"Good ! " cried the Nome "Hurry, Kiki, and transform the others "

So Kiki rushed back tree and putting his face hollow, whispered:

" the next monkey just like the first--Pyrzqxgl ! "

Again the Wizard Fox heard the Magic Word, and just how pronounced But he sat still hollow and waited to hear it again, so it impressed mind and forget it

Kiki kept running edge forest and back hollow tree again until he had whispered the Magic Word six times and six monkeys changed to six great Giants Then the Wizard decided make an experiment and use the Magic Word himself So, while Kiki was running back Nome, the Fox stuck his head hollow and said softly: " that creature running hickory-nut--Pyrzqxgl ! "

Instantly the Li-Mon-Eag form of Kiki Aru the Hyup disappeared and small hickory-nut rolled ground moment and then lay still

The Wizard was delighted, and leaped hollow just as Ruggedo looked around what had become of Kiki The Nome saw the Fox but no Kiki, so he hastily rose feet The Wizard know how powerful the queer beast , so he resolved no chances

" this creature walnut--Pyrzqxgl ! " aloud But pronounce the Magic Word in quite the right way, and Ruggedo's form change But the Nome knew at once that "Pyrzqxgl ! " Magic Word, so he rushed Fox and cried:

" you Goose--Pyrzqxgl ! "

But the Nome pronounce the word aright, either, having never heard it spoken but once before, and then with wrong accent So the Fox was not transformed, but it had to run away to escape being caught angry Nome

Ruggedo now began pronouncing the Magic Word in every way think of, hoping to hit the right one, Fox, hiding in bush, was somewhat troubled fear that he might succeed However, the Wizard, who was used to magic arts, remained calm and soon remembered exactly how Kiki Aru had pronounced the word So he repeated the sentence he had before uttered and Ruggedo the Nome became an ordinary walnut

The Wizard now crept out bush and said: " my own form again--Pyrzqxgl ! "

Instantly he Wizard of Oz, and after picking up the hickory-nut walnut, and carefully placing them pocket, he ran back big clearing

Dorothy the Lamb uttered bleat of delight when she saw her old friend restored natural shape The others were all there, not having found the Goose The fat Gillikin woman, the Munchkin boy, the Rabbit Glass Cat crowded around the Wizard and asked what had happened

Before he explained anything adventure, he transformed them all--except, , the Glass Cat--into their natural shapes, and when their joy permitted them to quiet somewhat, how he had by chance surprised the Magician's secret and been able the two Li-Mon-Eags into shapes that speak, and therefore unable to help themselves little Wizard showed his astonished friends the hickory-nut walnut that he had spoken the truth

"But--see here ! "--exclaimed Dorothy "What has become Giant Soldiers who used monkeys ? "

"I forgot all ! " admitted the Wizard; "but I suppose still standing there forest "

15 The Lonesome Duck

Trot and Cap'n Bill stood Magic Flower, actually rooted spot

"Aren't you hungry, Cap'n ? " asked the little girl, with long sigh, for she standing there for hours and hours

"Well," replied the sailor-man, "I ain't sayin' as I couldn't EAT, Trot--if dinner was handy--but I guess old folks don't get as hungry as young folks do "

"I'm not sure 'bout that, Cap'n Bill," she said thoughtfully "Age MIGHT make diff'rence, but seems SIZE would make bigger diff'rence Seeing you're twice as big as me, you twice as hungry "

" ," he rejoined, "for stand it while longer hope the Glass Cat will hurry, and the Wizard won't waste time a-comin' "

Trot sighed again and watched the wonderful Magic Flower, because nothing else Just now lovely group of pink peonies budded and bloomed, but soon they faded away, and mass of deep blue lilies took their place Then some yellow chrysanthemums blossomed plant, and had opened all their petals and reached perfection, they gave way to lot of white floral balls spotted with crimson--a flower Trot had never seen before

"But I get awful tired watchin' flowers an' flowers an' flowers," she said impatiently

"They're might pretty," observed Cap'n Bill

" ; and if person could come and look Magic Flower just when she felt like it, it fine thing, but TO stand and watch it, whether to or not, isn't fun , Cap'n Bill, the thing would grow fruit for while instead of flowers "

Scarcely had she spoken white balls with crimson spots faded away and lot of beautiful ripe peaches took their place With cry of mingled surprise and delight Trot reached out and plucked peach bush and began to eat it, finding it delicious Cap'n Bill was somewhat dazed girl's wish being granted so quickly, so before pick peach they had faded away and bananas took their place "Grab one, Cap'n ! " exclaimed Trot, and even while eating the peach she seized banana with her other hand and tore it bush

The old sailor was still bewildered He put out hand indeed, but too late, for now the bananas disappeared and lemons took their place

"Pshaw ! " cried Trot " 't eat those things; but watch out, Cap'n, for something else "

Cocoanuts next appeared, but Cap'n Bill shook his head

"Ca'n't crack 'em," he remarked, "'cause we haven't anything handy to smash 'em with "

"Well, take one, anyhow," advised Trot; but the cocoanuts were gone now, and deep, purple, pear-shaped fruit unknown took their place Again Cap'n Bill hesitated, and Trot said to him:

"You captured peach and banana, as 're not careful, Cap'n, you'll miss all your chances Here, I'll divide my banana "

Even as she spoke, the Magic Plant was covered with big red apples, growing on every branch, and Cap'n Bill hesitated no longer He grabbed with both hands and picked two apples, while Trot had only time to secure one were gone

"It's curious," remarked the sailor, munching his apple, "how these fruits keep good 've picked 'em, but dis'pear inter thin air 're left bush "

"The whole thing is curious," declared the girl, "and it couldn't exist in any country but this, where magic is so common Those are limes Don't pick 'em, for they'd pucker up your mouth and--Ooo ! here come plums ! " and she tucked her apple in her apron pocket and captured three plums-- almost as big as an egg-- disappeared Cap'n Bill got some too, but both were too hungry to fast any longer, so they began eating their apples and plums and let the magic bush bear all sorts of fruits, one after another The Cap'n stopped once to pick fine cantaloupe, which he held under his arm, and Trot, having finished her plums, got handful of cherries and an orange; but when almost every sort of fruit had appeared bush, the crop ceased and only flowers, as before, bloomed upon it

"I wonder why it changed back," mused Trot, who was not worried because she had enough fruit to satisfy her hunger

"Well, you only wished it would bear fruit 'for while,'" said the sailor, "and it did P'raps 'd said 'forever,' Trot, it always been fruit "

"But why should MY wish be obeyed ? " asked the girl "I'm not fairy or wizard or any kind of magic-maker "

"I guess," replied Cap'n Bill, " little island is magic island, and any folks can tell the bush what , an' it'll produce it "

" wish for anything else, Cap'n and get it ? " she inquired anxiously

" you thinkin' of, Trot ? "

"I'm thinking of wishing roots feet would disappear, free "

"Try it, Trot "

So she tried it, wish had no effect whatever

"Try it yourself, Cap'n," she suggested

Then Cap'n Bill made the wish free, with no better result

"No," said he, "it's no use; the wishes only affect the Magic Plant; but I'm glad make it bear fruit, 'cause now we won't starve Wizard gets "

"But I'm gett'n' tired standing here ," complained the girl "If only lift one foot, and rest it, I'd feel better "

"Same with me, Trot I've noticed that 've got thing, and can't help yourself, it gets hardship mighty quick "

"Folks raise their feet don't appreciate what blessing ," said Trot thoughtfully "I never knew before what fun to raise one foot, an' then another, you feel like it "

"There's lots o' things folks don't 'preciate," replied the sailor-man "If somethin' would 'most stop your breath, you'd think breathin' easy finest thing in life When person's well, he don't realize how jolly , but when he gets sick he 'members the time well, an' wishes would come back Most folks forget to thank God for givin' 'em two good legs, till they lose one o' 'em, like ; and then it's too late, 'cept to praise God for leavin' one "

"Your wooden leg ain't so bad, Cap'n," she remarked, looking at it critically "Anyhow, it don't take root on Magic Island, like our meat legs do "

"I ain't complainin'," said Cap'n Bill "What's that swimmin' towards us, Trot ? " he added, looking over the Magic Flower and across the water

The girl looked, too, and then she replied

"It's bird of some sort It's like duck, only I never saw duck have colors "

The bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the Magic Isle, and as it drew nearer its gorgeously colored plumage astonished them The feathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples, and it had yellow head with red plume, and pink, white and violet in its tail When it reached the Isle, it came ashore and approached them, waddling slowly and turning its head first to one side and then other, so as the girl sailor better

"You're strangers," said the bird, coming to halt near them, "and you've been caught Magic Isle and made prisoners "

"Yes," returned Trot, with sigh; "we're rooted But we won't grow "

"You'll grow small," said the Bird "You'll keep growing smaller every day, until bye and bye there'll be nothing left of you That's the usual way, Magic Isle "

"How , and who , anyhow ? " asked Cap'n Bill

"I'm the Lonesome Duck," replied the bird "I suppose you've heard of me ? "

"No," said Trot, " 't say What makes you lonesome ? "

"Why, I haven't any family or any relations," returned the Duck

"Haven't you any friends ? "