"I wonder what thinking about "

"I'll wind up his talk, and then perhaps tell us," said the girl

So she wound up Number Two, and immediately the clock-work man said, without moving any part body except his lips:

"Good morn-ing, lit-tle girl Good morn-ing, Mrs Hen "

The words sounded little hoarse and creaky, were uttered all same tone, without any change of expression whatever; but both Dorothy and Billina understood them perfectly

"Good morning, sir," they answered, politely

" res-cu-ing me," continued the machine, same monotonous voice, which seemed worked by bellows inside of him, like the little toy lambs and cats the children squeeze make noise

"Don't mention it," answered Dorothy And then, being very curious, she asked: "How did you come locked up place ? "

" long sto-ry," replied the copper man; "but tell it brief-ly pur-chased from Smith & Tin-ker, my man-u-fac-tur-ers, by cru-el King of Ev, named Ev-ol-do, who used to beat all his serv-ants un-til they died How-ev-er, not a-ble to kill me, be-cause not a-live, and one must first live in or-der to die all his beat-ing did me no harm, and mere-ly kept my cop-per bod-y well pol-ished

"This cru-el king had love-ly wife and ten beau-ti-ful chil-dren--five boys and five girls--but in fit of an-ger he sold them all Nome King, who mag-ic arts changed them all in-to oth-er forms and put them un-der-ground pal-ace to or-na-ment the rooms

"Af-ter-ward the King of Ev re-gret-ted his wick-ed ac-tion, and tried his wife and chil-dren a-way Nome King, but with-out a-vail So, in de-spair, he locked me up rock, threw the key in- o-cean, and then jumped in af-ter it and was drowned "

"How very dreadful ! " exclaimed Dorothy

" , in-deed," said the machine "When my-self im-pris-oned I shout-ed for help un-til my voice ran down; and then I walked back and forth lit-tle room un-til my ac-tion ran down; and then I stood still and thought un-til my thoughts ran down Af-ter that I re-mem-ber noth-ing un-til you wound me up a-gain "

"It's very wonderful story," said Dorothy, "and proves Land of Ev is really fairy land, as "

" ," answered the copper man " sup-pose such per-fect ma-chine as made in an-y place but fair-y land "

"I've never seen one in Kansas," said Dorothy

"But where did you get the key to un-lock this door ? " asked the clock-work voice

" it shore, where prob'ly washed up waves," she answered "And now, sir, don't mind, I'll wind up your action "

" please me ve-ry much," said the machine

So she wound up Number Three, and at once the copper man in somewhat stiff and jerky fashion walked rocky cavern, took off his copper hat and bowed politely, and then kneeled before Dorothy Said he:

" time forth your o-be-di-ent ser-vant What-ev-er you com-mand, that do will-ing-ly-- keep me wound up "

" ? " she asked

"Tik-tok," he replied "My for-mer mas-ter that name be-cause my clock-work al-ways ticks when wound up "

" hear it now," said the yellow hen

"So can I," said Dorothy And then she added, with some anxiety: "You don't strike, ? "

"No," answered Tiktok; "and no a-larm con-nec-ted with my ma-chin-er-y tell the time, though, by speak-ing, and as I nev-er sleep wak-en you at an-y hour you wish up morn-ing "

"That's nice," said the little girl; "only I never wish up morning "

" sleep until I lay my egg," said the yellow hen "Then, when I cackle, Tiktok will know time to waken you "

" lay your egg very early ? " asked Dorothy

"About eight o'clock," said Billina "And everybody up , I'm sure "

5 Dorothy Opens the Dinner Pail

"Now Tiktok," said Dorothy, "the first thing is way to escape rocks The Wheelers are down below, , and threaten to kill us "

" no rea-son a-fraid Wheel-ers," said Tiktok, the words coming more slowly than before

" ? " she asked

"Be-cause ag-g-g--gr-gr-r-r-"

sort of gurgle and stopped short, waving his hands frantically until suddenly he became motionless, with one arm air other held stiffly before him with all the copper fingers hand spread out like fan

"Dear me ! " said Dorothy, in frightened tone "What can the matter be ? "

"He's run down, I suppose," said the hen, calmly "You couldn't have wound him up very tight "

"I didn't know to wind him," replied the girl; "but I'll try better "

She ran around the copper man to key peg back neck, but not there

"It's gone ! " cried Dorothy, in dismay

"What's gone ? " asked Billina

"The key "

"It probably fell off when that low bow ," returned the hen "Look around, find it again "

Dorothy looked, hen helped her, and by and girl discovered the clock-key, which had fallen into crack rock

At once she wound up Tiktok's voice, taking care the key turns as it would go around She found this quite task, imagine ever tried to wind clock, but the machine man's first words were to assure Dorothy that now run for twenty-four hours

" wind me much, at first," he calmly said, "and you that long sto-ry a-bout King Ev-ol-do; so no won-der that I ran down "

She next rewound the action clock-work, and then Billina advised her to carry the key to Tiktok in her pocket, so it get lost again

"And now," said Dorothy, when all accomplished, "tell me what you were going Wheelers "

"Why, noth-ing fright-en'd at," said the machine "They try folks be-lieve ver-y ter-ri-ble, but as mat-ter of fact the Wheel-ers are harm-less e-nough to an-y one that dares to fight them try to hurt lit-tle girl like you, per-haps, be-cause ver-y mis-chiev-ous But if I had club run a-way they saw me "

"Haven't you club ? " asked Dorothy

"No," said Tiktok

"And you won't find such thing rocks, either," declared the yellow hen

"Then what shall ? " asked the girl

"Wind up my think-works tight-ly, try of some oth-er plan," said Tiktok

So Dorothy rewound his thought machinery, and while thinking she decided to eat her dinner Billina was already pecking away cracks rocks, something to eat, so Dorothy sat down and opened her tin dinner-pail

cover she found small tank that was full of very nice lemonade covered by cup, which might also, when removed, be used to drink the lemonade from pail were three slices of turkey, two slices of cold tongue, some lobster salad, four slices of bread and butter, small custard pie, an orange and nine large strawberries, and some nuts and raisins Singularly enough, the nuts dinner-pail grew already cracked, Dorothy had no trouble in picking out their meats to eat

She spread the feast rock beside her and began her dinner, first offering some of it to Tiktok, who declined because, as , merely machine Afterward she offered to share with Billina, but the hen murmured something about "dead things" and said she preferred her bugs and ants

" lunch-box trees dinner-pail trees belong Wheelers ? " the child asked Tiktok, while engaged in eating her meal

" not," he answered "They be-long roy-al fam-il-y of Ev, on-ly no roy-al fam-il-y just now be-cause King Ev-ol-do jumped in- sea wife and ten chil-dren trans-formed Nome King So no one to rule the Land of Ev, that think of Per-haps rea-son Wheel-ers claim the trees for their own, and pick the lunch-eons and din-ners to eat them-selves But they be-long King, and the roy-al "E" stamped up- bot-tom of ev-er-y din-ner pail "

Dorothy turned the pail over, and at once discovered the royal mark upon it, as Tiktok had said

"Are the Wheelers the only folks living Land of Ev ? " enquired the girl

"No; they on-ly in-hab-it small por-tion of it just back woods," replied the machine "But al-ways been mis-chiev-ous and im-per-ti-nent, and my old mas-ter, King Ev-ol-do, used to car-ry whip , when he walked out, the crea-tures in or-der When first made the Wheel-ers tried to run o-ver me, and butt me with their heads; but they soon found built of too sol-id ma-ter-i-al to in-jure "

"You seem very durable," said Dorothy " you ? "

"The firm of Smith & Tin-ker, town of Evna, where the roy-al pal-ace stands," answered Tiktok

"Did they make many of you ? " asked the child

"No; the on-ly au-to-mat-ic me-chan-i-cal man they ev-er com-plet-ed," he replied "They were ver-y won-der-ful in-ven-tors, were my mak-ers, and quite ar-tis-tic in all "

" ," said Dorothy "Do they live town of Evna now ? "