L. Frank Baum - Oz 34

by The Wonder City Of Oz

  “Now, then,” said Ozma, “on to the parade. We’ll know what to do about the girl from the U.S.A. when she gets here.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Ozma’s Birthday Parade

  FROM the balcony of the palace, Ozma looked down on the people below. On either side of her stood Glinda and Dorothy. From Strawberry Street to Banana Boulevard, the loyal subjects were thickly crowded. Their red, purple, yellow, and blue faces looked like blossoms in a flower bed.

  “What a lovely sight,” said Ozma, lifting her hand. She felt so happy that she forgot the girl who was coming from the U.S.A.

  At the far end of Banana Boulevard she could see the old Soldier with the Green Whiskers playing emerald marbles with a blue Munchkin boy.

  “I hate to spoil their game,” Ozma said, “but the parade must begin.”

  She put her hand to her magic belt and thought, “Wantowin Battles, appear at my side.”

  Instantly the old Soldier stood beside her. “The Army reports for duty, your majesty.” He saluted.

  “Blow your trumpet,” Queen Ozma ordered.

  The Soldier, who was the whole army of Oz, lifted his trumpet and blew four loud notes:

  TA-RA-TA-TA!

  A thousand flags went up. The parade began to

  form.

  First came Kabumpo the Elephant, on roller skates. His robe was made of bells and played a tune as he moved. With the tip of his trunk he twirled a gold drum major’s stick.

  Next came a dragon, holding his fiery breath in an ozbestoz box so he wouldn’t burn anyone.

  Behind the dragon marched red Quadling cats, yellow Winkie cows, purple Gillikin dogs, and blue Munchkin horses. Then came china bulls, unicorns, saddled sea-horses, and other queer creatures of Oz.

  After the animals came the people of the four countries of Oz. The Winkies, with yellow banners flying, were led by the Tin Woodman, their emperor. Then came Glinda the Good’s people, the red Quadlings. After them, the purple Gillikins. Lastly, the blue Munchkins marched behind their king, the Scarecrow.

  Before any more of the parade came past Ozma,

  she saw something go up in the air.

  “What is happening - more trouble?” she ex-

  Iclaimed.

  Dorothy smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Ozma. You’re going to like this.”

  Ozma looked again and saw that it was the dragon riding to the tops of the skyscrapers and into the oz-one. There he stopped, opened the ozbestoz box, and freed his fiery breath. Then he wrote in letters of smoke across the sky: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR OZMA

  There was a thunderclap of applause from the people. Ozma smiled in delight. The dragon caught his breath safely into the box and turned back to earth.

  The parade moved on. Ozma said to the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, “It is time for me to get into my carriage.”

  “Yes, your majesty.”

  He raised his trumpet to his lips-TA-RA-TA-TA! From behind the large soda fountain that bubbled in the center of the city (where anyone could help himself to sodas when he felt like it) came Ozma’s carriage. It blazed with emeralds and other gems

  and was pulled by the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. The coachman was Tik Tok, who was all wound up for the occasion.

  Before the carriage reached the palace stairs, the Sawhorse came dashing up. Tik Tok looked down from the carriage.

  “Well-well,” he began tocking, “you-got-here-just-in-time. Now-if-I-ran-down-I-would-not-be-going.”

  Ozma looked at her watch and saw that it was two twenty-one, P.M.

  “Come, Dorothy and Glinda, sit beside me in the

  carriage.”

  They went down the balcony stairs. The people shouted and waved their flags.

  It was two twenty-one and a half, P.M. Ozma stopped. She had just remembered that the Wizard had said the girl from the U.S.A. would arrive at two twenty-two. That was just a half-minute from now.

  Ozma looked up to the sky. There, dropping out of the blue, was the girl. She was headed right for the carriage.

  CHAPTER 4

  Jenny Becomes a Heroine

  JENNY JUMP was falling fast. Below her she could see thousands of differently colored people and a palace with many spires. If she weren’t care ful, she’d catch on one of the spires. She had to find a soft spot on which to land. Suddenly she saw it. There, right in the middle of the crowd, was a gorgeous carriage with a soft green pillow seat.

  “That’s just right!” she said and pointed her fairy fingers toward it.

  Plop I Jenny hit the pillow and came to a stop for the first time in four days.

  “Leaping Leprechauns!” she exclaimed. “Where am I?” The air was full of cheers and waving banners.

  “Well, how did all these people know I was coming?” Jenny thought. The cheering stopped short. The people, seeing a stranger in their Queen’s carriage, began to buzz excitedly.

  “That’s not the Queen! Who is she? What does she want?”

  There was a rush of yellow, blue, purple, and red people toward the carriage. All the strange creatures and fantastic animals crowded around Jenny. The old Soldier leaped up and shook a trumpet in her

  face.

  “Surrender to the Army of Oz !”

  Jenny was too frightened to be angry. She began

  to cry.

  “I thought all this celebration was for me,” she

  said.

  The more she cried, the braver the Army became.

  “You’ll be locked in the dungeon of oblivion for this,” he said sternly. Jenny thought it must be all over for her. The Army seized her arm.

  “This is the end of me,” thought Jenny. But just then she heard a voice speaking softly, yet so clearly, that it could be heard through all the city.

  “My good Army! Is this the way to treat a visitor?”

  The Soldier dropped Jenny’s arm. Jenny looked out. There, close to the carriage, stood the loveliest girl she had ever seen.

  “I am sorry, my dear, that you were frightened. My Army thought you were taking my carriage.”

  “I’ll get out,” Jenny said, very thankful that nothing was going to happen to her.

  “Oh, no. You must stay and ride with me and my friends. This is the Land of Oz, and you are my guest.”

  Ozma turned and beckoned to Dorothy and Glinda

  the Good. As the two girls stepped up, Ozma explained, “Dorothy came from the U.S.A., just like you.”

  “I am so glad you are here,” Dorothy said. “And this girl with the glorious red hair is Glinda, the good sorceress who rules one of my countries.”

  Jenny was growing happier every minute. “I am half-fairy. Could I rule one of your countries?” Ozma smiled. “Just at present there are no vacancies. But my maid, Jellia Jamb, will let you fill out an application. And remember, dear, if you know any magic, it is against the law to use it on anyone but yourself. Only Glinda and I and the Wizard may practice magic on others.”

  The seat of the carriage was wide enough for all four girls. The Army blew a fresh blast on his trumpet: TA-RA-TA-TA! This was a signal for the people to cheer Ozma again. They cheered and cheered, and became so excited that they threw their hats in the air. They threw them so high that they never came down again.

  The Munchkin boy who had been playing emerald marbles with the Army forgot that his hat was tied under his chin. He threw his hat so hard that he went sailing up with it. In a few minutes, he was out

  of sight.

  “Man overboard!” yelled the Army.

  “Oh, we must get him back!” exclaimed Princess

  Dorothy.

  “I’ll get him,” said Jenny Jump. She stood up and stamped her fairy foot and bounded straight up. Passing the palace spires, she came to the tops of the skyscrapers. These were busily scraping the sky clean of all the hats.

  The boy was still on his way up. Jenny gave her fairy foot an extra kick, caught him by the heel, and began to drop.

  She dropped into the carria
ge, and the Munchkin boy tumbled into her lap.

  The Army sighed with relief. “What a broad escape!” he said.

  The people waved their flags and cheered again, and this time their cheers were for Jenny.

  “Why,” thought Jenny, “they are cheering me just as if I were their queen.” And she felt proud of herself.

  Ozma said graciously, “You did a very brave thing, dear, and we all thank you. I see that in your case the practicing of a little magic now and then will have to be excused. What is your name?”

  “Jenny Jump,” the girl said, giving the boy a

  push to remind him that he wasn’t to sit in her lap all day. He turned to Jenny as he climbed out, “My name is Number Nine. Your humble servant.” His eyes were full of a warm blue light.

  The parade moved toward the city gate. The Guardian of the Gate bowed low as Ozma’s carriage passed. Outside the city wall, the paraders mounted the new ozealator, a moving road, and seated themselves on comfortable chairs.

  The road had been invented by Mr. Oz Q. Later, a clever Quadling. The Wizard had thought of it first, but had left the making of it to Later.

  The road slid southward into the Quadling country. Here everything was red. Jenny looked around in astonishment. She had never seen fields of red corn, red carrots, red cucumbers; or red cows, red rivers, and red haystacks.

  At the end of the Quadling country, the ozcalator stopped and Glinda the Good with all her people, got off.

  “Goodbye, and happy birthday,” Glinda called, and her people waved as the ozcalator moved on.

  It turned to the East. Jenny found herself riding through the land of the Winkies, where everything was yellow. There were many trees bearing yellow

  Plums, and there were yellow grapes, watermelons, and blackberries. The fruit trees bowed in greeting to the Queen, and shook fruit into the people’s laps.

  After awhile the Winkies left the ozcalator and followed their Tin Woodman emperor back to their homes.

  At the boundary of the Gillikin country, the ozcalator jarred to a stop with a shrieking of brakes. Everyone stretched his neck to see what was the matter, but only the giraffes could see.

  A purple-speckled giraffe bent his head back to Ozma and said, “The bridge over Cream River is out. The river doesn’t know when the bridge will be in. We may have to wait all day.”

  “We can’t hold up the parade,” said Ozma. “Ask Cream River to churn.”

  The giraffe gave her message to the river, and the river began to churn, until the banks were piled with lumps of butter.

  “Spread the butter,” ordered Ozma. Two sword-fishes left their aquarium seats to obey. Using their sword noses, they spread the butter smoothly over the river and made a new bridge. Ozma thanked them, and the ozcalator slid easily over the butter bridge, into the purple land of the Gillikins.

  Jenny breathed the purple air with delight.

  “I’d like to live in Oz forever!” she exclaimed. “You may do so,” answered Ozma. “Stay on as my subject.”

  “I’d rather be a Queen than a subject,” Jenny said, thinking how wonderful it would be to live in a palace and have serving maids and a private army.

  “When is the next election for the Rulership?” she

  asked.

  “Queens aren’t elected, you know,” Dorothy said. “They inherit their thrones, and remain in them as long as they like.”

  “What!” exclaimed Jenny in surprise. “Don’t the people have votes?”

  Dorothy shook her head. “This isn’t the U.S.A. Everything is different in Oz.”

  “This is very interesting,” said Ozma. “What is

  a vote?”

  “A piece of paper with an X on it,” Jenny explained, proud that she could teach Ozma something.

  “There, you see?” Dorothy exclaimed triumphantly. “We couldn’t have votes in Oz because X stands for the unknown, and everyone knows that Ozma would be elected.”

  Ozma laughed in her silvery voice. “Thank you, Dorothy dear. But this election idea pleases me very

  much. It might amuse my people to hold an election.”

  “But we can’t have an election without someone to run against you,” Dorothy objected.

  Ozma turned to Jenny. “Would you, as a personal favor to me, run against me? Then our election is sure to be a success.”

  Jenny was delighted. “I certainly will. But I warn you, I shall try to get all the votes and become Ruler.”

  “If my people would rather have you, then you should be their Ruler,” Ozma said. “But let us not discuss it any more now.”

  At this point the ozcalator stopped to let off the Gillikins. When it started again, Jenny looked around and saw that they were in the blue land of the Munchkins. Small round houses were set in neat lawns of blue grass with many forget-me-nots. The country looked so pretty that Jenny wanted to stay in it awhile.

  Just then she heard a voice beside the carriage say, “Jenny, won’t you come to my house for supper?”

  Looking down, she saw Number Nine. His invitation had come just in time. She might have supper at his house and sleep there, too.

  The ozcalator stopped to let the Munchkins off.

  Jenny thanked Ozma for all her kindness.

  “When you are in the Emerald City, come and see me at the palace,” Ozma invited. “Later on, I shall announce the election.”

  Jenny and Number Nine marched with the Munchkins after their Scarecrow king off the ozcalator. They turned to wave to Ozma, and after the ozcalator had disappeared over a blue mountain, Number Nine said, “Follow me.”

  Jenny followed him.

  CHAPTER 5

  The Voice That Lost His Man

  NUMBER NINE led Jenny toward a round, blue Munchkin house.

  “This is where I live,” he said, opening the door wide. “Munchkin houses have only one room. But my mother and father and thirteen sisters and brothers are never crowded.” It seemed to Jenny that the room became a little larger as she stepped in. She saw the table set for supper and the family all seated around it.

  “Welcome,” the father said. She could tell he

  was a farmer.

  “This is Jenny Jump, from the U.S.A.,” said Number Nine, as he brought a chair for Jenny.

  Jenny was introduced to the mother and all the children-Number One, Number Two, Number Three, and so on, down to Number Fourteen, who was the baby. She had not yet come to the stop-growing age, which in this family. was ten for the girls and twelve for the boys.

  Jenny started to eat. The food was delicious. There was blue cottage cheese, blue bread, blue grapefruit juice, and blue chocolate cake. And there were glasses of blue milk.

  During the meal, nobody said anything. Jenny thought this very strange. She ate until she could not hold another blue bite. Then she turned to the farmer and asked, “May I sleep here tonight?”

  The farmer raised his fork and said sternly, “Save all questions for the question hour.”

  When the meal was over, the dishes done, and the floor swept, the father said, “The question hour has come. Make your formation, children.”

  Jenny looked on as the fourteen children seated themselves on the floor in the form of a question mark.

  “You may be the dot,” the farmer said to Jenny

  Jenny, very puzzled, sat down at the bottom of the question mark.

  Then the’ farmer explained, “In most homes, the children ask questions all the time. This disturbed their parents and wastes a lot of time. Munchkin children save their questions all day and ask them all at one time, after supper.

  “We will begin with you, Jenny.”

  There were so many questions she wanted to ask, that she did not know where to begin. She paused and finally asked, “How many questions may I ask?”

  “One,” said the farmer. “Next, please.” He turned his eyes away. Jenny’s turn was over. Number Nine raised his hand, and his father nodded at him.

  “Do you know What?” as
ked Number Nine.

  “I used to. But he moved to the Emerald City a year ago,” answered the father. “Who’s next?” All the children raised their hands. The father nodded at Number Eleven.

  “What’s the difference?” asked Number Eleven. This was a hard one, and the father scratched his foot thoughtfully.

  “It is what is left after taking one thing away from another,” he said finally, and hurried on to the next

  question.

  When he had been asked, “Did you ever?” and “How goes it?” and “What’s up?” the baby began to shriek.

  The Munchkin mother ran and picked it up. “There, there, my fourteeny one,” she soothed. But the baby kept shrieking.

  “Something has frightened her,” the woman said to her husband. “See if someone is at the door.”

  Jenny was sitting nearest the door. “I’ll open it,” she said. She got up, reached for the handle, an pulled the door open.

  A Voice said, “Is the Man here?”

  Jenny looked out in every direction, but said

  nothing.

  Number Nine looked out, too. “I’ve been looking for him since the last cold spell,’ the Voice said. It was a tired, sad voice.

  “But who are you?” Jenny asked, for she could see

  no one.

  “I am the Voice That Lost His Man. May I come in? I’m very tired of wandering.”