Tik-Tok of Oz Page 7

  CHAPTER 5

  The Roses Repulse the Refugees

  Gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. Then Betsy easily wadedashore, the mule following closely behind her. The sun was now shiningand the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses.

  "I'd like some breakfast, Hank," remarked the girl, feeling more cheerfulnow that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, althoughthey do smell mighty good."

  "Hee-haw!" replied Hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of thebank.

  Betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. A little wayoff stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panesglittering in the sunlight.

  "There ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed Betsy thoughtfully;"gardeners, or somebody. Let's go and see, Hank. I'm getting hungrierev'ry minute."

  So they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrancewithout meeting with anyone at all. A door stood ajar, so Hank went infirst, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn hiscompanion. But Betsy was close at his heels and the moment she enteredwas lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw.

  The greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing inbig pots. On the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid Rose,gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of eachRose was the face of a lovely girl.

  As Betsy and Hank entered, the heads of the Roses were drooping andtheir eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that heuttered a loud "Hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the roseleaves fluttered, the Roses raised their heads and a hundred startledeyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders.

  "I--I beg your pardon!" stammered Betsy, blushing and confused.

  "O-o-o-h!" cried the Roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of themadded: "What a horrid noise!"

  "Why, that was only Hank," said Betsy, and as if to prove the truth ofher words the mule uttered another loud "Hee-haw!"

  At this all the Roses turned on their stems as far as they were able andtrembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. A dainty Moss Rosegasped: "Dear me! How dreadfully dreadful!"

  "It isn't dreadful at all," said Betsy, somewhat indignant. "When you getused to Hank's voice it will put you to sleep."

  The Roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked:

  "Is that savage beast named Hank?"

  "Yes; Hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twiningher arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "Aren'tyou, Hank?"

  Hank could only say in reply: "Hee-haw!" and at his bray the Rosesshivered again.

  "Please go away!" begged one. "Can't you see you're frightening us out ofa week's growth?"

  "Go away!" echoed Betsy. "Why, we've no place to go. We've just beenwrecked."

  "Wrecked?" asked the Roses in a surprised chorus.

  "Yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it," explainedthe girl. "But Hank and I caught hold of a raft and floated ashore tothis place, and--we're tired and hungry. What country _is_ this, please?"

  "This is the Rose Kingdom," replied the Moss Rose, haughtily, "and it isdevoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest Roses grown."

  "I believe it," said Betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms.

  "But only Roses are allowed here," continued a delicate Tea Rose, bendingher brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the RoyalGardener finds you and casts you back into the sea."

  "Oh! Is there a Royal Gardener, then?" inquired Betsy.

  "To be sure."

  "And is he a Rose, also?"

  "Of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply.

  "Well, I'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, andeven as she spoke the Royal Gardener popped into the greenhouse--aspading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other.

  He was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, withribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. Hiseyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered anddeeply lined.

  "O-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse,and when Hank gave a loud bray the Gardener threw the watering pot overthe mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation thatpresently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at fulllength upon the ground.

  Betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from Hank's head. Thelittle mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed towardthe Gardener threateningly.

  "Look out for his heels!" called Betsy warningly and the Gardenerscrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the Roses.

  "You are breaking the Law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare atthe girl and the mule.

  "What Law?" asked Betsy.

  "The Law of the Rose Kingdom. No strangers are allowed in these domains."

  "Not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired.

  "The Law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the Royal Gardener, and hewas about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a mancame tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to theground.