www.freeclassicebooks.com

very close, and Trot whispered back to the grasshopper sitting upon her

shoulder. Pon cast loving glances at Gloria, who paid not the slightest heed to

them.

Finally the Scarecrow laughed aloud.

Brains working?" inquired Trot.

Yes. They seem in fine order to-day. We will conquer King Krewl and put

Gloria upon his throne as Queen of Jinxland."

Fine!" cried the little girl, clapping her hands together gleefully. "But how?"

Leave the how to me," said the Scarecrow proudly. "As a conqueror I'm a

wonder. We will, first of all, write a message to send to King Krewl, asking him

to surrender. If he refuses, then we will make him surrender."

Why ask him, when we know he'll refuse?" inquired Pon.

Why, we must be polite, whatever we do," explained the Scarecrow. "It would

be very rude to conquer a King without proper notice."

They found it difficult to write a message without paper, pen and ink, none of

which was at hand; so it was decided to send Pon as a messenger, with

instructions to ask the King, politely but firmly, to surrender.

Pon was not anxious to be the messenger. Indeed, he hinted that it might

prove a dangerous mission. But the Scarecrow was now the acknowledged

head of the Army of Conquest, and he would listen to no refusal. So off Pon

started for the King's castle, and the others accompanied him as far as his

hut, where they had decided to await the gardener's boy's return.

I think it was because Pon had known the Scarecrow such a short time that

he lacked confidence in the straw man's wisdom. It was easy to say: "We will

conquer King Krewl," but when Pon drew near to the great castle he began to

doubt the ability of a straw-stuffed man, a girl, a grasshopper and a frozen-

hearted Princess to do it. As for himself, he had never thought of defying the

King before.

That was why the gardener's boy was not very bold when he entered the castle

and passed through to the enclosed court where the King was just then

seated, with his favorite courtiers around him. None prevented Pon's entrance,

because he was known to be the gardener's boy, but when the King saw him

he began to frown fiercely. He considered Pon to be to blame for all his trouble

The Scarecrow of Oz