"Who lives here ? " asked the Rainbow's Daughter The Scoodlers nearest her replied:

"The Queen "

It made Dorothy hopeful to learn that woman ruled over these fierce creatures, but moment later they were ushered by escort into gloomy, bare room--and her hope died away

Queen Scoodlers proved much more dreadful in appearance than any of her people One side of her was fiery red, with jet-black hair and green eyes other side of her was bright yellow, with crimson hair and black eyes She wore short skirt of red and yellow and her hair, instead of being banged, was tangle of short curls rested circular crown of silver--much dented and twisted because the Queen had thrown her head at things Her form was lean and bony and both her faces were deeply wrinkled

"What have we here ? " asked the Queen sharply, as our friends were made to stand before her

"Soup ! " cried the guard of Scoodlers, speaking together

"We're not ! " said Dorothy, indignantly; "we're nothing sort "

"Ah, but soon," retorted the Queen, grim smile making her look more dreadful than before

"Pardon me, most beautiful vision," said the shaggy man, bowing queen politely " request your Serene Highness to go our way without being made into soup For I own the Love Magnet, and whoever meets me must love me and all my friends "

"True," replied the Queen "We love you ; that we intend to eat your broth with real pleasure But tell me, so beautiful ? "

"You won't be at all beautiful eat me," , shaking his head sadly "Handsome is as handsome does, "

The Queen turned to Button-Bright

" I'm beautiful ? " she asked

"No," said the boy; "you're ugly "

" you're fright," said Dorothy

"If yourself you'd be terribly scared," added Polly

The Queen scowled at them and flopped from her red side to her yellow side

"Take them away," she commanded the guard, "and at six o'clock run them meat chopper and start the soup kettle boiling And put plenty of salt broth , or I'll punish the cooks severely "

"Any onions, your Majesty ? " asked guard

"Plenty of onions and garlic and dash of red pepper Now, go ! "

The Scoodlers led the captives away and shut them up in houses, leaving only single Scoodler guard

The place was sort of store-house; containing bags of potatoes and baskets of carrots, onions and turnips

"These," said their guard, pointing vegetables, "we use to flavor our soups with "

The prisoners were rather disheartened , for they saw no way to escape and know how soon it six o'clock and time meatchopper work But the shaggy man was brave and intend to submit to such horrid fate without struggle

"I'm going to fight lives," he whispered children, "for if I fail no worse off than before, and to sit here quietly until made into soup foolish and cowardly "

The Scoodler on guard stood near the doorway, turning first his white side toward them and then his black side, to show to all greedy four eyes the sight of fat prisoners The captives sat in sorrowful group other end room--except Polychrome, who danced back and forth little place herself warm, for she felt the chill cave Whenever she approached the shaggy man whisper something in her ear, and Polly would nod her pretty head she understood

The shaggy man told Dorothy and Button-Bright to stand before him while he emptied the potatoes out of sacks secretly done, little Polychrome, dancing near guard, suddenly reached out her hand and slapped his face, the next instant whirling away quickly to rejoin her friends

The angry Scoodler at once picked off his head and hurled it Rainbow's Daughter; but the shaggy man was expecting that, and caught the head very neatly, putting it sack, which he tied mouth The body guard, not having the eyes head to guide it, ran here and there in an aimless manner, shaggy man easily dodged it and opened the door Fortunately, no one big cave moment, so Dorothy and Polly to run as fast as entrance, and out across the narrow bridge

"I'll carry Button-Bright," , for the little boy's legs were too short to run fast

Dorothy picked up Toto and then seized Polly's hand and ran swiftly toward the entrance cave The shaggy man perched Button-Bright shoulders and ran after them They moved so quickly and their escape was so wholly unexpected had almost reached the bridge when Scoodlers looked out house and saw them

The creature raised shrill cry that brought all fellows bounding numerous doors, and at once they started in chase Dorothy and Polly had reached the bridge and crossed it Scoodlers began throwing their heads queer missiles struck the shaggy man back and nearly knocked him over; but mouth cave now, so he set down Button-Bright and told the boy to run across the bridge to Dorothy

Then the shaggy man turned around and faced his enemies, standing just outside the opening, and as fast threw their heads at him he caught them and tossed them black gulf below The headless bodies foremost Scoodlers kept the others from running close up, but they also threw their heads in an effort to stop the escaping prisoners The shaggy man caught them all and sent them whirling down black gulf Among them he noticed the crimson and yellow head Queen, and this he tossed others with right good will

Presently every Scoodler lot had thrown its head, and every head was down deep gulf, and now the helpless bodies creatures were mixed together cave and wriggling around in vain attempt to discover what had become heads The shaggy man laughed and walked across the bridge to rejoin his companions

"It's lucky I learned to play base-ball when young," he remarked, "for I caught all those heads easily and never missed one But come along, little ones; the Scoodlers will never bother us or anyone else any more "

Button-Bright was still frightened and kept insisting, "I don't want soup ! " victory gained so suddenly boy realize they were free and safe But the shaggy man assured him that all danger being made into soup was now past, Scoodlers unable to eat soup for

So now, anxious away horrid gloomy cave , they hastened up the hillside and regained the road just beyond the place where they had first met the Scoodlers; and they were glad their feet old familiar path again

11 Johnny Dooit Does It

"It's getting awful rough walking," said Dorothy, trudged along Button-Bright gave deep sigh and said hungry Indeed, all were hungry, and thirsty, too; for they had eaten nothing but the apples since breakfast; so their steps lagged grew silent and weary At last they slowly passed over the crest of barren hill and saw before them line of green trees with strip of grass at their feet An agreeable fragrance was wafted toward them

Our travelers, hot and tired, ran forward on beholding this refreshing sight and long in coming trees Here they found spring of pure bubbling water, around which the grass was full of wild strawberry plants, their pretty red berries ripe and ready to eat trees bore yellow oranges and some russet pears, so the hungry adventurers suddenly found themselves provided with plenty to eat and to drink They lost no time in picking the biggest strawberries and ripest oranges and soon had feasted hearts' content Walking beyond the line of trees they saw before them fearful, dismal desert, everywhere gray sand edge awful waste was large, white sign with black letters neatly painted upon it letters made these words:

ALL PERSONS ARE WARNED NOT TO VENTURE DESERT

Deadly Sands will Turn Any Living Flesh to Dust in an instant Beyond This Barrier

LAND OF OZ

But no one can Reach that Beautiful Country because Destroying Sands

"Oh," said Dorothy, shaggy man had read the sign aloud; "I've seen this desert before, and it's true no one can live who tries to walk sands "

"Then we musn't try it," answered the shaggy man thoughtfully "But 't go ahead and there's no use going back, what shall next ? "

"Don't know," said Button-Bright

"I'm sure I don't know, either," added Dorothy, despondently

" father would come ," sighed the pretty Rainbow's Daughter, " take you all to live rainbow, where dance along its rays from morning till night, without care or worry of any sort But I suppose father's too busy just now to search the world "

"Don't want to dance," said Button-Bright, sitting down wearily soft grass

"It's of you, Polly," said Dorothy; "but other things suit me better than dancing on rainbows I'm 'fraid they'd be kind of soft an' squashy under foot, anyhow, although they're so pretty to look at "

This didn't help to solve the problem, all fell silent and looked at one another questioningly

"Really, I don't know what ," muttered the shaggy man, gazing hard at Toto; little dog wagged his tail and said "Bow-wow ! " just tell, either, what Button-Bright got stick and began to dig earth, others watched him for while in deep thought Finally, the shaggy man said:

"It's nearly evening, now; so sleep pretty place and get rested; perhaps by morning decide best "

little chance beds children, but the leaves trees grew thickly and would serve off the night dews, so the shaggy man piled soft grasses thickest shade and when dark they lay down and slept peacefully until morning

Long others were asleep, however, the shaggy man sat starlight spring, gazing thoughtfully into its bubbling waters Suddenly he smiled and nodded to himself he had found good thought, after which he, too, laid himself down under tree and was soon lost in slumber

bright morning sunshine, ate strawberries and sweet juicy pears, Dorothy said:

"Polly, do any magic ? "

"No dear," answered Polychrome, shaking her dainty head

"You ought SOME magic, being the Rainbow's Daughter," continued Dorothy, earnestly

"But we who live rainbow fleecy clouds have no use for magic," replied Polychrome