5. How Dorothy Became a Princess

The Emerald City of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

When the people of the Emerald City heard that Dorothy had
returned to them every one was eager to see her, for the little girl
was a general favorite in the Land of Oz. From time to time some of
the folk from the great outside world had found their way into this
fairyland, but all except one had been companions of Dorothy and had
turned out to be very agreeable people. The exception I speak of was
the wonderful Wizard of Oz, a sleight-of-hand performer from Omaha
who went up in a balloon and was carried by a current of air to the
Emerald City. His queer and puzzling tricks made the people of Oz
believe him a great wizard for a time, and he ruled over them until
Dorothy arrived on her first visit and showed the Wizard to be a mere
humbug. He was a gentle, kind-hearted little man, and Dorothy grew
to like him afterward. When, after an absence, the Wizard returned to
the Land of Oz, Ozma received him graciously and gave him a home in a
part of the palace.

In addition to the Wizard two other personages from the outside
world had been allowed to make their home in the Emerald City. The
first was a quaint Shaggy Man, whom Ozma had made the Governor of the
Royal Storehouses, and the second a Yellow Hen named Billina, who had
a fine house in the gardens back of the palace, where she looked
after a large family. Both these had been old comrades of Dorothy,
so you see the little girl was quite an important personage in Oz,
and the people thought she had brought them good luck, and loved her
next best to Ozma. During her several visits this little girl had
been the means of destroying two wicked witches who oppressed the
people, and she had discovered a live scarecrow who was now one of
the most popular personages in all the fairy country. With the
Scarecrow's help she had rescued Nick Chopper, a Tin Woodman, who had
rusted in a lonely forest, and the tin man was now the Emperor of the
Country of the Winkies and much beloved because of his kind heart.
No wonder the people thought Dorothy had brought them good luck!
Yet, strange as it may seem, she had accomplished all these wonders
not because she was a fairy or had any magical powers whatever, but
because she was a simple, sweet and true little girl who was honest
to herself and to all whom she met. In this world in which we live
simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders,
and in the Land of Oz Dorothy found these same qualities had won for
her the love and admiration of the people. Indeed, the little girl
had made many warm friends in the fairy country, and the only real
grief the Ozites had ever experienced was when Dorothy left them and
returned to her Kansas home.

Now she received a joyful welcome, although no one except Ozma
knew at first that she had finally come to stay for good and all.

That evening Dorothy had many callers, and among them were such
important people as Tiktok, a machine man who thought and spoke and
moved by clockwork; her old companion the genial Shaggy Man; Jack
Pumpkinhead, whose body was brush-wood and whose head was a ripe
pumpkin with a face carved upon it; the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry
Tiger, two great beasts from the forest, who served Princess Ozma,
and Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T.E. This wogglebug was a remarkable
creature. He had once been a tiny little bug, crawling around in a
school-room, but he was discovered and highly magnified so that he
could be seen more plainly, and while in this magnified condition he
had escaped. He had always remained big, and he dressed like a dandy
and was so full of knowledge and information (which are distinct
acquirements) that he had been made a Professor and the head of the
Royal College.

Dorothy had a nice visit with these old friends, and also talked
a long time with the Wizard, who was little and old and withered and
dried up, but as merry and active as a child. Afterward, she went to
see Billina's fast-growing family of chicks.

Toto, Dorothy's little black dog, also met with a cordial
reception. Toto was an especial friend of the Shaggy Man, and he knew
every one else. Being the only dog in the Land of Oz, he was highly
respected by the people, who believed animals entitled to every
consideration if they behaved themselves properly.

Dorothy had four lovely rooms in the palace, which were always
reserved for her use and were called "Dorothy's rooms." These
consisted of a beautiful sitting room, a dressing room, a dainty
bedchamber and a big marble bathroom. And in these rooms were
everything that heart could desire, placed there with loving
thoughtfulness by Ozma for her little friend's use. The royal
dressmakers had the little girl's measure, so they kept the closets
in her dressing room filled with lovely dresses of every description
and suitable for every occasion. No wonder Dorothy had refrained
from bringing with her her old calico and gingham dresses! Here
everything that was dear to a little girl's heart was supplied in
profusion, and nothing so rich and beautiful could ever have been
found in the biggest department stores in America. Of course Dorothy
enjoyed all these luxuries, and the only reason she had heretofore
preferred to live in Kansas was because her uncle and aunt loved her
and needed her with them.

Now, however, all was to be changed, and Dorothy was really more
delighted to know that her dear relatives were to share in her good
fortune and enjoy the delights of the Land of Oz, than she was to
possess such luxury for herself.

Next morning, at Ozma's request, Dorothy dressed herself in a
pretty sky-blue gown of rich silk, trimmed with real pearls. The
buckles of her shoes were set with pearls, too, and more of these
priceless gems were on a lovely coronet which she wore upon her
forehead. "For," said her friend Ozma, "from this time forth, my
dear, you must assume your rightful rank as a Princess of Oz, and
being my chosen companion you must dress in a way befitting the
dignity of your position."

Dorothy agreed to this, although she knew that neither gowns nor
jewels could make her anything else than the simple, unaffected
little girl she had always been.

As soon as they had breakfasted--the girls eating together in
Ozma's pretty boudoir--the Ruler of Oz said:

"Now, dear friend, we will use the Magic Belt to transport your
uncle and aunt from Kansas to the Emerald City. But I think it would
be fitting, in receiving such distinguished guests, for us to sit in
my Throne Room."

"Oh, they're not very 'stinguished, Ozma," said Dorothy.
"They're just plain people, like me."

"Being your friends and relatives, Princess Dorothy, they are
certainly distinguished," replied the Ruler, with a smile.

"They--they won't hardly know what to make of all your splendid
furniture and things," protested Dorothy, gravely. "It may scare 'em
to see your grand Throne Room, an' p'raps we'd better go into the
back yard, Ozma, where the cabbages grow an' the chickens are
playing. Then it would seem more natural to Uncle Henry and Aunt
Em."

"No; they shall first see me in my Throne Room," replied Ozma,
decidedly; and when she spoke in that tone Dorothy knew it was not
wise to oppose her, for Ozma was accustomed to having her own way.

So together they went to the Throne Room, an immense domed
chamber in the center of the palace. Here stood the royal throne,
made of solid gold and encrusted with enough precious stones to stock
a dozen jewelry stores in our country.

Ozma, who was wearing the Magic Belt, seated herself in the
throne, and Dorothy sat at her feet. In the room were assembled many
ladies and gentlemen of the court, clothed in rich apparel and
wearing fine jewelry. Two immense animals squatted, one on each side
of the throne--the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. In a balcony
high up in the dome an orchestra played sweet music, and beneath the
dome two electric fountains sent sprays of colored perfumed water
shooting up nearly as high as the arched ceiling.

"Are you ready, Dorothy?" asked the Ruler.

"I am," replied Dorothy; "but I don't know whether Aunt Em and
Uncle Henry are ready."

"That won't matter," declared Ozma. "The old life can have very
little to interest them, and the sooner they begin the new life here
the happier they will be. Here they come, my dear!"

As she spoke, there before the throne appeared Uncle Henry and
Aunt Em, who for a moment stood motionless, glaring with white and
startled faces at the scene that confronted them. If the ladies and
gentlemen present had not been so polite I am sure they would have
laughed at the two strangers.

Aunt Em had her calico dress skirt "tucked up," and she wore a
faded, blue-checked apron. Her hair was rather straggly and she had
on a pair of Uncle Henry's old slippers. In one hand she held a
dish-towel and in the other a cracked earthenware plate, which she
had been engaged in wiping when so suddenly transported to the Land
of Oz.

Uncle Henry, when the summons came, had been out in the barn
"doin' chores." He wore a ragged and much soiled straw hat, a
checked shirt without any collar and blue overalls tucked into the
tops of his old cowhide boots.

"By gum!" gasped Uncle Henry, looking around as if
bewildered.

"Well, I swan!" gurgled Aunt Em in a hoarse, frightened voice.
Then her eyes fell upon Dorothy, and she said: "D-d-d-don't that look
like our little girl--our Dorothy, Henry?"

"Hi, there--look out, Em!" exclaimed the old man, as Aunt Em
advanced a step; "take care o' the wild beastses, or you're a
goner!"

But now Dorothy sprang forward and embraced and kissed her aunt
and uncle affectionately, afterward taking their hands in her own.

"Don't be afraid," she said to them. "You are now in the Land
of Oz, where you are to live always, and be comfer'ble an' happy.
You'll never have to worry over anything again, 'cause there won't be
anything to worry about. And you owe it all to the kindness of my
friend Princess Ozma."

Here she led them before the throne and continued:

"Your Highness, this is Uncle Henry. And this is Aunt Em. They
want to thank you for bringing them here from Kansas."

Aunt Em tried to "slick" her hair, and she hid the dish-towel
and dish under her apron while she bowed to the lovely Ozma. Uncle
Henry took off his straw hat and held it awkwardly in his hands.

But the Ruler of Oz rose and came from her throne to greet her
newly arrived guests, and she smiled as sweetly upon them as if they
had been a king and queen.

"You are very welcome here, where I have brought you for
Princess Dorothy's sake," she said, graciously, "and I hope you will
be quite happy in your new home." Then she turned to her courtiers,
who were silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: "I
present to my people our Princess Dorothy's beloved Uncle Henry and
Aunt Em, who will hereafter be subjects of our kingdom. It will
please me to have you show them every kindness and honor in your
power, and to join me in making them happy and contented."

Hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and respectfully to
the old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in return.

"And now," said Ozma to them, "Dorothy will show you the rooms
prepared for you. I hope you will like them, and shall expect you to
join me at luncheon."

So Dorothy led her relatives away, and as soon as they were out
of the Throne Room and alone in the corridor, Aunt Em squeezed
Dorothy's hand and said:

"Child, child! How in the world did we ever get here so quick?
And is it all real? And are we to stay here, as she says? And what
does it all mean, anyhow?"

Dorothy laughed.

"Why didn't you tell us what you were goin' to do?" inquired
Uncle Henry, reproachfully. "If I'd known about it, I'd 'a put on my
Sunday clothes."

"I'll 'splain ever'thing as soon as we get to your rooms,"
promised Dorothy. "You're in great luck, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em;
an' so am I! And oh! I'm so happy to have got you here, at last!"

As he walked by the little girl's side, Uncle Henry stroked his
whiskers thoughtfully. "'Pears to me, Dorothy, we won't make bang-up
fairies," he remarked.

"An' my back hair looks like a fright!" wailed Aunt Em.

"Never mind," returned the little girl, reassuringly. "You
won't have anything to do now but to look pretty, Aunt Em; an' Uncle
Henry won't have to work till his back aches, that's certain."

"Sure?" they asked, wonderingly, and in the same breath.

"Course I'm sure," said Dorothy. "You're in the Fairyland of
Oz, now; an' what's more, you belong to it!"