The Lost Princess of Oz, Page 4

  Robbery of Cayke the Cookie Cook

  CHAPTER 3

  One more important theft was reported in the Land of Oz that eventfulmorning, but it took place so far from either the Emerald City or thecastle of Glinda the Good that none of those persons we have mentionedlearned of the robbery until long afterward.

  In the far southwestern corner of the Winkie Country is a broadtableland that can be reached only by climbing a steep hill, whicheverside one approaches it. On the hillside surrounding this tableland areno paths at all, but there are quantities of bramble-bushes with sharpprickers on them, which prevent any of the Oz people who live down belowfrom climbing up to see what is on top. But on top live the Yips, andalthough the space they occupy is not great in extent the wee country isall their own. The Yips had never--up to the time this storybegins--left their broad tableland to go down into the Land of Oz, norhad the Oz people ever climbed up to the country of the Yips.

  Living all alone as they did, the Yips had queer ways and notions oftheir own and did not resemble any other people of the Land of Oz. Theirhouses were scattered all over the flat surface; not like a city,grouped together, but set wherever their owners' fancy dictated, withfields here, trees there, and odd little paths connecting the houses onewith another.

  It was here, on the morning when Ozma so strangely disappeared from theEmerald City, that Cayke the Cookie Cook discovered that herdiamond-studded gold dishpan had been stolen, and she raised such ahue-and-cry over her loss and wailed and shrieked so loudly that many ofthe Yips gathered around her house to inquire what was the matter.

  It was a serious thing, in any part of the Land of Oz, to accuse one ofstealing, so when the Yips heard Cayke the Cookie Cook declare that herjeweled dishpan had been stolen they were both humiliated and disturbedand forced Cayke to go with them to the Frogman to see what could bedone about it.

  I do not suppose you have ever before heard of the Frogman, for like allother dwellers on that tableland he had never been away from it, nor hadanyone come up there to see him. The Frogman was, in truth, descendedfrom the common frogs of Oz, and when he was first born he lived in apool in the Winkie Country and was much like any other frog. Being of anadventurous nature, however, he soon hopped out of his pool and began totravel, when a big bird came along and seized him in its beak andstarted to fly away with him to its nest. When high in the air the frogwriggled so frantically that he got loose and fell down--down--down intoa small hidden pool on the tableland of the Yips. Now this pool, itseems, was unknown to the Yips because it was surrounded by thick bushesand was not near to any dwelling, and it proved to be an enchanted pool,for the frog grew very fast and very big, feeding on the magic skoshwhich is found nowhere else on earth except in that one pool. And theskosh not only made the frog very big, so that when he stood on his hindlegs he was tall as any Yip in the country, but it made him unusuallyintelligent, so that he soon knew more than the Yips did and was able toreason and to argue very well indeed.

  No one could expect a frog with these talents to remain in a hiddenpool, so he finally got out of it and mingled with the people of thetableland, who were amazed at his appearance and greatly impressed byhis learning. They had never seen a frog before and the frog had neverseen a Yip before, but as there were plenty of Yips and only one frog,the frog became the most important. He did not hop any more, but stoodupright on his hind legs and dressed himself in fine clothes and sat inchairs and did all the things that people do; so he soon came to becalled the Frogman, and that is the only name he has ever had.

  After some years had passed the people came to regard the Frogman astheir adviser in all matters that puzzled them. They brought all theirdifficulties to him and when he did not know anything he pretended toknow it, which seemed to answer just as well. Indeed, the Yips thoughtthe Frogman was much wiser than he really was, and he allowed them tothink so, being very proud of his position of authority.

  There was another pool on the tableland, which was not enchanted butcontained good clear water and was located close to the dwellings. Herethe people built the Frogman a house of his own, close to the edge ofthe pool, so that he could take a bath or a swim whenever he wished. Heusually swam in the pool in the early morning, before anyone else wasup, and during the day he dressed himself in his beautiful clothes andsat in his house and received the visits of all the Yips who came to himto ask his advice.

  The Frogman's usual costume consisted of knee-breeches made of yellowsatin plush, with trimmings of gold braid and jeweled knee-buckles; awhite satin vest with silver buttons in which were set solitaire rubies;a swallow-tailed coat of bright yellow; green stockings and red leathershoes turned up at the toes and having diamond buckles. He wore, when hewalked out, a purple silk hat and carried a gold-headed cane. Over hiseyes he wore great spectacles with gold rims, not because his eyes werebad but because the spectacles made him look wise, and so distinguishedand gorgeous was his appearance that all the Yips were very proud ofhim.

  There was no King or Queen in the Yip Country, so the simple inhabitantsnaturally came to look upon the Frogman as their leader as well as theircounselor in all times of emergency. In his heart the big frog knew hewas no wiser than the Yips, but for a frog to know as much as a personwas quite remarkable, and the Frogman was shrewd enough to make thepeople believe he was far more wise than he really was. They neversuspected he was a humbug, but listened to his words with great respectand did just what he advised them to do.

  Now, when Cayke the Cookie Cook raised such an outcry over the theft ofher diamond-studded dishpan, the first thought of the people was to takeher to the Frogman and inform him of the loss, thinking that of coursehe could tell her where to find it.

  He listened to the story with his big eyes wide open behind hisspectacles, and said in his deep, croaking voice:

  "If the dishpan is stolen, somebody must have taken it."

  "But who?" asked Cayke, anxiously. "Who is the thief?"

  "The one who took the dishpan, of course," replied the Frogman, andhearing this all the Yips nodded their heads gravely and said to oneanother:

  "It is absolutely true!"

  "But I want my dishpan!" cried Cayke.

  "No one can blame you for that wish," remarked the Frogman.

  "Then tell me where I may find it," she urged.

  The look the Frogman gave her was a very wise look and he rose from hischair and strutted up and down the room with his hands under hiscoat-tails, in a very pompous and imposing manner. This was the firsttime so difficult a matter had been brought to him and he wanted time tothink. It would never do to let them suspect his ignorance and so hethought very, very hard how best to answer the woman without betrayinghimself.

  "I beg to inform you," said he, "that nothing in the Yip Country hasever been stolen before."

  "We know that, already," answered Cayke the Cookie Cook, impatiently.

  "Therefore," continued the Frogman, "this theft becomes a very importantmatter."

  "Well, where is my dishpan?" demanded the woman.

  "It is lost; but it must be found. Unfortunately, we have no policemenor detectives to unravel the mystery, so we must employ other means toregain the lost article. Cayke must first write a Proclamation and tackit to the door of her house, and the Proclamation must read that whoeverstole the jeweled dishpan must return it at once."

  "But suppose no one returns it," suggested Cayke.

  "Then," said the Frogman, "that very fact will be proof that no one hasstolen it."

  Cayke was not satisfied, but the other Yips seemed to approve the planhighly. They all advised her to do as the Frogman had told her to, soshe posted the sign on her door and waited patiently for someone toreturn the dishpan--which no one ever did.

  Again she went, accompanied by a group of her neighbors, to the Frogman,who by this time had given the matter considerable thought. Said he toCayke:

  "I am now convinced that no Yip has taken your dishpan, and, since it isgone from the Yip Country, I suspect
that some stranger came from theworld down below us, in the darkness of night when all of us wereasleep, and took away your treasure. There can be no other explanationof its disappearance. So, if you wish to recover that golden,diamond-studded dishpan, you must go into the lower world after it."

  This was indeed a startling proposition. Cayke and her friends went tothe edge of the flat tableland and looked down the steep hillside to theplains below. It was so far to the bottom of the hill that nothing therecould be seen very distinctly and it seemed to the Yips veryventuresome, if not dangerous, to go so far from home into an unknownland.

  However, Cayke wanted her dishpan very badly, so she turned to herfriends and asked:

  "Who will go with me?"

  No one answered this question, but after a period of silence one of theYips said:

  "We know what is here, on the top of this flat hill, and it seems to usa very pleasant place; but what is down below we do not know. Thechances are it is not so pleasant, so we had best stay where we are."

  "It may be a far better country than this is," suggested the CookieCook.

  "Maybe, maybe," responded another Yip, "but why take chances?Contentment with one's lot is true wisdom. Perhaps, in some othercountry, there are better cookies than you cook; but as we have alwayseaten your cookies, and liked them--except when they are burned on thebottom--we do not long for any better ones."

  Cayke might have agreed to this argument had she not been so anxious tofind her precious dishpan, but now she exclaimed impatiently:

  "You are cowards--all of you! If none of you are willing to explore withme the great world beyond this small hill, I will surely go alone."

  "That is a wise resolve," declared the Yips, much relieved. "It is yourdishpan that is lost, not ours; and, if you are willing to risk yourlife and liberty to regain it, no one can deny you the privilege."

  While they were thus conversing the Frogman joined them and looked downat the plain with his big eyes and seemed unusually thoughtful. In fact,the Frogman was thinking that he'd like to see more of the world. Herein the Yip Country he had become the most important creature of them alland his importance was getting to be a little tame. It would be nice tohave other people defer to him and ask his advice and there seemed noreason, so far as he could see, why his fame should not spreadthroughout all Oz.

  He knew nothing of the rest of the world, but it was reasonable tobelieve that there were more people beyond the mountain where he nowlived than there were Yips, and if he went among them he could surprisethem with his display of wisdom and make them bow down to him as theYips did. In other words, the Frogman was ambitious to become stillgreater than he was, which was impossible if he always remained uponthis mountain. He wanted others to see his gorgeous clothes and listento his solemn sayings, and here was an excuse for him to get away fromthe Yip Country. So he said to Cayke the Cookie Cook:

  "_I_ will go with you, my good woman," which greatly pleased Caykebecause she felt the Frogman could be of much assistance to her in hersearch.

  But now, since the mighty Frogman had decided to undertake the journey,several of the Yips who were young and daring at once made up theirminds to go along; so the next morning after breakfast the Frogman andCayke the Cookie Cook and nine of the Yips started to slide down theside of the mountain. The bramble-bushes and cactus plants were veryprickly and uncomfortable to the touch, so the Frogman commanded theYips to go first and break a path, so that when he followed them hewould not tear his splendid clothes. Cayke, too, was wearing her bestdress, and was likewise afraid of the thorns and prickers, so she keptbehind the Frogman.

  They made rather slow progress and night overtook them before they werehalfway down the mountain side, so they found a cave in which theysought shelter until morning. Cayke had brought along a basket full ofher famous cookies, so they all had plenty to eat.

  On the second day the Yips began to wish they had not embarked on thisadventure. They grumbled a good deal at having to cut away the thorns tomake the path for the Frogman and the Cookie Cook, for their ownclothing suffered many tears, while Cayke and the Frogman traveledsafely and in comfort.

  "If it is true that anyone came to our country to steal your diamonddishpan," said one of the Yips to Cayke, "it must have been a bird, forno person in the form of a man, woman or child could have climbedthrough these bushes and back again."

  "And, allowing he could have done so," said another Yip, "thediamond-studded gold dishpan would not have repaid him for his troublesand his tribulations."

  "For my part," remarked a third Yip, "I would rather go back home anddig and polish some more diamonds, and mine some more gold, and makeyou another dishpan, than be scratched from head to heel by thesedreadful bushes. Even now, if my mother saw me, she would not know I amher son."

  Cayke paid no heed to these mutterings, nor did the Frogman. Althoughtheir journey was slow it was being made easy for them by the Yips, sothey had nothing to complain of and no desire to turn back.

  Quite near to the bottom of the great hill they came upon a deep gulf,the sides of which were as smooth as glass. The gulf extended a longdistance--as far as they could see, in either direction--and although itwas not very wide it was far too wide for the Yips to leap across it.And, should they fall into it, it was likely they might never get outagain.

  "Here our journey ends," said the Yips. "We must go back again."

  Cayke the Cookie Cook began to weep.

  "I shall never find my pretty dishpan again--and my heart will bebroken!" she sobbed.

  The Frogman went to the edge of the gulf and with his eye carefullymeasured the distance to the other side.

  "Being a frog," said he, "I can leap, as all frogs do; and, being so bigand strong, I am sure I can leap across this gulf with ease. But therest of you, not being frogs, must return the way you came."

  "We will do that with pleasure," cried the Yips and at once they turnedand began to climb up the steep mountain, feeling they had had quiteenough of this unsatisfactory adventure. Cayke the Cookie Cook did notgo with them, however. She sat on a rock and wept and wailed and wasvery miserable.

  "Well," said the Frogman to her, "I will now bid you good-bye. If I findyour diamond decorated gold dishpan I will promise to see that it issafely returned to you."

  "But I prefer to find it myself!" she said. "See here, Frogman, whycan't you carry me across the gulf when you leap it? You are big andstrong, while I am small and thin."

  The Frogman gravely thought over this suggestion. It was a fact thatCayke the Cookie Cook was not a heavy person. Perhaps he could leap thegulf with her on his back.

  "If you are willing to risk a fall," said he, "I will make the attempt."

  At once she sprang up and grabbed him around his neck with both herarms. That is, she grabbed him where his neck ought to be, for theFrogman had no neck at all. Then he squatted down, as frogs do whenthey leap, and with his powerful rear legs he made a tremendous jump.

  Over the gulf he sailed, with the Cookie Cook on his back, and he hadleaped so hard--to make sure of not falling in--that he sailed over alot of bramble-bushes that grew on the other side and landed in a clearspace which was so far beyond the gulf that when they looked back theycould not see it at all.

  Cayke now got off the Frogman's back and he stood erect again andcarefully brushed the dust from his velvet coat and rearranged his whitesatin necktie.

  "I had no idea I could leap so far," he said wonderingly. "Leaping isone more accomplishment I can now add to the long list of deeds I amable to perform."

  "You are certainly fine at leap-frog," said the Cookie Cook, admiringly;"but, as you say, you are wonderful in many ways. If we meet with anypeople down here I am sure they will consider you the greatest andgrandest of all living creatures."

  "Yes," he replied, "I shall probably astonish strangers, because theyhave never before had the pleasure of seeing me. Also they will marvelat my great learning. Every time I open my mouth, Cayke, I am liableto say something im
portant."

  "That is true," she agreed, "and it is fortunate your mouth is so verywide and opens so far, for otherwise all the wisdom might not be able toget out of it."

  "Perhaps nature made it wide for that very reason," said the Frogman:"But come; let us now go on, for it is getting late and we must findsome sort of shelter before night overtakes us."