faintly, then remembering the monster, frowned and began drumming nervously arm chair even look up yellow hen hopped room, and, with self-conscious cluck, laid gold brick mantel

"What's the matter ? " asked the hen sulkily

"Everything ! " groaned Peer Haps, straining his eyes first sign of Percy Princess "Everything ! " instant Percy rushed back

"The Princess is lost, gone, mislaid ! " cried the Forgetful Poet, crossing his eyes extreme agitation

"You speak she were an egg," clucked the yellow hen, but no one paid any attention to her and in huff the spoiled creature flew out the window and dropped gold brick head chief gardener But no one, except the chief gardener, paid any attention either, for Peer Haps had raised such clamor over the disappearance daughter whole castle was in an uproar Indeed in five minutes more every woman, man and child in Perhaps City had joined search missing Princess After they had searched high and low, and everywhere else matter, Percy suddenly bethought himself prophet and, rushing up the fifty steps tower, thumped hard door no answer Percy flung the door open and no prophet Abrog was gone too !

face new calamity the dreadful prophecy monster was almost forgotten Peer Haps sank down upon his throne and sixty years and three hundred pounds wept like baby

"He's perfectly perfidious ! " exclaimed Percy Vere, who was entirely out of breath steps All the courtiers solemnly shook their heads

"A villain old and hideous, And perfectly perfidious, Has run off daughter What shall to him, O Peer, This prophesighing profiteer Deserves both death and-and-"

"Slaughter," sobbed Peer Haps convulsively Then mopping his face he sat up "Someone must follow him at once and bring her back ! " thundered the old monarch "A thousand gold bricks man who brings her back thousand gold bricks Princess' hand in marriage ! " great shuffling of feet young men of Perhaps City began to exchange uneasy glances

"Down the mountain ? " asked Perix faintly

"Where else ? " demanded Peer Haps, glaring angrily young nobleman whom he had intended daughter

"But dashed to pieces terribly unsafe," stuttered Perix unhappily All the other Happsies began to shake their heads and murmur sadly, "Unsafe, very unsafe ! "

"Well, how daughter ? " roared the poor monarch, puffing out his cheeks "Will no one go after my daughter ? " more shuffling of feet, but not voice was raised not be too hard young Happsies, remembering that in all their lives and lives fathers and grandfathers no one had ever descended Maybe Mountain excepting Abrog the old prophet

"I'll go myself ! " spluttered Peer Haps explosively But as he arose with great groan, the Forgetful Poet rushed forward and embraced Peer as his arms would circle

"You'd be broken to bits ! " cried Percy distractedly "Suppose you stumbled I, go and find the Princess and this meddling, miserable prophet "

"You ! Why you'll forget what you're after start," sneered Perix disagreeably

" ," said Percy, snapping his fingers under the young fellow's nose, " forget word , but I don't forget how to act when my King is in trouble ! "

"Hurrah ! " shouted the gardener, throwing up his hat He had recovered shock gold brick "Hurrah for Percy Vere; he's the bravest lot ! "

"But how go ? " quavered Peer Haps torn between relief at Percy's brave offer and sorrow thought of losing his prime and favorite companion

"Here's how," cried the valiant Poet Rushing down the golden steps palace, Percy leaped over the gate and plunged recklessly down the steep mountain side Percy was well accustomed to hill-climbing and met with no mishap as he plunged downward

CHAPTER 9

Dorothy Meets New Celebrity

DOROTHY the Tin Woodman and now, with Toto, her small shaggy dog, running at her side, was skipping merrily down wide Winkie Lanes

" Nick Chopper looks , don't you Toto ? " said Dorothy, tickling his ear with long feathery weed

"Woof ! " barked Toto reproachfully Toto like all other dogs in Oz could talk if to, but Toto, being originally from Kansas, preferred his own language Just then, seeing lively baconfly, Toto gave another bark and dashed across daisy field Away fluttered the baconfly, and no idea how fast these little rascals can flutter, and away, his ears flapping with excitement, pounded Toto, and away after Toto ran Dorothy, for she was always in fear of losing her reckless little pet Up and down, here and there, 'round and 'round, darted the mischievous baconfly, until Toto's tongue hung out and he simply panted with exhaustion Then with spiteful sputter, the baconfly disappeared under rhinestone, and after scratching and whining and even growling little, Toto gave up the chase and trotted rather sheepishly back to Dorothy

"That was really too bad of you Toto," panted the little girl reprovingly "You wouldn't eat poor little baconfly, would you ? "

"Woof, gr-rr woof ! " sulked Toto, Kansas for "You bet ! " Pretending not to understand this last remark, Dorothy fanned herself with her broad straw hat and started slowly back toward the lane But the baconfly had led them such round-about chase that when she did come lane she turned in exactly the opposite direction way she had intended, and instead of walking toward the Emerald City she began walking away But as neither she nor Toto was aware fact, they progressed most cheerfully, Dorothy carrying on one-sided conversation saucy little bow-wow Occasionally Toto would bark or wag his tail, but most time he listened in superior silence little girl's chatter fun they had had in Nick Chopper's tin castle

Now how Nick Chopper came castle is story in itself, for Nick has, course strange and interesting life, risen from wood-chopper to Emperor of all the Winkies and from an ordinary blood and bone man to real celebrity of tin Yes, Nick is entirely man of tin, see by referring to any histories of Oz same histories recorded how wicked witch enchanted Nick's ax, first it cut off his legs, then his arms and finally his body and head But kill good Ozman like Nick Chopper and after each accident he hied him to tin-smith for repairs First the tin-smith made him tin legs, then tin arms, next tin body and at last tin head, completely man of tin And this same little Dorothy, on her first trip to Oz, had discovered the Tin Woodman, rusting in forest, had oiled up his joints and taken him Emerald City itself There the Wizard of Oz had given him warm, red plush heart, which he still has and since then Nick in almost every important adventure that has happened wonderful Land of Oz Ozma, the little fairy ruler of Oz, finding Nick so dependable and so unusual, him Emperor East, loyal little Winkies have built him splendid tin castle center pleasant yellow country

Dorothy herself was first blown to Oz in Kansas cyclone and after visits delightful country, determined to stay for good So Ozma, help of her magic belt, transported Dorothy and Uncle Henry and Aunt Em and Toto Land of Oz Uncle Henry and Aunt Em have comfortable little farm just outside Emerald City, but Dorothy and Toto have cunning apartment Emerald Palace itself, for Ozma cannot bear Dorothy far away The two girls-for Ozma herself is only little girl fairy- through adventures together almost inseparable, and to show her love and affection little girl United States Ozma Dorothy Royal Princess of Oz

But through all her honors and adventures Dorothy has remained the same jolly little girl she was in Kansas Every she puts aside her silk court frocks, slips into an old gingham dress and steals off for visit to some of her friends country

"We'll soon be Scarecrow's, Toto; shall you like that ? " she asked, after skipping along for five whole minutes without speaking "Perhaps he'll have corn muffins and honey and-Whatever's that ? "

"Little girl ! Little girl ! " voice came echoing high and clear down the sunlit lane Toto pricked up his ears, and Dorothy, shading her eyes, turned direction voice Running toward her was young man clothed all in buff an extremely excited and agitated young man-and he reached Dorothy and Toto perfectly breathless

"Well-" began Dorothy, hardly knowing what else

"Not , ," puffed the young man, slapping at his face with yellow silk handkerchief On closer inspection Dorothy saw that his handsome suit was torn and muddied young man himself exceedingly scratched and weary

" most unhappy," he continued, regarding her mournfully " , when remember hard unhappy in lovely country like this "

"Then why try to remember ? " asked Dorothy with little laugh, while Toto made playful dash stranger's heels

"A great deal depends on my remembering," explained the young man eagerly "If I forget unhappy forget why I fell down the mountain and why wandering in ,this strange country without friends or food "

"Well, why ? " Dorothy could control her curiosity no longer

" seeking Princess," replied the youth solemnly

"A Princess ! Well, will ? " Dorothy smiled mischievously and while the stranger stared at her, round-eyed, she made him her prettiest court bow The result was extremely funny The Forgetful Poet-for guessed all along he extended his arms toward Toto and cried accusingly:

"I looked the maiden eye, I looked her up and down, She says Princess, But, she hasn't any-any- ? "

Toto barked indignantly limping poetry

"I suppose you mean crown, giggled Dorothy "Yes too, but it's at home, in Ozma's castle "

"The crown is castle, The castle's town; The town is land of Oz, But how about her-her-"

He stared helplessly at Dorothy's gingham dress and, with another little scream of laughter, Dorothy finished his verse "Gown ! " spluttered the little girl " always talk like that ? "

"Pretty often," admitted Percy Vere apologetically " , poet And who now You're Princess Dorothy herself ! " He smiled so charmingly as this that Dorothy help smiling back