"A little Princess, Passing fair, With rosy cheeks And yellow-yellow-"

"Hair," put in Dorothy quickly " she ? Who and how did she get lost ? Let's sit down and then tell me all " "He's exactly like puzzle," thought Dorothy, with an amused little sniff So Percy Vere sat down beside her under spreading jelly tree and as quickly as strange happenings in Perhaps City, prophecy monster, strange conduct of old Abrog, the Prophet, and finally disappearance of both the Princess Prophet

Percy himself had fallen down the steep craggy sides of Maybe Mountain, arriving in scratched and bruised heap bottom All morning he wandering fields and lanes Winkie land and Dorothy first person he had encountered

"Well, you were just splendid," breathed the little girl, Forgetful Poet finished his story Percy had tried to gloss over the young men's refusal in search Princess, but Dorothy had guessed quite correctly what had happened

"I'll bet that old prophet carried her off himself," she declared positively

" so two, so three, so four, Where can they- ? "

Percy mopped his brow and looked appealingly little girl

"Be," supplied Dorothy obligingly "I'm sure I don't know but soon find out You just come Emerald City with me and we'll look in Ozma's magic picture "

"Why wise pretty; Let's hasten Emerald City ! "

Smiling all over because he had actually finished his own verse, the Forgetful Poet helped Dorothy to her feet and both started gaily down the lane, Dorothy telling the poet all interesting folk capitol and Percy Vere telling Dorothy all City of Gold on Maybe Mountain Dorothy's idea of looking in Ozma's picture, like all of her other ideas, was mighty good one, picture has magical power enabling person whomever he wishes, one look would disclose the whereabouts lost Princess of Perhaps City But at every step, they were putting longer distance between themselves look For at every step, thanks little baconfly, they were going farther and farther away Emerald City of Oz

They had eaten the lunch the Tin Woodman had thoughtfully put up for Dorothy, and now, afternoon shadows began to lengthen, the little girl looked anxiously ahead for familiar landmarks But instead the lane-which led straight Scarecrow's tower, halfway Tin Woodman's Palace Emerald City-the lane suddenly came to stop in scraggly little woods

"That's funny ! " mused Dorothy, looking around in surprise

"Are we lost ? " asked Percy, leaning wearily against tree

"Hello ! Hello, why here's sign Tacked up prickly-prickly-"

Without bothering to finish the verse, Dorothy hurried over pine

"Look out Runaway," advised the sign, in large red letters

"Runaway ! " cried Dorothy, snatching Toto up in her arms "Good gracious ! I wonder what kind of runaway ? " They long left in doubt, for while Percy was still staring nervously all 'round, there came hiss and snap and 'round big rock shot the runaway itself, scooping up the two travellers had time to even wink single eyelash

" p-perfectly preposterous," blustered the Forgetful Poet Both he and Dorothy were sitting middle runaway and Percy Vere hastily slipped his arm around the little girl her from falling off The runaway road itself was humping along like some dreadful sort of serpent, jouncing and bouncing them so terribly that talking was almost impossible

"Wonder where it's running ! " gasped Dorothy, hugging Toto so tight he began to growl little From somewhere ahead gritty voice answered her

"I'm running straight to pepper mine," roared the runaway, "and you'll make hand-some pair of pepper diggers "

"P-pepper diggers ! " groaned Percy Vere

"Pepper diggers, not that please, The very idea makes me, makes me--"

"Ha-ha-ka kachoo," sneezed Percy miserably

"Pepper doesn't grow in mines It's plant," shouted Dorothy indignantly

"Well, this pepper mine was planted," replied the road, twisting 'round to stare at Dorothy with its stony eyes Neither Dorothy nor the Forgetful Poet answered , bumping and bouncing had grown worse all do to hold on to and keep from biting their tongues off Nothing like this had ever happened Forgetful Poet before simply stunned But Dorothy in strange adventures and had had odd experiences land of Oz, that she was already planning to outwit the runaway

"It wouldn't be safe to jump off," thought the little girl, "for we'd probably be broken to bits, but-" Her eyes travelled upward trees and bushes that were flashing past runaway flung itself recklessly forest-" caught hold of low branch the old road would go on without us," she reflected triumphantly

as , for bumps and bounces, she whispered her plan to Percy Vere He nodded enthusiastically and transferred Toto blouse, Dorothy both hands free Then, when huge tree loomed up ahead, they both began to count, and as its branches stretched over the runaway, they hurled themselves upward and held on for dear life Beneath slithered the road and not until the last yellow length of it had flashed by did Dorothy and Percy Vere let go Percy dropped ground first, gently lifted Dorothy down, and took the frightened, wiggling little Toto out blouse

"Whew ! " breathed Dorothy, leaning dizzily against Percy, "that's the worst ride I've had Wonder where ? " "Do we often ? " panted the Forgetful Poet, looking at Dorothy with round eyes "I'm perfectly pulverized ! "

"Well, I never met runaway before," confessed Dorothy, "but you never can tell what's going to happen in Oz, so first thing we'd better do is out where ! "

"We're in forest dark and deep, the bears are all-are all-"

"Asleep ! So do I ! " sighed Dorothy, and began tip-toeing along under the great lonesome trees, Toto keeping close at her side and Percy Vere treading softly behind her

CHAPTER 10

Prince Forge John of Fire Island

BEFORE Grampa little company had recovered shock of winding down instead of up, the strange stairway gathered itself together, and, with sudden jerk, shook them all off

"Break ranks ! " roared the old soldier, kicking out wildly game leg

"I don't want to break my ranks," said Bill crossly Tatters and Urtha were too startled anything and for few seconds they simply fell in surprised silence The hollow down which they were tumbling was wide and dimly lighted with soft, spooky glow The air was thick and heavy were falling much slower than Grampa and Tatters had fallen down the hollow tree First fell Urtha, her flowery skirts fluttering gracefully around her; then fell Tatters, clinging to Bill with one arm red umbrella other; then the old soldier, his gun, drum, sword and knapsack rattling like box full of marbles

" exactly like butterfly Are we flying, Soldier ? " laughed the flower maiden presently

"No, my poor child," puffed Grampa, staring down at her anxiously "We're falling ! "

"Falling asleep ? " asked Urtha contentedly

"Depends on how we land, groaned the old soldier, and suddenly remembering his last landing he snatched the wizard's medicine bottle pocket

" anything label about falling ? " panted Tatters, who was close enough to notice the old soldier's action Grampa held the bottle close eyes, and though reading while falling is hardest things of , after deal of squinting the old soldier read out the following: "For falling hairs, one drop in full glass of water ! "

"But we're not hares," wheezed Bill indignantly

"And if our hair stopped falling and we fell on, we'd be scalped ! " puffed Grampa hoarsely "Besides there isn't any water, so there's nothing but fall ! "

"Stormy weather ! Stormy weather ! " predicted Bill gloomily "Look out below, look out, look out, look out ! " weather cock came last look out, the air grew suddenly lighter, the speed four fallers increased and next thing, with great splash and splutter, they had plunged into deep underground lake Blowing like porpoise, Grampa rose surface

"One drop in water," choked the old soldier and, treading water furiously, he began to look around little army dim green light he Urtha floating like tiny island of flowers top water-her fine spray of hair spread out 'round her lovely little face short distance away Tatters was making frantic efforts afloat but, iron weather cock enormous umbrella, difficult business and every the poor Prince of Ragbad would disappear under the waves Grampa himself, handicapped as by game leg and weapons, found swimming dreadful exertion and he reached Tatters completely exhausted He still grasped the wizard's bottle in one hand

"Wet-very wet ! " The head of Bill appeared above the water and then went under, as Tatters took another drive toward the bottom

"Grampa, I'm drowning ! " gulped the poor Prince, reappearing for second surface It never occurred Prince to drop Bill or his father's umbrella Grampa himself had shipped water he had no breath , but he flung his hand out desperately toward the Prince and, as luck it, it hand holding the wizard's medicine

"Don't drown ! " begged Grampa, his eye fixed desperately green label "Wait, there's cure " Treading water again, he clutched Tatters hair and pressed the bottle lips "One swallow and you'll swim like fish," promised Grampa

"My head's swimming already," muttered Tatters weakly all the Prince could do the stuff down, for he had swallowed quarts lake already Grampa was so interested in watching the effects dose that he forgot to move his feet and went down himself But just water closed over his head he put the wizard's bottle own lips, took hasty mouthful and jammed cork Immediately he bobbed surface and, with great sigh of relief, saw Tatters floating on top waves, Bill perched precariously upon his chest Grampa felt as buoyant as cork and, using his gun as an oar, steered toward Tatters and Urtha and soon all three were bobbing along side by side

"This medicine's the only good thing that wizard ever invented," said Grampa, sticking the bottle through his belt "Feeling better, old boy ? "

Tatters shook his head feebly help thinking how far out way they had fallen, and how very far they were Emerald City and even from Ragbad itself He blinked hastily thought of Mrs Sew-and-Sew cozy red castle hill, and he hoped Pudge had remembered to feed his pigeons Tatters himself never expected them again Only Urtha seemed really enjoying the adventure Her little flower face was wreathed in smiles and her lovely flower frock fairly sparkled with freshness

"Isn't this fun ! " she kept repeating merrily "Isn't this fun ? " Grampa nodded, but not very enthusiastically

" we'll ever get back on top again ? " asked Tatters gloomily

" ," spluttered Grampa "We've fallen down about as far fall and from now on things will take an upward turn, Hello, this water's kinda hot ! Great swordfish, what's that noise ? "

"The fortune ! The fortune ! " shrieked Bill, jumping up and down upon Tatters' thin chest and ducking the Prince at every jump "The fortune ! "

With great effort, Grampa sat up water, already beginning to steam, and then fell backward with terrific splash