"I'll nip off their tails, I'll snatch out their whiskers ! " raged Pajuka, thrusting his bill bars prison The two thrown unceremoniously into small summer house end Queen's garden surrounded by cat guards, so their chances for escape were cut off on every side

"Maybe something'll happen," sighed Snip, pressing his nose against the slats It late afternoon reached Catty Corners and gathering gloom the giant cats, parading up and down, looked like some dreadful sort of goblins Turning back to Pajuka for comfort, Snip was horrified goose had drawn up one foot and closed his eyes

"Don't fall asleep, Pajuka," begged the little boy, shaking him frantically "Don't fall asleep and leave me all alone "

"Can't help it Snip hah hoh ! what comes of being goose-hum ! " yawned the poor prime minister He blinked rapidly, stamped both feet and fluttered his feathers, but no use His eyes simply stay open

"Well, if I'm eaten," gulped Pajuka sadly, with last monstrous yawn, ' be asleep anyway " Folding his head away dejectedly under his wing, he stood perfectly still Snip felt so down-hearted that he sat floor and took the goose lap

"Wonder what Mombi's doing," he shuddered, trying to catch glimpse old witch chinks lattice the truth, Mombi was in as tight catty corner as Snip Having indulged her fondness for cats fullest extent and, noting with alarm and approach of night, she had finally risen and bidding the Catty Queen an affectionate farewell, declared herself ready to depart " goose and boy must come with me," croaked Mombi, grinning secretly joke she had played on them

" ," cried the Cat Queen, springing up in alarm "Why, you dear, ugly old darling, suppose ever going to let you go ? Never ! As boy-who cares for boys ? He shall entertain us all day to-morrow I'll call out my grand army of Maltesers, shall maul and tease him to death What fun goose ! hug you for bringing that goose

"But see here," panted Mombi in alarm, " that goose I'm taking him as present to Ozma, the Queen "

"Well, I'm Queen," sniffed the Cat crossly, and I don't give yowl for Ozma Come on, let's pluck out his feathers " And away across the garden scampered her Majesty Mombi picked up her basket and followed in great haste She knew that without Pajuka never recognize the King, nor regain her magic powers Therefore, though she had no great love goose, find some way to save him

"Wait ! " puffed the old witch, catching up Queen "Wait ! I, myself, will prepare feast goose famous cook and know more about roasts and sauces than anyone in Oz " Mombi rolled her eyes boastfully

" ? " murmured the Imperial Pussy, stopping short and l6oking admiringly old witch

"Did your Highness ever taste rice cream pudding ? " inquired Mombi mysteriously "No goose eaten without dish of pudding beforehand Keeps off the mullygrubs Just let me make you delicious little rice cream pudding ! "

"Rice cream pudding ? Why that sounds delicious ! " purred the Queen, waving her tail rapturously "Make enough all, dear old ugliness, and I'll take cat nap while "

"Where's the kitchen ? " demanded Mombi with wicked grin Already she had thought of way out of her difficulties Once catty kitchen, really only an enclosed corner garden with stone fireplace and iron crane, Mombi set quickly to work Filling the largest cauldron with rice cream fountain, she poured in all the boxes of rice she had in her basket and all the raisins Then, setting it over the fire, which two tortoise shell cats kept at blazing point, she stirred and muttered and muttered and stirred, and just before it dropped contents of another of her purple cans

Meanwhile, news coming treat had spread, and the pudding was finished, the fences were simply crowded with cats, their eyes showing like green balls of fire darkness There were only few dim lanterns in Catty Corners, for cats quite by night as by day Each cat had brought saucer, and forming in an orderly procession, they lined up old witch, while Mombi ladled out helping after helping pudding, pausing every to wipe her forehead on her sleeve and grin wickedly to herself

cats dared eat until the Queen arrived, and when her Highness finally did appear, long sigh of anticipation went up fences Mombi had saved particularly large helping Queen, and when her Maltese Majesty lowered her chin over her saucer and all the other cats started lapping up the pudding, Mombi could hardly restrain her chuckles The pudding really was delicious Queen lapped faster and faster, as did the rest, in scarcely moment the saucers were quite empty company quite the reverse

With half-closed eyes the Queen lifted her head to thank Mombi but before purr purr, she, whole collection of cats, simply catapulted air and, while Mombi held her sides and rocked to and fro with malicious merriment, they rolled and tumbled toward the clouds like balloons released from their strings No wonder ! purple can was baking powder powerful enough to raise an army-baking powder old witch collecting and refining for twenty years

"Hah," snorted Mombi, rubbing her hands with satisfaction Leaning over the fountain, she took long drink of cream, for stirring the pudding had made her mighty thirsty Then, without thought of her luckless victims, she picked up her basket and hobbled off summer house Snip, after waiting in terror cats for Pajuka, had finally dropped into an uneasy slumber, and when Mombi flashed small lantern eyes he almost jumped out jacket

"Come along, you little lazy bones," grumbled the witch, jerking him roughly sleeve " silly old goose asleep too ? "

"I'll carry him," said Snip stiffly and, bending over, he picked Pajuka carefully up arms quite an armful, but never stirred nor wakened at all Snip longed Mombi what he thought of her, but she looked so fierce he decided not it

"Where are the cats ? " he shivered, tiptoeing nervously old witch Mombi waved her stick aloft, and imagine the astonishment little boy perfect cloud of cats sailing across the moon

"Gave 'em rice pudding riz," wheezed the old witch gleefully Having no one else to boast to, Mombi condescended to explain her trick to Snip Snip, part, was glad to escape catty creatures, but help feeling bit sorry

"How long will to stay up there ? " he inquired curiously

"Till it rains," grunted Mombi, swinging the lantern carelessly "But come on, 't stand here talking all night We'll never reach the Emerald City rate "

"Anyway," thought Snip, stepping along carefully so as not to wake Pajuka, "anyway eat their supper milky way and won't it be raining cats do come down though ! "

While Mombi stopped to straighten her hat, Snip took long drink from cream fountains "Nobody knows when we'll get anything to eat, said the little button boy to himself

"Are we going to travel all night ? " he puffed, running to catch up with Mombi

"Mind your own buttons," hissed the old witch, lapsing into her usual ill-temper, and as she refused another word, nothing but follow the uncertain flicker of her lantern After an hour of zig-zagging along the fences, they reached the other side, unbolted the great iron doors wall and found themselves in another forest

Snip thought surely Mombi would stop, but the old witch went muttering and mumbling along, her eyes gleaming like hot coals darkness Every once in while, glance sideways at Snip in way that caused him great uneasiness the truth, Mombi had about decided to rid herself little button boy and might run off and tell Ozma her plans before reach the Emerald City, herself With Pajuka's help, Mombi meant the old King, if , but when he had restored her magic powers Mombi intended the real ruler of Oz

So, hurrying along inky forest, she began casting about in her mind for way to destroy Snip

"I'll wait till I reach the center forest," hissed Mombi, stumping along under the silent trees, "and then

"What did you say ? " asked Snip anxiously

"Nothing," grunted Mombi, smiling sourly to herself, " nothing that concerns you

CHAPTER 8

The Mysterious Message

SCRAPS, the Patch Work Girl, danced crazily down the flower-bordered path in Ozma's lovely garden Emerald City, shouting this verse:

"Hank hankers for hanky

To blow his funny nose,

Hank hankers for hanky,

I hanker for rose ! "

" ," brayed Hank, Betsy Bobbins' little mule, flapping his ears sulkily "You don't know what singing about, Scraps Go away and stop jeering me How could I use hanky, you silly girl ? "

"Hank, you're crank ! " shouted Scraps, and capered on down the path, stopping to chin herself on tulip tree and dropping in wobbly heap beside the little table where Ozma, Betsy Bobbin and Trot were having breakfast

"You shouldn't tease Hank like that," said Ozma, looking reproachfully at Scraps over her gold breakfast cup

"I'll tease, I'll tease,

whom I please,

I'll cross my eyes

and cross my knees ! "

chortled Scraps, and she looked so comical doing both crossings at once little girls simply burst into laughter, while Hank, with snort of disgust, galloped off at full speed

"You're awful," sighed Betsy Bobbin, nearly choking on her biscuit, and Betsy was pretty nearly right, ridiculous maiden who lived luxuriously in Ozma's palace entirely of patchwork She cut from an old quilt, stuffed and sewn together by wizard's wife who intended her for servant But wizard mixed up her brains, lot of fun and cleverness had got in, Scraps had refused servant and had run off Emerald City She was so comical and entertaining that Ozma had allowed her to remain capitol, and Scraps is now celebrated characters castle

Betsy Bobbin was little girl United States She and Hank ship-wrecked shores of strange land near Oz and, after some terrible adventures old Gnome King, had reached Oz itself and been taken in kind-hearted little Queen Trot also had come from America and liked Oz she had never returned home These two, with Princess Dorothy, are the closest friends fairy ruler, for Ozma herself is only little girl fairy, and these four together have the merriest times imaginable

Living in green stone castle studded with emeralds is fun enough, dear knows, but living in green stone castle with forty-nine courtiers, thirty-nine footmen, thirty-seven handmen, twenty-six serving maids, ten cooks and flock of pages is luxury indeed, especially in magical land where adventures are liable to happen every Why, it's the most fun yet !

Perhaps Dorothy is Ozma's prime favorite, for Dorothy first little girl to discover Oz and so mixed up in its magical history that Ozma would scarcely know how to rule her interesting subjects without her help of Dorothy that Ozma was thinking, as she watched Scraps turning reckless handsprings under the tulip trees

"I wonder when Dorothy will return ? " sighed the little Queen, pushing back her chair and signalling thirty-ninth footman to remove the gold breakfast plates Dorothy had gone on short visit to Perhaps City and already the others were longing for her return