The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

took place so far from either the Emerald City or the castle of Glinda the Good that

here are quantities of bramble bushes with sharp prickers on them, which prevent any of the Oz people who live down below from climbing up to see what is on top. But on top live the Yips, and although the space they occupy is no

herever their owners' fancy dictated, with fields here, trees there, and odd little paths connecting the houses one with another. It was here, on the morning when Ozma so strangely disappeared from the Emerald City, that Cayke the Cook

om the common frogs of Oz, and when he was first born he lived in a pool in the Winkie Country and was much like any other frog. Being of an adventurous nature, however, he soon hopped out of his pool and began to travel, when a big bird came along and seized him in its beak and started to fly away with him to its nest. When high in the air, the frog wriggled so frantically that he got loose and fell down, down, down into a small hidden pool on the tableland of the Yips. Now that pool, it seems, was unknown to

frog, the frog became the most important. He did not hop any more, but stood upright on his hind legs and dressed himself in fine clothes and sat in chairs and did all the things that people do, so he soon came to be called the Frogman, and that is the only name he has ever had. After some years had passed, the people came to regard the Frogm

mself in his beautiful clothes and sat in his house and received the visits of all the Yips who came to him to ask his advice. The Frogman's usual costume consisted of knee-breeches made of yellow satin plush, with trimmings of gold braid and jeweled knee-buckles; a white satin vest with silver buttons in which were set solitaire rubies; a swallow-tailed coat of bright yellow; green s

ncy. In his heart the big frog knew he was no wiser than the Yips, but for a frog to know as much as a person was quite remarkable, and the Frogman was shrewd enough to make the

ake her to the Frogman and inform him of the loss, thinking that of course he would tell her where to find it. He listened to the story with

Cayke anxiously.

rogman, and hearing this all the Yips nodded their heads

my dishpan!"

ou for that wish,"

here I may find

sing manner. This was the first time so difficult a matter had been brought to him, and he wanted time to think. It would never do to let them suspect his ignorance, and so h

" answered Cayke the C

Frogman, "this theft become

my dishpan?" dem

we must employ other means to regain the lost article. Cayke must first write a Proclamation and tack it to the

one returns it,"

that very fact will be proo

companied by a group of her neighbors, to the Frogman, who by this time had given the matter considerable thought. Said he to Cayke, "I am now convinced that no Yip has taken your dishpan, and since it is gone from the Yip Country, I suspect that some stranger came fro

ow. It was so far to the bottom of the hill that nothing there could be seen very distinctly, and it seemed to the Yips very venturesome, if not dangerous

is here on the top of this flat hill, and it seems to us a very pleasant place, but what is down

country than this is," s

. Perhaps in some other country there are better cookies than you cook, but as we have always eaten you

ishpan, but now she exclaimed impatiently, "You are cowards, all of you! If none of you are

our dishpan that is lost, not ours. And if you are willing to risk y

e seemed no reason so far as he could see why his fame should not spread throughout all Oz. He knew nothing of the rest of the world, but it was reasonable to believe that there were more people beyond the mountain where he now lived than there were Yips, and if he went among them he could surprise them with his display of wisdom and make them bow down to him as the Yips did. In other words, the Frogman was ambitious t

the Cookie Cook and nine of the Yips started to slide down the side of the mountain. The bramble bushes and cactus plants were very prickly and uncomfortable to the touch, so the Frogman quickly commanded the Yips to

along a basket full of her famous cookies, so they all had plenty to eat. On the second day the Yips began to wish they had not embarked on this adventure. They grumbled a good deal at h

id one of the Yips to Cayke, "it must have been a bird, for no person in the form

Yip, "the diamond-studded gold dishpan would not hav

diamonds and mine some more gold and make you another dishpan than be scratched from head to

near to the bottom of the great hill they came upon a great gulf, the sides of which were as smooth as glass. The gulf extended a long distance-as far as they could see in either direction-and although it was

okie Cook be

y dishpan again, and my hear

side. "Being a frog," said he, "I can leap, as all frogs do, and being so big and strong, I am sure I c

steep mountain, feeling they had had quite enough of this unsatisfactory adventure. Cayke the Cooki

odbye. If I find your diamond-decorated gold dishpan, I

ogman, why can't you carry me across the gulf when you le

ookie Cook was not a heavy person. Perhaps he could leap the gulf with her on hi

s do when they leap, and with his powerful rear legs he made a tremendous jump. Over the gulf they sailed, with the Cookie Cook on his back, and he had leaped so hard-to make sure of not fallin

rect again and carefully brushed the dust from his

ngly. "Leaping is one more accomplishment I can now

you say, you are wonderful in many ways. If we meet with any people down here, I

r before had the pleasure of seeing me. Also, they will marvel at my great lear

mouth is so very wide and opens so far, for otherwis

rogman. "But come, let us now go on, for it is getting late an