www.freeclassicebooks.com

"Ah!" whispered the Grand Chew Chew, seeing his agitation. "You remember

her?" The Scarecrow shook his head, with an inward shudder.

"Now show me myself, Chew," he asked curiously. Pulling the cord of a

portrait beside the Empress, Chew Chew revealed the picture of Chang

Wang Woe as he had been fifty years ago. His face was bland and jolly, and

to be perfectly truthful, quite like the Scarecrow's in shape and expression.

"I am beside myself," murmured the Scarecrow dazedly--which in truth he

was.

"You were--er--are a very royal and handsome person," stammered the

Grand Chew Chew.

The Scarecrow, stepping off the throne to examine himself more closely,

dropped the little fan and parasol. He had really not had time to examine

them since they snapped off the beanstalk, and now, looking at them

carefully, he found them extremely pretty.

Dorothy will like these," thought the Scarecrow, slipping them into a large

inside pocket of his robe. Already, in the back of his head, was a queer

notion that he would at some time or other return to Oz. He started to give

the Grand Chew Chew a spirited description of that wonderful country, but

the ancient gentleman yawned and, waving his hands toward the door,

interrupted him with:

Would not your Supreme Highness care to inspect your present

dominions?"

"I suppose I may as well!" With a deep sigh, the Scarecrow took the Grand

Chew Chew's arm and, holding up his royal kimono (which was rather long)

with the other hand, walked unsteadily down the great salon. They were

about to pass into the garden when a little fat Silverman slid around the

door, a huge silver drumstick upraised in his right hand and a great drum

hung about his neck.

The drummer beamed on the Scarecrow.

Chang Wang Woe, the Beautiful,

The Beautiful has come!

Sublime and silver Scarecrow, Let sound the royal drum!

chanted the little man in a high, thin voice, and started to bring the

drumstick down upon the huge head of his noisy instrument.

"No you don't!" cried the Scarecrow, leaping forward and catching his arm.

The Royal Book of Oz