of the way."
"For all those reasons," said the Munchkin
boy, "I have been called Ojo the Unlucky."
"Then we must turn over a new leaf and call you
henceforth Ojo the Lucky," declared the tin man.
"Every reason you have given is
absurd. But I have
noticed that those who
continually dread ill luck
and fear it will
overtake them, have no time to
take
advantage of any good fortune that comes
their way. Make up your mind to be Ojo the
Lucky."
"How can I?" asked the boy, "when all my
attempts to save my dear uncle have failed?"
"Never give up, Ojo," advised Dorothy. "No
one ever knows what's going to happen next."
Ojo did not reply, but he was so
dejected that
even their
arrival at the Emerald City failed to
interest him.
The people
joyfully cheered the appearance of
the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and Dorothy, who
were all three general favorites, and on entering
the royal palace word came to them from Ozma that
she would at once grant them an audience.
Dorothy told the girl Ruler how successful
they had been in their quest until they came to
the item of the yellow
butterfly, which the Tin
Woodman
positively refused to sacrifice to the
magic potion.
"He is quite right," said Ozma, who did not seem
a bit surprised. "Had Ojo told me that one of the
things he sought was the wing of a yellow
butterfly I would have informed him, before he
started out, that he could never secure it. Then
you would have been saved the troubles and
annoyances of your long journey."
"I didn't mind the journey at all," said
Dorothy; "it was fun."
"As it has turned out," remarked Ojo, "I can
never get the things the Crooked Magician sent
me for; and so, unless I wait the six years for
him to make the Powder of Life, Unc Nunkie
cannot be saved."
Ozma smiled.
"Dr. Pipt will make no more Powder of Life,
I promise you," said she. "I have sent for him
and had him brought to this palace, where he
now is, and his four kettles have been destroyed
and his book of recipes burned up. I have also
had brought here the
marblestatues of your
uncle and of Margolotte, which are
standing in
the next room.
They were all greatly astonished at this
announcement.
"Oh, let me see Unc Nunkie! Let me see him
at once, please!" cried Ojo eagerly.
"Wait a moment," replied Ozma, "for I have
something more to say. Nothing that happens
in the Land of Oz escapes the notice of our wise
Sorceress, Glinda the Good. She knew all about
the magic-making of Dr. Pipt, and how he had
brought the Glass Cat and the Patchwork Girl
to life, and the accident to Unc Nunkie and
Margolotte, and of Ojo's quest and his journey
with Dorothy. Glinda also knew that Ojo would
fail to find all the things he sought, so she sent
for our Wizard and instructed him what to do.
Something is going to happen in this palace,
presently, and that 'something' will, I am sure,
please you all. And now," continued the girl
Ruler, rising from her chair, "you may follow
me into the next room."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
When Ojo entered the room he ran quickly to
the
statue of Unc Nunkie and kissed the
marbleface affectionately.
"I did my best, Unc," he said, with a sob, "but
it was no use!"
Then he drew back and looked around the room,
and the sight of the assembled company quite
amazed him.
Aside from the
marblestatues of Unc Nunkie and
Margolotte, the Glass Cat was there, curled up on
a rug; and the Woozy was there, sitting on its
square hind legs and looking on the scene with
solemn interest; and there was the Shaggy Man, in
a suit of
shaggy pea-green satin, and at a table
sat the little Wizard, looking quite important and
as if he knew much more than he cared to tell.
Last of all, Dr. Pipt was there, and the
Crooked Magician sat humped up in a chair,
seeming very
dejected but keeping his eyes fixed
on the
lifeless form of his wife Margolotte,
whom he
fondly loved but whom he now feared
was lost to him forever.
Ozma took a chair which Jellia Jamb wheeled
forward for the Ruler, and back of her stood the
Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and Dorothy, as
well as the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry
Tiger. The Wizard now arose and made a low
bow to Ozma and another less deferent bow to
the assembled company.
"Ladies and gentlemen and beasts," he said,
"I beg to announce that our Gracious Ruler has
permitted me to obey the commands of the great
Sorceress, Glinda the Good, whose
humble Assistant
I am proud to be. We have discovered that the
Crooked Magician has been indulging in his magical
arts
contrary to Law, and
therefore, by Royal
Edict, I
herebydeprive him of all power to work
magic in the future. He is no longer a
crookedmagician, but a simple Munchkin; he is no longer
even
crooked, but a man like other men.
As he
pronounced these words the Wizard
waved his hand toward Dr. Pipt and instantly
every
crooked limb straightened out and became
perfect. The former
magician, with a cry of joy,
sprang to his feet, looked at himself in wonder,
and then fell back in his chair and watched the
Wizard with fascinated interest.
"The Glass Cat, which Dr. Pipt lawlessly
made," continued the Wizard, "is a pretty cat,
but its pink brains made it so
conceited that it
was a
disagreeablecompanion to
everyone. So
the other day I took away the pink brains and
replaced them with
transparent ones, and now
the Glass Cat is so
modest and well behaved
that Ozma has
decided to keep her in the palace
as a pet."
"I thank you," said the cat, in a soft voice.
"The Woozy has proved himself a good Woozy and a
faithful friend," the Wizard went on, "so we will
send him to the Royal Menagerie, where he will
have good care and plenty to eat all his life."
"Much obliged," said the Woozy. "That beats
being fenced up in a
lonely forest and starved."
"As for the Patchwork Girl," resumed the Wizard,
"she is so
remarkable in appearance, and so clever
and good tempered, that our Gracious Ruler intends
to
preserve her carefully, as one of the
curiosities of the curious Land of Oz. Scraps may
live in the palace, or
wherever she pleases, and
be nobody's servant but her own."
"That's all right," said Scraps.
"We have all been interested in Ojo," the little
Wizard continued, "because his love for his
unfortunate uncle has led him
bravely to face all
sorts of dangers, in order that he might rescue
him. The Munchkin boy has a loyal and generous
heart and has done his best to
restore Unc Nunkie
to life. He has failed, but there are others more
powerful than the Crooked Magician, and there are
more ways than Dr. Pipt knew of to destroy the
charm of the Liquid of Petrifaction. Glinda the
Good has told me of one way, and you shall now
learn how great is the knowledge and power of our
peerless Sorceress."
As he said this the Wizard
advanced to the
statue of Margolote and made a magic pass, at
the same time muttering a magic word that
none could hear
distinctly. At once the woman
moved, turned her head wonderingly this way
and that, to note all who stood before her, and
seeing Dr. Pipt, ran forward and threw herself
into her husband's
outstretched arms.
Then the Wizard made the magic pass and
spoke the magic word before the
statue of Unc
Nunkie. The old Munchkin immediately came
to life and with a low bow to the Wizard said:
"Thanks."
But now Ojo rushed up and threw his arms
joyfully about his uncle, and the old man
hugged his little
nephewtenderly and stroked
his hair and wiped away the boy's tears with a
handkerchief, for Ojo was crying from pure
happiness.
Ozma came forward to
congratulate them.
"I have given to you, my dear Ojo and Unc
Nunkie, a nice house just outside the walls of
the Emerald City," she said, "and there you
shall make your future home and be under my
protection."
"Didn't I say you were Ojo the Lucky?"
asked the Tin Woodman, as
everyone crowded
around to shake Ojo's hand.
"Yes; and it is true!" replied Ojo, gratefully.
End