The Road to Oz Page 15

  Tik-Tok and Billina

  They had not walked far across the flower-strewn meadows when they cameupon a fine road leading toward the northwest and winding gracefullyamong the pretty yellow hills.

  "That way," said Dorothy, "must be the direction of the Emerald City.We'd better follow the road until we meet some one or come to a house."

  The sun soon dried Button-Bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man'sshaggy clothes, and so pleased were they at regaining their own headsthat they did not mind at all the brief discomfort of getting wet.

  "It's good to be able to whistle again," remarked the shaggy man, "forthose donkey lips were so thick I could not whistle a note with them."He warbled a tune as merrily as any bird.

  "You'll look more natural at the birthday celebration, too," saidDorothy, happy in seeing her friends so happy.

  Polychrome was dancing ahead in her usual sprightly manner, whirlinggaily along the smooth, level road, until she passed from sight aroundthe curve of one of the mounds. Suddenly they heard her exclaim "Oh!"and she appeared again, running toward them at full speed.

  "What's the matter, Polly?" asked Dorothy, perplexed.

  There was no need for the Rainbow's Daughter to answer, for turning thebend in the road there came advancing slowly toward them a funny roundman made of burnished copper, gleaming brightly in the sun. Perched onthe copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffy feathers and apearl necklace around her throat.

  "Oh, Tik-tok!" cried Dorothy, running forward. When she came to him thecopper man lifted the little girl in his copper arms and kissed hercheek with his copper lips.

  "Oh, Billina!" cried Dorothy, in a glad voice, and the yellow hen flewto her arms, to be hugged and petted by turns.

  The others were curiously crowding around the group, and the girl saidto them:

  "It's Tik-tok and Billina; and oh! I'm so glad to see them again."

  "Wel-come to Oz," said the copper man, in a monotonous voice.

  Dorothy sat right down in the road, the yellow hen in her arms, andbegan to stroke Billina's back. Said the hen:

  "Dorothy, dear, I've some wonderful news to tell you."

  "Tell it quick, Billina!" said the girl.

  Just then Toto, who had been growling to himself in a cross way gave asharp bark and flew at the yellow hen, who ruffled her feathers and letout such an angry screech that Dorothy was startled.

  "Stop, Toto! Stop that this minute!" she commanded. "Can't you see thatBillina is my friend?" In spite of this warning had she not grabbedToto quickly by the neck the little dog would have done the yellow hen amischief, and even now he struggled madly to escape Dorothy's grasp. Sheslapped his cars once or twice and told him to behave, and the yellowhen flew to Tik-tok's shoulder again, where she was safe.

  "What a brute!" croaked Billina, glaring down at the little dog.

  "Toto isn't a brute," replied Dorothy; "but at home Uncle Henry has towhip him sometimes for chasing the chickens. Now, look here, Toto," sheadded, holding up her finger and speaking sternly to him, "you've got tounderstand that Billina is one of my dearest friends, and mustn't behurt--now or ever."

  Toto wagged his tail as if he understood.

  "The miserable thing can't talk," said Billina, with a sneer.

  "Yes, he can," replied Dorothy; "he talks with his tail, and I knoweverything he says. If you could wag your tail, Billina, you wouldn'tneed words to talk with."

  "Nonsense!" said Billina.

  "It isn't nonsense at all. Just now Toto says he's sorry, and that he'lltry to love you for my sake. Don't you, Toto?"

  "Bow-wow!" said Toto, wagging his tail again.

  "But I've such wonderful news for you; Dorothy," cried the yellow hen;"I've----"

  "Wait a minute, dear," interrupted the little girl; "I've got tointroduce you all, first. That's manners, Billina. This," turning to hertraveling companions, "is Mr. Tik-tok, who works by machinery, 'causehis thoughts wind up, and his talk winds up, and his action windsup--like a clock."

  "Do they all wind up together?" asked the shaggy man.

  "No; each one separate. But he works just lovely, and Tik-tok was a goodfriend to me once, and saved my life--and Billina's life, too."

  "Is he alive?" asked Button-Bright, looking hard at the copper man.

  "Oh, no, but his machinery makes him just as good as alive." She turnedto the copper man and said politely: "Mr. Tik-tok, these are my newfriends: the shaggy man, and Polly the Rainbow's Daughter, andButton-Bright, and Toto. Only Toto isn't a new friend, 'cause he's beento Oz before."

  The copper man bowed low, removing his copper hat as he did so.

  "I'm ve-ry pleased to meet Dor-o-thy's fr-r-r-r-r----"

  Here he stopped short.

  "Oh, I guess his speech needs winding!" said the little girl, runningbehind the copper man to get the key off a hook at his back. She woundhim up at a place under his right arm and he went on to say:

  "Par-don me for run-ning down. I was a-bout to say I am pleased to meetDor-o-thy's friends, who must be my friends." The words were somewhatjerky, but plain to understand.

  "And this is Billina," continued Dorothy, introducing the yellow hen,and they all bowed to her in turn.

  "I've such wonderful news," said the hen, turning her head so that onebright eye looked full at Dorothy.

  "What is it, dear?" asked the girl.

  "I've hatched out ten of the loveliest chicks you ever saw."

  "Oh, how nice! And where are they, Billina?"

  "I left them at home. But they're beauties, I assure you, and allwonderfully clever. I've named them Dorothy."

  "Which one?" asked the girl.

  "All of them," replied Billina.

  "That's funny. Why did you name them all with the same name?"

  "It was so hard to tell them apart," explained the hen. "Now, when Icall 'Dorothy,' they all come running to me in a bunch; it's mucheasier, after all, than having a separate name for each."

  "I'm just dying to see 'em, Billina," said Dorothy, eagerly. "But tellme, my friends, how did you happen to be here, in the Country of theWinkies, the first of all to meet us?"

  "I'll tell you," answered Tik-tok, in his monotonous voice, all thesounds of his words being on one level--"Prin-cess Oz-ma saw you in hermag-ic pic-ture, and knew you were com-ing here; so she sent Bil-lin-aand me to wel-come you, as she could not come her-self; sothat--fiz-i-dig-le cum-so-lut-ing hy-ber-gobble in-tu-zib-ick----"

  "Good gracious! Whatever's the matter now?" cried Dorothy, as the copperman continued to babble these unmeaning words, which no one couldunderstand at all because they had no sense.

  "Don't know," said Button-Bright, who was half scared. Polly whirledaway to a distance and turned to look at the copper man in a fright.

  "His thoughts have run down, this time," remarked Billina composedly, asshe sat on Tik-tok's shoulder and pruned her sleek feathers. "When hecan't think he can't talk properly, any more than you can. You'll haveto wind up his thoughts, Dorothy, or else I'll have to finish his storymyself."

  Dorothy ran around and got the key again and wound up Tik-tok under hisleft arm, after which he could speak plainly again.

  "Par-don me," he said, "but when my thoughts run down my speech has nomean-ing, for words are formed on-ly by thought. I was a-bout to saythat Oz-ma sent us to wel-come you and in-vite you to come straight tothe Em-er-ald Ci-ty. She was too bus-y to come her-self, for she ispre-par-ing for her birth-day cel-e-bra-tion, which is to be a grandaf-fair."

  "I've heard of it," said Dorothy, "and I'm glad we've come in time toattend. Is it far from here to the Emerald City?"

  "Not ve-ry far," answered Tik-tok, "and we have plen-ty of time.To-night we will stop at the pal-ace of the Tin Wood-man, and to-mor-rownight we will ar-rive at the Em-er-ald Ci-ty."

  "Goody!" cried Dorothy. "I'd like to see dear Nick Chopper again. How'shis heart?"

  "It's fine," said Billina; "the Tin Woodman says it gets softer andkindlier every day. He's waiting at h
is castle to welcome you, Dorothy;but he couldn't come with us because he 'is getting polished as brightas possible for Ozma's party."

  "Well, then," said Dorothy, "let's start on, and we can talk more as wego."

  They proceeded on their journey in a friendly group, for Polychrome haddiscovered that the copper man was harmless and was no longer afraid ofhim. Button-Bright was also reassured, and took quite a fancy toTik-tok. He wanted the clockwork man to open himself, so that he mightsee the wheels go round; but that was a thing Tik-tok could not do.Button-Bright then wanted to wind up the copper man, and Dorothypromised he should do so as soon as any part of the machinery ran down.This pleased Button-Bright, who held fast to one of Tik-tok's copperhands as he trudged along the road, while Dorothy walked on the otherside of her old friend and Billina perched by turns upon his shoulder orhis copper hat. Polly once more joyously danced ahead and Toto ran afterher, barking with glee. The shaggy man was left to walk behind; but hedidn't seem to mind that a bit, and whistled merrily or looked curiouslyupon the pretty scenes they passed.

  At last they came to a hilltop from which the tin castle of Nick Choppercould plainly be seen, its towers glistening magnificently under therays of the declining sun.

  "How pretty!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I've never seen the Emp'ror's newhouse before."

  "He built it because the old castle was damp, and likely to rust his tinbody," said Billina. "All those towers and steeples and domes and gablestook a lot of tin, as you can see."

  "Is it a toy?" asked Button-Bright, softly.

  "No, dear," answered Dorothy; "it's better than that. It's the fairydwelling of a fairy prince."