Oz 03: Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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enter the throne room .

15 .Billina Frightens the Nome king

now when Dorothy had entered the palace to_make her guesses and_the Scarecrow was left with_the Nome king, the two sat in moody silence for several minutes . then the monarch exclaimed, in a tone of satisfaction:

" very_good ! "

" who_is very_good ? " asked the Scarecrow .

" the machine man . he won't need to_be wound up any more, for he has now become a very neat ornament . very neat, indeed ."

" how about Dorothy ? " the Scarecrow enquired .

"Oh, she will begin to guess, pretty soon," said the king, cheerfully ." and then she will join my collection, and it_will_be your turn ."

the good Scarecrow was much distressed by_the thought that his little friend was about to suffer the fate of Ozma and_the rest of_their party; but while he sat in gloomy reverie a shrill voice suddenly cried:

"Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt ! Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt ! "

the Nome king nearly jumped off his seat, he_was so startled .

" good gracious ! what's that ? " he yelled .

" why, it's Billina," said the Scarecrow .

" what do_you_mean by making a noise like that ? " shouted the king, angrily, as_the yellow hen came from under the throne and strutted proudly about_the room .

"I've got a right to cackle, I guess," replied Billina ."I've just laid my egg ."

" what ! Laid an egg ! in my throne room ! how dare you_do such a thing ? " asked the king, in a voice of fury .

"I lay eggs wherever I happen to_be," said the hen, ruffling her feathers and then shaking them into place .

" but-- thunder-ation ! Don't you_know that eggs are poison ? " roared the king, while his rock- colored eyes stuck out in great terror .

" poison ! well, I declare," said Billina, indignantly ."I'll have_you know all my eggs are warranted strictly fresh and up_to_date . poison, indeed ! "

" you don't understand," retorted the little monarch, nervously ."Eggs belong only to_the outside world-- to_the world on_the earth's surface, where you came from . here, in my underground kingdom, they_are rank poison, as I_said, and we Nomes can't bear them around ."

" well, you'll have to bear this_one around," declared Billina; " for I've laid it ."

" where ? " asked the king .

" under your throne," said the hen .

the king jumped three feet into_the air, so anxious was he to_get away from_the throne .

" take it away ! take it away at once ! " he shouted .

" I_can't," said Billina ."I haven't any hands ."

"I'll take_the egg," said the Scarecrow ."I'm making a collection of Billina's eggs . there's one in my pocket now, that she laid yesterday ."

Hearing this, the monarch hastened to_put a good distance between himself and_the Scarecrow, who was about to reach under the throne for_the egg when_the hen suddenly cried:

" stop ! "

" what's wrong ? " asked the Scarecrow .

"Don't take_the egg unless the king will allow me to enter the palace and guess as_the others have_done," said Billina .

"Pshaw ! " returned the king ." you're only ahen . how could you guess my enchantments ? "

" I_can try, I suppose," said Billina ." and, if I fail, you_will_have another ornament ."

"A pretty ornament you'd make, wouldn't you ? " growled the king ." but you_shall_have your way . it_will properly punish you for daring to lay an egg in my presence . after_the Scarecrow is enchanted you shall follow him into_the palace . but how will_you touch the objects ? "

" with my claws," said the hen; " and I_can speak the word 'Ev' as plainly as anyone . also I_must_have the right to guess the enchantments of_my friends, and to release them if I succeed ."

" very_well," said the king ." you_have my promise ."

" then," said Billina to_the Scarecrow, " you_may get the egg ."

he knelt down and reached underneath the throne and found the egg, which he placed in another pocket of_his jacket, fearing that if both eggs were in one pocket they_would knock together and get broken .

just then a bell above the throne rang briskly, and_the king gave another nervous jump .

" well, well ! " said he, with a rueful face; " the girl has actually done it ."

" done what ? " asked the Scarecrow .

" she has_made one guess that_is right, and broken one of_my neatest enchantments . by ricketty, it's too bad ! I never thought she_would do_it ."

" do I understand that she will now return to_us in safety ? " enquired the Scarecrow, joyfully wrinkling his painted face into a broad smile .

" of_course," said the king, fretfully pacing up and down the room ."I always keep my promises, no matter how foolish they_are . but I_shall_make an ornament of_the yellow hen to replace the one I_have just lost ."

" perhaps you_will, and perhaps you won't," murmured Billina, calmly ." I_may surprise you by guessing right ."

"Guessing right ? " snapped the king ." how could you guess right, where your betters have failed, you stupid fowl ? "

Billina did_not care to answer this question, and a moment later the doors flew open and Dorothy entered, leading the little prince Evring by_the hand .

the Scarecrow welcomed the girl with a close embrace, and he_would_have embraced Evring, too, in_his delight . but the little prince was shy, and shrank away from_the painted Scarecrow because he_did_not yet know his many excellent qualities .

but there_was little time for_the friends to_talk, because the Scarecrow must now enter the palace . Dorothy's success had greatly encouraged him, and_they both hoped he_would manage to_make at_least one correct guess .

however, he proved as unfortunate as_the others except Dorothy, and although he_took a good_deal of_time to select his objects, not one did the poor Scarecrow guess aright .

so he became a solid gold card- receiver, and_the beautiful but terrible palace awaited its next visitor .

" it's all over," remarked the king, with a sigh of satisfaction; " and it_has_been a very amusing performance, except for_the one good guess the Kansas girl made . I_am richer by a great_many pretty ornaments ."

" it_is my turn, now," said Billina, briskly .

"Oh, I'd forgotten you," said the king ." but you needn't go if_you don't wish to . i_will_be generous, and let you off ."

" no you won't," replied the hen ."I insist upon having my guesses, as_you promised ."

" then go ahead, you absurd feathered fool ! " grumbled the king, and he caused the opening that led to_the palace to appear once more .

"Don't go, Billina," said Dorothy, earnestly ." it isn't easy to guess those orn'ments, and only luck saved me from being one myself . stay with me and we'll go back to_the land of Ev together .I'm sure this little prince will give_us a home ."

" indeed i_will," said Evring, with much dignity .

"Don't worry, my dear," cried Billina, with a cluck that was meant for a laugh ." I_may not be human, but I'm no fool, if I_am a chicken ."

"Oh, Billina ! " said Dorothy, " you haven't been a chicken in a long_time . not since you-- you've been-- grown up ."

" perhaps that's true," answered Billina, thoughtfully ." but if a Kansas farmer sold me to some one, what would he call me ? --a hen or a chicken ! "

" you_are_not a Kansas farmer, Billina," replied the girl, " and you said--"

" never mind that, Dorothy .I'm going .I won't say good-bye, because I'm coming back . keep up your courage, for I'll see you a little later ."

then Billina gave several loud " cluck-clucks" that seemed to make_the fat little king more nervous than ever, and marched through_the entrance into_the enchanted palace .

" I_hope I've seen the last of_that bird," declared the monarch, seating himself again in_his throne and mopping the perspiration from_his forehead with_his rock- colored handkerchief ."Hens are bothersome enough at their best, but when_they can talk they're simply dreadful ."

"Billina's my friend," said Dorothy quietly ." she may not always be 'zactly polite; but she MEANS well, I'm sure ."

16 . purple, green, and gold

the yellow hen, stepping high and with an air of vast importance, walked slowly over the rich velvet carpets of_the splendid palace, examining everything she met with her sharp little eyes .

Billina had a right to_feel important; for she alone shared the Nome king's secret and knew how to_tell the objects that were transformations from those that had never been alive . she was very sure that her guesses would_be correct, but before she began to_make them she was curious to behold all the magnificence of_this underground palace, which_was perhaps one_of_the_most splendid and beautiful places in any fairyland .

as she went through_the rooms she counted the purple ornaments; and although some were small and hidden in queer places, Billina spied them all, and found the entire ten scattered about_the various rooms . the green ornaments she did_not bother to count, for she thought she_could find them all when_the time came .

finally, having made a survey of_the entire palace and enjoyed its splendor, the yellow hen returned to one_of_the rooms where she had noticed a large purple footstool . she placed a claw upon_this and said "Ev," and at once the footstool vanished and a lovely lady, tall and slender and most beautifully robed, stood before her .

the lady's eyes were round with astonishment for a moment, for she_could_not remember her transformation, nor imagine what had restored her to life .

" good morning, MA'am," said Billina, in her sharp voice ." you're looking quite well, considering your age ."

" who speaks ? " demanded the queen of Ev, drawing herself up proudly .

" why, my name's bill, by rights," answered the hen, who was now perched upon_the back of a chair; " although Dorothy has put scollops on_it and made it Billina . but the name doesn't matter .I've saved you from_the Nome king, and you_are a slave no longer ."

" then i_thank_you_for_the gracious favor," said the queen, with a graceful courtesy ." but, my children-- tell me, I beg of you-- where are my children ? " and she clasped her hands in anxious entreaty .

"Don't worry," advised Billina, pecking at a tiny bug that was crawling over the chair back ." just at present they_are out of mischief and perfectly safe, for they_can't even wiggle ."

" what mean you, O kindly stranger ? " asked the queen, striving to repress her anxiety .

" they're enchanted," said Billina, " just as you_have_been-- all, that_is, except the little fellow Dorothy picked out . and_the chances are that they_have been good boys and girls for some_time, because they couldn't help it ."

"Oh, my poor darlings ! " cried the queen, with a sob of anguish .

" not at all," returned the hen ."Don't let their condition make you unhappy, MA'am, because I'll soon have them crowding ' round to bother and worry you as naturally as ever . come with me, if_you please, and I'll show you how pretty they look ."

she flew down from her perch and walked into_the next room, the queen following . as she passed a low table a small green grasshopper caught her eye, and instantly Billina pounced upon it and snapped it up in her sharp bill . for grasshoppers are a favorite food with hens, and_they usually must_be caught quickly, before_they can hop away . it might easily have_been the end of Ozma of Oz, had she been a real grasshopper instead of an emerald one . but Billina found the grasshopper hard and lifeless, and suspecting it_was not good to eat she quickly dropped it instead of letting it slide down her throat .

" I_might_have known better," she muttered to herself, " for where there_is no grass there can_be no live grasshoppers . this_is probably one_of_the king's transformations ."

a moment later she approached one_of_the purple ornaments, and while the queen watched her curiously the hen broke the Nome king's enchantment and a sweet- faced girl, whose golden hair fell in a cloud over her shoulders, stood beside them .

"Evanna ! " cried the queen, " my own Evanna ! " and she clasped the girl to her bosom and covered her face with kisses .

" that's all right," said Billina, contentedly ."Am I a good guesser, Mr Nome king ? well, I guess ! "

then she disenchanted another girl, whom the queen addressed as Evrose, and afterwards a boy named Evardo, who was older than his brother Evring . indeed, the yellow hen kept the good queen exclaiming and embracing for some_time, until five Princesses and four princes, all looking very_much alike except for_the difference in size, stood in a row beside their happy mother .

the Princesses were named, Evanna, Evrose, Evella, Evirene and Evedna, while the princes were Evrob, Evington, Evardo and Evroland . of_these Evardo was_the eldest and would inherit his father's throne and be crowned king of Ev when he returned to_his own country . he_was a grave and quiet youth, and would doubtless rule his people wisely and with justice .

Billina, having restored all of_the royal family of Ev to_their proper forms, now began to select the green ornaments which were the transformations of_the people of Oz . she had little trouble in finding these, and before long all the twenty-six officers, as_well as_the private, were gathered around the yellow hen, joyfully congratulating her upon their release . the thirty-seven people who were now alive in_the rooms of_the palace knew very_well that_they owed their freedom to_the cleverness of_the yellow hen, and_they were earnest in thanking her for saving them from_the magic of_the Nome king .

" now," said Billina, " I_must find Ozma . she_is sure to_be here, somewhere, and of_course she_is green, being from Oz . so look around, you stupid soldiers, and help me in my search ."

for a while, however, they_could discover nothing more that was green . but the queen, who had kissed all her nine children once more and could now find time to_take an interest in what_was going on, said to_the hen:

"Mayhap, my gentle friend, it_is_the grasshopper whom you seek ."

" of_course it's the grasshopper ! " exclaimed Billina ."I declare, I'm nearly as stupid as_these brave soldiers . wait here for_me, and I'll

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