Oz 05: The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
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for, if allowed, he_would talk continually about his flutters .

the band then played a welcome to another set of guests, and into_the throne- room swept the handsome and stately queen of Ev . beside her was young king Evardo, and following them came the entire royal family of five Princesses and four princes of Ev . the kingdom of Ev lay just across the deadly desert to_the north of Oz, and once Ozma and her people had rescued the queen of Ev and her ten children from_the Nome king, who had enslaved them . Dorothy had_been present on_this adventure, so she greeted the royal family cordially; and all the visitors were delighted to meet the little Kansas girl again . they knew Tik-tok and Billina, too, and_the Scarecrow and tin woodman, as_well as_the lion and tiger; so there_was a joyful reunion, as_you_may imagine, and it_was fully an hour before_the queen and her train retired to_their rooms . perhaps they_would not have_gone then had_not the band begun to play to announce new arrivals; but before_they left the great throne- room king Evardo added to Ozma's birthday presents a diadem of diamonds set in radium .

the next comer proved to_be king Renard of Foxville; or king Dox, as he preferred to_be called . he_was magnificently dressed in a new feather costume and wore white kid mittens over his paws and a flower in_his button- hole and had his hair parted in_the middle .

king Dox thanked Dorothy fervently for getting him the invitation to_come to Oz, which he all his life longed to visit . he strutted around rather absurdly as he_was introduced to all the famous people assembled in_the throne- room, and when he learned that Dorothy was a princess of Oz the fox king insisted on kneeling at her feet and afterward retired backward--a dangerous thing to_do, as he_might_have stubbed his paw and tumbled over .

no sooner was he gone than_the blasts of bugles and clatter of drums and cymbals announced important visitors, and_the high chamberlain assumed his most dignified tone as he threw open the door and said proudly:

" her sublime and resplendent majesty, queen Zixi of Ix ! his serene and tremendous majesty, king bud of Noland . her royal highness, the princess fluff ."

that three such high and mighty royal personages should arrive at once was enough to_make Dorothy and her companions grow solemn and assume their best company manners; but when_the exquisite beauty of queen Zixi met their eyes they thought they had never beheld anything so charming . Dorothy decided that Zixi must_be about sixteen years old, but the wizard whispered to her that_this wonderful queen had lived thousands of years, but knew the secret of remaining always fresh and beautiful .

king bud of Noland and_his dainty fair-haired sister, the princess fluff, were friends of Zixi, as their kingdoms were adjoining, so they had traveled together from their far- off domains to_do honor to Ozma of Oz on_the occasion of her birthday . they brought many splendid gifts; so the table was now fairly loaded down with presents .

Dorothy and Polly loved the princess fluff the moment they saw her, and little king bud was so frank and boyish that button- bright accepted him as a chum at once and did_not want him to_go away . but it_was after noon now, and_the royal guests must prepare their toilets for_the grand banquet at which they were to assemble that evening to meet the reigning princess of_this fairyland; so queen Zixi was shown to her room by a troop of maidens led by Jellia Jamb, and bud and fluff presently withdrew to_their own apartments .

" my ! what a big party Ozma is going to_have," exclaimed Dorothy ."I guess the palace will_be chock full, button- bright; don't you_think so ? "

"Don't know," said the boy .

" but we_must go to our rooms, pretty soon, to dress for_the banquet," continued the girl .

"I don't have to dress," said the candy man from Merryland ." all I_need do is to dust myself with fresh sugar ."

"Tik-tok always wears the same suits of clothes," said the tin woodman; " and so does our friend the Scarecrow ."

" my feathers are good enough for any occasion," cried Billina, from her corner .

" then I_shall leave you four to welcome any new guests that come," said Dorothy; " for button- bright and I_must look our very best at Ozma's banquet ."

" who_is still to_come ? " asked the Scarecrow .

" well, there's king Kik-a- bray of Dunkiton, and Johnny Dooit, and_the good witch of_the north . but Johnny Dooit may not get here until late, he's so very busy ."

" we_will receive them and give them a proper welcome," promised the Scarecrow ." so run along, little Dorothy, and get yourself dressed ."

23 . the grand banquet

i_wish I_could tell you how fine the company was_that assembled that evening at Ozma's royal banquet .a long table was spread in_the center of_the great dining- hall of_the palace and_the splendor of_the decorations and_the blaze of lights and jewels was acknowledged to_be the most magnificent sight that any of_the guests had ever seen .

the jolliest person present, as_well as_the most important, was of_course old Santa Claus; so he_was given the seat of honor at one end of_the table while at_the other end sat princess Ozma, the hostess .

John dough, queen Zixi, king bud, the queen of Ev and her son Evardo, and_the queen of Merryland had golden thrones to sit in, while the others were supplied with beautiful chairs .

at_the upper end of_the banquet room was a separate table provided for_the animals .Toto sat at one end of_this table with abib tied around his neck and a silver platter to eat from . at_the other end was placed a small stand, with a low rail around the edge of it, for Billina and her chicks . the rail kept the ten little Dorothys from falling off the stand, while the yellow Hen could easily reach over and take her food from her tray upon_the table . at other places sat the hungry tiger, the cowardly lion, the saw- horse, the rubber bear, the fox king and_the donkey king; they made quite a company of animals .

at_the lower end of_the great room was another table, at which sat the Ryls and Knooks who had come with Santa Claus, the wooden soldiers who had come with_the queen of Merryland, and_the Hilanders and Lolanders who had come with John dough . here were also seated the officers of_the royal palace and of Ozma's army .

the splendid costumes of_those at_the three tables made a gorgeous and glittering display that no one present was ever likely to forget; perhaps there has never been in any part of_the world at any_time another assemblage of_such wonderful people as_that which gathered this evening to honor the birthday of_the ruler of Oz .

when all members of ethe company were in their places an orchestra of five hundred pieces, in a balcony overlooking the banquet room, began to play sweet and delightful music . then a door draped with royal green opened, and in came the fair and girlish princess Ozma, who now greeted her guests in person for_the first time .

as she stood by her throne at_the head of_the banquet table every eye was turned eagerly upon_the lovely princess, who was as dignified as she was bewitching, and who smiled upon all her old and new friends in a way that touched their hearts and brought an answering smile to every face .

each guest had_been served with a crystal goblet filled with lacasa, which_is a sort of nectar famous in Oz and nicer to drink than soda- water or lemonade .Santa now made a pretty speech in verse, congratulating Ozma on having a birthday, and asking every_one present to drink to_the health and happiness of_their dearly beloved hostess . this was_done with great enthusiasm by_those who were made so they_could drink at all, and those who_could_not drink politely touched the rims of_their goblets to_their lips . all seated themselves at_the tables and_the servants of_the princess began serving the feast .

I_am quite_sure that only in fairyland could such a delicious repast be prepared . the dishes were of precious metals set with brilliant jewels and_the good things to eat which were placed upon them were countless in number and of exquisite flavor . several present, such as_the candy man, the rubber bear, Tik-tok, and_the Scarecrow, were_not made so they_could eat, and_the queen of Merryland contented herself with a small dish of sawdust; but these enjoyed the pomp and glitter of_the gorgeous scene as_much as did those who feasted .

the Woggle- bug read his " ode to Ozma," which_was written in very_good rhythm and was well received by_the company . the wizard added to_the entertainment by making a big pie appear before Dorothy, and when_the little girl cut the pie the nine tiny piglets leaped out of it and danced around the table, while the orchestra played a merry tune . this amused the company very_much, but they were even more pleased when polychrome, whose hunger had_been easily satisfied, rose from_the table and performed her graceful and bewildering rainbow dance for_them . when it_was ended, the people clapped their hands and_the animals clapped their paws, while Billina cackled and_the donkey king brayed approval .

Johnny Dooit was present, and of_course he proved he_could do wonders in_the way of eating, as_well as in everything else that he undertook to_do; the tin woodman sang a love song, every_one joining in_the chorus; and_the wooden soldiers from Merryland gave an exhibition of a lightning drill with their wooden muskets; the Ryls and Knooks danced the fairy circle; and_the rubber bear bounced himself all around the room . there_was laughter and merriment on every side, and everybody was having a royal good_time . button- bright was so excited and interested that he paid little attention to_his fine dinner and a great deal of attention to_his queer companions; and perhaps he_was wise to do_this, because he_could eat at any_other time .

the feasting and merrymaking continued until late in_the evening, when_they separated to meet again the next morning and take part in_the birthday celebration, to_which this royal banquet was merely the introduction .

24 . the birthday celebration

a clear, perfect day, with a gentle breeze and a sunny sky, greeted princess Ozma as she wakened next morning, the anniversary of her birth . while it_was yet early all the city was astir and crowds of people came from all parts of_the land of Oz to witness the festivities in honor of_their girl ruler's birthday .

the noted visitors from foreign countries, who had all been transported to_the emerald city by_means of_the magic belt, were as_much a show to_the Ozites as were their own familiar celebrities, and_the streets leading from_the royal palace to_the jeweled gates were thronged with men, women, and children to_see the procession as it passed out to_the green fields where the ceremonies were to_take place .

and what a great procession it_was !

first came a thousand young girls-- the prettiest in_the land-- dressed in white muslin, with green sashes and hair ribbons, bearing green baskets of red roses . as_they walked they scattered these flowers upon_the marble pavements, so that_the way was carpeted thick with roses for_the procession to walk upon .

then came the Rulers of_the four Kingdoms of Oz: the emperor of_the Winkies, the monarch of_the Munchkins, the king of_the Quadlings and_the sovereign of_the Gillikins, each wearing a long chain of emeralds around his neck to show that he_was a vassal of_the ruler of_the emerald city .

next marched the emerald city cornet band, clothed in green- and- gold uniforms and playing the "Ozma two- step ." the royal army of Oz followed, consisting of twenty-seven officers, from_the captain- general down to_the Lieutenants . there were no privates in Ozma's army because soldiers were_not needed to fight battles, but only to look important, and an officer always looks more imposing than a private .

while the people cheered and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, there came walking the royal princess Ozma, looking so pretty and sweet that_it_is no wonder her people love her so dearly . she had decided she_would not ride in her chariot that day, as she preferred to walk in_the procession with her favored subjects and her guests . just in front of her trotted the living blue bear Rug owned by old Dyna, which wobbled clumsily on its four feet because there_was nothing but the skin to support them, with a stuffed head at one end and a stubby tail at_the other . but whenever Ozma paused in her walk the bear Rug would flop down flat upon_the ground for_the princess to stand upon until she resumed her progress .

Following the princess stalked her two enormous beasts, the cowardly lion and_the hungry tiger, and even if_the army had_not_been there these two would_have_been powerful enough to guard their mistress from any harm .

next marched the invited guests, who were loudly cheered by_the people of Oz along the road, and were therefore obliged to bow to right and left almost every step of_the way . first was Santa Claus, who, because he_was fat and not used to walking, rode the wonderful saw- horse . the merry old gentleman had a basket of small toys with_him, and he tossed the toys one by one to_the children as he passed by . his Ryls and Knooks marched close behind him .

queen Zixi of Ix came after; then John dough and_the cherub, with_the rubber bear named Para bruin strutting between_them on its hind legs; then the queen of Merryland,

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