Oz 13: The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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the cage of monkeys . but this arrangement left the wizard, as_well as_the sailor, to make_the journey on foot, and so the procession moved slowly and_the glass Cat grumbled because it would take so_long to_get to_the emerald city .

the Cat was sour- tempered and grumpy, at first, but before_they had journeyed far, the crystal creature had discovered a fine amusement . the long tails of_the monkeys were constantly sticking through_the bars of_their cage, and when_they did, the glass Cat would slyly seize the tails in her paws and pull them . that made the monkeys scream, and their screams pleased the glass Cat immensely . trot and Dorothy tried to stop this naughty amusement, but when_they were_not looking the Cat would pull the tails again, and_the creature was so sly and quick that_the monkeys could seldom escape . they scolded the Cat angrily and shook the bars of_their cage, but they_could_not get out and_the Cat only laughed at them .

after_the party had left the forest and were on_the plains of_the Munchkin country, it grew dark, and_they were obliged to_make camp for_the night, choosing a pretty place beside a brook . by_means of_his magic the wizard created three tents, pitched in a row on_the grass and nicely fitted with all that was needful for_the comfort of_his comrades . the middle tent was for Dorothy and trot, and had in_it two cosy white beds and two chairs . another tent, also with beds and chairs, was for_the wizard and Cap'n bill, while the third tent was for_the hungry tiger, the cowardly lion, the cage of Monkeys and_the glass Cat . outside the tents the wizard made a fire and placed over it a magic kettle from_which he presently drew all sorts of nice things for their supper, smoking hot .

after they had eaten and talked together for a while under the twinkling stars, they all went to bed and_the people were soon asleep . the lion and_the tiger had almost fallen asleep, too, when_they were roused by_the screams of_the monkeys, for_the glass Cat was pulling their tails again . annoyed by_the uproar, the hungry tiger cried: " stop that racket ! " and getting sight of_the glass Cat, he raised his big paw and struck at_the creature . the cat was quick enough to dodge the blow, but the claws of_the hungry tiger scraped the monkey's cage and bent two of_the bars .

then the tiger lay down again to sleep, but the monkeys soon discovered that_the bending of_the bars would allow them to squeeze through . they_did_not leave the cage, however, but after whispering together they let their tails stick out and all remained quiet . presently the glass Cat stole near the cage again and gave a yank to one_of_the tails . instantly the monkeys leaped through_the bars, one after another, and although they were so small the entire dozen of_them surrounded the glass Cat and clung to her claws and tail and ears and made her a prisoner . then they forced her out_of_the tent and down to_the banks of_the stream . the monkeys had noticed that_these banks were covered with thick, slimy mud of a dark blue color, and when_they had taken the Cat to_the stream, they smeared this mud all over the glass body of_the cat, filling the creature's ears and eyes with it, so_that she_could neither see nor hear . she was no longer transparent and so thick was_the mud upon her that no one could_see her pink brains or her ruby heart .

in_this condition they led the pussy back to_the tent and then got inside their cage again .

by morning the mud had dried hard on_the glass Cat and it_was a dull blue color throughout . Dorothy and trot were horrified, but the wizard shook his head and said it served the glass Cat right for teasing the monkeys .

Cap'n bill, with_his strong hands, soon bent the golden wires of_the monkeys' cage into_the proper position and then he asked the wizard if he_should wash the glass Cat in_the water of_the brook .

" not just yet," answered the wizard ." the Cat deserves to_be punished, so i_think I'll leave that blue mud-- which_is as bad as paint-- upon her body until she gets to_the emerald city . the silly creature is so vain that she will_be greatly shamed when_the Oz people see her in_this condition, and perhaps she'll take_the lesson to heart and leave the monkeys alone hereafter ."

however, the glass Cat could_not_see or hear, and to avoid carrying her on_the journey the wizard picked the mud out of her eyes and ears and Dorothy dampened her handkerchief and washed both the eyes and ears clean .

as_soon_as she_could speak the glass Cat asked indignantly: "Aren't you going to punish those monkeys for playing such a trick on me ? "

" no," answered the wizard ." you played a trick on them by pulling their tails, so this_is only tit- for-tat, and I'm glad the monkeys had their revenge ."

he wouldn't allow the glass Cat to_go near the water, to wash herself, but made her follow them when_they resumed their journey toward the emerald city .

" this_is only part of your punishment," said the wizard, severely ."Ozma will laugh at you, when we get to her palace, and so will the Scarecrow, and_the tin woodman, and Tik-Tok, and_the shaggy man, and button- bright, and_the patchwork girl, and--"

" and_the pink kitten," added Dorothy .

that suggestion hurt the glass Cat more than anything else . the pink kitten always quarreled with_the glass Cat and insisted that flesh was superior to glass, while the glass Cat would jeer at_the pink kitten, because it had no pink brains . but the pink brains were all daubed with blue mud, just now, and if_the pink kitten should_see the glass Cat in_such a condition, it would_be dreadfully humiliating .

for several hours the glass Cat walked along very meekly, but toward noon it seized an opportunity when no one was looking and darted away through_the long grass . it remembered that there_was a tiny lake of pure water near by, and to_this lake the Cat sped as fast as it could go .

the others never missed her until they stopped for lunch, and then it_was too late to hunt for her .

"I s'pect she's gone somewhere to clean herself," said Dorothy .

" never mind," replied the wizard ." perhaps this glass creature has_been punished enough, and we_must not forget she saved both trot and Cap'n bill ."

" after first leading 'em onto an enchanted island," added Dorothy ." but i_think, as_you_do, that_the glass Cat is punished enough, and p'raps she won't try to pull the monkeys' tails again ."

the glass Cat did_not rejoin the party of travelers . she was still resentful, and_they moved too slowly to suit her, besides . when_they arrived at_the royal palace, one_of_the first things they saw was_the glass Cat curled up on a bench as bright and clean and transparent as ever . but she pretended not to notice them, and_they passed her by without remark .

21 . the college of athletic Arts

Dorothy and her friends arrived at_the royal palace at an opportune time, for Ozma was holding high court in her throne room, where professor H .M .Wogglebug, T .E ., was appealing to her to punish some_of_the students of_the royal athletic college, of_which he was_the principal .

this college is located in_the Munchkin country, but not far from_the emerald city . to enable the students to devote their entire time to athletic exercises, such as boating, foot- ball, and_the like, professor Wogglebug had invented an assortment of Tablets of Learning . one_of_these tablets, eaten by a scholar after breakfast, would instantly enable him to understand arithmetic or algebra or any_other branch of mathematics . another tablet eaten after lunch gave a student a complete knowledge of geography . another tablet made it possible for_the eater to spell the most difficult words, and still another enabled him to write a beautiful hand . there were tablets for history, mechanics, home cooking and agriculture, and it mattered not whether a boy or a girl was stupid or bright, for_the tablets taught them everything in_the twinkling of an eye .

this method, which_is patented in_the land of Oz by professor Wogglebug, saves paper and books, as_well as_the tedious hours devoted to study in some_of_our less favored schools, and it also allows the students to devote all their time to racing, base- ball, tennis and other manly and womanly sports, which are greatly interfered with by study in those Temples of Learning where Tablets of Learning are unknown .

but it so happened that professor Wogglebug ( who had invented so_much that he had acquired the habit) carelessly invented a square- meal tablet, which_was no bigger than your little finger- nail but contained, in condensed form, the equal of a bowl of soup, a portion of fried fish, a roast, a salad and a dessert, all of_which gave the same nourishment as a square meal .

the professor was so proud of_these square- meal Tablets that he began to feed them to_the students at his college, instead of other food, but the boys and girls objected because they wanted food that they_could enjoy the taste of . it_was no fun at all to swallow a tablet, with a glass of water, and call it a dinner; so they refused to eat the square- meal Tablets . professor Wogglebug insisted, and_the result was_that the senior class seized the learned professor one day and threw him into_the river-- clothes and all . everyone knows that awogglebug cannot swim, and so the inventor of_the wonderful square- meal Tablets lay helpless on_the bottom of_the river for three days before a fisherman caught one of_his legs on a fishhook and dragged him out upon_the bank .

the learned professor was naturally indignant at such treatment, and so he brought the entire senior class to_the emerald city and appealed to Ozma of Oz to punish them for their rebellion .

I_do_not suppose the girl ruler was very severe with_the rebellious boys and girls, because she had herself refused to eat the square- meal Tablets in place of food, but while she was listening to_the interesting case in her throne room, Cap'n bill managed to carry the golden flower- pot containing the magic flower up_to trot's room without it being seen by anyone except Jellia Jamb, Ozma's chief maid of honor, and Jellia promised not to_tell .

also the wizard was able to carry the cage of monkeys up_to one_of_the top towers of_the palace, where he had a room of_his own, to_which no one came unless invited . so trot and Dorothy and Cap'n bill and_the wizard were all delighted at_the successful end of_their adventure . the cowardly lion and_the hungry tiger went to_the marble stables behind the royal palace, where they lived while at home, and_they too kept the secret, even refusing to_tell the wooden sawhorse, and Hank the mule, and_the yellow Hen, and_the pink kitten where they had_been .

trot watered the magic flower every day and allowed no one in her room to_see the beautiful blossoms except her friends, Betsy bobbin and Dorothy . the wonderful plant did_not seem to lose any of_its magic by being removed from its island, and trot was sure that Ozma would prize it as one of her most delightful treasures .

up in_his tower the little wizard of Oz began training his twelve tiny monkeys, and_the little creatures were so intelligent that_they learned every trick the wizard tried to teach them . the wizard treated them with great kindness and gentleness and gave them the food that monkeys love best, so they promised to_do their best on_the great occasion of Ozma's birthday .

22 .Ozma's birthday party

it seems odd that a fairy should_have a birthday, for fairies, they say, were born at_the beginning of_time and live forever . yet, on_the other hand, it would_be a shame to deprive a fairy, who has so many_other good things, of_the delights of a birthday . so we_need not wonder that_the fairies keep their birthdays just as other folks do, and consider them occasions for feasting and rejoicing .

Ozma, the beautiful girl ruler of_the fairyland of Oz, was a real fairy, and so sweet and gentle in caring for her people that she was greatly beloved by_them all . she lived in_the most magnificent palace in_the most magnificent city in_the_world, but that did_not prevent her from being the friend of_the most humble person in her dominions . she_would mount her wooden sawhorse, and ride out to a farm house and sit in_the kitchen to_talk with_the good wife of_the farmer while she did her family baking; or she_would play with_the children and give them rides on her famous wooden steed; or she_would stop in a forest to_speak to a charcoal burner and ask if he_was happy or desired anything to_make him more content; or she_would teach young girls how to sew and plan pretty dresses, or enter the shops where the jewelers and craftsmen were busy and watch them at their work, giving to each and all acheering word or sunny smile .

and then Ozma would sit in her jeweled throne, with her chosen courtiers all about her, and listen patiently to any complaint brought to her by her subjects, striving to

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