"They always throw things when I sing," sobbed the singer, drying his eyes pink sleeve

"Pass me that sausage, ' gulped the Hungry Tiger in faint voice

"Are-aren't you going to eat me ? " stuttered the sad singer, offering the sausage fearfully and jumping back he expected the tiger to snap off his arm Between bites, sausage took only two, the Hungry Tiger shook his head

"Not now," he answered wearily " swallowed you, but that song ! Never ! man full of music like ruin my digestion How's the pie ? "

"Squashed," said the singer, in depressed whisper "Try the onions " He held them out hopefully, but the Hungry Tiger only shuddered

"Eat them yourself," he advised gloomily, you seem to enjoy crying " Reaching for banana, the Hungry Tiger ripped off the skin and swallowed it whole Three more, he treated same reckless fashion Then licking his whiskers, he regarded the sad singer reproach-fully " go now," gruffly "Your singing is outrageous, but neither wicked enough to satisfy my conscience nor fat enough to satisfy my appetite Go-go-be-fore-"

"But how can I go," moaned the singer, waving despairingly high walls know whether his tears were from grief, gratitude or onions (He had eaten all three )

"Well, 't stay here," rumbled the tiger anxiously, " 're supposed eaten "

"I'll hide," muttered the prisoner, glaring around wildly But no place whole pink yard where conceal himself Round and round tore the worried Rasher and round and round after him nosed the Hungry Tiger and, just moon rose up over the pink turrets palace, they discovered loose block stone pavings Scratching frantically powerful claws the Hungry Tiger managed to dig up the whole block and dragging it aside found small damp under-ground chamber

The sad singer was overjoyed, when he peeped dark hole, for he had become very nervous, fear tiger would soon decide to eat him the truth, the Hungry Tiger was glad himself The sad singer look to eat

"There ! " grunted the Hungry Tiger, thrust-ing the singer in and throwing some bananas and head of cabbage after him "Be quiet and whatever , don't sing ! " He had just pushed the block back, leaving small crevice the prisoner air, when Irashi and Ippty appeared wall

"Ah ! He has eaten him ! " cried Irashi rapturously, and clapping his hands like child, be began to address the Hungry Tiger in most affectionate terms, promising him dozen prisoners morrow But the Hungry Tiger merely turned his back and gazed solemnly up moon, and seeing nothing was got out of him, Irashi wicked scribe tiptoed off to bed, well pleased new jailer of Rash The Hungry Tiger himself, of horribly hollow feeling ( sausage and four bananas to tiger ? ) soon fell asleep And perhaps because he had done nothing to trouble his kind old conscience, he dreamed that safely back Emerald City with dear little Ozma of Oz

CHAPTER 4

The Vegetable Man of Oz

to leave the poor Hungry Tiger jail yard of Rash and take peep at going on Emerald City of Oz something exciting, One never can guess happen next Fairyland of Oz

"Red ripe tomatoes ! Red ripe tomatoes ! Fresh straw-burees ! Fresh straw-burees ! Ripe red tomatoes, fine new potatoes Salad ! Cress and peas ! Fresh straw-burees ! "

"Strawberries ! " exclaimed Betsy Bobbin in delight, and running palace window, looked up and down the garden where the voice was coming from so like old times States it made Betsy homesick "Why, I never heard huckster calling around here before," thought Betsy "I believe I'll buy some for breakfast and surprise Ozma " Fastening the last button on her blue frock, she skipped room, down the stairs and garden, following the sound husky voice Sometimes it seemed quite near, at other times drifting back to her from great distance and before long Betsy was perfectly breathless from darting to and fro But at last sharp turn path brought her right owner voice Vegetable Man, sure enough, his small hand cart piled high with fresh greens and rosy strawberries

"I'll take box of berries, please," panted Betsy, and standing on her tiptoes, she pointed to very large and tempting one

"Certainly Miss," said the Vegetable Man, and handing her the box stood smiling and bowing roadway But instead of taking it Betsy gasped and put both hands behind her

"Now don't be skeered," said the Vegetable Man softly " I'm an odd one, but you'll get used Try used ," he begged coaxingly Betsy thought it would take , but so earnest that she took long breath and looked at him again His face was red and smooth as beet Queer, rootlike whiskers sprouted raggedly bottom, curious celery leaf hair waved excitedly top, while turnip nose and two tall corn ears gave him most roguish and inquisitive expression His body was more like an enormous potato than anything else arms and legs were long, wiry roots of some coarse vegetable fibre

"Well ? " asked the Vegetable Man anxiously, as Betsy finished her inspection " stand me at all ? "

"I- you're pretty interesting," confessed Betsy, who was an exceedingly polite and kind hearted little girl

"Am I ? " beamed the stranger, rubbing his twig like hands together, "Well ! Well ! I'm you say that, 's just what I've been thinking myself But not always like this, my dear " The Vegetable Man's blue eyes were the only natural feature about him twinkled so merrily above his turnip nose that Betsy began quite drawn to him " Winkie," he confided mysteriously, "and sold fresh vegetables to all the royal families in Oz But each night when I returned to my farm, there were vegetables left in my cart, so young, so fresh, so fair, let them die, so I ate them," he continued dreamily "And bit by bit I turned figure But I'm quite used to myself now and can still carry on my business -Oh, spinach ! " The Vegetable Man interrupted himself crossly "Spinach and rhubarb ! "

"Why what's the matter ? " asked Betsy in surprise, for he had put down the strawberries and was tugging with all his might at his left foot, which presently came up so violently, he sat down hard road

"Would you mind walking on converse ? " puffed the Vegetable Man, picking up the box of berries and springing nimbly feet "I take root if I stand still," apologetically "It awfully inconvenient rooted spot, and there's no telling what I'd grow into "

"Why don't you wear shoes ? " asked Betsy, trotting along beside the cart and almost forgetting strawberries in her extreme interest

"I never thought ," mused the Vege-table Man, looking down ruefully at his huge twisted feet " s'pose ever find any shoes to fit, Miss-Miss ? , now ? Mine's Green, Carter Green, but most folks call me Carter "

"Mine's Betsy Bobbin, but I'd better go back now or I'll be late for breakfast " Stopping reluctantly, Betsy reached for her box of berries, and as she had brought no money she slipped small emerald ring Vegetable Man's hand At first he refused it, but little girl insisted and assured him she had dozens more like it, Carter slipped the ring leather pouch he wore round his neck

"I've stone something like this," her and, hopping up and down from taking root, he fumbled pouch till he brought out large square ruby "Found it in potato," continued Carter, as Betsy turned it over and over in her hand "Not in any I raised myself, but in one of lot I bought from gypsy Like it ? " Betsy nodded emphatically, for not even in Ozma's crown itself had she seen more dazzling jewel small R cut in flat sides gem ruby itself blazed and sparkled sunshine and fairly made Betsy blink

"But I wonder what the R stands for ? " she murmured softly

"Raspberries, I guess, chuckled the Vegetable Man, putting the ruby back into his pouch "Raspberries, rhubarb or radishes Have radish, my Betsy ? "

"Oh, no , and I really must go now " Holding the strawberries carefully, Betsy smiled up pleasant face of Mr Carter Green so curious and exciting she hated to leave him, but Dorothy and Ozma would surely think her lost, so with little skip she turned about "Don't forget the shoes," she reminded him gaily "Goodbye ! Good-gra-cious ! "

"Hold tight, Betsy ! Hold tight ! Celery and cinnamon ! What's the matter here ? " Seizing his cart with one hand little girl other, the Vegetable Man teetered backward and forward road And no wonder ! It had suddenly ripped itself loose and was rushing along at such rate that trees and fences simply whizzed past Betsy's hat blew off first curve and strawberries, beets and bananas flew out in every direction

"I-was-afraid of-this ! " panted the Veg-etable Man "I-should-have-taken-the -regular-road ! "

"Isn't this reg-u-lar-road ! " called Betsy, hanging on to Carter with both hands "What's-it doing ? "

"Winding ! " shrieked the Vegetable Man, trying the rest vegetables from bouncing cart "It's-a-winding-road-Betsy ! Shut-your eyes, quick ! " Betsy was glad enough to obey, road was going round like top, round and round like merry-go-round, in and out of trees, past lakes and forests, till the whole world tilted topsy-turvey Then as suddenly as it had started to wind, it stopped, and when Betsy opened her eyes she was sitting on small sand dune entirely surrounded by cabbages short distance away lay the Vegetable Man, still clutching his cart While Betsy was still trying to catch her breath, Carter jumped up and shading his eyes looked in all directions

"Well, it's gone," he exclaimed ruefully and perfectly right no sign of road anywhere It had cruelly gone off and left them in wilderness of sand and scorched desert grass

"Why, I never knew winding road near the Emerald City ? " Betsy jumped up indignantly "Where did it come from ? "

"Never can tell," sighed the Vegetable Man, beginning to collect his cabbages "They just come and go, these winding roads of Oz; pass themselves off as regular roads till they catch few travellers and you never can tell where take you "

"Well, I don't think much place," groaned Betsy, rubbing her elbow, which severely skinned during the journey over the winding road

"Then let's go some other place," proposed the Vegetable Man cheerfully All the straw-berries and bananas had spilled cart, but there were plenty of cabbages and apples left and busily rearranging these all the time talking to Betsy "Have cabbage ? " he invited pleasantly "Nothing like cabbages for ship-wreck "

" something like ship-wreck," mused Betsy thoughtfully "But I'd rather have an apple, don't mind we'll ever find the way back Emerald City, Mr Green ? "

Carter nodded so vigorously his celery tops waved for moments afterward and, handing Betsy an apple, he pointed off toward the south