Tik-Tok of Oz

's

won't sweep the floor.

ter, Salye; "else we shall soon be wading in dust.

t," she added with a sigh, "my kingdom is the

pass into the more settled parts of the land. They knew that all of Oz, including their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful Princess named Ozma, who lived in the splendid Emerald City; yet the simple folk of Oogaboo never visited Ozma. They had a royal f

ickle onions. But the King's wife had a sharp tongue and small respect for the King, her husband; therefore one night King Jol crept over the pass into the Land of Oz and disap

ite forgotten how many years the birthdays marked. In a land where people live always, this is not considered a ca

pid and unenterprising. Often she wondered what had become of her father and mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful Land of Oz, and the fact that they did not return to Oogaboo led An

is absurd Kingdom o

ed Salye; "but you are very

" ask

is Ozma's country, you will be a n

twenty-seven women and forty-four

you raise an army and conquer them, and be Queen of all Oz?" she asked, trying to taunt Ann and so

use her people loved her. Even in Oogaboo the story was told that Ozma's sole army consisted of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried no weapons, because there

Ruler in Ozma's place, if she but had an Army to do it with. Afterward she could go out into the world and conquer other lands,

big Army, but by surprising Ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "Gentle people are always afraid of those that bluster," Ann told herself. "I don't wish to shed

more than once, finally determined the Queen

y staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and qua

started out to o

as Jo Apple, so called beca

to conquer the world, and

thing, for I must politely ref

ou. I shall command you, as Quee

voice. "But I pray you to consider that I am a very important ci

a General,"

ulets and a sw

e," said

as he owned an orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns

to conquer the world, and I

laimed. "The bun cro

children do the p

at importance, Your M

and wear a cocked hat with gold braid, and curl yo

alked on to the next cottage. Here lived Jo Cone, so called becaus

ng to conquer the world,

fe conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than I. Take h

ferocious warriors," declared Ann, lo

e my wife here in

make you a

n orchard of clock-trees. This man at first insisted that he would not join th

s are there in yo

far," re

the army be?" was

e of the eighteen men in O

nnounced Jo Clock. "I advise you t

f her Army; but the fifth one, Jo Nails, said Colonels and Generals were getting to be altogether too common in the Army of Oogaboo and he preferred to be a Major. So Jo N

he made these two Lieutenants, while there were four Captains, four Majors, four Colonels and

home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops, bonbons and chocolate-creams. Also he had large fields of crackerjack and buttered pop corn to b

had nine book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. In case you have never seen books growing upon trees, I will explain that those in Jo Files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. Then the b

d to read most of them himself, before they spoiled. For, as you probably know, as soon as the books were read th

fun to conquer the world. But he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior to the other men of her army. Th

like this

I am told that Princess Ozma once had a private soldier, but she made him h

no officer is ever brave enough to face the foe. Also, it stands to reason that your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders to; therefore I'll be the one. I long to slash and

her enterprise, and her hopes of success took a sudden bound when Files told her he knew where