Oz 19: The Lost King of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
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to_have a face in Blankenburg," continued Tora solemnly ."I'm glad we escaped before_they got yours .

snip was glad, too, but wanted to ask how Tora had managed to save his own face, and_the tailor, guessing what_was in_the little boy's mind, finished up quickly: " for some reason or other the magic water had no effect upon me and as i_was old and ugly and quite useful in my own way, they finally stopped bothering me .

Picking up a long, crooked stick and evidently thinking he had talked enough, Tora began to whistle an old Oz tune .Walking along solemnly beside him snip could_not help wondering how the old tailor had ever come to_be a prisoner in Blankenburg and whether he had always had butterfly ears .

"I'll ask him as_soon_as they_come back," decided snip, but meantime he_was growing hungrier and hungrier, for since_the drink of cream in Catty Corners he had had nothing at all to eat . he kept a sharp lookout for fruit and nut trees and presently, in a small grove to_the right, he caught a glimpse of a perfectly enormous breakfast bush .

Motioning for Tora to wait for him, snip darted off . the tailor looked slightly puzzled but, making no objection, sat down on a rock and went on with_his whistling .Hastening back with two steaming breakfast dishes in_his hands, snip was surprised to hear a loud, plaintive voice mingling with Tora's tune .Quickening his steps the little boy saw a tall, kingly figure waving indignant arms at_the tailor .

" are_you crazy ? " he shouted angrily ."I ask_you once again, may I borrow a breakfast or a bite of lunch ? it's for a princess . can't you answer me ? " but Tora, fixing his eye on a fluffy cloud skimming across the sky, went calmly on with_his tune ." he_is deaf to my pleas," puffed the stranger, whirling round unsteadily and almost bumping into snip ." deaf and dumb ! "

" he isn't deaf," explained the little boy breathlessly ." he has just mislaid his ears .I mean he's let them off for awhile ."

" let them off ? Dorothy ! Dorothy ! come at once ! here_is a man with mislaid ears ! " shrilled the stranger, hobbling off . snip stared after him, open mouthed, as he wobbled wildly down the road .

chapter 15

Kabumpo to_the rescue

you_have guessed that_it_was our old friend Humpy who had begged a breakfast of Tora, the tailor . you_see the elegant elephant, travelling like the wind itself, had carried Dorothy and_the dummy almost to_the exact spot where snip and Tora had fallen out_of_the fare- well . then, exceedingly fatigued by his unaccustomed exertion, Kabumpo had gone off in search of some lunch .

snip had scarcely recovered from_the shock of Humpy's sudden disappearance when back he_came, holding Dorothy tightly by_the hand . now the little button boy had often seen pictures of Dorothy in_the history books of Kimbaloo, but she had always been dressed as a princess, so we_cannot blame him for failing to recognize the shabby little girl who stood staring so earnestly at_the tired tailor of Oz .

" why he has no ears at all," cried Dorothy . then, catching sight of snip, she stopped short ." we were wondering whether you_could lend us some lunch," faltered Dorothy, talking very fast to_cover her embarrassment ."Kabumpo can eat tree-tops and Humpy does_not eat at all, but I've had nothing but a tomato since breakfast and I'm very hungry ."

" there's a breakfast bush over yonder," answered snip, waving sulkily toward the grove .Tora had saved his face and he_was not going to_have him laughed at . Dorothy turned to_see for herself and, as she did, Tora arose and moved quickly over to_the dummy .

" you remind me of someone I used to_know," sighed the tailor, fingering Humpy's green velvet robe dreamily ." who_are you ? are_you real ? "

" well, not quite . you_see," began Dorothy, " he's amoving picture dummy ." suddenly remembering that_the tailor could_not hear her, she turned back to snip ." where are his ears ? " asked the little girl nervously .

" here they_come now ! " cried snip, forgetting his vexation and, setting down the two breakfast dishes, he waved his cap excitedly in_the air . as snip waved and pointed, Dorothy saw the tailor's ears whizz giddily over a lilac bush and then settle softly, one on each side of_his head .

" who did you say you were ? " asked Tora calmly, continuing his conversation with Humpy and paying no more attention to_his ears than we_would pay to a couple of flies .

"A dummy ! " whispered Humpy, blinking his painted eyes, while his voice grew fainter and fainter with astonishment ." I_am a dummy, but what in Oz are_you ? "

"A tailor," answered Tora with a wink at snip ." well, that's a splendid cloak you're wearing, and a crown too . are_you a king, dummy ? "

" no, he's a dummy king," explained Dorothy, looking longingly at_the hot breakfasts ." if_we_could just sit down and_have something to eat I_could tell you all about him . then, maybe, you_would tell me a little about_your--- Dorothy was going to_say ears but, fearing this might_not_be quite polite, she changed it quickly to selves . the little girl cast a curious sidelong glance at snip, but the button boy was gazing intently at_the dummy .

" why we're looking for a king," exploded snip excitedly ."Oh Tora, do_you suppose this could_be he ? "

" why_not do as_this little lady suggests ? " interrupted Tora, for he could_see that Dorothy was weary as_well as hungry ." let's have breakfast together and then talk things over ." well, don't start until I come back," called the little boy, as Dorothy settled comfortably down beside the tailor . in a moment snip had returned with another breakfast and, while Humpy looked on curiously, they opened the silver dishes snip had picked from_the breakfast bush . what could_be cozier ? bacon, eggs, toast and a small sealed cup of coffee grew neatly in each_one, but it never occurred to Dorothy, snip or the tailor to_be surprised at_this, for breakfast bushes are quite common in Oz .Humpy, however, had seen nothing like this in_the movies and kept up a low muttering to himself, as he watched them eat one and then another dainty from_the dishes .

" now then," smiled the tailor, after he had taken a long sip of coffee, " suppose you begin ." he looked expectantly at Dorothy ." i_think you_must_be the little girl my ears were telling me of a while back, but where is_the elephant ? "

" mercy ! " spluttered Dorothy, nearly choking on her coffee ." do your ears tell you everything ? "

"Oh no, just odds and ends of things," answered Tora, reaching up_to touch them affectionately .

" well, did they tell you about me ? " inquired Humpy, straightening his crown importantly .

" no," smiled the old man ." that's just what we're waiting to hear, though I declare I_have_seen you somewhere before . have_you ever seen me ? "

Humpy shook his head very positively and Dorothy, settling back against a tree, proceeded with her story .Introducing herself modestly and beginning with wish way, she related every single thing that had happened since her fall into California .

snip was especially interested in Dorothy's sudden change in size ." is_that what tore your dress ? " he asked curiously .

the little girl nodded and Tora, ruffling up his silver locks and looking first at Dorothy and then at Humpy, murmured over and' over: " well, I_can hardly believe my ears, I_can hardly believe my ears ! "

Dorothy could_not help thinking that_the tailor's ears were hard for anyone to_believe, but feeling it would_be rude to_say so, went hurriedly on with her adventures, telling of her meeting with_the Scooters and with_the elegant elephant, whom she described at some length .

" and now," concluded the little girl, finishing off the last of_the toast, " we're going straight to_the emerald city . where are_you going ? "

" why we're going to_the emerald city too ! " burst out snip, " and maybe Dorothy can help_us find Pajuka and warn Ozma ! "

" warn Ozma ? " cried Dorothy, jumping up in a hurry ." why, what_is the matter ? "

" better tell her," advised the tailor gravely, while Humpy edged close to_the little button boy and looked earnestly up into his face .

" we'll," began snip, feeling a bit shy in_the presence of a person as important as princess Dorothy of Oz, "Mombi is trying to_find the lost king of Oz and turn Ozma to a piano .Pajuka, he's a goose, I mean a prime minister, and he's trying to_find the find the king too, and if_we don't get to_the emerald city first that old witch will steal all the magic and capture everybody ."

" why this_is a regular thriller," puffed the dummy, pushing back his crown ."Witches, geese, lost kings and everything .Oh, I'm enjoying this picture immensely .Couldn't I fall for_this lost king, Dorothy ? "

" i_thought you were the king, yourself, at first," explained snip, " but of_course, if Dorothy found you in America, you couldn't possibly be the king of Oz . besides, I don't believe Mombi would turn the king to a dummy, do_you ? "

"Oh, anything can happen in_the pictures," said Humpy carelessly .

no one had time to_tell Humpy he_was not in a picture, for Dorothy, shuddering at_the mere mention of old Mombi, insisted on snip telling all over again just how he had discovered the witch's wicked plans . this snip did, from_the strange conversation between Pajuka and Mombi in_the castle kitchen of Kimbaloo to_his encounter with_the Blanks and_his escape with_the tired tailor of Oz . when he_came to_the part in_the story where Mombi had flung him down the well, Humpy fell over backwards and Dorothy gasped with indignation .

"Oh, we'll have to hurry, we'll have to hurry ! " exclaimed the little girl, clasping her hands anxiously, " for if Mombi reaches the emerald city first something dreadful will happen .I'm glad the king of Oz is alive, but I'm not going to_have Ozma turned to a piano .Oh dear ! Oh dear ! why doesn't Kabumpo hurry back ? "

"Hadn't we better start anyway ? " asked snip, who was growing more and more worried about Pajuka . he_felt sure Mombi meant to_get rid of_the goose as_soon_as she found the king ." let's go without the elephant," he proposed eagerly .

" no, we'd better wait," advised Dorothy, " for Kabumpo can travel a hundred times faster than we_can, and a hundred times faster than Mombi can .

" while we_are waiting," suggested Tora, who had_been carefully threading his needle, "I'll mend your frock, my dear . have_you any more buttons, snip ? "

snip felt in_his pockets and brought out a handful of gold and silver buttons and as Dorothy stood shading her eyes and keeping an anxious lookout for Kabumpo, Tora sewed them neatly in place .

" it must_have been mighty queer, growing up all at once," observed the old tailor, biting off his thread and giving the little girl an affectionate pat on_the shoulder .

" it_was," answered Dorothy, groaning at_the recollection ." I_can't imagine what happened to_me, but then everything's very queer lately ."

with her frock neatly buttoned, Dorothy began to_feel more like herself . she thanked Tora sweetly and smilingly invited him to_tell them something about himself .

" yes, do," urged snip, coming to stand beside her .

" well," sighed the old man, sticking his needle back in_his lapel and taking off his specs, " there's not much to_tell .I'm a tailor, as_you_can readily see . how I got to Blankenburg, I don't know, but there I've been for so_long that_it gives me rheumatism to_think of it . but it's all over now . when we reach this marvelous city you two young people speak of, I_shall set up a shop and live happily ever afterward ."

" what ? with those ears ? " shouted Humpy, falling up against a tree ."Oh, I don't believe it ! "

" hush," begged Dorothy and, turning apologetically to_the tailor, she whispered earnestly: " you really mustn't mind Humpy . you_see his head is stuffed with hair and it makes him kind of ridiculous ." the tailor chuckled under his breath and snip giggled outright .

just at_this moment Kabumpo, magnificent in_his pearls and velvet robes, swung ponderously into view .

" Dorothy," trumpeted the elegant elephant, stopping a good twenty feet from_the little group and elevating his trunk haughtily, " what_are you doing with those shabby fellows ? Don't you realize you're a princess .a tailor ! great Grump ! do_you expect me to associate with a tailor ? "

" but gaze upon his ears," cried Humpy, waving his cloak triumphantly at Tora ." they wag, wiggle and fly off by_themselves . and we're hunting a king, a witch and a goose . hurry up, you elegant old thing, we_need you in_this picture ."

" no we don't, we'll go on by ourselves ." snip looked angrily at Kabumpo and, taking Tora's arm, began to walk off .

"Oh wait ! " gasped Dorothy, more embarrassed by Kabumpo's rudeness than by_the dummy's ridiculousness ."Kabumpo doesn't mean that . he's really awfully jolly when_you get to_know him better ."

"Don't bother, my dear," Tora smiled, a little sadly .Reaching up he_took off both his ears and put them quietly into his pocket ."I never listen to unpleasant conversations," explained the old man simply .

" good-bye," said snip, bowing rather stiffly to Dorothy ." if_you reach the emerald city before we_do, be_sure to_tell Ozma about her father ."

" now please don't go," begged Dorothy ." wait ! wait ! " in great distress she dashed over to_the elegant elephant and poured out the whole story of_the lost king ' of Oz and of Mombi's wickedness .

when Tora had so unexpectedly taken off his ears Kahumpo's little eyes had fairly rolled in_his head and now, as he listened to Dorothy's strange recital, they began to snap and sparkle with interest . if there_was one_thing Kabumpo enjoyed, it_was being mixed up in a

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