" ! ," cried the boy, joyfully "May I pull out the hairs now ? "

" you like," answered the Woozy

So Ojo went queer creature and taking hold of hairs began to pull He pulled harder He pulled with all his might; but the hair remained fast

"What's the trouble ? " asked the Woozy, which Ojo had dragged here and there all around the clearing endeavor to pull out the hair

"It won't come," said the boy, panting

" afraid ," declared the beast "You'll have to pull harder "

"I'll ," exclaimed Scraps, coming boy's side "You pull the hair, and I'll pull you, and together we ought it out easily "

"Wait jiffy," called the Woozy, and then it went to tree and hugged it with its front paws, its body couldn't be dragged around pull "All ready, now Go ahead ! "

Ojo grasped the hair with both hands and pulled with all his strength, while Scraps seized the boy around his waist and added her strength But the hair wouldn't budge Instead, it slipped out of Ojo's hands and he and Scraps both rolled ground in heap and never stopped until they bumped against the rocky cave

"Give it up," advised the Glass Cat, boy arose and assisted the Patchwork Girl to her feet "A dozen strong men couldn't pull out those hairs I believe they're clinched under side Woozy's thick skin "

"Then what shall ? " asked the boy, despairingly "If return I fail these three hairs Crooked Magician, the other things come to seek of no use at all, and restore Unc Nunkie and Margolotte to life "

"They're goners, I guess," said the Patchwork Girl

"Never mind," added the cat " 't see that old Unc and Margolotte are worth all this trouble, anyhow "

But Ojo feel that way so disheartened that he sat down upon stump and began to cry

The Woozy looked boy thoughtfully

"Why don't you take me ? " asked the beast "Then, when at last you get Magician's house, surely find some way to pull out those three hairs "

Ojo was overjoyed suggestion

"That's it ! " he cried, wiping away the tears and springing feet with smile "If I three hairs Magician, it won't matter still in your body "

"It can't matter least," agreed the Woozy

"Come on, then," said the boy, picking up his basket; " start at once things , "

But the Glass Cat gave little laugh and inquired in her scornful way:

"How intend the beast out forest ? "

That puzzled them all for time

" go fence, and then find way," suggested Scraps So they walked forest fence, reaching it at point exactly opposite that where they had entered the enclosure

"How did you get in ? " asked the Woozy

"We climbed over," answered Ojo

" 't ," said the beast "I'm very swift runner, for overtake honey-bee as it flies; and jump very high, the reason they made such tall fence me in But 't climb at all, and I'm too big to squeeze bars fence "

Ojo tried what

" dig ? " he asked

"No," answered the Woozy, "for no claws My feet are quite flat bottom Nor can I gnaw away the boards, as no teeth "

"You're not such terrible creature, after all," remarked Scraps

"You haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't say that," declared the Woozy "When I growl, the sound echoes like thunder all valleys and woodlands, and children tremble with fear, and women cover their heads with their aprons, and big men run and hide I suppose nothing so terrible to listen to growl of Woozy "

"Please don't growl, then," begged Ojo, earnestly

" no danger growling, for not angry Only when angry do I utter my fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl Also, when angry, my eyes flash fire, whether I growl or not "

"Real fire ? " asked Ojo

" , real fire suppose they'd flash imitation fire ? " inquired the Woozy, in an injured tone

" case, I've solved the riddle," cried Scraps, dancing with glee "Those fence-boards are made of wood, and Woozy stands close fence and lets his eyes flash fire, set fire fence and burn it up Then walk away easily, being free "

"Ah, never thought plan, or I free ," said the Woozy "But flash fire from my eyes unless very angry "

"Can't you get angry 'bout something, please ? " asked Ojo

"I'll try You just say 'Krizzle-Kroo' "

"Will that make you angry ? " inquired the boy

"Terribly angry "

"What does it mean ? " asked Scraps

"I don't know; that's what makes me so angry," replied the Woozy

He then stood close fence, head near boards, and Scraps called out "Krizzle-Kroo ! " Then Ojo said "Krizzle-Kroo ! " Glass Cat said "Krizzle-Kroo ! " The Woozy began to tremble with anger and small sparks darted eyes Seeing this, they all cried "Krizzle-Kroo ! " together, made the beast's eyes flash fire so fiercely fence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke Then it burst into flame, Woozy stepped back and said triumphantly:

"Aha ! That did the business, all right happy thought to yell all together, made me as angry as ever been Fine sparks, weren't they ? "

"Reg'lar fireworks," replied Scraps, admiringly

In the board had burned to distance of several feet, leaving an opening big enough all through Ojo broke some branches from tree and whipped the fire until extinguished

"We don't want to burn the whole fence down," said he, " flames would attract the attention Munchkin farmers, then come and capture the Woozy again I guess they'll be rather surprised find he's escaped "

"So ," declared the Woozy, chuckling gleefully " find I'm gone the farmers badly scared, for they'll expect me to eat up their honey-bees, as before "

"That reminds me," said the boy, "that promise not to eat honey-bees while company "

"None at all ? "

"Not bee get us all into trouble, and 't afford any more trouble than is necessary I'll feed you all the bread and cheese , and satisfy you "

"All right; I'll promise," said the Woozy, cheerfully "And when I promise anything depend , 'cause I'm square "

"I don't see what difference that makes," observed the Patchwork Girl, found the path and continued their journey "The shape doesn't make thing honest, does it ? "

" it does," returned the Woozy, very decidedly "No one could trust that Crooked Magician, for instance, just because crooked; but square Woozy couldn't do anything crooked if to "

" neither square nor crooked," said Scraps, looking down at her plump body

"No; you're round, so you're liable anything," asserted the Woozy " blame me, Miss Gorgeous, if I regard you with suspicion Many satin ribbon has cotton back "

Scraps didn't understand this, but she had an uneasy misgiving that she had cotton back herself It would settle down, at times, and make her squat and dumpy, and then she had to roll herself road until her body stretched out again

Chapter Ten

Shaggy Man Rescue

They gone very far before Bungle, who had run on ahead, came bounding back road of yellow bricks was just before them At once they hurried forward what this famous road looked like

broad road, but not straight, wandered over hill and dale and picked out the easiest places All its length and breadth was paved with smooth bricks of bright yellow color, so smooth and level except in few places where the bricks had crumbled or been removed, leaving holes that might cause the unwary to stumble

"I wonder," said Ojo, looking up and down the road, " "

"Where bound for ? " asked the Woozy

"The Emerald City," he replied

"Then go west," said the Woozy " this road pretty well, for I've chased many honey-bee over it "

" ever been Emerald City ? " asked Scraps

"No very shy by nature, noticed, so I haven't mingled much in society "

" afraid of men ? " inquired the Patchwork Girl

"Me ? With my heart-rending growl--my horrible, shudderful growl ? say not not afraid of anything," declared the Woozy