Dot and Tot of Merryland

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER 13 The Revolt of the Dolls

  Dot and Tot awoke early, but the sun was already flooding the palacewith its silver rays, and they made haste to dress and join the Queenat breakfast.

  This meal was as dainty and satisfying as the one they had partakenof the night before, and the wax Queen laughed and talked sopleasantly that no one would have suspected she was about toundertake a long journey.

  "I shall try to return by sundown," she said to them, "so you willonly be alone during the day. I advise you to pass the time byexploring the Valley, and if you wish to ride, the royal coachmenwill take you wherever you wish to go."

  "May I ask a favor?" said Dot, timidly.

  "Certainly, Princess; ask whatever you will," returned the Queen, asshe threw a scarlet cloak over her shoulders and prepared to start.

  "I would like you to waken the dolls of the village before you go, sothat Tot and I may play with them," said the girl.

  The Queen reflected a moment before she replied, "The dolls are oftenmischievous when they have a whole day to themselves, and you mightfind them troublesome. However, as you will be sure to enjoy theirmerry pranks, I'll do as you wish, and leave you the dolls forplaymates."

  "Oh, thank you ever so much!" cried Dot, gratefully.

  The Queen now called the carriages and they all rolled down to themain street of the village. Here her Majesty waved the magic wandthree times, and the dolls immediately awoke and began such achattering and such romping play that the Queen herself becamebewildered and ordered the coachman to hasten to the river bank.

  Dot and Tot went with her to see her start upon her journey, and whenthey had passed out of the big gate, which the wooden soldiers openedfor them with respectful salutes, the Queen said:

  "I am going to borrow your boat, for it will be the easiest way forme to reach the Valley of the Watch-Dog."

  "But you can never row it up stream," said Dot; "and there is but oneoar."

  "Oh, I shall not need the oars at all," responded the Wax Doll, andseated herself in the boat.

  "Do you know," said the girl, "that you have not yet told us yourname?"

  "Didn't I tell you yesterday?" returned the Queen, as if surprised.

  "No, indeed," said the girl.

  "Well, that was very careless of me. I am so busy that sometimes Iforget to do things. But I must be going, so goodbye my dears; I hopethe dolls won't bother you too much."

  "We shall enjoy them," replied Dot.

  The Queen now waved her fairy wand and at once the boat glided fromthe shore.

  "Good-bye, your Majesty!" cried Dot and Tot together.

  Swiftly the boat floated up the stream--so swiftly, indeed, that thewater rippled like music against the bow. The children waved theirhandkerchiefs at the fairy doll until she had reached the archleading to the Valley of Babies, when they passed through the gatewayand, dismissing their coachmen, walked up the village street to visitthe dolls.

  These were really becoming rather boisterous and ran about incircles, playing "I spy," and blind-man's buff, and London Bridgewith much laughter and noise. When they saw Dot and Tot they ran upto them and cried:

  "Start the music box! We want to dance."

  "I do not know how. The Queen has the key with her," answered Dot,shouting loudly that she might be heard above the tumult.

  The dolls seemed greatly disappointed at this, and one saucy-lookingwooden-jointed doll said crossly:

  "The Queen has no right to go away and take the key. How are we toamuse ourselves all day unless we can dance?"

  "Tot and I will play with you," answered Dot.

  "Very well," said a big China doll which wore a rather soiled andragged dress. "What new games do you know?"

  Dot mentioned several; but the dolls laughed at her, crying out:"That's old! We're tired of that! Give us something new!"

  "The old games are very nice games," said the girl, "and I do not seewhy you should object to playing them."

  "We'll object if we want to!" declared a worn-looking kid doll, whosejoints were so ripped that they scattered sawdust whenever it moved."You're not our Queen."

  "But I'm your Princess," said Dot, with dignity, "and while the Queenis away I have the right to rule in this Valley."

  "So have I," said Tot.

  "Then rule!" shouted the saucy wooden doll. "Rule as the Queen does,and give us music to dance by."

  "Yes! yes!" they all cried. "We want to dance!" And they flung theirarms over their heads, and leaped and pranced so energetically thatthe ground was quite strewn with sawdust that leaked out of them.

  Dot was much troubled at the noisy demands of the dolls. She hadexpected a quiet and happy day playing with these pretty creatures,and now, even in the first hour of their awakening, they were provingvery troublesome. Tot seemed to enjoy the excitement, however, andstood behind Dot, with his hands in his pockets, smiling gleefully.

  While she was thinking what was best to be done, the rag dollScollops came up to Dot and said:

  "Since the music box is locked up, why do you not order out thepewter band to play for them?"

  "That is a good idea," she exclaimed, her face brightening. "Go atonce, Scollops and tell the musicians to come and play."

  While Scollops was on this errand the dolls became more noisy thanever, and one of them tried to knock Tot's crown off. But the boygave the naughty doll such a strong push that he pushed over a dozenor more that stood behind it.

  "Don't hurt them, Tot," said the girl; "remember they are not strongand will break easily."

  "I'll smash 'em if they touch me!" cried the boy, indignantly; "I'mPrince Tot."

  Fortunately, the pewter band now made its appearance, and at Dot'scommand they stood in a circle at one edge of the road and began toplay a waltz.

  The effect of the music upon the dolls was laughable. Theyimmediately began waltzing around as merrily as could be, and paid nofurther attention to Dot and Tot. While they danced the dolls kept upa continual chattering and laughter, and they looked so sweet andhappy that the children could hardly realize they had been so crossand unreasonable a short time before.

  "If they are kept busy they won't get into mischief," said Scollops,who had come back with the band; "but even her Majesty the Queencannot manage them when they have nothing to amuse themselves with.I'm a doll myself and I know."

  "What does she do when they are naughty?" asked Dot.

  "She puts them to sleep," was the answer.

  Dot had almost regretted asking the Queen to leave the village dollsawake all day; but she loved to watch them dance, and they seemedquite contented now.

  "Don't they ever remain quiet, and visit with each other, and rest?"asked the girl.

  "Never," replied Scollops. "They always are unhappy unless they arerushing around or playing or dancing."

  "They wouldn't make very comfortable playmates, would they, Tot?" shesaid.

  "No," he answered, gravely; "don't like live dolls."

  But it amused them to watch the little creatures capering about, sothe children sat down upon a door-step and enjoyed the dancing untilTwinkle came to tell them their luncheon was ready. Then they quietlystole away, unnoticed by the dolls, and walked to the palace, wherethey had a delightful luncheon and were waited upon by Scollops andTwinkle.

  While they were yet at the table they suddenly heard a great noiseand clamor at the palace gate, so they at once ran out to see whatwas the matter. Crowding before the gates was an excited throng ofdolls, screaming and stamping and waving their hands in the air as ifthey had really become crazy.

  At first Dot could make nothing of their cries, for all were talkingat the same time; but she asked Twinkle what the trouble was aboutand the maid answered, "The musicians must have stopped playing."

  "I wonder why they did that," said the girl.

  Here Scollops, who had been down to the gate and spoken to the dolls,came up to Dot, bringing with him the leader of the pewter band.

  "What caused thi
s trouble?" she asked.

  "They are so unreasonable," replied the musician, in a complainingvoice, "that no one can manage them except the Queen. We had playeddance music for several hours and were all tired out, for our lungsare only pewter, and no true musician likes to play such common musiccontinually. So we thought we would rest ourselves by playingsomething slow and really classical--for all classical music is slow,you know. But no sooner had we started the introduction than thosesoulless dolls became violent. They rushed at my poor musicians,threw them down, and trampled upon them! Every member of my band iseither bent or broken. Even I have a bent back and a twisted leg, andmy horn is badly damaged."

  Dot looked at him and saw that he spoke truly.

  "I'm very sorry," she said, nervously. "I'm sure I don't know what todo with them, for the Queen will not return before sundown."

  The dolls had remained outside the palace gates until now; but as Dotlooked anxiously toward them, the gate flew open and one of therebellious creatures ran up the path to where the children stood. Shewas dressed in a rather fussy way, and had big black eyes that staredstraight at one. Her hair was tangled and matted, and she had lostone shoe and worn a great hole in her stocking, through which hertoes peeped out.

  "What do you want?" asked Dot, as this doll came near.

  "We want our dinner, of course," answered the doll, saucily.

  "But I didn't know dolls could eat," said the girl.

  "Well we do, and now we want to be fed. Do you think it is right andproper to keep us awake all day and then refuse to give us anydinner?"

  "What do you eat?" enquired Dot.

  "What could a doll eat but sawdust? Nearly all of us have danced moreor less sawdust out of our bodies, and now we want them filled upagain," continued the doll.

  "But I have no sawdust, nor do I know where to get it," answered thechild.

  "The Queen has a house full of it in the village. Give us the key andwe will help ourselves," said the doll.

  "The Queen must have taken the key with her," returned Dot,helplessly; "I know nothing about it."

  "Then we shall break down the door," declared the doll, and stampingher feet with anger she rushed back to her companions.

  When they learned that the Queen had carried away the key to thesawdust house the dolls became much excited and ran off with loudshouts to tear down the door of the house.

  Dot was both vexed and worried, for Twinkle declared the Queen wouldbe much provoked if her pretty house was battered and broken.

  "Let's call out the army," exclaimed Tot, suddenly.

  "That's a good idea, Tot," said the girl, and at once sent Scollopsto order the pewter soldiers to march into the village and preserveorder. But the rag boy soon returned with the news that the soldiersrefused to obey.

  "They are not used to fighting," explained Scollops, "and they fearthe dolls will treat them as they did the pewter band. Besides, theydeclare the Queen detests fighting, and would blame them forinterfering with the people of the village."

  "The soldiers are toys and the people are dolls," added Twinkle; "sothey sympathize with each other."

  "They didn't seem to sympathize with the band," said Dot.

  "No, but the band had no right to play classical music in public."

  "Perhaps you are right," said Dot, thoughtfully.

  She saw now that she must let the naughty dolls have their own way;but she went down the street with Tot and Scollops and watched thecrowd break down the door of the house. They took away quantities ofthe Queen's sawdust and carried it to their homes, where they made itinto pies and cakes and feasted merrily upon this queer food.

  This gave them something to do and made them happy for a while, andDot was profoundly grateful for a period of rest and quiet; but shefeared the dolls would break forth into more mischief before the daypassed, and so it proved.

  For toward evening they again became restless, and as there was nomusic to be had they decided to make some of their own. So theygathered up a lot of tin pans for drums and pot covers for cymbals,and several of the dolls got combs and put paper over them. When theyblew upon these combs and hummed a tune it sounded almost like music;so they formed a procession, with the doll musicians at the head ofit, and marched all over the village, singing loudly:

  Tum, tum--tum! Tum, tum--tum! Here comes the band with a tin-pan drum; Here come the cymbals, clangety-clang! Here come the combs with their twang, twang, twang! Here come the marchers, happy and gay, Strangers must keep out of our way! Tum, tum--tum! Tum, tum--tum! Clatter the cymbals and bang the drum!

  They marched up to the palace gate and back again, and when they cameto the house in which was the big music box, one of the cried, "Letus break the door down and start the music!"

  "Good, we will!" screamed some of the most mischievous dolls.

  "What do we care for the Queen?" yelled others.

  They made a rush for the house, and Dot, now angry and determinedthat the Queen's music box should not be spoiled, ran to the door andplaced her back against it, while she cried out, "If any of you dareto come nearer I will whip you soundly!"

  The dolls hung back at this, but they threw a shower of tin pans andcombs and pot covers at her, which rattled against the house, but didnot hurt her a bit. Suddenly, amidst all this riot and turmoil, thegirl was amazed to see every doll become silent and motionless. Theyran in all directions to their homes, and as the street became clearDot saw, standing there alone, the Queen of Merryland, who was wavingfor the third and last time the fairy wand which would put every dollin the village fast asleep.

  "Oh, your Majesty!" cried the girl, running to her, "I'm so gladyou've come home again!"