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animals in Oz. "I say, are we going anywhere in particular?" he drawled
curiously as the King, decked out in his best braided traveling coat and
amethyst crown, surveyed himself cheerfully in the long mirror.
"WE!" chuckled the merry monarch, turning round with a hearty roar. "Ho, Ho,
HO! And how do you know YOU are going?"
"Well, I see you are wearing your best purple boots, and when the King of
all the Gillikens wears his best purple boots, he usually rides his best
purple horse, does he not?"
"Right," admitted the King good naturedly, "and I might as well tell you at
once that we are going to the capital at the express invitation of her
Imperial Highness, Queen Ozma of Oz!" The King cleared his throat
importantly. "There is to be an immense festival to celebrate the discovery
of Oz by mortals, the honors to be equally divided between the famous
Wizard who arrived here in a balloon from Omaha many years ago and little
Dorothy, who came by way of a Kansas cyclone somewhat later. Not only will
the rulers of all four Oz Kingdoms be present, but many other important and
Royal personages as well."
"Well? Well, indeed!" trumpeted the giant horse shrilly. "There you stand
all shined up like a doorknob and never a word to me. How'll I look? Why
wasn't I told before? When do we start?"
"Just as soon as her Majesty decides what to wear and what to take with
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her," answered the King with a solemn wink.
"Oh, then I'll have bushels of time." Highboy sighed heavily with relief.
"So we're invited to the Emerald City, eh? How perfectly perf, how simply
magnif. Billy! Tommy! JIM!" As he called the name of each little groom,
Highboy let himself down a couple of stories, and by the time he reached a
usual horse height and level on the ground, he had ordered himself a bath,
a mane wave, an oil shampoo and a hooficure. Indeed, Highboy's plans for
the party went on apace and with the three grooms pattering after him with
buckets, brushes and sponges, he trotted anxiously up and down his great,
airy stable picking out his most splendid saddle and bridle and
silver-braided blanket for the journey. The giant horse wished to make an
impression that would uphold if not enhance the honor and reputation of the
Gillikens. He was eager to renew his friendship with Trot, a little mortal
girl who lived in the palace and with Herby, the Medicine Man, and the many
other interesting characters he had met on a former visit to the capital.
In the Munchkin, Quadling, and Winkie Kingdoms there was also a lively
bustle and stir of preparation, and in many of the lesser Kingdoms the
Kings, Queens and Potentates made ready for the great spring festival in
the Emerald City. And you can imagine the fun and excitement in the capital
itself. Everyone had some special part in the program; even the dogs and
cats ran importantly about on countless errands like small messengers,
their ears and tails quivering with interest and expectancy. After the
visitors had been officially welcomed at the gates of the city, there was
to be an imperial procession with bands, floats and favors for everybody.
Then there were to be games, races, and other exciting athletic events and
a grand banquet in the Royal Palace. A magic-lantern ball in Ozma's garden
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would complete the festivities for the first day. For the second, pageants
and tableaux depicting the important and historical events of Ozian history
had been arranged for the morning. Notta Bit More, a circus clown who had
come to Oz from Philadelphia, was putting on an outdoor circus in the
afternoon, helped by Bob Up, the orphan who had come with him, and all the
famous animals in the Emerald City. From the squeals, shouts, and hilarious
chuckles issuing from the huge white tent set just beyond the city wall, it
promised to be an unqualified success.
After the circus, Ozma had planned a picnic supper on the banks of the
Winkie River, to be followed by demonstrations in magic by the Wizard of Oz
and Glinda, the Good Sorceress of the South, and last, but not least, a
lavish display of fireworks sent especially for the grand occasion by Happy
Toko, Emperor of the Silver Isles. No wonder the children in the Emerald
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