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suasive words from the wise old Wizard were all that
was needed to achieve harmony between them. But
he was very careful to see that the painted wizards
were securely fastened to the wall.
"You managed yourself splendidly, you darling old
Wizard," said the little Queen as they finished the in-
spection with no more interruption.
Every child, from the youngest who had helped only
a little to the principal character artists, received three
medals apiece, one from Ozma, another from Glinda
and still another from the Wizard. Following the
granting of these, everyone in the Emerald City re-
ceived a present from a large assortment that Ka-
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bumpo carried on his back.
With the inspection over, the crowd broke up. Peo-
ple in small groups wandered back to their homes, and
Ozma, with a party of her most intimate girl friends,
retired to the Queen's private apartments.
The Wizard wandered into the royal kitchen to get
a slice of pepper cheese from the royal refrigerator.
He had been so busy that he had entirely forgotten to
eat his lunch.
The kitchen was empty since all the cooks and palace
servants had gone out to see the pictures. With a thick
slice of cheese on special green bread, he sat down at
a carved crystal table to enjoy his repast in quiet and
peace.
From a far closet came a faint rattle, then through
the open door, an array of brooms stepped forward,
old brooms and very old broom--whisk and brush
brooms-forming themselves into a row. One sturdy
broom advanced and addressed their great sorcerer.
"Listen, Kind Sir," she began, giving a stiff-backed
curtsy. "Could you spare the time to listen to a com-
mittee of honest working brooms?
"We represent hard labor and we ask your help to
keep witches from riding us' to destruction. I have
been hag-ridden until I am but a wreck of my former
self. Look at me! I'm a pitiful sight, I know, and my
usefulness as a broom has been practically destroyed."
"There must be something that can be done," said
the Wizard with kindness.
The broom took a deep breath and began again:
"We are never ones for asking favors from anyone
but, after I was stolen from a comfortable home by
old Curly Ah-Ha-Do just to be taken into a mountain
wilderness and abandoned, I made up my mind I would
bring the case before the authorities.
"It took me two years to find my way home. Don't
you think, Kind Sir, that something ought to be done
about it? I'm not the only one, indeed I'm not. Now,
see for yourself. . ." she paused, then called: "Come
up here, Po! Don't be afraid. Show the gentleman
your cracked back." An old, broken broom hobbled
out from the line. "See her! From being hag-ridden
so much by the Thimble Witch. This witch not only
rode her but broke her back on a Munchkin farmer's
head and then left her beside the road to perish.
"We were all good brooms once, new, and willing
to work hard. Now, when we are old and broken,
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we are stuck away in corners or behind dark stable
doors. It's all wrong!"
The Wizard took a bite of cheese before he an-
swered. Then, with a smile, he placed his hat on the
floor and asked the broom if she could jump over it.
Over she went, landing safely. Spiff! And she was
a new broom. Poor old Po was the next to hop over
and she, too, became a new broom. One at a time the
old brooms followed, leaping the hat, and a long line
of new brooms ran scampering out of the back door,
happy and young again, all eager to be gone from the
castle before the servants returned. Once on the
street, they scattered in many directions, each hurry-
ing to her old home, to slip into the closet, ready for
duty.
Finding himself alone, the Wizard finished his bread
and cheese, then darting through the kitchen window,
he sailed through the air to his high tower.
On entering the laboratory he found the hall clock
stretched out fiat on the floor. Number Nine was bend-
ing over it, trying his best to restore its life. Every
spark of life seemed to have left it-not a wheel
moved-nor could the boy get any response when he
tried to restore the tick. He was so depressed by his
failure to revive the clock that he did not raise his head
when he heard the Wizard approaching.
"Our good old clock is done for-completely knocked
out," was all he could say.
"Quite impossible," said the Wizard briefly, but his
face carried an anxious frown.
"I've done everything to bring him back to life; I'm
afraid it's too late. Old Mombi got him. Why should
she murder an innocent old clock?" remonstrated the
boy, his voice full of sobs.
"Hoity-toity, tut-tut-tut-" urgently soothed the lit-
tle man, rummaging through his pocket until he found
a peppermint shaker. "It's nothing serious. She may
have shattered his hopes for a little while; that's all it
is. Peppermint ought to revive the clock. If you would
only smile, my boy, that would help a lot." As he spoke
the Wizard was dusting the face of the clock with
green peppermint star-dust.
In a few seconds a slight whirring began inside the
clock; the hands trembled and very faintly came the
sound of the clapper touching the bell softly in an at-
tempt to tell them the hour.
Flustered with excitement, Number Nine lifted the
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clock to its feet and let it lean heavily against him.
"What happened?" the boy asked eagerly.
The clock did not answer at once; when it did, it
said:
"Wait until I'm wound, set and regulated. Remem-
ber that I have very sensitive works." As the Wizard
turned the crank that started the pendulum, the hands
wavered for an instant at the figures nine and three;
then, still a little wobbly, they jerked themselves to
ten and two. The Wizard nodded his head.
"As long as you can smile like that, old friend, you'll
never be knocked out," he said, returning the clock's
smile. "Now I'd like to see you smile, too," he added,
turning toward Number Nine.
"How can I smile, Sir, when I have bungled my job?"
"You've not bungled as long as you can smile," and
the happy-go-lucky Wizard burst into a magical laugh,
the clock struck loudly, and Number Nine couldn't
resist a broad grin.
With the Wizard and his assistant seated on a bench,
the clock told how he had been watching the whale on
the screen of the tattlescope and saw him sink in the
waters of Lake Quad and how the Scarecrow and the
Tin Woodman were washed overboard with a great
number of other passengers.
"I had no time to leave the laboratory and warn you
when I was struck in the back and thrown to the floor
with such force that all my delicate wheels were jig-
gled loose. I did, however, have a moment to notice
the figure of a witch who stared into the screen, then
laughed wildly . . . but, after that I remember
nothing."
"Well done," announced the Wizard. "You'll find
yourself keeping good time in a day or two. Be a little
slow about it. I'll take care of the other matter." He
hurried over to Number Nine. "Anything else of im-
portance?" he asked.
"Yes. Plenty of excitement beyond the Winkie
country. For the last four days I have seen this mon-
strous whale coming into our land. He is bringing
with him a young boy who was thrown from a volcano
that..."
"A volcano? Where?" cried the Wizard, jumping
from the bench in consternation.
"In the pink Nonentic Ocean. And there have been
disturbances ever since. You can look for yourself,"
said Number Nine adjusting the tattlescope for his
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master.
"See if you can find my book of magic charms, while
I look..." said the Wizard seating himself before the
tattlescope.
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