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The Queen turned to Button-Bright.

Do YOU think I'm beautiful?" she asked.

No," said the boy; "you're ugly."

I think you're a fright," said Dorothy.

If you could see yourself you'd be terribly scared," added Polly.

The Queen scowled at them and flopped from her red side to her yellow side.

Take them away," she commanded the guard, "and at six o'clock run them

through the meat chopper and start the soup kettle boiling. And put plenty of

salt in the broth this time, or I'll punish the cooks severely."

Any onions, your Majesty?" asked one of the guard.

Plenty of onions and garlic and a dash of red pepper. Now, go!"

The Scoodlers led the captives away and shut them up in one of the houses,

leaving only a single Scoodler to keep guard.

The place was a sort of store-house; containing bags of potatoes and baskets

of carrots, onions and turnips.

These," said their guard, pointing to the vegetables, "we use to flavor our

soups with."

The prisoners were rather disheartened by this time, for they saw no way to

escape and did not know how soon it would be six o'clock and time for the

meatchopper to begin work. But the shaggy man was brave and did not

intend to submit to such a horrid fate without a struggle.

I'm going to fight for our lives," he whispered to the children, "for if I fail we

will be no worse off than before, and to sit here quietly until we are made into

soup would be foolish and cowardly."

The Scoodler on guard stood near the doorway, turning first his white side

toward them and then his black side, as if he wanted to show to all of his

greedy four eyes the sight of so many fat prisoners. The captives sat in a

sorrowful group at the other end of the room--except Polychrome, who danced

back and forth in the little place to keep herself warm, for she felt the chill of

the cave. Whenever she approached the shaggy man he would whisper

The Road to Oz