Oz 04: Dorthy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum
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draw the crowds to_the circus . but I've just had the bad luck to_come out_of_the sky, skip the solid earth, and land lower down than I intended . but never mind . it isn't everybody who gets a chance to_see your land of_the Gabazoos ."

"Mangaboos," said the sorcerer, correcting him ." if_you_are a wizard you ought_to_be_able to_call people by their right names ."

"Oh, I'm a wizard; you_may_be_sure of_that . just as good a wizard as_you_are a sorcerer ."

" that remains to_be seen," said the other .

" if_you_are able to_prove that you_are better," said the prince to_the little man, " i_will make you the chief wizard of_this domain . otherwise--"

" what_will happen otherwise ? " asked the wizard .

" i_will stop you from living and forbid you to_be planted," returned the prince .

" that_does_not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking at_the one with_the star uneasily ." but never mind .I'll beat old prickly, all right ."

" my name is Gwig," said the sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival ." let me see you equal the sorcery I_am about to perform ."

he waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard, playing sweet music . yet, look where she_would, Dorothy could discover no bells at all in_the great glass hall .

the Mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest . it_was one_of_the things Gwig usually did to_prove he_was a sorcerer .

now was_the wizard's turn, so he smiled upon_the assemblage and asked:

" will somebody kindly loan me a hat ? "

no one did, because the Mangaboos did_not wear hats, and Zeb had lost his, somehow, in_his flight through_the air .

"Ahem ! " said the wizard, " will somebody please loan me a handkerchief ? "

but they had no handkerchiefs, either .

" very_good," remarked the wizard ."I'll use my own hat, if_you please . now, good people, observe me carefully . you_see, there_is nothing up my sleeve and nothing concealed about_my person . also, my hat is quite empty ." he_took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it briskly .

" let me see it," said the sorcerer .

he_took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to_the wizard .

" now," said the little man, " i_will create something out of nothing ."

he placed the hat upon_the glass floor, made a pass with_his hand, and then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal in a tiny, shrill voice .

the people watched it intently, for they had never seen a Pig before, big or little . the wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in_his hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail between_the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of_the two parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant .

he placed one upon_the floor, so_that it could run around, and pulled apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one_of_these was pulled apart, making four piglets . the wizard continued this surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way .

" now," said the wizard of Oz, "having created something from nothing, i_will make something nothing again ."

with_this he caught up two of_the piglets and pushed them together, so that_the two were one . then he caught up another piglet and pushed it into_the first, where it disappeared . and so, one by one, the nine tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one_of_the creatures remained . this the wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic sign above it . when he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared entirely .

the little man gave a bow to_the silent throng that had watched him, and then the prince said, in_his cold, calm voice:

" you_are indeed a wonderful wizard, and your powers are greater than those of_my sorcerer ."

" he will_not_be a wonderful wizard long," remarked Gwig .

" why_not ? " enquired the wizard .

" because I_am going to stop your breath," was_the reply ."I perceive that you_are curiously constructed, and_that if_you_cannot breathe you_cannot keep alive ."

the little man looked troubled .

" how long will it take you to stop my breath ? " he asked .

" about five minutes .I'm going to_begin now . watch me carefully ."

he began making queer signs and passes toward the wizard; but the little man did_not watch him long . instead, he drew a leathern case from_his pocket and took from_it several sharp knives, which he joined together, one after another, until they made a long sword . by_the_time he had attached a handle to_this sword he_was having much trouble to breathe, as_the charm of_the sorcerer was beginning to_take effect .

so the wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp sword, whirled it once_or_twice around his head, and then gave a mighty stroke that cut the body of_the sorcerer exactly in two .

Dorothy screamed and expected to_see a terrible sight; but as_the two halves of_the sorcerer fell apart on_the floor she saw that he had no bones or blood inside of him at all, and_that the place where he_was cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato .

" why, he's vegetable ! " cried the wizard, astonished .

" of_course," said the prince ." we_are all vegetable, in_this country . are_you not vegetable, also ? "

" no," answered the wizard ." people on top of_the earth are all meat . will your sorcerer die ? "

" certainly, sir . he_is really dead now, and will wither very quickly . so we_must plant him at once, that other Sorcerers may grow upon his bush," continued the prince .

" what do_you_mean by_that ? " asked the little wizard, greatly puzzled .

" if_you_will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the prince, " i_will explain to_you much better than I_can here the mysteries of_our vegetable kingdom ."

4 . the vegetable kingdom

after_the wizard had wiped the dampness from_his sword and taken it apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with_the star ordered some of_his people to carry the two halves of_the sorcerer to_the public gardens .

Jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to_the gardens, and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to eat; so Zeb put down the top of_the buggy and invited the wizard to ride with_them . the seat was amply wide enough for_the little man and_the two children, and when Jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon his back and sat there quite contentedly .

so the procession moved through_the streets, the bearers of_the sorcerer first, the prince next, then Jim drawing the buggy with_the strangers inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts and could neither smile nor frown .

the glass city had several fine streets, for a good_many people lived there; but when_the procession had passed through these it came upon a broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that flowed through it . there were paths through these gardens, and over some_of_the brooks were ornamental glass bridges .

Dorothy and Zeb now got out_of_the buggy and walked beside the prince, so_that they_might see and examine the flowers and plants better .

" who built these lovely bridges ? " asked the little girl .

" no one built them," answered the man with_the star ." they grow ."

" that's queer," said she ." did the glass houses in your city grow, too ? "

" of_course," he replied ." but it took a good_many years for_them to grow as large and fine as_they_are now . that_is why we_are so angry when a rain of Stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs ."

" can't you mend them ? " she enquired .

" no; but they_will grow together again, in_time, and we_must wait until they_do ."

they first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew nearest the city; but Dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the shifting lights of_the six suns .a flower would_be pink one second, white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was_the same way when_they came to_the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to_the ground .

when_they passed over a field of grass Jim immediately stretched down his head and began to nibble .

"A nice country this_is," he grumbled, " where a respectable horse has_to eat pink grass ! "

" it's violet," said the wizard, who was in_the buggy .

" now it's blue," complained the horse ." as a matter of fact, I'm eating rainbow grass ."

" how does it taste ? " asked the wizard .

" not bad at all," said Jim ." if_they give_me plenty of it I'll not complain about its color ."

by_this_time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and_the prince said to Dorothy:

" this_is our planting- ground ."

several Mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in_the ground . then they put the two halves of_the sorcerer into_it and covered him up . after_that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled the earth .

" he_will sprout very_soon," said the prince, " and grow into a large bush, from_which we_shall in_time be_able to pick several very_good sorcerers ."

" do all your people grow on bushes ? " asked the boy .

" certainly," was_the reply ." do_not all people grow upon bushes where you came from, on_the outside of_the earth ? "

" not that I ever hear of ."

" how strange ! but if_you_will come with me to one_of_our folk gardens i_will show you the way we grow in_the land of_the Mangaboos ."

it appeared that_these odd people, while they were able to walk through_the air with ease, usually moved upon_the ground in_the ordinary way . there were no stairs in their houses, because they_did_not need them, but on a level surface they generally walked just as we_do .

the little party of strangers now followed the prince across a few more of_the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden enclosed by a high hedge .Jim had refused to leave the field of grass, where he_was engaged in busily eating; so the wizard got out_of_the buggy and joined Zeb and Dorothy, and_the kitten followed demurely at their heels .

inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly reached the ground . in_the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed Mangaboo, for_the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was attached to_their bodies .

the growing Mangaboos were of all sizes, from_the blossom that had just turned into awee baby to_the full- grown and almost ripe man or woman . on some_of_the bushes might_be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a half- grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were motionless and silent, as_if devoid of life . this sight explained to Dorothy why she had seen no children among_the Mangaboos, a thing she had until now been unable to account for .

" our people do_not acquire their real life until they leave their bushes," said the prince ." you_will notice they_are all attached to_the plants by_the soles of_their feet, and when_they are quite ripe they_are easily separated from_the stems and at once attain the powers of motion and speech . so while they grow they_cannot_be said to really live, and they_must_be picked before_they can become good citizens ."

" how long do_you live, after you_are picked ? " asked Dorothy .

" that depends upon_the care we take of ourselves," he replied ." if_we keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five years .I've been picked over six years, but our family is known to_be especially long lived ."

" do_you eat ? " asked the boy .

" eat ! no, indeed . we_are quite solid inside our bodies, and_have no need to eat, any more than does a potato ."

" but the potatoes sometimes sprout," said Zeb .

" and sometimes we_do," answered the prince; " but that_is considered a great misfortune, for then we_must_be planted at once ."

" where did you grow ? " asked the wizard .

" i_will show you," was_the reply ." step this_way, please ."

he led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one large and beautiful bush .

" this," said he, " is_the royal bush of_the Mangaboos . all of_our princes and Rulers have grown upon_this one bush from_time immemorial ."

they stood before it in silent admiration . on_the central stalk stood poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so lovely in_the expression of her delicate features that Dorothy thought she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life . the maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace- like traceries trimmed the bodice

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