Oz 18: Grandpa in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17]
. suppose-"

" it_is_not wisdom to suppose ! " sniffed Pudge ." hush ! I_am thinking and presently I_shall speak again ." he closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to_his forehead and after a short silence, during which Mrs sew- and- sew took a quick swallow of coffee and Grampa a hasty pinch of snuff, he spoke again ." it_is_the rainy day," announced Pudge in_his most solemn voice, " the rainy day I_have long predicted . as_the king has lost his head we_must ourselves see what he has saved up for_it . come ! "

Marching to_the king's best bed chamber, Pudge flung open the cupboard and there beside Fumbo's worn cloak hung the_only_thing he had saved up for a rainy day-a huge red umbrella .

" and must Tatters go out into Oz with only this to protect him from danger ? " wailed Mrs sew- and- sew, beginning to sneeze again .

" no ! " declared Grampa, stamping his good foot ."I myself will accompany him ! "

"Oh, Grampa ! " cried the prince, who was too young to realize the dangers of head hunting or the hardship of fortune finding, " may we start at once ? "

" hush ! " mumbled Pudge, holding up his finger, " I_am thinking ." Blowing out his cheeks, he stood perfectly quiet for about as long as it would take to count ten .

" to- morrow morning will_be the time to start," said the old wise man ." let_us return to_the king ." Sobering a bit at_the thought of_his unfortunate father, prince Tatters followed them down stairs, but every now_and_then he_gave a little hop, for_the idea of setting out upon_such an adventure thrilled him tremendously . when_they reached the throne room, Fumbo was leaning quietly against the post . he had evidently become more used to_the loss of_his head and was busily twiddling his thumbs .

" if_we_could just get him a false head till we_find his own," sighed Granpa, thumping the king affectionately on_the back, " he_would look more natural .Ah, I_have it ! " Plunging out into_the wet garden, the old soldier plucked a huge cabbage and hurrying back set it upon_the king's shoulders . but no sooner had he done so than Fumbo broke the cord tying him to_the pillar, rushed to_the kitchen and tried to climb into_the soup pot ! indeed, Mrs sew- and- sew snatched off his cabbage head just in_time to save him from_this further calamity .

Panting a little from_the exertion and surprise they all sat down to_think again . but by_this_time the news had spread into_the village, and_the twenty-four rustic laborers, the miller, and_the baker and_the Redsmith came hurrying to_the castle to offer their services . they were subjects to_be proud of, let me tell you, though a little odd looking in their patched and many colored garments . they listened in respectful silence while Grampa told all he_knew of_the strange plight of king Fumbo .

" i_will make_the king an iron head," volunteered the Redsmith eagerly . he had a forge next to_the mill and did all the iron work in Ragbad .

" no, no ! " protested Grampa ." iron is too hard . do_you_want Mrs sew- and- sew to break her knuckles ? " he finished indignantly, then dodged behind a pillar, because it_was not generally known that Mrs sew- and- sew boxed the king's ears every morning .

" i_will make_the king a new bun -er- head," puffed the baker, stepping forward importantly, "a head as good as his own ! "

" you mean a doughnut ? " asked Grampa in astonishment ." why, that_would_be splendid ! " Fortunately no one heard him this_time and as Mrs sew- and- sew was pleased with_the idea the baker hurried into_the kitchen and with several raisins, some flour, spices, milk and butter, kneaded up and baked a head that was_the image of Fumbo's own . it had melancholy prune eyes, red icing for hair and cinnamon whiskers . once it had_been glued on_the king's shoulders everyone drew a deep sigh of relief and Fumbo himself walked calmly to_his throne and sat down .Promising to bake new heads as_they were needed, the baker said good- night, and as it_was growing late the others said good- night too and marched back to_the village to repair the damage done by_the storm .

but in_the castle itself, there_was little sleep that night . king Fumbo never closed his prune eyes, for_the baker had given him no eyelids . prince Tatters, though packed off early to bed, could do nothing but twist and turn and think of_the wonderful adventures he_would_have seeking his fortune .Mrs sew- and- sew sat up till the morning star rose over red mountain, mending and piecing the few poor garments the prince possessed, and thinking up good advice to_give him with_his breakfast .

Grampa, too, had much to occupy him, oiling his gun, packing his knapsack and polishing his sword and game leg . many old soldiers do alot of talking about game legs, but Grampa had the real genuine article . it buckled on at_the knee and was an oblong red and white ivory box that opened out like a checker board when one wanted to play . jointed neatly on_the end of this_was another red box that Grampa used for a foot, and_that contained the little red figures one used for playing . the game itself was known as scrum and was a great favorite in Ragbad, being a bit like checkers, a bit like parchesi and a bit like chess .

Grampa was very proud of_his game leg, for_it not_only served him in place of_the one he had lost in battle, but whiled away many dull hours, and being hollow was a splendid place to store his pipe and tobacco . the old soldier had seventy-five pipes and deciding which of_these to carry with_him took longer than all his other preparations . at last even this important matter was settled and he lay down to snatch a few hours' sleep before morning . and morning came in almost no time, the sun rising so bright and cheerily that even Mrs sew- and- sew took heart, and when Grampa stuck his head in_the kitchen door to_see how breakfast was coming she told him how she intended to refurnish the entire castle when he returned with_the king's head and_the fortune .

" fine ! " cried the old soldier, who was in excellent spirits himself ." and if_you_will just sew a button on_this shirt I'll be ready to start at once ! " so while Grampa went on with_the breakfast Mrs sew- and- sew, who was frightfully clever with her needle, sewed a button on_the shirt . that was all Grampa needed to complete his outfit, so he hurried up stairs to waken the prince, and at eight o'clock precisely the old soldier and Tatters issued forth from_the palace gates .

Grampa wore the red uniform of_the Ragbad Guards, with its scarlet coat and checkered trousers and carried not_only his knapsack, gun and sword, but his trusty drum as_well . prince Tatters, over his many colored rag suit, had flung the shaggy skin of a thread bear, and with_the big umbrella grasped firmly in one hand and a box of lunch in_the other, presented so brave and determined an appearance that_the twenty-seven good men of Ragbad, drawn up_to bid them farewell, burst into loud cheers . the children waved their hats and handkerchiefs and strewed the path of_the two heroes with_the bunches of posies and ragweed they had risen at dawn to gather .Mrs sew- and- sew and_the king stood on_the balcony waving their arms- she waving both hers and_his- for poor Fumbo, with_his dough head, had no way of knowing what the excitement was all about and stood there without so_much as blinking a prune .

" good-bye ! " choked Mrs sew- and- sew, steadying Fumbo with one hand and fluttering her apron with_the other ."Don't forget your father's head ! "

" good-bye ! " shouted Pudge, leaning far out of_his window in_the tower to wave his red night cap .Pudge never rose till ten .

Grampa touched his cap, prince Tatters waved his umbrella, and having taken the patched flag of Ragbad from Scroggles, who had accompanied them thus far, they wheeled sharply to_the left and marched down the broad red highway that led straight out into other and dangerous lands of Oz !

chapter 3

the blue forest of Oz

GRAMPA," said prince Tatters, after_the two adventurers had marched along for a time in silence, "Pudge did_not tell us where to look for_my father's head, nor where to_find the princess and_the fortune ."

" trust a wise man for_that," replied the old soldier, striking a match on_his game leg and lighting his pipe .

" then where are we going Grampa ? " asked the prince, shifting his umbrella to_his other arm and adjusting his stride to_that of_the old soldier .

" that," puffed Grampa, "depends on_the four-pence ." Stopping short, he_took a small coin from_his pocket . on one side was_the head of king Fumbo and on_the other the coat of arms of Ragbad ." I_may not be a wise man," explained Grampa, tossing the coin in_his palm, " but I_am_sure your father's head can only be restored by magic . there_are but two people left in Oz who_are permitted to practice magic . one is Glinda, the good sorceress and queen of_our own Quadling country and_the other is_the wizard of Oz, who lives in_the palace of princess Ozma, ruler of all Oz ."

Tatters nodded impatiently, for he had learned all this in_his history book .

" so," continued Grampa, " we_must march either to_the east- for Glinda's castle is in_that direction or to_the north to_the emerald city and_the palace of Ozma of Oz . which shall it be ? Heads for Ozma, arms for Glinda ! "

up flew the four-pence and prince Tatters, dropping on_his knee, gave a little cry of delight- for Fumbo's head was uppermost .

" the king has decided himself," chuckled Grampa, pocketing the coin, " so north we go to_the emerald city . we'll be on_our way, my lad, and who knows but on_the way we_may pick up a fortune or a princess- and a couple of new pipes and some rare old Oz tobacco," finished the old soldier, half closing his eyes . these last two items did_not interest prince Tatters, but the thought of visiting the capitol of Oz, of seeing princess Ozma, the little fairy ruler, and being presented at court, sent the prince, who had spent his whole life in_the shabby little kingdom of Ragbad, marching along the red highway so fast that Grampa had to_do double time to_keep up with_him .

Tatters began rehearsing all Mrs sew- and- sew had taught him of court manners and speech and wondering whether he had better speak to Grampa about his bad habits . the old soldier had but two . one was eating with_his sword and_the other was taking snuff, but after a sidelong glance at Grampa, trudging happily at his side, the prince decided to wait until they reached the emerald city before offering any advice on etiquette . even Tatters did_not realize how long a journey this_would_be . he_knew in a general way that Oz is a great oblong kingdom, divided into four large countries and many small ones, and_that the emerald city is in_the exact center .

on_the maps of Oz in_the prince's geography the southern Quadling country was marked in red; the country of_the west, which_was settled by_the Munchkins, was marked in blue; the northern Gilliken country in purple; and_the land of_the Winkies, which lay to_the east, was colored yellow- for_these were the national colors of_the countries represented .

though Grampa and Tatters had by_this_time left Ragbad far behind them, they were still in_the Quadling country and all the little farms and villages they passed were of cheery red brick or stone and_the people themselves dressed in_the quaint red costume of_the south .Tulips, poppies and red roses nodded over the tall hedges; the fields, rusty with sorrel, had a reddish tinge and all along the highway giant red maples arched their lacy branches . at noon they stopped under one_of_these maples and had a bite of_the lunch Mrs sew- and- sew had prepared for_them, but their pause was short for both were anxious to reach the emerald city as_soon_as_possible, to learn from_the wizard of Oz the best way to recover Fumbo's head . to make_the marching easier, the old soldier played a lively rat-tat upon his drum, and as_they passed through_the quiet Quadling villages many heads were popped out the windows to_see what all the racket was about . but soon these villages became farther and farther apart, and_the country more wild and unsettled and just as_the sun slipped down behind the tree-tops they came to_the edge of a deep blue forest .

"A long march," puffed the old soldier, mopping his forehead, " but we're getting along, my lad, for this_is_the beginning of_the Munchkin country ."

" do_you_think it's safe ? " asked prince Tatters, peering anxiously into_the gloomy forest .

" safe ! " cried Grampa scornfully ." well I_hope not .Fortunes are never found in safe places my boy .Shouldn't wonder if there were a bear behind every tree," he continued cheerfully ."Shouldn't wonder if there were a dragon or two lying in wait for_us . come on ! " Thrusting his drum sticks through his belt and waving his sword, the old soldier plunged recklessly into_the blue forest, shouting the national air of Ragbad at_the top of_his lungs .

"Oh, hush," begged prince Tatters, glancing uneasily from side to side and treading close upon Grampa's heels, " someone might hear you .Oh ! what's that ? " for with a shrill scream a great bird had risen from_the branches of a tree just ahead and flown squawking into_the air .

" that's supper ! " chuckled the old soldier, and raising his gun he_took aim and fired . there_was a sharp crash as_the bullet struck home, then down fell a large reddish fowl .

" well ? " the fowl rasped sulkily, as prince Tatters and Grampa ran forward, " what am I supposed to_do now ? I've never been shot before ."

"A bird that's shot is_not

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17]