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faithful Happy Toko. Happy, it seems, had at last managed to free himself,
and they were about to make their escape when Dorothy and her party had
fallen into the throne room. The Comfortable Camel and Doubtful
Dromedary lis-tened politely at first, but worn out by their exciting
adventures, fell asleep in the middle of the story.
Nothing could have exceeded Dorothy's dismay to learn that the jolly
Scarecrow of Oz, whom she had discovered herself, was in reality Chang
Wang Woe, Emperor of Silver Island.
"
Oh, this spoils everything!" wailed the little girl. (The thought of Oz without
the Scarecrow was unthinkable.) "It spoils everything! We were going to
adopt you and be your truly family. Weren't we?"
The Cowardly Lion nodded. "I was going to be your cousin," he mumbled in
a choked voice, "but now that you have a family of your own--" The lion
miserably slunk down beside Dorothy.
Sir Hokus looked fierce and rattled his sword, but he could think of nothing
that would help them out of their trouble.
"
To-morrow there won't be any Scarecrow in Oz!" wailed Dorothy. "Oh, dear!
Oh, dear!" And the little girl began to cry as if her heart would break.
"
Stop! Stop!" begged the Scarecrow, while Sir Hokus awkwardly patted
Dorothy on the back. "I'd rather have you for my family any day. I don't care
a Kinkajou for being Emperor, and as for my sons, they are unnatural
villains who make my life miserable by telling me how old I am!"
"Just like a poem I once read," said Dorothy, brightening up:
"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair
has become very white,
And yet you incessantly stand on your head!
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
"
That's it, that's it exactly!" exclaimed the Scarecrow as Dorothy finished
repeating the verse. "'You are old, Father Scarecrow!' That's all I hear. I did
stand on my head, too. And Dorothy, I can't seem to get used to being a
grandparent," added the Scarecrow in a melancholy voice. "It's turning my
straws gray." He plucked several from his chest and held them out to her.
"
Why, those little villains don't even believe in Oz! 'It's not on the map, old
Grandpapapapapah!'" he mumbled, imitating the tones of his little
grandsons so cleverly that Dorothy laughed in spite of herself.
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