by Ruth Plumly Thompson

List of Chapters
1 In Jolly Kimbaloo
2 Snip's Great Adventure
3 King Kinda Jolly Is Sad
4 Purple Forest
5 The Rolling Hoopers
6 In Catty Corners
7 The Magic Pudding
8 The Mysterious Message
9 Castle of Morrow
10 Dorothy Dummy
11 ARealOzAdventure
12 The Playful Scooters
13 Snip Meets the Blanks
14 The Old Tailor's Story
15 Kabumpo Rescue
16 Humpy Hailed as King
17 Mombi's Magic
18 Ozma's Odd Home-Coming
19 The Wizard Takes Hand
20 The Lost King Is Found
21 The Grand Procession

CHAPTER 1

In Jolly Kimbabo

THE KING OF KIMBALOO was kind'a jolly, and Kinda Jolly King of Kimbaloo And no wonder kind'a jolly ! He had made great fortune in buttons, and had coziest castles in Oz set very center of thick button wood Gilliken country, and had more chimneys and windows than any dozen castles think of

The castle owed much coziness to Rosa Merry, the quaint little Queen of Kimbaloo, who kept it spick and spandy and simply blooming with flowers This easily do, for castle garden grew simply enormous bouquet bush, where old and new fashioned bouquets blossomed in bewildering profusion There were violets and rosebuds edged with lace paper, lovely red roses tied with satin bows, daisies and daffodils, pinks and larkspur, and sort of delightful nosegay ever imagine No matter were gathered, others immediately blossomed, Rosa Merry had made almost of fortune in bouquets as Kinda had in buttons, and jelly-roll every lunch-time if she cared to

There were some who thought the castle, built as of dark purple button wood, studded with rows and rows of bright buttons; extremely odd, but it suited Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry right down cellar five hundred inhabitants of Kimbaloo thought it extremely magnificent they were right However , anyone who had seen Kinda Jolly and Rosa Merry walking gardens on pleasant summer evenings had to admit they were the most lovable little couple land Kinda was short and fat and Rosa was short and merry They both dressed purple costumes Gillikens, but their robes were trimmed all over with buttons that chinked delightfully walked and almost dazzled one brilliance colors

King Kinda's crown of silver buttons to match his whiskers and Rosa's was of gold to match her curls Both had cheerful dispositions to match their crowns, life in Kimbaloo was cheerful for everyone The Kimbles themselves lived in tiny cottages scattered about under the trees, and were all girls and boys, they were all happy and light hearted as birds button wood Half worked King and half Queen Yes, every morning, the two hundred and fifty merry little maids would run castle garden, where Rosa Merry would fill their arms with bouquets bouquet bush Then away down the Queen's Highway, that led wood Winkie Country, hurry-and so charming and quaint were the Queen's little flower girls no one could help buying their posies So by noon time come back with empty arms and heavy pockets and nothing rest day but swing hammocks or dance gardens

The boys' work was almost as delightful Every morning scamper button wood with Kinda Jolly and shake down good crop of buttons Then each button boy would fill his button box with gay assortment and set off down the King's Highway them good dames Gilliken Country no stores in Oz, so they never had any trouble in disposing wares, especially the collar buttons The men Gilliken country are as good at losing collar buttons as men in your own town, so by noon time the button boxes full of coins and button boys would come racing back castle with nothing more rest day but play quoits or "button-button-who's-got-the-button ? "

Altogether, life in Kimbabo was as jolly as possible Indeed, laughing that King Kinda had Town Laugher to help out on particularly funny days and him from busting all the buttons purple vest Yes sir, everybody in Kimbaloo was laughing and happy-excepting one person King's cook Mombi never laughed at all, and how she came cook tell you at once She was not native of Kimbabo and, though no one kingdom knew it, Mombi was really an old Gilliken witch , for her wicked transformations, she deprived of her magic powers by Glinda, the good sorceress, and given enough to live on honestly and comfortably

But after witch all of your life, dreadfully hard to settle down to being just an ugly old woman Mombi had stood it as long as , and then one day she had closed up her little hut foot Gilliken mountains, taken her crooked stick, and set out to seek position as cook in castles of Oz-for she felt that only among kettles and cauldrons could she ever be contented or at home Besides being cross and crooked, Mombi was so ugly and ill-tempered that most castle doors were slammed in her face, but one day she had come to Kimbaloo Hobbling button wood she found King Kinda Jolly under shoe button tree Falling upon her knees Mombi begged him so hard to let her remain as cook gentle old monarch finally consented, though much against the advice of Hah Hoh, the Town Laugher But Kinda, thinking her poor and needy old woman, had kept her nevertheless, and as Mombi, like many another old witch, was an excellent cook, he had never regretted his bargain of her wonderful cooking no one had ever grown really fond of her, but she was treated with consideration and respect and allowed pretty much as she pleased castle kitchen

So while everyone else kingdom was being useful and happy, Mombi went muttering and sputtering about pots and kettles and when she was not cooking she was trying to remember her magic formulas, mixing pepper with onions, onions with cinders, and cinders with suspender buttons But stir as , nothing ever came of it, for Mombi had forgotten every witch word she had ever known She knew good words, however, and said very nearly all when her magic failed to work, flinging her stick air and hopping up and down with rage and disappointment But as she never allowed anyone kitchen but herself, no one to witness her shocking behavior, until Snip, King's button boys, climbing window one afternoon to steal cooky, caught her right midst of frightful incantation

"Salt-vinegar-mustard-mutton !

The king shall be collar button ! "

That was what Snip heard Mombi mumble, bending over peppery mixture fire So dreadful was her expression as she scowled frying pan that Snip tumbled window sill into rose bush Picking himself up, he rushed down the garden path convinced King for But Kinda Jolly, silver crown, walking calmly under the button trees Snip looked again Kinda was not turning to collar button and then, little ashamed of being so easily frightened, he crept back ledge what Mombi would do next just her fling the frying pan down the cellar steps and kick over basket of potatoes Then, grumbling and snarling and rubbing her shins, she limped garden to fetch the goose Kinda Jolly had bought for dinner-for magic or no magic the cooking had attended to The goose had come straight from neighboring farm and was still flimsy wooden crate Scowling and scolding, Mombi slammed the crate table and ripped off the top slats

slats were removed, the goose thrust its head crate and peered kitchen As he looked big white bird, Snip had feeling that something human about him The old witch-cook made grab bobbing white head

"Help ! " squawked the luckless bird, as Mombi seized it roughly feathers Then, catching really good look at Mombi, it reared up its neck till its eyes were on level with her own "YOU ! " cried the goose, so shrilly that Snip's hair rose up and waved to and fro under his stiff little hat not surprised to hear the goose talk, for all beasts and birds Land of Oz converse, but its next words were so strange and mysterious the little button boy nearly lost his balance again

"Woman ! " hissed the goose, thrusting its bill under Mombi's long nose, "Woman, what done King ? "

CHAPTER 2

Snip's Great Adventure

THE King ! Poor Snip, crouched uncomfortably narrow sill, trembled with terror, for sure Mombi's incantation had taken effect and had turned King Kinda to collar button Mombi herself seemed as astonished as he Dropping her hands at her sides, she peered sharply great white goose

"Well ! " wheezed the old witch, blinking her eyes rapidly, "Well, isn't Pajuka, and simple as ever ! "

"Whose fault ? " complained the goose bitterly "Who took away my elegant figure and this ridiculous shape ? "

"You always were goose," sniffed Mombi "All you needed was bill and feathers You're transformations I ever did," she added proudly " you fussing about anyway ? "

"Would you like goose ? " asked the bird indignantly " think you'd be ashamed of yourself, you old Scundermutch ! "

"I don't care waffle what ," retorted Mombi, "but care anything more, be quick , for your time "

"Time ? " puffed the goose "What time ? "

"Dinner time," said Moinbi unfeelingly " tired of being goose Well then, you shall be dinner and I trust pan out well ! "

"Dinner ! " screamed the goose, fluttering all feathers "You wouldn't dare serve me for dinner I'm Prime Minister and it "

"Prime goose, you mean," snickered Mombi, reaching behind the table ax

Now all this, well imagine, was frightfully interesting to Snip Raising himself elbow the two glaring furiously at one another

"Don't sass me woman ! " hissed Pajuka, flapping his wings

"I'll apple sass you," sneered Momhi "The sooner roasted the better far " She made snatch goose, but Pajuka, with quick flounce, freed himself crate and soared air

"Help ! Help ! This woman is witch," he honked loudly "Help Help ! "

"Hush ! " raged the old woman, dropping the ax and running to slam the door " to rouse the castle ? " her turn alarmed now, for in Kimbabo Mombi enjoyed more privileges than anywhere else, and she was not anxious it known that she was witch and so be turned kingdom "Be quiet I tell you," she wheezed angrily " you making such racket about ? "

"Mombi witch ! " Snip could hardly believe his ears, but frightened as help chuckling "Who wouldn't make fuss at roasting," thought Snip, peering around the edge sill what Pajuka would do The goose had settled on cupboard high above Mombi's head