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    The Marvelous Land of Oz
    The Marvelous Land of Oz
    The Marvelous Land of Oz
    Ebook171 pages2 hours

    The Marvelous Land of Oz

    By L. Frank Baum

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    L. Frank Baum's magical world of Oz comes to life in a way you never imagined! Follow the adventures of a young boy named Tip as he escapes the servitude of the mean old witch Mombi and runs away with his newly created magical companion, Jack Pumpkinhead. Along the way, they meet Sawhorse and follow the legendary Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City - now ruled by King Scarecrow! But when Jinjur overthrows King Scarecrow and Mombi returns, Tip and his friends must enlist the aid of Glinda, the Good Witch, to try to set things right in Oz!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStart Publishing LLC
    Release dateMar 18, 2013
    ISBN9781625588135
    Author

    L. Frank Baum

    Lyman Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American children’s book author, best known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and several other works (55 novels in total, plus four "lost" novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings).

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    Reviews for The Marvelous Land of Oz

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      Reluctant by obliging, Baum's second book about Oz is without Dorothy or the Wizard, and secondary appearances of the Scarecrow and Tin Man. he young boy Tip runs away from the evil witch Mombi, who has raised him from infancy, and either creates or encounters the fanciful Jack Pumpkinhead, the Wooden Sawhorse, and H.M. Woggle-Bug T.E.Just in case you haven't read the book: Tip is really the girl sovereign of Oz; the Wizard defeated her father and gave her to Mombi, who enchanted her -- first literary transgender? -- and is restored to her rightful form and throne at the end by Glinda. One wonders why she didn't do it sooner. Tip has no difficulty making the transition, this being a make-believe country.I had forgotten the Wizard was not such a good man as in Book 1; maybe "Wicked" is not so far off target; however, Baum "forgets" about this part in Book 3).
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable tale from Frank Baum and a lovely followup to the original Wizard of Oz. Such wonderful imagination in the creation of pumpkinhead and sawhorse characters. And then to bring back the Tin Man and the Scarecrow (and Glinda!) is such a treat. And honestly, the ending caught me totally unawares so good on you, Mr. Baum, good on you!
    • 4/5
      A great Oz book.General Jinjur and her army of young women take over the Emerald City. Tip has fled the evil witch Mombi when he joins the Scarecrow. They discover what had happened to the legitimate ruler - Ozma. This is where we meet Ozma. And she is in every book from now on.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorites of all of the Oz books. The conversations between the characters and the lines that come from them are some of the most memorable that I have ever read. As always, Baum's remarkable ability to tell the story of Oz continues in this book as we travel through new countries and meet new friends.There is just enough description throughout to allow the reader to make a clear picture in their mind and let the world grow inside of them. Through unique bedtime-like storytelling the adventures of the characters come across as clearly as if you were watching them happen and easily move you along on the journey with them. Anyone who has fallen in love with one of the movies needs to read all of the books to truly fall in love with all that Oz is.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in L. Frank Baum’s Oz series of books. In this book the reader is introduced to new citizens of that magical land: Tip, Mombi Jack Pumpkinhead, the wooden Saw-Horse and Ozma. To many readers of the Oz books these characters are just as important and critical to Oz as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and Cowardly Lion. Without giving anything away, the story found in this book is needed to understand Oz and the future books in the series as much as The Wizard of Oz, the first book in the series. The character Ozma is especially important. The story line in this book was combined with the story line in Ozma of Oz, the third Oz book, to be the basis of the movie “Return to Oz.”
    • 5/5
      In the 2nd book, you have an introduction of a few new characters. I loved this book just because it was so weird. You have a the scarecrow that becomes arrogant. The Tin Man obsessed with his looks. Then you have a little boy that is actually a little girl. A magical saw horse, that is just comical in his description. A flying moody Gump.

      As I said, this book is weird! But I love it.
    • 5/5
      Second in the series of Oz books and just as enjoyable as the first one. Loading the third book (audiobook) up on my iPod now. I'd say these are a little overlooked in the modern world, and should be checked out for those with a little kid still inside them somewhere.
    • 4/5
      Everyone is use to the original Wizard of Oz because of the movie but the rest of the series is worth checking out if you are looking for fun children's literature. In this second book of the series, there are a lot of new, interesting characters like the Gump and the Saw-horse. Things like friendship and honesty and kindness are shown to be better than money and there is enough nonsensical fun to appeal to children. I liked it a lot!
    • 3/5
      Having loved "The Wizard of Oz" movie since childhood, I finally got around to reading the first two books (alas, wish I'd read more as a kid...).

      First book was good, a lot differences between the movie. I was surprised at how simple L. Frank Baum's writing style was. I know it's a children's book, and over a hundred years old, but the movie added, in my opinion, a lot more depth to the characters.

      The Marvelous Land of Oz was just nonsensical at times. I don't even know how to rightly describe it...akin to Dr. Seuss maybe? (Even though Dr. Seuss is 50 years later.) It's almost as though L. Frank Baum said, "I'm going to sit down and write and whatever I come up with off the top of my head, that's going in the book!"

      I plan to read a few more in the series, there's so many I don't know if I care enough about the characters and the world to finish the fourteen L. Frank Baum wrote, plus the many others by different authors.

      Hopefully I'll enjoy the next one better when Dorothy returns as a character.
    • 4/5
      The second Oz book, in which the Scarecrow is deposed as ruler of Oz by an ambitious young woman named Jinjur, but eventually the true ruler turns out to be Ozma, who for much of the book is the boy Tip. The book also introduces the evil witch Mombi, Jack Pumpkinhead, and H.M. Wogglebug T.E. (Thoroughly Educated). My father used to say my mother's initials V.T.E. stood for "very thoroughly educated." The story includes ,any characters from the first book, but not Dorothy.
    • 4/5
      The sequel to the Wizard of Oz was another great book by Frank Baum. It wasn't exciting as the first but it keeps you moving through the land setting the stage for even further adventures in Oz.
    • 4/5
      I've always struggled with this book, because on the one hand Baum has an abundance of female characters and female protagonists who drive the story (here and in all of the Oz books) but on the other it is rife with appalling gender stereotypes. Baum might have been a feminist, but in 1904 that did not mean he was entirely enlightened. It has Ozma, who is glorious and I could go on about the gender issues touched upon there, but it also has Jinjur, who is a general, yes, and that is great, but she's a general who only wants to laze around with jewels and her soldiers are women and therefore obviously must be terrified of mice. But then there is also this:

      "What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.

      "Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the wome have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."

      "Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"

      So. Conflicted. It's problematic, but it's also progressive? Ultimately, the balance falls on the side of good for me, in no small part because of Ozma, but it will never be unreserved love.
    • 3/5
      Originally published in 1904, this second of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Oz novels opens in the Gillikin Country, in the north of Oz. Here a mischievous young boy named Tip chafes against the rule of his less-than-benevolent guardian, the witch Mombi. When Tip's prank, in creating a pumpkin-headed man to frighten Mombi backfires, and he is threatened with the terrible fate of being made into a statue as punishment, the young boy runs away, taking the now living Jack Pumpkinhead with him. Heading for the Emerald City, now ruled by the Scarecrow, Tip also brings to life a wooden sawhorse, and eventually meets up with a rebellious young woman named Jinjur, intent on fomenting a girls' revolt. When General Jinjur's army conquers the Emerald City, the Scarecrow must flee, taking Tip and his companions with him. They head for the Winkie Country, in the west of Oz, there to enlist the aid of the Tin Woodman, who rules that kingdom at the invitation of its residents. After a number of adventures - they meet a thoroughly educated Woogle Bug, are captured by General Jinjur, before subsequently escaping in a strange portmanteau creation called the Gump - the companions find their way to Glinda, who helps them to see that neither the Scarecrow nor General Jinjur are entitled to rule Oz. That honor belongs to the missing Princess Ozma, whose father was the last king of Oz. But where is Ozma, and what does it have to do with Tip…?Although I grew up reading the Oz books, both those written by Baum, and then those written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, The Marvelous Land of Oz has never been a particular favorite of mine. I always find the story a little bit scattered, with the main characters seemingly running back and forth across Oz, and I never feel particularly attached to their struggles. I have also always found the plot involving General Jinjur and her army of rebellious girls somewhat distasteful. It always rather confused me that Baum seemed to be taking aim at feminist activists, who would, at the time of publication, have been publicly working for women's suffrage. How does this parody he offers fit in with the characters' claim, later in the book, when Tip is reluctant to resume his original form as Ozma - a female!, that girls are every bit as good as boys, and sometimes even make better students? Satire is frequently to be found in the pages of Baum's Oz books - in the next title, Ozma of Oz, there are some rather pointed depictions of the military, in the form of the largely incompetent officers in Ozma's army - but this instance of it always seems to me to fall flat. It is only on this latest reread, armed with the knowledge that Baum wrote The Marvelous Land of Oz, not so much as a stand-alone story meant for children, but as a spring-board for a musical featuring the two best-beloved characters from stage adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, that I began to have a better understanding of the girl-rebellion plot-line. Apparently, when creating General Jinjur and her army of attractive girls, he was thinking of the possibility of a chorus-line of young dancers in the stage production! Although this knowledge didn't make this aspect of the story any more successful, in my estimation, it did explain something that had long puzzled me.Despite its flaws, this is a book well worth reading, even if only to get to the far superior Ozma of Oz, and I would recommend it to young fantasy lovers, with the proviso that they must read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz first.
    • 4/5
      I felt guilty reading this book. Well, not the book, really, but the advertising in the front of the book. In it, the Oz books are touted as nigh a foundational work of fantasy literature. Me, I've only seen the movie. I feel so... inferior. Anyway, I then read the book. This is the sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Apparently a large enough number of people nagged Mr. Baum to write it. The story follows a young boy named Tip who runs away from his guardian, a cranky old lady who dabbles in magic and has threatened to turn him into a marble statue in punishment for trying to scare her. He travels to the Emerald City and meets up with the Scarecrow, who is the current ruler, just in time to help the latter escape from an invasion by General Jinjur and her army. The two join up with an unusual assortment of companions and together they seek to restore the rightful ruler to the ol' green burg. It's an enjoyable book--quite imaginative, really. I really couldn't rave on about it like the advertising blurbs, but it's certainly worth checking out. Maybe if I read a greater number of the books, I'll be able to join the chorus of praise.--J.
    • 5/5
      Just about as much fun as the first Oz book! Old characters return, but new ones are also introduced who are just as amazing as the ones from the first book. A grand adventure taking the band of heroes all through Oz (and beyond) with some clever escapades and solutions. A great read for all ages!
    • 4/5
      The second book in the series, this one follows the Tinman, Scarecrow and some new characters around Oz. I listened to the LibriVox audio book which didn't have a great reader and I found it hard to follow. Still an interesting continuation of the fantasy.
    • 5/5
      "The Land of Oz" is a delightful follow-up to its more famous predecessor, The Wizard of Oz. This second book tells the story of Jack who, in absence of his guardian, the witch Mombie, creates a live man with a pumpkin head and a live saw horse to keep him company. He has many adventures with his friends after the sorcerer's apprentice-like beginning!-Breton W Kaiser Taylor
    • 4/5
      Oz books were great fun.
    • 4/5
      This was an unexpectedly bizarre ride through a world that I thought I knew (Oz), and I was thoroughly entertained. It is much wilder and unpredictable than the Oz I imagined. I found myself cringing a bit at some of the dated, stereotypical attitudes on gender, and then marveling at some of the provocative plot twists that sounded as if they could have been written today (or tomorrow).

      This passage made me think of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg:
      ****
      "I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed."

      "Spoken like a philosopher!" cried the Woggle-Bug, as he assisted the Tin Woodman to set Jack upon his feet.
      ****

      I was just going to read a couple more in the Baum series to prepare for reading the Gregory Maguire reimaginings, but I just may read them all.
    • 3/5
      One of the only 2 books of these I owned & read as a kid (my dad read it to me first). Not that good.
    • 4/5
      I was thrilled to discover that my university library had a copy of this book that I have been wanting to read since childhood. The oz series has always fascinated me, but due to the fact that there are so many books in the series I have never been able to acquire all of them. I discovered that my university library has 13 out of the original 14 that are written by L. Fran Baum which thrills me.

      The book in many ways can be seen as an early American story that involves a transgender character, if you really want to think about it in those terms. What the book is though is a magical romp in a land that most of us are familiar with. We are introduced to new characters, like Jack Pumpkinhead. We are also revisited by familiar favorites, like the Scarecrow.

      The book feels like a wonderful journey into the land of oz for those of us that deeply appreciate what Baum was doing with these stories. Baum uses current issues, like the women's suffragist movement of his time, beautifully in his books. This book showcases that movement and also is a really good fairy tale story. It holds up to the original classic that most of us love.

      The book is primarily focused on a young boy named Tip that escapes the evil clutches of Mombi. Mombi is a low-level practicing witch, since it is forbidden to be a true witch other than the ones previously mentioned in Wizard of Oz. The book is about his journey and how ultimately he discovers what he is in the land of oz. The book is fun, beautifully written, and just a darn good read for anyone that wants to take an additional trip down to Oz.
    • 4/5
      Having heard about some of Frank Baum's personal life on NPR a few years ago, I knew he was a little strange, but some of the ideas in his books really reinforce the notion. I can't go into the surprise twist at the end because I don't want to spoil things for others, but let's just say... it's weird. We have a pumpkinheaded character (Jack) who's head keeps falling off (inspiration for Tim Burton?)We have a giant talking bug that became giant through interesting circumstances, along with a flying, mooseheaded couch and old favorites like the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow. And Baum offers a lot of amusing misunderstandings of language between characters and plays on words.I also raised an eyebrow at all the times a character called another character "stupid" or an "idiot" and things of that nature...but overall, it was an enjoyable book to read filled with interesting characters and situations.
    • 3/5
      While I didn't enjoy The Marvellous Land of Oz as much as The Wizard of Oz, it still had its moments. In The Marvellous Land of Oz, Dorothy has been returned home and the Scarecrow reigns on the throne of the Emerald City. In a nearby land, a young boy, Tip, serves an old sorceress (not a witch, because those are the most powerful). Tip and the Scarecrow end up crossing paths and a whole slew of new characters are introduced - Jack Pumpkinhead, The Gump (a flying mismash of things) and others were fun to read about, but a bit.. overly silly. I don't know if it's because The Wizard of Oz is just so beloved that I overlook the cheesiness or this book was overly cheesy, but it was just a bit over the top for me. Still, it was a fun read and I'll continue to press on through my personal journey through Oz.
    • 3/5
      This was Baum's first sequel to The Wizard of Oz and he quite sensibly gives us a new central figure, Tip, and his collection of odd friends rather than reviving Dorothy immediately. The Scarecrow and the Tin Man both get involved part way through, with the central plot being the invasion of the Emerald City by an army of girls armed with knitting needles and the overthrow of the Scarecrow. I did have a few issues with some of the ideas: the Army of Revolt and the firm belief that the girls should be defeated and returned to their places cooking and cleaning for the men is a little too obviously sexist. The only way to get past that is to remember that these books were written a century ago and reflect the attitudes of the time. Other than that, this is a fun romp through Oz with some great new characters, a few familiar characters, and one or two surprises.
    • 4/5
      Stating the obvious here, but these books have so much more depth than the movie, even thought they are short quick reads.
    • 4/5
      in the kindle edition it's called the marvelous land of oz
    • 5/5
      I liked this one even better than the first Wizard of Oz book. There was a center section with awesome old illustrations that were really neat and detailed, a nice touch for a chapterbook since they don't usually have illustrations. It's a story that wasn't as well known as the wizard of oz, but I recognized certain parts of it from the movie "Return to Oz" which happens later, I think? Not sure. A young boy learns his true identity in this, going on crazy adventures along the way. I see this as a good book for a unit on fantasy, maybe, or just a self-chosen chapter book.
    • 3/5
      I decided to read this because I enjoyed the movies (Return to Oz being my favorite) and had heard that Return followed the spirit of the books more closely than the original. Having read the first book, I picked up the second at the library. A good, light, swift read. If you keep in mind, when this was written, it is way ahead of it's time. I was amused by General Jinjur taking over the Emerald City so her army could use the treasury to buy pretty dresses and make the men do all of the household chores. Amusing, sexist, but not for it's time.Dorothy does not appear in this book. It follows the scarecrow and the tinmna as they travel through Oz with the Gump, sawhorse, Tip, Jack, and the Woggle Bug. A good read.
    • 5/5
      "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is the second book that L. Frank Baum wrote about the delightful land of Oz. It came out four years after the first one because, well, he originally had no intention of writing any more! He received many letters asking for more books though, and he finally gave in and kept writing them. In "The Marvelous Land of Oz" we meet some new characters and rejoin some of our old friends. Tip, a young boy, is the main character of this book. He's grown up with a mean old sorceress, but after the accidental creation of Jack Pumpkinhead, he runs away. Tip and Jack get into many adventures on their way to the Emerald City, where the Scarecrow now rules. Unfortunately they arrive right as a bunch of girls, lead by General Jinjur, decide to take over the city!Tip and Jack ended up joining forces with the Scarecrow and the Tin Man to win back the Emerald City. Along the way a flying Gump is created, we visit with Glenda the Good Witch, and the long lost Ozma is finally found! I had a lot of fun joining this motley crew on their journey and I'm sure you will too.
    • 2/5
      I found this really interesting. It has to have spawned a ton of feminist academic lit, because it it the armies are made up of girls and a boy turns into a girl. A ragtag army of girls marches on the Emerald City, wielding knitting needles, because they want to raid the treasury for jewels and avoid housework. Glinda the Good Witch and her real female army go in and kick ass because the male heroes have no luck. And Tip, the boy protagonist of the book, is really the Princess Ozma. There's enough to keep scholars interested in gender identity and feminism in children's lit busy for quite a while. I'll have to look and see what I can find. It's be cool to read some of the analyses.

    Book preview

    The Marvelous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum

    The Marvelous Powder of Life

    After considering the matter carefully, Tip decided that the best place to locate Jack would be at the bend in the road, a little way from the house. So he started to carry his man there, but found him heavy and rather awkward to handle. After dragging the creature a short distance Tip stood him on his feet, and by first bending the joints of one leg, and then those of the other, at the same time pushing from behind, the boy managed to induce Jack to walk to the bend in the road. It was not accomplished without a few tumbles, and Tip really worked harder than he ever had in the fields or forest; but a love of mischief urged him on, and it pleased him to test the cleverness of his workmanship.

    Jack’s all right, and works fine! he said to himself, panting with the unusual exertion. But just then he discovered the man’s left arm had fallen off in the journey so he went back to find it, and afterward, by whittling a new and stouter pin for the shoulder-joint, he repaired the injury so successfully that the arm was stronger than before. Tip also noticed that Jack’s pumpkin head had twisted around until it faced his back; but this was easily remedied. When, at last, the man was set up facing the turn in the path where old Mombi was to appear, he looked natural enough to be a fair imitation of a Gillikin farmer,—and unnatural enough to startle anyone that came on him unawares.

    As it was yet too early in the day to expect the old woman to return home, Tip went down into the valley below the farm-house and began to gather nuts from the trees that grew there.

    However, old Mombi returned earlier than usual. She had met a crooked wizard who resided in a lonely cave in the mountains, and had traded several important secrets of magic with him. Having in this way secured three new recipes, four magical powders and a selection of herbs of wonderful power and potency, she hobbled home as fast as she could, in order to test her new sorceries.

    So intent was Mombi on the treasures she had gained that when she turned the bend in the road and caught a glimpse of the man, she merely nodded and said:

    Good evening, sir.

    But, a moment after, noting that the person did not move or reply, she cast a shrewd glance into his face and discovered his pumpkin head elaborately carved by Tip’s jack-knife.

    Heh! ejaculated Mombi, giving a sort of grunt; that rascally boy has been playing tricks again! Very good! ve—ry good! I’ll beat him blackand-blue for trying to scare me in this fashion!

    Angrily she raised her stick to smash in the grinning pumpkin head of the dummy; but a sudden thought made her pause, the uplifted stick left motionless in the air.

    Why, here is a good chance to try my new powder! said she, eagerly. And then I can tell whether that crooked wizard has fairly traded secrets, or whether he has fooled me as wickedly as I fooled him.

    So she set down her basket and began fumbling in it for one of the precious powders she had obtained.

    While Mombi was thus occupied Tip strolled back, with his pockets full of nuts, and discovered the old woman standing beside his man and apparently not the least bit frightened by it.

    At first he was generally disappointed; but the next moment he became curious to know what Mombi was going to do. So he hid behind a hedge, where he could see without being seen, and prepared to watch.

    After some search the woman drew from her basket an old pepper-box, upon the faded label of which the wizard had written with a lead-pencil:

    Powder of Life.

    Ah—here it is! she cried, joyfully. And now let us see if it is potent. The stingy wizard didn’t give me much of it, but I guess there’s enough for two or three doses.

    Tip was much surprised when he overheard this speech. Then he saw old Mombi raise her arm and sprinkle the powder from the box over the pumpkin head of his man Jack. She did this in the same way one would pepper a baked potato, and the powder sifted down from Jack’s head and scattered over the red shirt and pink waistcoat and purple trousers Tip had dressed him in, and a portion even fell upon the patched and worn shoes.

    Then, putting the pepper-box back into the basket, Mombi lifted her left hand, with its little finger pointed upward, and said:

    Weaugh!

    Then she lifted her right hand, with the thumb pointed upward, and said:

    Teaugh!

    Then she lifted both hands, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and cried:

    Peaugh!

    Jack Pumpkinhead stepped back a pace, at this, and said in a reproachful voice:

    Don’t yell like that! Do you think I’m deaf?

    Old Mombi danced around him, frantic with delight.

    He lives! she screamed: He lives! he lives!

    Then she threw her stick into the air and caught it as it came down; and she hugged herself with both arms, and tried to do a step of a jig; and all the time she repeated, rapturously:

    He lives!—he lives!—he lives!

    Now you may well suppose that Tip observed all this with amazement.

    At first he was so frightened and horrified that he wanted to run away, but his legs trembled and shook so badly that he couldn’t. Then it struck him as a very funny thing for Jack to come to life, especially as the expression on his pumpkin face was so droll and comical it excited laughter on the instant. So, recovering from his first fear, Tip began to laugh; and the merry peals reached old Mombi’s ears and made her hobble quickly to the hedge, where she seized Tip’s collar and dragged him back to where she had left her basket and the pumpkinheaded man.

    You naughty, sneaking, wicked boy! she exclaimed, furiously: I’ll teach you to spy out my secrets and to make fun of me! I wasn’t making fun of you, protested Tip. I was laughing at old Pumpkinhead! Look at him! Isn’t he a picture, though? I hope you are not reflecting on my personal appearance, said Jack; and it was so funny to hear his grave voice, while his face continued to wear its jolly smile, that Tip again burst into a peal of laughter.

    Even Mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked:

    What do you know?

    Well, that is hard to tell, replied Jack. For although I feel that I know a tremendous lot, I am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. It will take me a little time to discover whether I am very wise or very foolish.

    To be sure, said Mombi, thoughtfully.

    But what are you going to do with him, now he is alive? asked Tip, wondering.

    I must think it over, answered Mombi. But we must get home at once, for it is growing dark. Help the Pumpkinhead to walk.

    Never mind me, said Jack; I can walk as well as you can. Haven’t I got legs and feet, and aren’t they jointed?

    Are they? asked the woman, turning to Tip.

    Of course they are; I made ‘em myself, returned the boy, with pride.

    So they started for the house, but when they reached the farm yard old Mombi led the pumpkin man to the cow stable and shut him up in an empty stall, fastening the door securely on the outside.

    I’ve got to attend to you, first, she said, nodding her head at Tip.

    Hearing this, the boy became uneasy; for he knew Mombi had a bad and revengeful heart, and would not hesitate to do any evil thing.

    They entered the house. It was a round, domeshaped structure, as are nearly all the farm houses in the Land of Oz.

    Mombi bade the boy light a candle, while she put her basket in a cupboard and hung her cloak on a peg. Tip obeyed quickly, for he was afraid of her.

    After the candle had been lighted Mombi ordered him to build a fire in the hearth, and while Tip was thus engaged the old woman ate her supper. When the flames began to crackle the boy came to her and asked a share of the bread and cheese; but Mombi refused him.

    I’m hungry! said Tip, in a sulky tone.

    You won’t be hungry long, replied Mombi, with a grim look.

    The boy didn’t like this speech, for it sounded like a threat; but he happened to remember he had nuts in his pocket, so he cracked some of those and ate them while the woman rose, shook the crumbs from her apron, and hung above the fire a small black kettle.

    Then she measured out equal parts of milk and vinegar and poured them into the kettle. Next she produced several packets of herbs and powders and began adding a portion of each to the contents of the kettle. Occasionally she would draw near the candle and read from a yellow paper the recipe of the mess she was concocting.

    As Tip watched her his uneasiness increased.

    What is that for? he asked.

    For you, returned Mombi, briefly.

    Tip wriggled around upon his stool and stared awhile at the kettle, which was beginning to bubble. Then he would glance at the stern and wrinkled features of the witch and wish he were any place but in that dim and smoky kitchen, where even the shadows cast by the candle upon the wall were enough to give one the horrors. So an hour passed away, during which the silence was only broken by the bubbling of the pot and the hissing of the flames.

    Finally, Tip spoke again.

    Have I got to drink that stuff? he asked, nodding toward the pot.

    Yes, said Mombi.

    What’ll it do to me? asked Tip.

    If it’s properly made, replied Mombi, it will change or transform you into a marble statue.

    Tip groaned, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his sleeve.

    I don’t want to be a marble statue! he protested.

    That doesn’t matter I want you to be one, said the old woman, looking at him severely.

    What use’ll I be then? asked Tip. There won’t be any one to work for you.

    I’ll make the Pumpkinhead work for me, said Mombi.

    Again Tip groaned.

    Why don’t you change me into a goat, or a chicken? he asked, anxiously. You can’t do anything with a marble statue. Oh, yes, I can, returned Mombi. I’m going to plant a flower garden, next Spring, and I’ll put you in the middle of it, for an ornament. I wonder I haven’t thought of that before; you’ve been a bother to me for years.

    At this terrible speech Tip felt the beads of perspiration starting all over his body. but he sat still and shivered and looked anxiously at the kettle.

    Perhaps it won’t work, he mutttered, in a voice that sounded weak and discouraged.

    Oh, I think it will, answered Mombi, cheerfully. I seldom make a mistake.

    Again there was a period of silence a silence so long and gloomy that when Mombi finally lifted the kettle from the fire it was close to midnight.

    You cannot drink it until it has become quite cold, announced the old witch for in spite of the law she had acknowledged practising witchcraft. We must both go to bed now, and at daybreak I will call you and at once complete your transformation into a marble statue.

    With this she hobbled into her room, bearing the steaming kettle with her, and Tip heard her close and lock the door.

    The boy did not go to bed, as he had been commanded to do, but still sat glaring at the embers of the dying fire.

    The Flight of the Fugitives

    Tip reflected.

    It’s a hard thing, to be a marble statue, he thought, rebelliously, "and I’m not going to stand it. For years I’ve been a bother to her, she says; so she’s going to get rid of me.

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