The Patchwork Girl of Oz Read online

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  THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ

  BY L. FRANK BAUM

  AUTHOR OF THE ROAD TO OZ, DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD IN OZ, THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ, THE LAND OF OZ, OZMA OF OZ, ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN R. NEILL

  The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago

  COPYRIGHT 1913 By L Frank Baum All RIGHTS RESERVED

  Affectionately Dedicated to my young friend Sumner Hamilton Britton of Chicago

  PROLOGUE

  Through the kindness of Dorothy Gale of Kansas, afterward PrincessDorothy of Oz, an humble writer in the United States of America was onceappointed Royal Historian of Oz, with the privilege of writing thechronicle of that wonderful fairyland. But after making six books aboutthe adventures of those interesting but queer people who live in theLand of Oz, the Historian learned with sorrow that by an edict of theSupreme Ruler, Ozma of Oz, her country would thereafter be renderedinvisible to all who lived outside its borders and that allcommunication with Oz would, in the future, be cut off.

  The children who had learned to look for the books about Oz and wholoved the stories about the gay and happy people inhabiting that favoredcountry, were as sorry as their Historian that there would be no morebooks of Oz stories. They wrote many letters asking if the Historian didnot know of some adventures to write about that had happened before theLand of Oz was shut out from all the rest of the world. But he did notknow of any. Finally one of the children inquired why we couldn't hearfrom Princess Dorothy by wireless telegraph, which would enable her tocommunicate to the Historian whatever happened in the far-off Land of Ozwithout his seeing her, or even knowing just where Oz is.

  That seemed a good idea; so the Historian rigged up a high tower in hisback yard, and took lessons in wireless telegraphy until he understoodit, and then began to call "Princess Dorothy of Oz" by sending messagesinto the air.

  Now, it wasn't likely that Dorothy would be looking for wirelessmessages or would heed the call; but one thing the Historian was sureof, and that was that the powerful Sorceress, Glinda, would know what hewas doing and that he desired to communicate with Dorothy. For Glindahas a big book in which is recorded every event that takes placeanywhere in the world, just the moment that it happens, and so of coursethe book would tell her about the wireless message.

  And that was the way Dorothy heard that the Historian wanted to speakwith her, and there was a Shaggy Man in the Land of Oz who knew how totelegraph a wireless reply. The result was that the Historian begged sohard to be told the latest news of Oz, so that he could write it downfor the children to read, that Dorothy asked permission of Ozma and Ozmagraciously consented.

  That is why, after two long years of waiting, another Oz story is nowpresented to the children of America. This would not have been possiblehad not some clever man invented the "wireless" and an equally cleverchild suggested the idea of reaching the mysterious Land of Oz by itsmeans.

  L. FRANK BAUM. "OZCOT" at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA

  LIST OF CHAPTERS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  1--OJO AND UNC NUNKIE 19

  2--THE CROOKED MAGICIAN 23

  3--THE PATCHWORK GIRL 35

  4--THE GLASS CAT 47

  5--A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT 55

  6--THE JOURNEY 67

  7--THE TROUBLESOME PHONOGRAPH 83

  8--THE FOOLISH OWL AND THE WISE DONKEY 91

  9--THEY MEET THE WOOZY 99

  10--SHAGGY MAN TO THE RESCUE 115

  11--A GOOD FRIEND 127

  12--THE GIANT PORCUPINE 147

  13--SCRAPS AND THE SCARECROW 159

  14--OJO BREAKS THE LAW 179

  15--OZMA'S PRISONER 191

  16--PRINCESS DOROTHY 203

  17--OZMA AND HER FRIENDS 215

  18--OJO IS FORGIVEN 223

  19--TROUBLE WITH THE TOTTENHOTS 235

  20--THE CAPTIVE YOOP 255

  21--HIPHOPPER THE CHAMPION 267

  22--THE JOKING HORNERS 275

  23--PEACE IS DECLARED 287

  24--OJO FINDS THE DARK WELL 299

  25--THEY BRIBE THE LAZY QUADLING 303

  26--THE TRICK RIVER 311

  27--THE TIN WOODMAN OBJECTS 323

  28--THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ 335