Billina Frightens the Nome King
Now when Dorothy had entered the palace to make her guesses and theScarecrow was left with the Nome King, the two sat in moody silence forseveral minutes. Then the monarch exclaimed, in a tone of satisfaction:
"Very good!"
"Who is very good?" asked the Scarecrow.
"The machine man. He won't need to be wound up any more, for he has nowbecome a very neat ornament. Very neat, indeed."
"How about Dorothy?" the Scarecrow enquired.
"Oh, she will begin to guess, pretty soon," said the King, cheerfully."And then she will join my collection, and it will be your turn."
The good Scarecrow was much distressed by the thought that his littlefriend was about to suffer the fate of Ozma and the rest of their party;but while he sat in gloomy reverie a shrill voice suddenly cried:
"Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt! Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt!"
The Nome King nearly jumped off his seat, he was so startled.
"Good gracious! What's that?" he yelled.
"Why, it's Billina," said the Scarecrow.
"What do you mean by making a noise like that?" shouted the King,angrily, as the yellow hen came from under the throne and struttedproudly about the room.
"I've got a right to cackle, I guess," replied Billina. "I've just laidmy egg.'
"What! Laid an egg! In my throne room! How dare you do such a thing?"asked the King, in a voice of fury.
"I lay eggs wherever I happen to be," said the hen, ruffling herfeathers and then shaking them into place.
"But--thunder-ation! Don't you know that eggs are poison?" roared theKing, while his rock-colored eyes stuck out in great terror.
"Poison! well, I declare," said Billina, indignantly. "I'll have youknow all my eggs are warranted strictly fresh and up to date. Poison,indeed!"
"You don't understand," retorted the little monarch, nervously. "Eggsbelong only to the outside world--to the world on the earth's surface,where you came from. Here, in my underground kingdom, they are rankpoison, as I said, and we Nomes can't bear them around."
"Well, you'll have to bear this one around," declared Billina; "for I'velaid it."
"Where?" asked the King.
"Under your throne," said the hen.
The King jumped three feet into the air, so anxious was he to get awayfrom the throne.
"Take it away! Take it away at once!" he shouted.
"I can't," said Billina. "I havn't any hands."
"I'll take the egg," said the Scarecrow. "I'm making a collection ofBillina's eggs. There's one in my pocket now, that she laid yesterday."
Hearing this, the monarch hastened to put a good distance betweenhimself and the Scarecrow, who was about to reach under the throne forthe egg when the hen suddenly cried:
"Stop!"
"What's wrong?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Don't take the egg unless the King will allow me to enter the palaceand guess as the others have done," said Billina.
"Pshaw!" returned the King. "You're only a hen. How could you guess myenchantments?"
"I can try, I suppose," said Billina. "And, if I fail, you will haveanother ornament."
"A pretty ornament you'd make, wouldn't you?" growled the King. "But youshall have your way. It will properly punish you for daring to lay anegg in my presence. After the Scarecrow is enchanted you shall followhim into the palace. But how will you touch the objects?"
"With my claws," said the hen; "and I can speak the word 'Ev' as plainlyas anyone. Also I must have the right to guess the enchantments of myfriends, and to release them if I succeed."
"Very well," said the King. "You have my promise."
"Then," said Billina to the Scarecrow, "you may get the egg."
"DON'T YOU KNOW THAT EGGS ARE POISON?"]
He knelt down and reached underneath the throne and found the egg,which he placed in another pocket of his jacket, fearing that if botheggs were in one pocket they would knock together and get broken.
Just then a bell above the throne rang briskly, and the King gaveanother nervous jump.
"Well, well!" said he, with a rueful face; "the girl has actually doneit."
"Done what?" asked the Scarecrow.
"She has made one guess that is right, and broken one of my neatestenchantments. By ricketty, it's too bad! I never thought she would doit."
"Do I understand that she will now return to us in safety?" enquired theScarecrow, joyfully wrinkling his painted face into a broad smile.
"Of course," said the King, fretfully pacing up and down the room. "Ialways keep my promises, no matter how foolish they are. But I shallmake an ornament of the yellow hen to replace the one I have just lost."
"Perhaps you will, and perhaps you won't," murmured Billina, calmly. "Imay surprise you by guessing right."
"Guessing right?" snapped the King. "How should you guess right, whereyour betters have failed, you stupid fowl?"
Billina did not care to answer this question, and a moment later thedoors flew open and Dorothy entered, leading the little Prince Evring bythe hand.
The Scarecrow welcomed the girl with a close embrace, and he would haveembraced Evring, too, in his delight. But the little Prince was shy, andshrank away from the painted Scarecrow because he did not yet know hismany excellent qualities.
"BY RICKETTY, IT'S TOO BAD!"]
But there was little time for the friends to talk, because the Scarecrowmust now enter the palace. Dorothy's success had greatly encouragedhim, and they both hoped he would manage to make at least one correctguess.
However, he proved as unfortunate as the others except Dorothy, andalthough he took a good deal of time to select his objects, not one didthe poor Scarecrow guess aright.
So he became a solid gold card-receiver, and the beautiful but terriblepalace awaited its next visitor.
"It's all over," remarked the King, with a sigh of satisfaction; "and ithas been a very amusing performance, except for the one good guess theKansas girl made. I am richer by a great many pretty ornaments.
"It is my turn, now," said Billina, briskly.
"Oh, I'd forgotten you," said the King. "But you needn't go if you don'twish to. I will be generous, and let you off."
"No you won't," replied the hen. "I insist upon having my guesses, asyou promised."
"Then go ahead, you absurd feathered fool!" grumbled the King, and hecaused the opening that led to the palace to appear once more.
"Don't go, Billina," said Dorothy, earnestly. "It isn't easy to guessthose orn'ments, and only luck saved me from being one myself. Stay withme, and we'll go back to the Land of Ev together. I'm sure this littlePrince will give us a home."
"Indeed I will," said Evring, with much dignity.
"Don't worry, my dear," cried Billina, with a cluck that was meant for alaugh. "I may not be human, but I'm no fool, if I _am_ a chicken."
"Oh, Billina!" said Dorothy, "you haven't been a chicken in a long time.Not since you--you've been--grown up."
"Perhaps that's true," answered Billina, thoughtfully. "But if a Kansasfarmer sold me to some one, what would he call me?--a hen or a chicken!"
"You are not a Kansas farmer, Billina," replied the girl, "and yousaid--"
"Never mind that, Dorothy. I'm going. I won't say good-bye, because I'mcoming back. Keep up your courage, for I'll see you a little later."
Then Billina gave several loud "cluck-clucks" that seemed to make thefat little King _more_ nervous than ever, and marched through theentrance into the enchanted palace.
"I hope I've seen the last of _that_ bird," declared the monarch,seating himself again in his throne and mopping the perspiration fromhis forehead with his rock-colored handkerchief. "Hens are bothersomeenough at their best, but when they can talk they're simply dreadful."
"Billina's my friend," said Dorothy quietly. "She may not always be'zactly polite; but she _means_ well, I'm sure."
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