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CHAPTER 24 - HOMEWARD BOUND TO THE EMERALD CITY

Dorothy and the Scarecrow, clinging fast to the magic parasol, had followed

the Knight almost to the clouds. At first, it looked as if they would never

catch up with him, so swiftly was the branch growing, but it was not long

before the little umbrella began to gain, and in several minutes more they

were beside Sir Hokus himself.

"Beshrew me, now!" gasped the Knight, stretching out his hand toward

Dorothy. "Can'st stop this reckless plant?"

Give me your sword," commanded the Scarecrow, "and I'll cut you off."

Dorothy, with great difficulty, kept the parasol close to the Knight while the

Scarecrow reached for the sword. But Sir Hokus backed away in alarm.

"'Tis part of me, an' you cut it off, I will be cut off, too. 'Tis rooted in my

back," he puffed.

"What shall we do?" cried Dorothy in distress. "Maybe if we take hold of his

hands we can keep him from going any higher."

The Scarecrow, jamming down his hat so it wouldn't blow off, nodded

approvingly, and each holding the parasol with one hand gave the other to

the Knight. And when Dorothy pointed the parasol down, to her great delight

Sir Hokus came also, the thin green branch growing just about as fast as

they moved.

Just then the little fan, which had been rolling around merrily in Dorothy's

pocket, slipped out and fell straight down toward the three unsuspecting

beasts below. Draft! No wonder!

But Dorothy never missed it, and quite unconscious of such a calamity

anxiously talked over the Knight's predicament with the Scarecrow. They

both decided that the best plan was to fly straight to the Emerald City and

have Ozma release the Knight from the enchanted beanstalk.

"I'm sorry you got tangled up in my family tree, old fellow," said the

Scarecrow after they had flown some time in silence, "but this makes us

relations, doesn't it?" He winked broadly at the Knight.

So it does," said Sir Hokus jovially. "I'm a branch of your family now. Yet

methinks I should not have swallowed that bean."

126

The Royal Book of Oz