria's father?"
"Oh, he was the King before my father," replied Pon. "Father was PrimeMinister for King Kynd, who was Gloria's father. She was only a babywhen King Kynd fell into the Great Gulf that lies just this side of themountains--the same mountains that separate Jinxland from the rest of theLand of Oz. It is said the Great Gulf has no bottom; but, however thatmay be, King Kynd has never been seen again and my father became King inhis place."
"Seems to me," said Trot, "that if Gloria had her rights she would beQueen of Jinxland."
"Well, her father was a King," admitted Pon, "and so was my father;so we are of equal rank, although she's a great lady and I'm a humblegardener's boy. I can't see why we should not marry if we want to--exceptthat King Krewl won't let us."
"It's a sort of mixed-up mess, taken altogether," remarked Cap'n Bill."But we are on our way to visit King Krewl, and if we get a chance, youngman, we'll put in a good word for you."
"Do, please!" begged Pon.
"Was it the flogging you got that broke your heart?' inquiredButton-Bright.
"Why, it helped to break it, of course," said Pon.
"I'd get it fixed up, if I were you," advised the boy, tossing a pebbleat a chipmunk in a tree.
"You ought to give Gloria just as good a heart as she gives you."
"That's common sense," agreed Cap'n Bill. So they left the gardener's boystanding beside the path, and resumed their journey toward the castle.