The Gnome King of Oz

by Ruth Plumly Thompson

This Book Is Dedicated to My Nephew Richard Shuff Thompson, Jr

With lots of love and little laugh, For little boy almost three and half ! If I had wish, I'd wish it quick And keep him always "Little Dick "

List of Chapters

1 Queen Cross Patch Flits
2 The New Queen Quilties
3 Duties Quilty Queen
4 Peter Flies with an Odd Bird
5 Sea Tips Upside Down in Quake
6 Ruggedo Discovers Pirate's Treasure
7 Kaliko Falls as King of Gnomes
8 Peter Meets Kuma Party
9 Queen Scraps Meets Peter
10 Escape from Patch at Last
11 Scraps Meets Sultan of Suds
12 Friend Oztrich Offers to Help
13 Tune Town Sings the Wanderers Onward
14 Ozwold Friends Rush On
15 Wumbo, Wonder Worker, at Home
16 Kuma's Hand Is at Work Again
17 Mystery Emerald City
18 The Theft Magic Belt
19 The Wizard Makes the Gnome King Visible
20 Peter Is Made Prince of Oz

CHAPTER 1

Queen Cross Patch Flits

QUEEN CROSS PATCH, the Sixth, stood at her castle window staring crossly down at her cross-patch country From above it looked like huge patch-work quilt, spread over the rolling hills Winkie Country in Oz Each of her subjects had separate cotton-patch, and as each patch produced different color of cotton and each patch-worker dressed himself family color patch and painted his house the same color too, imagine the odd appearance Kingdom itself The Quilties, people of Patch were pleased themselves, did most patch-work in Oz and, Kingdoms of Oz are nearly all old-fashioned enough to use and appreciate patch-work quilts, plenty of work did the industrious Quilties gather the small cotton-patches from their garden patches and stitch them into gay quilts but mending and darning

For miles around people brought their old clothes to Queen Cross Patch for repairs, Patch was as busy and prosperous little Kingdom find anywhere, but by no means pleasant one Constant picking scraps in their garden patches had made the Quilty men exceedingly scrappy, and constant stitching patch-work quilts had made the Quilty ladies extremely cross and crotchety Indeed, everything little country was cross and patchy All the roads were cross roads, houses as patched and shabby clothes people who lived

But perhaps, of all the Quilties, the Queen, herself, crossest and patchiest She even had patch over her eye She had strained it from fine sewing Just now she was straining the other one in an effort that all of her subjects were hard at work Finding were, she flounced across the room and sat down at her sewing table Here, grumbling and scolding to herself, she began sorting patches into separate piles, according size and color Except for her Majesty's mumbles occasional snores of scissor bird, who dozed on perch window, not sound great chamber But suddenly, with shrill scream, the Queen flung handful of patches air, toppled off her three-legged throne and went entirely to pieces extremely small pieces, too "Help ! " shrieked the Scissor Bird, wakening with bounce "Help ! Help ! The Queen has gone to pieces ! " Scissor Bird's sharp outcries, the Prime Piecer and Chief Scrapper of Patch fairly rushed doorway

"I've been expecting this ! " groaned the Prime Piecer, and taking huge bite chunk of beeswax he held in one hand began to chew it gloomily

"Well, 've been expecting it you're not surprised," sniffed the Chief Scrapper crossly, "but it's too bad it happen busiest season year Now we'll have to stop everything and find new ruler Hold your bill, Nipper ! "

Stamping his foot Scissor Bird, the Chief Scrapper of Patch marched stiffly room Neither the Prime Piecer nor the Chief Scrapper seemed it queer Queen to pieces And because, sooner or later, all Quilties very thing Living in fairy country and being magically constructed die, so wear out, they simply go to pieces When Quilty goes to pieces, his relatives or friends sweep up the scraps and put them away in' tidy scrap-bag and in ten years or so he comes bag as good as ever This does seem curious custom, but curious or not, exactly what happens, and while Scrapper went to fetch the Royal scrap-bag and Piecer the Royal dust-pan, the Scissor Bird flew window to break the news patchworking populace

In huge sewing circle, the Quilty Dames were stitching upon quilt and in their separate garden patches, the Quilty men were busily picking cottonpatches But Scissor Bird flew screaming overhead realized that Queen Cross Patch had gone to pieces at last, they all stopped working and looked fearfully at one another the next ruler of Patch ? Whenever ruler went to pieces another was immediately chosen method laid down Imperial Scrap Book and always Quilties chosen

Now, curiously enough, no one wanted King or Queen, ruler cross little country had to work six times as hard as anyone else and consequently went to pieces six times faster Therefore, dropping their thimbles and scissors, the Quilties started to run in every direction, pelting into houses and down cellars, creeping into barrels and hiding themselves behind trees- when Piecer and Scrapper issued palace not person was in sight They had carefully swept up Queen Cross Patch and hung her in closet, and now, grumbling little for choosing new sovereign was always troublesome matter-they stepped sternly toward the cotton-wood left palace wood grew hundreds of spool cotton-trees enough, , all the thread used Kingdom There were pink spool cotton-trees, red spool cotton-trees, green spool cotton-trees, orange spool cotton-trees, and color imagine center little cottonwood grew somewhat taller tree, bearing always one golden spool tree Prime Ministers of Patch hurried, golden spool royal spool of succession, and when cut tree led directly next ruler Kingdom

Piecer had large rag-bag over his shoulder, for usually necessary to capture ruler by force; Scrapper had pair of gold shears and now, standing on tiptoe, he snipped the golden spool golden branch and held it expectantly hand regular speech written out Royal Scrap Book, and as Scrapper had already chosen three rulers, it by heart

"Unwind, Oh, Royal Spool of Succession," commanded the little Quilty importantly, "Un-wind and lead us Imperial Potentate of Patch ! " As word "patch," Scrapper set the spool ground and, keeping hold golden thread, waited solemnly for something to happen For moment the spool lay quietly where he had placed it-then with little bounce it began to unwind Letting the gold thread slip through his fingers, Scrapper skipped nimbly spool, Piecer following earnestly behind him Up one cross road and down another rolled the Royal Spool of Succession, past the patched palace, past dozen patched cottages, on and on and on

As it passed each cottage, the Quilties within would give roar of relief, for they knew that the danger of being King or Queen had passed the members household Sometimes the golden spool would roll right front door of cottage and Scrapper and Piecer, thinking their search over, would prepare to seize sovereign but, just , the spool would whirl out the back door and roll on merrily down the road But never before history of Patch had it gone nor so fast, soon the fat Quilty ministers, panting along after it, were completely out of breath and temper Now the cotton-patches grew thinner and thinner, the little cottages farther and farther apart, and half realized it, the golden spool was rolling briskly down yellow brick highway Kingdom of Patch lay far behind them

"Stop ! " grunted Piecer, letting go Scrapper's coat-tails he had dutifully clung "Stop ! go no farther "

"Don't leave me," wailed poor Scrapper, rolling his eyes backward in great distress Neither Quilties out of Patch before prospect was truly terrifying Now, whether the magic spool heard the two conversing is hard but, quite suddenly, it stopped and sinking down roadway, Piecer and Scrapper began to mop their foreheads with their patched handkerchiefs and fan themselves with their hats

"Let's go back," quavered Piecer in low voice

"But go back without ruler," objected Scrapper, who bolder two "If find ruler in four days you know that Patch and all Quilties will go to pieces to pieces ? " he asked severely

"No ! " said Piecer mournfully, "I don't, but we'll go to pieces anyway, running on rate Something is wrong," puffed the Prime Piecer dolefully "The spool never took us Kingdom before It's twisted, I tell you, and dear knows where take us "

" take us next ruler," declared Scrapper, who had recovered some breath and most courage " our duty Come ! "

"Oh, ," sighed Piecer, rising feet with great groan, "but don't blame me leads us into forest and torn to bits by bears "

As Piecer finished this cheering speech the thread in Scrapper's hand gave little pull The golden spool had started off again , however, it rolled along more slowly and, uneasiness, the two Quilties cast interested glances right and left all so different from their own patched and shabby little Kingdom Pleasant yellow cottages and farms dotted the landscape, fields and meadows, full of buttercups and daisies, look bit dangerous hill splendid tin castle shone and glittered sun, and though Scrapper and Piecer were quite unaware of it, the residence Tin Woodman, who ruled over the Land East

Nowhere in Oz more cheerful land Country Winkies But just two travellers were beginning to enjoy themselves, the spool turned sharply off the highway and plunged down steep hill The first jerk flung Scrapper face, and as Piecer had hold coat-tails his balance too, and over and over they rolled bottom

"Now next ruler ! " gasped Scrapper Scrambling feet, and without pausing to brush off the dust, he bounded spool fairly whistling ahead now, bouncing over rocks and tree stumps, so two Patchy Statesmen, in their endeavor up with it, looked like couple of boys playing leap frog When it did stop Piecer was too giddy , but Scrapper gave loud roar of anger