Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz Ch 1-3 986 words

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

You must
go to the House of the Sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth."

"Oh no; it's just Eureka, my kitten.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz


1.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

This second one was a Rain
of People-and-Horse-and-Buggy.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns.

"Oh no; it's just Eureka, my kitten.

The boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked
thoughtful.

"My
whole name is Zebediah; but folks just call me 'Zeb.'

What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"

But no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a
stop at last.

Far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

These spires were like great spear-points, and
if they tumbled upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious
injury.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage
on the floor in front.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

The Glass City


When Dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so
fast.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

"Canary-birds?" he asked.

The Earthquake


The train from 'Frisco was very late.

"The conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew."

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

"How is Uncle Henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the
horse continued to trot with long, regular strides.

Other
buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;
but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had
happened to mar their perfection.

There sat the thorny Sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the
Wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles.

"Perhaps," said Dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go."

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a
big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and
sharp-pointed spires.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

There were men
and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully
formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

"Guess I'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse.

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both
walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

"Oh, well; I'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently,
"and I've had lots of trouble in my day, little one.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

Next minute there
was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side Dorothy saw the ground
open in a wide crack and then come together again.

Next minute there
was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side Dorothy saw the ground
open in a wide crack and then come together again.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

"No, my Prince."

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently.

They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a
big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and
sharp-pointed spires.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

There sat the thorny Sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the
Wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

"Now," said the little man, "I will create something out of nothing."

"Yes. Uncle Bill Hugson married your Uncle Henry's wife's sister; so
we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

"Hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you Dorothy Gale?"

"You're dreadfully
skinny."

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it IS strange," remarked the small voice
of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a
foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

After turning
his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he
said to Zeb, who was a little taller than Dorothy:

"Tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the Rain of Stones?"

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

"Uncle
Henry says 'Eureka' means 'I have found it.'"

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

"Hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you Dorothy Gale?"

The Wizard continued this
surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at
his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way.

There sat the thorny Sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the
Wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles.

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

Dorothy had a green streak
through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came
together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.

"How is Uncle Henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the
horse continued to trot with long, regular strides.

Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the
horse tipping also.

The people at once
followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room,
leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the
center of the hall.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness.

So he followed the Prince into the great domed hall, and
Dorothy and Zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in
also.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

"Eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

"Ahem!" said the Wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?"

These
they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and
Jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and
struck his boney body.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

The man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a
big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and
sharp-pointed spires.

But he had no hair
at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his
hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of
rose-bushes.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both
walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

"Nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the
horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at
present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer
country or not.

Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was
cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.

With this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so
that the two were one.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

"Why, he's vegetable!" cried the Wizard, astonished.

"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack
and break our houses?" he continued.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

Then she looked at Zeb, whose face was blue and
whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous.

He waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard,
playing sweet music.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

"Canary-birds?" he asked.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

Presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes
briskly.

"Perhaps," said Dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go."

"Oh no; it's just Eureka, my kitten.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

"Have you come to take me to Hugson's Ranch?"

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

Then the boy picked up
the reins, shook them, and said "Gid-dap!"

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

In this quake a big crack opened and we
fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and
came down with us."

Dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier.

There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently.

"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack
and break our houses?" he continued.

"How is Uncle Henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the
horse continued to trot with long, regular strides.

But they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it
could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to
take heart and look about them.

"But Jim
knows his business all right--don't you, Jim?" patting the long nose of
the animal.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

He waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard,
playing sweet music.

The horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

The Arrival Of The Wizard


The doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and
buggy to enter, so Zeb drove straight through it and the children found
themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful.

There was
no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he
must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had
rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked
rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his
shoulder to gaze at the strange animal.

During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:

"Well, that's better!"

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he
kicked over Dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that
the bottom came off.

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

Were you ever with a circus, brother?"

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

I'll beat Old
Prickly, all right."

The boy was startled and his eyes were big.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

"All right; hop in."

The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of
queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

But he had no hair
at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his
hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of
rose-bushes.

"It's all wrong," said Zeb, gravely.

The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes,
and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded.

With this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so
that the two were one.

Suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into
another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing.

He
was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to
appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf.

The buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side
curtains.

Then the boy cracked
his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan
of protest Jim stepped slowly along the road.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

Soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into
one of the glass buildings.

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

They began to wonder if
there were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner
world.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

By the time
he had attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to
breathe, as the charm of the Sorcerer was beginning to take effect.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

"We'll never get home again, though!" declared Zeb, with a groan.

"You don't weigh as much as you ought to, Jim," remarked the girl,
shaking her head as she looked at the animal.

"It's wonderful!" said Dorothy.

"Does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl.

"Uncle
Henry says 'Eureka' means 'I have found it.'"

Next minute there
was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side Dorothy saw the ground
open in a wide crack and then come together again.

His great weight made him fall faster
than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when
he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was
not even jarred.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

The Earthquake


The train from 'Frisco was very late.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

"Yes; but we're used to such things in California," he replied.

Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was
cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.

"He's pretty well.

The central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun.

"I am
delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of
it.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.

This is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?"

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the
horse tipping also.

He was
quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage
on the floor in front.

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he
kicked over Dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that
the bottom came off.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

Suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they
were on and stepped into plain view.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

He laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

He took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it
briskly.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

All this was so terrible and unreal that he could
not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.

But
I've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid
earth, and land lower down than I intended.

The boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:

"Well, that's better!"

They did not
smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity
or friendliness.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

The man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this
speech.

He was not a very large man, but
was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face
of a fine portrait.

The rainbow tints from the colored
suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many
delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

A nearby steeple had
been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it.

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

The boy
took his seat beside her and said: "Gid-dap Jim."

As the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass
city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Mangaboos.

Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage
on the floor in front.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.

The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.

"Isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully.

"My name is Gwig," said the Sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes
upon his rival.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

These
they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and
Jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and
struck his boney body.

Tomorrow Uncle Henry and I must start back for Kansas.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

"Canary-birds?" he asked.

The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness.

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

"That was an awful big quake," replied Zeb, with a white face.

So, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of
his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began
floating downward to the street.

But he had no hair
at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his
hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of
rose-bushes.

Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage
on the floor in front.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

He took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it
briskly.

"I don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously.

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it
slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange
personage seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

Presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes
briskly.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was
cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.

The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes,
and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

Just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the
horse tipping also.

"How long will you be with us?" he asked.

"Of course," growled the horse, "and then we shall be sorry it
happened."

But they continued to fall, all together, and the
boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they
were before.

The Earthquake


The train from 'Frisco was very late.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

They did not really hurt the poor horse,
because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish
fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the
pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more
frightened than he was injured.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

All this was so terrible and unreal that he could
not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.

Soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into
one of the glass buildings.

They did not really hurt the poor horse,
because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish
fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the
pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more
frightened than he was injured.

She began to realize
that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely
started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and
unusual as were those she had before encountered.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

He reached the edge of the
tall roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as
calmly as if he were on firm ground.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

"We got to San Francisco a week
ago, and Uncle Henry went right on to Hugson's Ranch for a visit while
I stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met."

Then he started to say something to his little companion,
but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side
to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them.

"Eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked.

Zeb gave a shiver.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

The horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock.

Soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into
one of the glass buildings.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it IS strange," remarked the small voice
of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a
foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

Dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his
drooping ears, but that was all.

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Mangaboos.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the
dark hair just over his forehead.

"I'm sure we are in no danger," said Dorothy, in a sober voice.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

"What is your name?" said Dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner
and the cheery tone of his voice.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.

"We only know that yesterday came a Rain of Stones upon us, which did
much damage and injured some of our people.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

"Why, it's a great deal for Uncle Hugson, but not for me.

"Ahem!" said the Wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?"

Instead, he drew a leathern case
from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined
together, one after another, until they made a long sword.

"He eats enough to get fat, I'm sure," said the boy, gravely.

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

After turning
his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he
said to Zeb, who was a little taller than Dorothy:

"Tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the Rain of Stones?"

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

He
was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to
appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf.

"Isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully.

There was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had
passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing
rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

Presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes
briskly.

The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed
the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly.

Dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both
walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

Then she looked at Zeb, whose face was blue and
whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous.

"That does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking
at the one with the star uneasily.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

So he followed the Prince into the great domed hall, and
Dorothy and Zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in
also.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of
queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

The girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof,
and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground.

"But never mind; something will happen pretty soon."

There was
no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he
must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had
rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked
rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his
shoulder to gaze at the strange animal.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him.

"But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and
soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread
out below them.

During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:

"Well, that's better!"

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

People began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new
arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled.

He was not a very large man, but
was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face
of a fine portrait.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

"What is your name?" said Dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner
and the cheery tone of his voice.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.

The sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think.

"All right; hop in."

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

Dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

"We got to San Francisco a week
ago, and Uncle Henry went right on to Hugson's Ranch for a visit while
I stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met."

"You're dreadfully
skinny."

And some stones came with them."

She could
count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body,
and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it
did not fit.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

The light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes,
and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

There was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not
especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their
features had no more expression than the faces of dolls.

Then he started to say something to his little companion,
but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side
to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

"Look out!" cried Dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not
look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!"

"We
are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land,
and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

"But Jim
knows his business all right--don't you, Jim?" patting the long nose of
the animal.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

Dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his
drooping ears, but that was all.

She began to realize
that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely
started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and
unusual as were those she had before encountered.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

"Very clever," said the Wizard, nodding his head as if pleased.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

"We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly.

So, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of
his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began
floating downward to the street.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

Here and there
were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they
sparkled so brightly.

How long this state of things continued Dorothy could not even guess,
she was so greatly bewildered.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him.

"Goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

"We had a lot of earthquakes," said Dorothy.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

"At
least, it isn't as wrong as some other things.

The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of
glass were lying scattered in every direction.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

"Didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a
pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, I didn't mean to visit you when I
started out.

"Hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you Dorothy Gale?"

Now, good people, observe me carefully.

"Does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl.

Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them.

These
they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and
Jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and
struck his boney body.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and
soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread
out below them.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

But
I've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid
earth, and land lower down than I intended.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

"I'm 'most starved to death."

"They
don't scare us much."

Now was the Wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked:

"Will somebody kindly loan me a hat?"

It was a big horse,
tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet.

People began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new
arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled.

The people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before,
big or little.

"But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:

"Well, that's better!"

"We are somewhere in the middle of the
earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before
long.

There was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had
passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing
rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again.

But Dorothy, seeing
his perplexity, answered:

"It's a shaking of the earth.

Instead, he drew a leathern case
from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined
together, one after another, until they made a long sword.

All this was so terrible and unreal that he could
not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.

She could
count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body,
and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it
did not fit.

Sorry to have
troubled you; but it couldn't be helped."

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

"Of course," he answered.

"Thought that train would never come," observed the boy.

"Those were the first words I ever said," called out the horse, who had
overheard them, "and I can't explain why I happened to speak then.

Said he:

"This child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called
you a Wizard.

The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.

"My
whole name is Zebediah; but folks just call me 'Zeb.'

Here and there
were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they
sparkled so brightly.

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he
kicked over Dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that
the bottom came off.

They seemed to be falling right into the middle of a
big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and
sharp-pointed spires.

"Have you come to take me to Hugson's Ranch?"

"We got to San Francisco a week
ago, and Uncle Henry went right on to Hugson's Ranch for a visit while
I stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met."

When Jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs
trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but Zeb at once leaped out
of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he
kicked over Dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that
the bottom came off.

"Yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking
gray eyes.

The boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked
thoughtful.

Zeb shook the
reins and urged him to go, but Jim was stubborn.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently.

Now was the Wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked:

"Will somebody kindly loan me a hat?"

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

So the Wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the
sharp sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a
mighty stroke that cut the body of the Sorcerer exactly in two.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away,
either.

Suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into
another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

With this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so
that the two were one.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

Suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into
another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the little Wizard, greatly puzzled.

But not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had
arrived, except that of their own voices.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

But not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had
arrived, except that of their own voices.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

"Isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Jumping out of
the buggy he put Dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage
on the floor in front.

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

"Isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

"That was an awful big quake," replied Zeb, with a white face.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.

"Can your horse talk?" she asked.

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Mangaboos.

At once a pink kitten crept out of the upset
cage, sat down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round
eyes.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

Zeb drew back with a shiver.

The sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds
as it swept over the valley.

Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them.

"I--I don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered.

"Maybe Jim will go," continued Dorothy, looking at the horse.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

"What an absurd creature!" he exclaimed.

She set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them.

Other
buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;
but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had
happened to mar their perfection.

"I don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

The Sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with
cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big
ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail
should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the
stripes of a zebra.

"And maybe he won't!" answered Jim. "I've tumbled through the air long
enough to make me contented on this roof."

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

And so, one by one, the nine
tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the
creatures remained.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

"Maybe Jim will go," continued Dorothy, looking at the horse.

She could
count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body,
and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it
did not fit.

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it
slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange
personage seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose.

I thought that was the best way
to carry her."

It was not
so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending
slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to
move.

The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.

Then it must have happened while I was asleep," he said
thoughtfully.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

There were men
and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully
formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces.

A nearby steeple had
been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it.

Presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes
briskly.

Then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll
slowly over until they were right side up again.

I live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far
better than living inside it; but yesterday I went up in a balloon, and
when I came down I fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an
earthquake.

"But Jim
knows his business all right--don't you, Jim?" patting the long nose of
the animal.

"But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

Dorothy had a green streak
through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came
together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.

Then, remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them
long before they had reached this place, he answered:

"No, sir; we didn't cause anything.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

A nearby steeple had
been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it.

"Where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into Dorothy's face.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

They did not really hurt the poor horse,
because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish
fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the
pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more
frightened than he was injured.

These
they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and
Jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and
struck his boney body.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

In this quake a big crack opened and we
fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and
came down with us."

There were men
and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully
formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces.

The girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof,
and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground.

The reason he was so late was because
all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and
trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the
rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

The rainbow tints from the colored
suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many
delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.

Dorothy stretched out a hand to him and Zeb put one foot out and let it
rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.

There was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not
especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their
features had no more expression than the faces of dolls.

The boy nodded.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

Other
buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them;
but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had
happened to mar their perfection.

Suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they
were on and stepped into plain view.

Then he started to say something to his little companion,
but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side
to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them.

Dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his
drooping ears, but that was all.

There was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not
especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their
features had no more expression than the faces of dolls.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

"I belong
to Bailum & Barney's Great Consolidated Shows--three rings in one tent
and a menagerie on the side.

"Yes; but we're used to such things in California," he replied.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

Dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

As it came to a
stop the conductor called out in a loud voice:

"Hugson's Siding!"

But he did
not wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly
to the edge of the roof.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of
queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

Then the boy cracked
his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan
of protest Jim stepped slowly along the road.

Then the boy cracked
his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan
of protest Jim stepped slowly along the road.

"All right; hop in."

This is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?"

"Goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat.

There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently.

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and
soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread
out below them.

"Yes; but we're used to such things in California," he replied.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

But bye and bye, as she stared ahead
into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the
form of the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his
long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space.

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled
Jim, as if he resented Zeb's speech.

"He's pretty well.

He waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard,
playing sweet music.

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

Zeb hesitated.

"I work
for Uncle Bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my
board."

Yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away,
either.

He
was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to
appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf.

Dorothy had a green streak
through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came
together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright.

"The conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew."

She climbed into the buggy and he followed her.

For a good many
years I drew a public cab in Chicago, and that's enough to make anyone
skinny."

"Can your horse talk?" she asked.

Blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they
waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for
the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its
dreadful depths.

Tomorrow Uncle Henry and I must start back for Kansas.

They did not
smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity
or friendliness.

"The conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew."

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

Then the boy cracked
his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan
of protest Jim stepped slowly along the road.

There was
no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he
must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had
rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked
rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his
shoulder to gaze at the strange animal.

"Nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the
horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at
present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer
country or not.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting.

The little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared
around a curve; then she turned to see where she was.

"Why," cried Dorothy, in amazement, "it's Oz!"

The little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she
was.

Dorothy was surprised to find how
patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly
with excitement.

"Suppose we let Eureka go down to the street and get some one to help
us," suggested Zeb, who had been even more amazed than Dorothy at these
strange happenings.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

"We had a lot of earthquakes," said Dorothy.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

The top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an
umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to
bear.

Neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled
Jim, as if he resented Zeb's speech.

Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the
dark hair just over his forehead.

Dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier.

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

He
was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to
appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf.

"Of course," he answered.

Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was
cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.

The central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun.

They did not really hurt the poor horse,
because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish
fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the
pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more
frightened than he was injured.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

"And maybe he won't!" answered Jim. "I've tumbled through the air long
enough to make me contented on this roof."

Instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it
slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange
personage seated upon a glass throne just before Jim's nose.

The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness.

She walked
toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless,
with its head hanging down almost to the ground.

"Oh, Oz!" said Dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in
the marvelous Land of Oz."

"Nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray
of violet sunlight was on his round face.

There was a
breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would
shake violently.

Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.

The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this
great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was
about to overtake them at any moment.

The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of
glass were lying scattered in every direction.

"Eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked.

"My
whole name is Zebediah; but folks just call me 'Zeb.'

During this time Jim
struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding
himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of
voice:

"Well, that's better!"

"Never!" declared the Wizard, boldly.

How long this state of things continued Dorothy could not even guess,
she was so greatly bewildered.

They simply started at the strangers, paying most
attention to Jim and Eureka, for they had never before seen either a
horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to
themselves.

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled
Jim, as if he resented Zeb's speech.

"Of course," growled the horse, "and then we shall be sorry it
happened."

Pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the
dark hair just over his forehead.

"I belong
to Bailum & Barney's Great Consolidated Shows--three rings in one tent
and a menagerie on the side.

His great weight made him fall faster
than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when
he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was
not even jarred.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it IS strange," remarked the small voice
of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a
foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

The roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of
glass were lying scattered in every direction.

Getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the
girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep.

Otherwise--"

"What will happen otherwise?" asked the Wizard.

You see, there is nothing up
my sleeve and nothing concealed about my person.

I thought that was the best way
to carry her."

"Do I? Can you remember any breakfast that I've had today?" growled
Jim, as if he resented Zeb's speech.

He
was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to
appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf.

He placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and
then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a
mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal
in a tiny, shrill voice.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

Also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside
her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself.

"We
are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land,
and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

I live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far
better than living inside it; but yesterday I went up in a balloon, and
when I came down I fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an
earthquake.

The man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this
speech.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of
queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

It seemed firm
enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

"But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

Slowly
they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and
then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was
a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each
corner.




3.

The conductor helped her off the car and then the
engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and
moved slowly away up the track.

"The conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew."

Then it must have happened while I was asleep," he said
thoughtfully.

His great weight made him fall faster
than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when
he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was
not even jarred.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the little Wizard, greatly puzzled.

"Didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a
pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, I didn't mean to visit you when I
started out.

There was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet Dorothy was not
especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their
features had no more expression than the faces of dolls.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

It should have arrived at
Hugson's Siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the
gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled
up to the open shed that served for the station-house.

The Wizard continued this
surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at
his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way.

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

"Yes. Uncle Bill Hugson married your Uncle Henry's wife's sister; so
we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone.

They simply started at the strangers, paying most
attention to Jim and Eureka, for they had never before seen either a
horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to
themselves.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.

"The Rain of Stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we
shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence."

Slowly
they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and
then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was
a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each
corner.




3.

"Come back, Eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be
killed."

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

Crash after crash echoed far
above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and
stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side.

His tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been
broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits
of wire.

"By the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the
Sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second Rain
of Stones.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

Dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used
for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of
queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms.

"We got to San Francisco a week
ago, and Uncle Henry went right on to Hugson's Ranch for a visit while
I stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met."

As she peered through the soft gray light
not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any
person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and
buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away.

The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed
the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly.

"I've waited
at that station for five hours."

"Guess I'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse.

"Yes; but it's lots of fun, if it IS strange," remarked the small voice
of the kitten, and Dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a
foot or so away from the edge of the roof.

"That was an awful big quake," replied Zeb, with a white face.

"I will stop you from living and forbid you to be planted," returned
the Prince.

The horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying
noises, proved more than Dorothy could endure and for a few moments the
little girl lost consciousness.

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

She could
count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body,
and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it
did not fit.

He and Uncle Hugson have been having a fine visit."

"They
don't scare us much."

Then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at
once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot
down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light.

The sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think.

You must
go to the House of the Sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth."

They saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very
like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly
colored by the variegated lights from the six suns.

"We
are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land,
and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty."

At once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the
car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage
covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked
under her arm.

This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy
and Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

All this was so terrible and unreal that he could
not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid.

"But Jim
knows his business all right--don't you, Jim?" patting the long nose of
the animal.

"I go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus.

We've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get
home again."

"I have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked
around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but I can't lose
even one of them by falling in this country, because I really couldn't
manage to fall if I wanted to."

The man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed
the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly.

"But don't let us
worry over such things, Zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you
know, and I've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble."

"Oh, Oz!" said Dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in
the marvelous Land of Oz."

"Nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray
of violet sunlight was on his round face.

Swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close
beside them.

You've been to
Australia, haven't you?"

He and Uncle Hugson have been having a fine visit."

"Those were the first words I ever said," called out the horse, who had
overheard them, "and I can't explain why I happened to speak then.

A balloon meant to her some other arrival from the
surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist
her and Zeb out of their difficulties.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.

With a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit,
drawing the buggy and its occupants after him.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.

His clothing fitted his form snugly and was
gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the
sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays.

Dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two
halves of the Sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no
bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was
cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato.

The rainbow tints from the colored
suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many
delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see.

The boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and
soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread
out below them.

"Uncle
Henry says 'Eureka' means 'I have found it.'"

He was
quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald.

She could
count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body,
and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it
did not fit.

The boy was startled and his eyes were big.

The shed at Hugson's Siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and
did not look very inviting.

"Guess I'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

Then the boy picked up
the reins, shook them, and said "Gid-dap!"

They did not really hurt the poor horse,
because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish
fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the
pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more
frightened than he was injured.

The Wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his
hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail
between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two
parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant.

The people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before,
big or little.

Zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but
he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip,
expecting every moment would be his last.




2.