15. Old Friends are Reunited

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome
the new arrivals, and when the Wizard got out of the buggy a pretty
girl in a green gown cried out in surprise:

"Why, it's Oz, the Wonderful Wizard, come back again!"

The little man looked at her closely and then took both the
maiden's hands in his and shook them cordially.

"On my word," he exclaimed, "it's little Jellia Jamb--as pert
and pretty as ever!"

"Why not, Mr. Wizard?" asked Jellia, bowing low. "But I'm
afraid you cannot rule the Emerald City, as you used to, because we
now have a beautiful Princess whom everyone loves dearly."

"And the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall
soldier in a Captain-General's uniform.

The Wizard turned to look at him.

"Did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked.

"Yes," said the soldier; "but I shaved them off long ago, and
since then I have risen from a private to be the Chief General of the
Royal Armies."

"That's nice," said the little man. "But I assure you, my good
people, that I do not wish to rule the Emerald City," he added,
earnestly.

"In that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and
it pleased the Wizard to note the respect with which the royal
retainers bowed before him. His fame had not been forgotten in the
Land of Oz, by any means.

"Where is Dorothy?" enquired Zeb, anxiously, as he left the
buggy and stood beside his friend the little Wizard.

"She is with the Princess Ozma, in the private rooms of the
palace," replied Jellia Jamb. "But she has ordered me to make you
welcome and to show you to your apartments."

The boy looked around him with wondering eyes. Such
magnificence and wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than
he had ever dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the
gorgeous glitter was real and not tinsel.

"What's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. He had
seen considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew
that this regal palace was no place for him.

It perplexed even Jellia Jamb, for a time, to know what to do
with the animal. The green maiden was much astonished at the sight
of so unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this Land; but
those who lived in the Emerald City were apt to be astonished by
queer sights, so after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild
look in his big eyes the girl decided not to be afraid of him.

"There are no stables here," said the Wizard, "unless some have
been built since I went away."

"We have never needed them before," answered Jellia; "for the
Sawhorse lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more
natural in appearance than this great beast you have brought with
you."

"Do you mean that I'm a freak?" asked Jim, angrily.

"Oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you
in the place you came from, but in Oz any horse but a Sawhorse is
unusual."

This mollified Jim a little, and after some thought the green
maiden decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big
building having many rooms that were seldom in use.

So Zeb unharnessed Jim, and several of the servants then led the
horse around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment
that he could have all to himself.

Then Jellia said to the Wizard:

"Your own room--which was back of the great Throne Room--has
been vacant ever since you left us. Would you like it again?"

"Yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "It will seem like
being at home again, for I lived in that room for many, many
years."

He knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his
satchel. Zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful
that he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest
he might dim their splendor. In the closets he discovered many fancy
costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told
him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be
prepared to dine with the Princess and Dorothy in an hour's time.

Opening from the chamber was a fine bathroom having a marble tub
with perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his
surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon
velvet costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much
worn clothing. There were silk stockings and soft leather slippers
with diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was
fully dressed Zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever
before in his life.

He was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the
presence of the Princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into
a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid. Here he
found Dorothy seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful
that the boy stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration.

But Dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand drawing
him impulsively toward the lovely Princess, who smiled most
graciously upon her guest. Then the Wizard entered, and his presence
relieved the boy's embarrassment. The little man was clothed in
black velvet, with many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his
breast; but his bald head and wrinkled features made him appear more
amusing than impressive.

Ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built
the Emerald City and united the Munchkins, Gillikins, Quadlings and
Winkies into one people; so when they were all four seated at the
dinner table the Princess said:

"Please tell me, Mr. Wizard, whether you called yourself Oz
after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called
Oz after you. It is a matter that I have long wished to enquire
about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is Ozma.
No, one, I am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than
you."

"That is true," answered the little Wizard; "therefore it will
give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. In the
first place, I must tell you that I was born in Omaha, and my father,
who was a politician, named me Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman
Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, Diggs being the last name because he
could think of no more to go before it. Taken altogether, it was a
dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of
the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When
I grew up I just called myself O. Z., because the other initials were
P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on
my intelligence."

"Surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short,"
said Ozma, sympathetically. "But didn't you cut it almost too
short?"

"Perhaps so," replied the Wizard. "When a young man I ran away
from home and joined a circus. I used to call myself a Wizard, and
do tricks of ventriloquism."

"What does that mean?" asked the Princess.

"Throwing my voice into any object I pleased, to make it appear
that the object was speaking instead of me. Also I began to make
balloon ascensions. On my balloon and on all the other articles I
used in the circus I painted the two initials: 'O. Z.', to show that
those things belonged to me.

"One day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the
deserts to this beautiful country. When the people saw me come from
the sky they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed
down before me. I told them I was a Wizard, and showed them some
easy tricks that amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted
on the balloon they called me Oz."

"Now I begin to understand," said the Princess, smiling.

"At that time," continued the Wizard, busily eating his soup
while talking, "there were four separate countries in this Land, each
one of the four being ruled by a Witch. But the people thought my
power was greater than that of the Witches; and perhaps the Witches
thought so too, for they never dared oppose me. I ordered the
Emerald City to be built just where the four countries cornered
together, and when it was completed I announced myself the Ruler of
the Land of Oz, which included all the four countries of the
Munchkins, the Gillikins, the Winkies and the Quadlings. Over this
Land I ruled in peace for many years, until I grew old and longed to
see my native city once again. So when Dorothy was first blown to
this place by a cyclone I arranged to go away with her in a balloon;
but the balloon escaped too soon and carried me back alone. After
many adventures I reached Omaha, only to find that all my old friends
were dead or had moved away. So, having nothing else to do, I joined
a circus again, and made my balloon ascensions until the earthquake
caught me."

"That is quite a history," said Ozma; "but there is a little
more history about the Land of Oz that you do not seem to
understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you.
Many years before you came here this Land was united under one Ruler,
as it is now, and the Ruler's name was always 'Oz,' which means in
our language 'Great and Good'; or, if the Ruler happened to be a
woman, her name was always 'Ozma.' But once upon a time four Witches
leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the
kingdom themselves; so when the Ruler, my grandfather, was hunting
one day, one Wicked Witch named Mombi stole him and carried him away,
keeping him a close prisoner. Then the Witches divided up the
kingdom, and ruled the four parts of it until you came here. That
was why the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from
your initials that you were their rightful ruler."

"But, at that time," said the Wizard, thoughtfully, "there were
two Good Witches and two Wicked Witches ruling in the land."

"Yes," replied Ozma, "because a good Witch had conquered Mombi
in the North and Glinda the Good had conquered the evil Witch in the
South. But Mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my
father's jailor. When I was born she transformed me into a boy,
hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that I was the
rightful Princess of the Land of Oz. But I escaped from her and am
now the Ruler of my people."

"I am very glad of that," said the Wizard, "and hope you will
consider me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects."

"We owe a great deal to the Wonderful Wizard," continued the
Princess, "for it was you who built this splendid Emerald City."

"Your people built it," he answered. "I only bossed the job, as
we say in Omaha."

"But you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she,
"and made the people proud of your magical art. So, as you are now
too old to wander abroad and work in a circus, I offer you a home
here as long as you live. You shall be the Official Wizard of my
kingdom, and be treated with every respect and consideration."

"I accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious Princess,"
the little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that
tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. It meant a good deal
to him to secure a home like this.

"He's only a humbug Wizard, though," said Dorothy, smiling at
him.

"And that is the safest kind of a Wizard to have," replied Ozma,
promptly.

"Oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced
Zeb, who was now feeling more at ease.

"He shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the Princess.
"I have sent messengers to summon all of Dorothy's old friends to
meet her and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon,
now."

Indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the
Scarecrow, to hug Dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he
was to see her again. The Wizard was also most heartily welcomed by
the straw man, who was an important personage in the Land of Oz.

"How are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped
the soft, stuffed hands of his old friend.

"Working finely," answered the Scarecrow. "I'm very certain,
Oz, that you gave me the best brains in the world, for I can think
with them day and night, when all other brains are fast asleep."

"How long did you rule the Emerald City, after I left here?" was
the next question.

"Quite awhile, until I was conquered by a girl named General
Jinjur. But Ozma soon conquered her, with the help of Glinda the
Good, and after that I went to live with Nick Chopper, the Tin
Woodman."

Just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant
threw open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in.
Dorothy sprang forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms,
uttering at the same time a glad cry.

"Oh, Billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown."

"Why shouldn't I?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "I
live on the fat of the land--don't I, Ozma?"

"You have everything you wish for," said the Princess.

Around Billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on
her legs were bracelets of emeralds. She nestled herself comfortably
in Dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and
leaped up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike Billina a blow.
But the little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it
jumped down again without daring to scratch.

"How horrid of you, Eureka!" cried Dorothy. "Is that the way to
treat my friends?"

"You have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a
surly tone.

"Seems to me the same way," said Billina, scornfully, "if that
beastly cat is one of them."

"Look here!" said Dorothy, sternly. "I won't have any
quarrelling in the Land of Oz, I can tell you! Everybody lives in
peace here, and loves everybody else; and unless you two, Billina and
Eureka, make up and be friends, I'll take my Magic Belt and wish you
both home again, immejitly. So, there!"

They were both much frightened at the threat, and promised
meekly to be good. But it was never noticed that they became very
warm friends, for all of that.

And now the Tin Woodman arrived, his body most beautifully
nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of
the room. The Tin Woodman loved Dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed
with joy the return of the little old Wizard.

"Sir," said he to the latter, "I never can thank you enough for
the excellent heart you once gave me. It has made me many friends, I
assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it every
did."

"I'm glad to hear that," said the Wizard. "I was afraid it
would get moldy in that tin body of yours."

"Not at all," returned Nick Chopper. "It keeps finely, being
preserved in my air-tight chest."

Zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer
people; but they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to
admire them very much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow
hen. But he became nervous again when the next visitor was
announced.

"This," said Princess Ozma, "is my friend Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug,
T. E., who assisted me one time when I was in great distress, and is
now the Dean of the Royal College of Athletic Science."

"Ah," said the Wizard; "I'm pleased to meet so distinguished a
personage."

"H. M.," said the Woggle-Bug, pompously, "means Highly
Magnified; and T. E. means Thoroughly Educated. I am, in reality, a
very big bug, and doubtless the most intelligent being in all this
broad domain."

"How well you disguise it," said the Wizard. "But I don't doubt
your word in the least."

"Nobody doubts it, sir," replied the Woggle-Bug, and drawing a
book from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the
company and sat down in a corner to read.

Nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more
impolite in one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot
him and joined in a merry conversation that kept them well amused
until bed-time arrived.