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Wizard, with glass doors covering the shelves so that no one could get at

them.

And in a far corner sat Ugu the Shoemaker, his feet lazily extended, his skinny

hands clasped behind his head. He was leaning back at his ease and calmly

smoking a long pipe. Around the magician was a sort of cage, seemingly made

of golden bars set wide apart, and at his feet, also within the cage, reposed the

long-sought diamond-studded dishpan of Cayke the Cookie Cook. Princess

Ozma of Oz was nowhere to be seen.

Well, well," said Ugu when the invaders had stood in silence for a moment,

staring about them. "This visit is an unexpected pleasure, I assure you. I

knew you were coming, and I know why you are here. You are not welcome,

for I cannot use any of you to my advantage, but as you have insisted on

coming, I hope you will make the afternoon call as brief as possible. It won't

take long to transact your business with me. You will ask me for Ozma, and

my reply will be that you may find her--if you can."

Sir," answered the Wizard in a tone of rebuke, "you are a very wicked and

cruel person. I suppose you imagine, because you have stolen this poor

woman's dishpan and all the best magic in Oz, that you are more powerful

than we are and will be able to triumph over us."

Yes," said Ugu the Shoemaker, slowly filling his pipe with fresh tobacco from

a silver bowl that stood beside him, "that is exactly what I imagine. It will do

you no good to demand from me the girl who was formerly the Ruler of Oz,

because I will not tell you where I have hidden her, and you can't guess in a

thousand years. Neither will I restore to you any of the magic I have captured.

I am not so foolish. But bear this in mind: I mean to be the Ruler of Oz myself,

hereafter, so I advise you to be careful how you address your future Monarch."

Ozma is still Ruler of Oz, wherever you may have hidden her," declared the

Wizard. "And bear this in mind, miserable Shoemaker: we intend to find her

and to rescue her in time, but our first duty and pleasure will be to conquer

you and then punish you for your misdeeds."

Very well, go ahead and conquer," said Ugu. "I'd really like to see how you

can do it."

Now although the little Wizard had spoken so boldly, he had at the moment no

idea how they might conquer the magician. He had that morning given the

Frogman, at his request, a dose of zosozo from his bottle, and the Frogman

The Lost Princess of Oz