Yankee in Oz Read online

  "More or less," admitted Yankee as they companionably touched noses. "Delighted to know you, Sir."

  "I believe we have met before," observed the Cowardly Lion sleepily. "As I recall, you put your foot in my eye."

  "Quite unintentional," Yankee assured him, bounding away while things still were on a friendly basis. "I see you have your gun back," he teased as he galloped past the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.

  "Scat! Go away!" stuttered the Grand Army of Oz, jumping behind Sir Hokus and peering timidly out at the space dog. Warily Yankee circled the glass cat who was flashing her ruby eyes dangerously to join Betsy Bobbin who was busily winding up the copper man.

  "Where--are--we?" rasped Tik-Tok striding jerkily up and down.

  "We're all back in the castle, Ticker, and in a few minutes Ozma will move the castle back where it belongs."

  "Well,--good," said Tik-Tok, patting Betsy so hard on the head that she positively blinked.

  Ozma, meanwhile, had been conferring with the Red Jinn and come to a final decision. Declining with real regret his invitation to return with them to the Red Castle, she clasped on her magic belt, feeling that now she could use it without hurting his pride.

  "Won't you come with us to the Emerald City?" she asked, looking coaxingly at Tompy and then down at Yankee who had returned to his place at her feet.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much," answered Tompy. "But I really must be getting back--my family thinks I was lost in a hurricane. Yankee, too, must report to his base for the whole United States Navy has been searching for him. Yankee is a famous space dog, you know, and made a moon orbit before his capsule landed. in Oz."

  "Moon orbit--space dog--capsule?" murmured Ozma, completely at sea.

  "I was rocketed into space, flew 'round the moon in a magic dog house, got off course, and crashed down in a yellow lake in your Winkie Country," explained Yankee, coming to the rescue.

  Ozma, though still rather confused nodded her head convincingly.

  "Oh, then, if you have a flying dog house, I am sure you will come back to visit us some other time?"

  "I just might," promised Yankee, winking at Tompy.

  "So now, we must part," sighed Jinnicky, rolling out of his comfortable chair and bowing politely to the ruler of all Oz. "It has been a treat to see you again, my dear, and I'm happy to have been of some help."

  "What about all that treasure in Badmannah's cave?" worried Tompy, raising a drum stick. "Shouldn't it be returned to the owners?"

  "It certainly should and will be," declared Ozma. "How thoughtful you are to remind me."

  "That then settles the last problem," said Jinnicky looking around with mingled pleasure and regret. "Goodbye, Princess, dear! Take care of your pretty self."

  "Goodbye," said Tompy, shaking Ozma's outstretched hand.

  "So long, Doll," sighed Yankee with a last adoring glance.

  "Come on, Tomp! Come on, Yankee!" urged Jinnicky. "Goodbye, all you wonderful people."

  Waving genially, the Red Jinn and his two friends moved slowly through the crowd of cheering courtiers. Reaching the door at last, each gave a final wave--Yankee using his tail for this purpose--then all three stepped out of the emerald studded castle and on to the bleak top of Upandup Mountain.

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  Chapter 18: Aunt Dofffs Victory Banquet

  JINNICKY, anticipating the burning heat of the desert, ducked into his jug soon after the take off. Quite accustomed to air travel as it was done in Oz and Ev, Yankee and Tompy carried on a lively conversation. Most of it was shouted, owing to the rush of wind and speed, but this did not bother them.

  "Even if I had landed on the moon I couldn't have had doggonner adventures than I've had here," bawled Yankee, bracing himself against Tompy's knee. "And I couldn't have done more crazy kinds of flying, even in space."

  "Yeah!" shouted Tompy. "How about that trave-e-log? And just think of all the places we've been and the people we've met. Who did you like best of them all?"

  "YOU, of course, you--ooh oooh!" hooted the terrier with a joyful bounce.

  "Same here," screamed Tompy, reaching in the Jinn's basket for the water jug that was never empty. "I mean Oz and Ev people," he continued, dousing his handkerchief with water and tieing it over his nose and mouth like a mask. Already he could feel the hot blasts of desert winds.

  "Why, good old Juggins, of course!" howled Yankee. "There's a man! As for the girls? Kind of a toss up between Doffi and Ozma."

  "Same here," echoed Tompy, pouring water over Yankee's head as they shot out over the churning sands.

  "We seem to agree about almost everything," sputtered Yankee, "and know why? We're both sharp as tiger's teeth. Thanks for the shower."

  Both lapsed into silence till the blistering stretch of sand dropped behind them. So much had happened that it seemed to Tompy more like two months than two days since their arrival in Oz. Even on long summer trips and vacations he never had had so many odd and amazing experiences nor encountered so many interesting countries and people. Yankee, lost in thought, hardly gave a glance at countries and castles below. Although it was his bounden duty to return to his base and resume his duties there, he was beginning to wish that he and Tompy could stay longer, or even always in this strange and magical land. To go back to his old way of communicating with people, to barks, growls, and tail wags would be dull and difficult indeed. But separation from Tompy loomed as the worst ordeal of all. In spite of himself, the doughty bull terrier found himself choking up. Big tears coursed unnoticed down his face and dropped off his nose. Then, furious at such a display of weakness, Yankee shook his head and turning around gave Jinnicky a sharp shove.

  "Come out of that shell, you old turtle, you!" he barked and so gaily that nobody knew he had been crying.

  "Wha-ziz, Wha-zat?" mumbled the Red Jinn, arms, legs, and head emerging simultaneously from his cracked jug.

  "Your ocean, your castle, YOU'RE HERE! Time to come down," announced the space dog, "and be quick about it, I'm hungry again."

  "Har har de har! You always are!

  But I am a Jinn in a ginger jar

  And will take care of that

  In the twink of a star. Har har!"

  Quite pleased with his verse, Jinnicky landed the jinrikisha right at the entrance of the great glass mansion he called home. Alibabble, first through the swinging door, darted forward and before the Jinn could object jerked him out of his seat and into the castle itself. Next, Princess Doffi, followed by dozens and dozens of the Red Jinn's turbanned and smiling subjects came hurrying out. And never before had there been so happy and hearty a welcome. Aunt Doffi, wearing a huge apron and with a daub of flour on her nose looked more ravishing than ever. Thrusting a bunch of parsley and a red pepper through Yankee's harness, she dropped a kiss on his head, hugged Tompy so hard his cap flew off, then raced back into the royal kitchen to put the finishing touches on the seven layer victory cake. Bells pealed and the many pendants on the revoEving kaleidoscopes tinkled like mad. Pelted with flowers, orchid chains, and ginger blossoms, the embarrassed boy and dog made their way through the throng and into the castle. One wreath hung over Yankee's ear and two more tripped him up at every step. Tompy was so festooned and decorated that only his head showed.

  Alibabble, to give him due credit, had worked wonders with his little master by the time they reached the throne room. Jinnicky's jug, completely repaired by some red magic, shined like new. His hair and whiskers had been trimmed and brushed, and his injured toe cured by some red magic saEve.

  "Hi Yi Yippity IGH! You look great!" panted the space dog, ducking sideways as two more wreaths descended upon him. Tompy, feeling for his sticks under the mass of flowers, gave off such a ripple of rhythm that the company first listening in stunned silence fell prone, touching the floor three times with their noses.

  "You just have received the ultimate tribute and honor," beamed Jinnicky. "From now on, your slightest wi
sh will be the law around here."

  "Hurrah! Hurrah!" barked the space dog, scampering lightly over the backs of Jinnicky's prostrate retainers, licking ears and elbows till they all sprang up and ran giggling off to help Aunt Doffi with the victory banquet.

  And fabulous feast it was! Aunt Doffi turned out to be not only an expert bread, cake, and biscuit maker but queen of all cookery. For coziness sake, she had placed the Red Jinn and herself, Tompy and Yankee at a small table. Alibabble presided over the longer table in the center of the vast banquet hall. Before the first course, Jinnicky gave them a brief description of happenings on Upandup Mountain and I tell you the Princess of Wackajammy was more than delighted to know that Badmannah was where he could do no more harm.

  Even in the White House, thought Tompy, looking around with hardly concealed delight, they could not have dined in more elegance and with more style. And better still, in spite of the gold service, sparkling ruby tumblers, embroidered table linens, it was not in the least boring or dull. Melons heaped with the fruit that abounded in this lush tropical land were followed by chowders and relishes beyond compare. Each meat, fish, and fowl dish was surrounded by glazed vegetables almost too beautiful to eat. Yankee had not only his spare ribs, but sampled everything as it came along. Even considering that space dogs might have more inside space than other dogs, Tompy watched with growing alarm as the terrier downed one course after the other. Each dish as it appeared was greeted with loud cheers and hurrahs. After sampling the crown roast of lamb, Jinnicky pulled the square cut ruby ring from his finger and with a deep bow presented it to the smiling princess. It fitted nicely on her thumb and she promptly held it up for all to see. The royal cook, who had been peering in from time to time, instead of being jealous seemed as pleased as Jinnicky. Removing his tall red chef's cap, he skipped through the door and set it ceremoniously on Aunt Doffi's head.

  "Stay with us. Do stay!" pleaded Jinnicky. "You can run my castle, my ruby mines, and the whole dinged Kingdom!"

  "Stay! Stay!" chorused the happy banqueters, for, in the short time the little princess had been in the castle she had won every heart. Even crusty old Alibabble added his voice to the clamor.

  "If I were you," advised Yankee, as a thoughtful serving boy wiped his chops with a red napkin, "I would certainly stay. Let that lazy nephew of yours run his own kingdom and bakery and tend his own wheat fields. Little Juggins here is worth a dozen Jacks. And is he ever lucky. Hi-my-wish I had a pretty little aunty like you. I never had even one aunty," finished Yankee, looking wistfully across the table.

  "Well, you have one now," declared Aunt Doffi, tapping him on the head with a gold spoon. "I'll be proud to be your aunty and will think of you with pleasure every day."

  "You will!" choked Yankee, almost strangling on a peppered croquette. "Did you hear that, Tompy?"

  "I certainly did!" said Tompy trying not to feel jealous.

  "And I'll also be Tompy's Aunt Doffi and Jinnicky's Aunt Doffi," added the princess winking at each of them in turn. "But you know how it is, Red Jinn dear. I must return to my own country and people."

  "Ding jing it!" groaned the Red Jinn. "Well, if you must, you must, but things will never be the same around here. Maybe you would come back on my birthday?" he proposed hopefully.

  "Why not?" laughed Aunt Doffi, tossing her head. "And I'll bake you a magniferous birthday cake when I do."

  "Since you are boss and make all the rules around here, what's to stop you from having four or five birthdays a year?" whispered Yankee in an aside to the Red Jinn.

  "Har har de har! What a splendid idear! From now on I'll have seven birthdays a year!" chortled Jinnicky waving his fork. That being happily settled, they all fell to and finished off the rest of the victory feast, afterwards adjourning to the throne room where the celebration continued. Jinnicky opened his band box and with Tompy as top drummer the music could not have been livelier. There were old Ev folk songs, four-steps, jigs, and, last of all, Jinnicky's favorite polka. With Aunt Doffi for a partner, he fairly outdid himself. In fact, everybody present was jiggling, sliding, hopping, and spinning.

  "Going to be pretty dull back at the base after this," puffed Yankee as he pranced by the band.

  "Afraid so," agreed Tompy, giving out with a final ruff and flourish.

  Outside the sun had already set and a big red moon sailed over the quiet sea. At a signal from Jinnicky, the bandsmen, after a quick salute for Tompy, marched back into their band box. Clapping on the lid and quite breathless from the polka, the Red Jinn climbed back on his throne. Without a word being spoken, everyone seemed to realize that Tompy, the mischievous bull terrier, and Princess Doffi were about to leave, and a sad little silence fell over the gay company. Suddenly recalling that he still had the Mind Reader, Jinnicky had one of the boys fetch it from one of his numerous baskets and returned it to Aunt Doffi. She, borrowing a ruby handled pen from him, carefully noted on a back page the seven dates he had chosen for birthdays. After a short, earnest conference in which she was given a choice of the jinrikisha, the Red Jinn's magic walking stick, or his powerful light out candle, the Princess of Wackajammy rather nervously selected the last. So the fat red candle in its gold holder was duly brought by Alibabble and then sorrowfully lighted by the little Wizard of Ev. Then, still wearing the jewelled sari and the chef's cap, the bewitching princess blew them all a kiss. The candle blazed up and as quickly burned down and sputtered out, and before you could say Jill Robinson, Aunt Doffi had vanished and gone away home.

  "Why did she light out with the candle?" sniffed Yankee with two tears rolling down his face.

  "MY secret," Jinnicky told him. "And she's probably back in the Yellow Castle by now. Couldn't you fellows stay the night and go home tomorrow morning?" he snuffled, dabbing at this eyes with his big handkerchief. "Can't bear having you all go on the same evening. Besides," the Red Jinn clapped his hands sharply, "there's the matter of medals."

  "Medals?" exclaimed Tompy.

  "Medals?' echoed Yankee, his ears perking up.

  Nodding mysteriously, Jinnicky rolled off his throne to take the red veEvet cushion the Grand Advizier was holding out to him. On the cushion were two handsome medals. Tompy's was a smooth ruby bar pin which the Red Jinn neatly clipped on the collar of his band uniform.

  "For quick thinking and courageous action," he announced, stepping back with a satisfied grin.

  Yankee's medal was round, an ivory miniature of Jinnicky himself, surrounded by a frame of small rubies. It was attached securely to an elastic red band.

  "To a fearless fighter and faithful friend," said Jinnicky, holding it close to Yankee's nose so he could examine it. Then he slipped the band around the bull terrier's neck, and I tell you, never had a dog worn a more valuable collar.

  Tompy and Yankee were both so delighted and pleased that everyone grew more cheerful. Now Yankee insisted that the Red Jinn have one of the American flags that he had worn on his orbit. So Tompy slipped one out of its holder and ran it through the small handle on Jinnicky's lid, where it looked very gay and saucy.

  Realizing that the boy and dog were anxious to return to the States, the Red Jinn now busied himself with preparations for their departure. Tompy would have preferred to light out instantly as Aunt Doffi had done, but Yankee had set his heart on one more ride in the Jinn's red go cart, so he let the space dog have his way. The jinrikisha could travel as fast and as safely by night as by day and as it was only nine o'clock, they would be safely back home at eleven, if Jinnicky's calculations turned out to be right. After he had instructed Tompy as to its operation and the correct way to return it to his red castle, Jinnicky presented Tompy with a small red jug.

  "If you ever need help," he said, thumping Tompy on the shoulder, "just pull out the stopper of this jug."

  Then turning to Yankee, he gave the terrier a last hearty hug. "Goodbye, old Poochigan!" he sobbed and, whispering a short message in his right ear, straightened up.

  "Why, that's malif, ma
luff, terif, teruff!" squealed Yankee. Nipping the little Wizard lovingly on the knuckle, he sprang into the waiting jinrikisha wagging his tail--in fact, he wagged all over. Tompy, who could not bear to say goodbye, squeezed both of Jinnicky's hands and hopped up beside the bull terrier.

  "Carry us to Pennwood, PennsyEvania, U.S.A.!" he directed. Jinnicky had hung lanterns on both arms and they cast a cheerful glow all around them. Then Yankee barked, Tompy waved, and they were aloft and away, leaving the moonlit sea, the glittering glass castle, and the best friend either of them ever had had behind them.

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  Chapter 19: The Travelers Return

  THE night was so windless and still that the jinrikisha made scarcely a sound as it sped across the sky, and this time they passed over the desert at so high an altitude that its burning blasts could not reach or bother them. Instead of shouting, they found they could talk in ordinary tones, which was as unexpected as it was satisfactory.

  "Let's talk all we can and settle everything while I can still speak your language. Soon I'll not be able to say another word and just be another dumb animal--a nothing," mourned Yankee.

  "Stop it. Stop it," said Tompy sharply. "We'll always be able to understand one another and you know it!"

  "Maybe, maybe," sighed the terrier, "but what good will that do? I'll be one place and you another!"

  "But first you're going home with me," answered Tompy firmly. "Then my father will call the base and they can send up a plane for you. But you will not be there long, if I know my Dad. He'll fix things up and have you honorably discharged. Then you can live with us always and be MY dog. After all, you've done your share in the space program, and deserve a reward. Bet they'll give you a citation and a medal!"

  "Ha ha! I have a medal!" chortled Yankee. "And it certainly will knock the fellows' eyes out when they see all those rubies." For a few moments Yankee was quite cheerful, almost believing that he and Tompy could stay together. But this cheerful mood soon evaporated leaving him more gloomy than ever. "It'll never work," he concluded glumly. "That idea of yours will go over like a lead balloon. You just don't know about army and air force procedure. I'll be an old grandfather before they sign all the papers.