Dianne Bean of Phoenix, Arizona. The book - "Project Gutenberg surfs with a modem donated by Supra."

Jimmy Carter - "State of the Union Addresses of Jimmy Carter"

Franklin P. Adams - "Tobogganing On Parnassus"

Frederick Douglass - "Collected Articles of Frederick Douglass, author of many works"

Sky Island

L >> L. Frank Baum >> Sky Island




"I think it would be best for us to go back to our own country as
soon as possible," suggested Rosalie the Witch, "for if we stay here
very long, the Blueskins may rise against us and cause the Pinkies
much trouble."

"Jus' as soon as we find that umbrel," promised Trot, "we'll dive
into the Fog Bank an' make tracks for the Land of Sunrise an'
Sunset."






THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA

CHAPTER 27





Next morning the search for the Magic Umbrella began in earnest.
With many to hunt for it and the liberty of the whole palace to aid
them, every inch of the great building was carefully examined. But
no trace of the umbrella could be found. Cap'n Bill and
Button-Bright went down to the cabin of the former Boolooroo and
tried to find out what he had done with the umbrella, but the old
Boolooroo said,

"I had it brought from the Treasure Chamber and tried to make it
work, but there was no magic about the thing. So I threw it away. I
haven't any idea what became of it."

The six former Princesses were sitting upon a rude bench, looking
quite bedraggled and untidy. Said Indigo:

"If you will make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, I'll find your old
umbrella."

"Where is it?" asked Button-Bright eagerly.

"Make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, and I'll tell you," repeated Indigo.
"But I won't say another word about it until after I am married."

So they went back to the palace and proposed to the new Boolooroo to
marry Indigo so they could get their Magic Umbrella. But
Ghip-Ghisizzle positively refused.

"I'd like to help you," said he, "but nothing will ever induce me to
marry one of those snubnoses."

"They're very pretty--for Blueskins," said Trot.

"But when you marry a girl, you marry the inside as well as the
outside," declared Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and inside these Princesses
there are wicked hearts and evil thoughts. I'd rather be patched
than marry the best of them."

"Which IS the best?" asked Button-Bright.

"I don't know, I'm sure," was the reply. "Judging from their actions
in the past, there is no best."

Rosalie the Witch now went to the cabin and put Indigo into a deep
sleep by means of a powerful charm. Then, while the Princess slept,
the Witch made her tell all she knew, which wasn't a great deal, to
be sure; but it was soon discovered that Indigo had been deceiving
them and knew nothing at all about the umbrella. She had hoped to
marry Ghip-Ghisizzle and become Queen, after which she could afford
to laugh at their reproaches. So the Witch woke her up and went back
to the palace to tell Trot of her failure.

The girl and Button-bright and Cap'n Bill were all rather
discouraged by this time, for they had searched high and low and had
not found a trace of the all-important umbrella. That night none of
them slept much, for they all lay awake wondering how they could
ever return to the Earth and to their homes.

In the morning of the third day after Trot's conquest of the Blues,
the little girl conceived another idea. She called all the servants
of the palace to her and questioned them closely. But not one could
remember having seen anything that looked like an umbrella.

"Are all the servants of the old Boolooroo here?" inquired Cap'n
Bill, who was sorry to see Trot looking so sad and downcast.

"All but one," was the reply. "Tiggle used to be a servant, but he
escaped and ran away."

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Trot. "Tiggle is in hiding somewhere. Perhaps
he doesn't know there's been a revolution and a new Boolooroo rules
the country. If he did, there's no need for him to hide any longer,
for he is now in no danger."

She now dispatched messengers all through the City and the
surrounding country, who cried aloud for Tiggle, saying that the new
Boolooroo wanted him. Tiggle, hiding in the cellar of a deserted
house in a back street, at last heard these cries and joyfully came
forth to confront the messengers. Having heard of the old
Boolooroo's downfall and disgrace, the old man consented to go to
the palace again, and as soon as Trot saw him she asked about the
umbrella.

Tiggle thought hard for a minute and then said he remembered
sweeping the King's rooms and finding a queer thing--that might have
been an umbrella--lying beneath a cabinet. It had ropes and two
wooden seats and a wicker basket all attached to the handle.

"That's it!" cried Button-Bright excitedly, and "That's it! That's
it!" cried both Trot and Cap'n Bill.

"But what did you do with it?" asked Ghip-Ghisizzle.

"I dragged it out and threw it on the rubbish heap in an alley back
of the palace," said Tiggle. At once they all rushed out to the
alley and began digging in the rubbish heap. By and by Cap'n Bill
uncovered the lunch basket, and pulling on this he soon drew up the
two seats, and finally the Magic Umbrella.

"Hurrah!" shouted Button-Bright, grabbing the umbrella and hugging
it tight in his arms.

"Hooray!" shrieked the parrot.

"Cap'n Bill's a lucky fellah,
'Cause he found the old umbrella!"

Trot's face was wreathed in smiles. "This is jus' the best luck that
could have happened to us," she exclaimed, "'cause now we can go
home whenever we please."

"Let's go now--this minute--before we lose the umbrella again," said
Button-Bright.

But Trot shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "We've got to
straighten out things in Sky Island first of all. A Queen has some
duties, you know, and as long as I'm Queen here, I've got to live up
to the part."

"What has to be did, mate?" inquired Cap'n Bill.

"Well, we've fixed the Blue Country pretty well by makin' 'Sizzle
the Boolooroo of it; but the Pinkies mus' be looked after, too,
'cause they've stood by us an' helped us to win. We must take 'em
home again safe an' sound and get a new Queen to rule over 'em. When
that's done, we can go home any time we want to."

"Quite right, Trot," said the sailor approvingly. "When do we
march?"

"Right away," she replied. "I've had enough of the Blue Country,
haven't you?"

"We have, mate."

"We've had plenty of it," observed Button-Bright.

"And the Pinkies are anxious to get home," added Rosalie, who was
present.

So Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats from the handle of the umbrella and
wound the ropes around the two boards and made a package of them,
which he carried under his arm. Trot took the empty lunch basket,
and Button-Bright held fast to the precious umbrella. Then they
returned to the palace to bid goodbye to Ghip-Ghisizzle and the
Blues.

The new Boolooroo seemed rather sorry to lose his friends, but the
people were secretly glad to get rid of the strangers, especially of
the Pinkies. They maintained a sullen silence while Coralie and
Captain Tintint formed their ranks in marching order, and they did
not even cheer when Trot said to them in a final speech:

"I'm the Queen of Sky Island, you know, and the new Boolooroo has to
carry out my orders and treat you all nicely while I'm away. I don't
know when I'll come back, but you'd better watch out an' not make
any trouble, or I'll find a way to make you sorry for it. So now,
goodbye!"

"And good riddance!" screamed the Six Snubnosed Girls who had once
been Princesses and who were now in the crowd that watched the
departure.

But Trot paid no attention to them. She made a signal to the Pinkie
Band, which struck up a fine Pink March, and then the Army stepped
out with the left foot first, and away went the conquerors down the
streets of the Blue City, out of the blue-barred gateway and across
the country toward the Fog Bank.






THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE

CHAPTER 28





When they reached the edge of the Fog Bank, the Pinkies all halted
to put on their raincoats, and Button-Bright put up his umbrella and
held it over himself and Trot. Then, when everybody was ready, they
entered the Fog and Rosalie the Witch made a signal to call the Frog
King and his subjects to aid them as they had done before.

Pretty soon the great frogs appeared, a long line of them facing
Trot and her Pink Army and sitting upon their haunches close
together.

"Turn around so we can get upon your backs," said Rosalie.

"Not yet," answered the Frog King in a gruff, deep voice. "You must
first take that insulting umbrella out of my dominions."

"Why, what is there about my umbrella that seems insulting?" asked
Button-Bright in surprise.

"It is an intimation that you don't like our glorious climate and
object to our delightful fog and are trying to ward off its soulful,
clinging kisses," replied the Frog King in an agitated voice. "There
has never been an umbrella in my kingdom before, and I'll not allow
one in it now. Take it away at once!"

"But we can't," explained Trot. "We've got to take the umbrella with
us to the Pink Country. We'll put it down if you like, an' cross the
bank in this drizzle--which may be clingin' an' soulful, but is too
wet to be comfort'ble. But the umbrella's got to go with us."

"It can't go another inch," cried the obstinate frog with an angry
croak, "nor shall any of your people advance another step while that
insulting umbrella is with you."

Trot turned to Rosalie. "What shall we do?" she asked.

"I really do not know," replied the Witch, greatly perplexed.

"Can't you MAKE the frogs let us through?" inquired the boy.

"No, I have no power over the frogs," Rosalie answered. "They
carried us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we
cannot pass with the umbrella, we must go back to the Blue Country
or leave your umbrella behind us."

"We won't do that!" said Button-Bright indignantly. "Can't we fight
the frogs?"

"Fight!" cried Trot. "Why, see how big they are. They could eat up
our whole army if they wanted to."

But just then, while they stood dismayed at this unfortunate
position, a queer thing happened. The umbrella in Button-Bright's
hand began to tremble and shake. He looked down at the handle and
saw that the red eyes of the carved elephant's head were rolling
fiercely and sending out red sparks of anger in all directions. The
trunk swayed from side to side, and the entire head began to swell
and grow larger.

In his fright, the boy sprang backward a step and dropped the
umbrella to the ground, and as he did so, it took the form of a
complete elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then,
flapping its ears and wagging its tail--which was merely the covered
frame of the umbrella--the huge elephant lifted its trunk and
charged the line of astonished frogs.

In a twinkling the frogs all turned and made the longest leaps their
powerful legs enabled them to. The King jumped first of all, and in
a panic of fear the others followed his example. They were out of
sight in an instant, and then the elephant turned its head and
looked at Button-Bright and at once trotted into the depths of the
fog.

"He wants us to follow," said the boy, gasping in amazement at this
wonderful transformation. So immediately they began marching through
the fog behind the elephant, and as the great beast advanced the
frogs scrambled out of his way and hid themselves in the moist banks
until he had passed them by.

Cap'n Bill had to mind his wooden leg carefully, and the old sailor
was so excited that he mumbled queer sentences about "Araby Ann
Knights" and "ding-donged magic" and the "fool foolishness of
fussin' with witches an' sich," until Trot wondered whether her old
friend had gone crazy or was only badly scared.

It was a long journey, and all the Pinkies were dripping water from
their raincoats, and their fat little legs were tired and aching
when the pink glow showing through the fog at last announced that
they were nearing the Pink Country.

At the very edge of the Fog Bank the elephant halted, winked at
Button-Bright, lowered its head and began to shrink in size and
dwindle away. By the time the boy came up to it, closely followed by
Trot and Cap'n Bill, the thing was only the well-known Magic
Umbrella, with the carved elephant's head for a handle, and it lay
motionless upon the ground. Button-Bright picked it up, and as he
examined it he thought the tiny eyes still twinkled a little, as if
with triumph and pride.

Trot drew a long breath.

"That was SOME magic, I guess!" she exclaimed. "Don't you think so,
Rosalie?"

"It was the most wonderful thing I ever saw," admitted the Witch.
"The fairies who control Button-Bright's umbrella must be very
powerful indeed!"






TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES

CHAPTER 29





The Pinkies were rejoiced to find themselves again in their beloved
land of sunrises and sunsets. They sang and shouted with glee, and
the Band uncovered its pink instruments and played the National Pink
Anthem, while the parrot flew from Trot's shoulder to Cap'n Bill's
shoulder and back again, screaming ecstatically,

"Hooray! We're through the wetful fogs
Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs!"

There was a magnificent sunset in the sky just then, and it cheered
the Pinkies and gave them renewed strength. Away they hastened
across the pink fields to the Pink City, where all the Pink people
who had been left behind ran out to welcome them home again.

Trot and Button-Bright, with Cap'n Bill and Rosalie the Witch, went
to the humble palace, where they had a simple supper of coarse food
and slept upon hard beds. In the houses of the City, however, there
was much feasting and merrymaking, and it seemed to Trot that the
laws of the country which forbade the Queen from enjoying all the
good things the people did were decidedly wrong and needed changing.

The next morning Rosalie said to the little girl, "Will you make
Tourmaline the Queen again when you go away?"

"I'll send for her and see about it," replied Trot.

But when Tourmaline arrived at the palace, dressed all in lovely,
fluffy robes and with a dainty pink plume in her pink hair, she
begged most earnestly not to be made the Queen again.

"I'm having a good time just now after years of worry and
uncomfortable living in this uncomfortable old hut of a palace,"
said the poor girl, "so it would be cruel for you to make me the
servant of the people again and condemn me to want and misery."

"That seems reason'ble," replied Trot thoughtfully.

"Rosalie's skin is just as light a pink as my own," continued
Tourmaline. "Why don't you make her the Queen?"

"I hadn't thought of that," said Trot. Then she turned to Rosalie
and asked, "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?"

"I wouldn't like it," replied the Witch with a smile. "The Queen is
the poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom, and I'm
sure I don't deserve such a fate. I've always tried to be a good
witch and to do my duty."

Trot thought this over quite seriously for a time. Then one of her
quaint ideas came to her--so quaint that it was entirely sensible.
"I'm the Queen of the Pinkies just now, am I not?" she asked.

"Of course," answered Rosalie. "None can dispute that."

"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?"

"I believe so."

"In that case," said the girl, "I'm goin' to make a law that the
Queen shall have the same food an' the same dresses an' the same
good times that her people have; and she shall live in a house jus'
as good as the houses of any of her people, an' have as much money
to spend as anybody. But no more. The Queen can have her share of
ever'thing 'cordin' to the new law, but if she tries to get more
than her share, I'll have the law say she shall be taken to the edge
an' pushed off. What do you think of THAT law, Rosalie?"

"It's a good law and a just one," replied the Witch approvingly.

So Trot sent for the Royal Scribbler, who was a very fat Pinky with
large, pink eyes and curly pink hair, and had him carefully write
the new law into the Great Book of Laws. The Royal Scribbler wrote
it very nicely in pink ink, with a big capital letter at the
beginning and a fine flourish at the end. After Trot had signed her
name to it as Queen, she called all of the important people of the
land to assemble in the Court of the Statues and ordered the Royal
Declaimer to read to them the new law. The Pinkies seemed to think
it was a just law and much better than the old one, and Rosalie
said:

"Now no one can object to becoming Queen, since the Ruler of the
Pinkies will no longer be obliged to endure suffering and
hardships."

"All right," said Trot. "In that case, I'll make you the Queen,
Rosalie, for you've got more sense than Tourmaline has and your
powers as a witch will help you protect the people."

At once she made the announcement, telling the assembled Pinkies
that by virtue of her high office as Queen of Sky Island she would
leave Rosalie the Witch to rule over the Pink Country while she
returned to the Earth with her friends. As Rosalie was greatly loved
and respected, the people joyfully accepted her as their Queen, and
Trot ordered them to tear down the old hut and build a new palace
for Rosalie--one which would be just as good as any other house in
the City, but no better. She further ordered a pink statue of
Tourmaline to be set up in the Court, and also a pink statue of
herself, so that the record of all the rulers of the Pinkies should
be complete.

The people agreed to do all this as soon as possible, and some of
the leaders whispered together and then asked Coralie to be their
spokesman in replying to Queen Trot's speech.

Coralie stood on a chair and made a bow, after which she thanked
Trot in the name of the Pinkies for leading them safely into the
Blue Country and out again, and for giving them so good a Queen as
Rosalie. The Pinkies would be sorry to have their new friends, the
Earth people, leave them, but asked the Queen of Sky Island to carry
with her the royal band of pink gold which she now wore upon her
brow, together with the glistening pink jewel set in its center. It
would remind her, Coralie declared, of the Beautiful Land of Sunset
and Sunrise and of the fact that the Pinkies would always be glad to
welcome her back.

Trot knew she would never return to Sky Island, but she did not tell
them that. She merely thanked Coralie and the Pinkies and said they
might all come to the Court after dinner and see her and her
comrades fly away through the sky.






THE JOURNEY HOME

CHAPTER 30





After the Pinkies had been dismissed, their new Queen Rosalie, by
means of a clever charm, conjured up a dinner table set with very
nice things to eat. They all enjoyed a hearty meal and afterward sat
and talked over their adventures.

"Will you take the parrot home with you, Trot?" asked Cap'n Bill.

"Guess not, Cap'n," she answered. "Mother wouldn't like to have him
hangin' 'round an' screechin' bad po'try ev'ry minute. I'll give him
to Rosalie, for I'm sure she'll take good care of him."

Rosalie accepted the gift with pleasure, but the parrot looked sober
for a while and then said,

"This looks to me like a giveaway;
But here I am, and here I'll stay.
The country's pink, but we'll all be blue
When Trot goes home as she says she'll do."

They now packed the lunchbasket with the remains of the feast, for
they knew a long journey was before them and feared they might be
hungry before they landed again. Cap'n Bill straightened out the
ropes and adjusted the seats, while Button-Bright examined the
umbrella to see if it had been injured in any way when the elephant
tramped through the Fog Bank.

The boy looked into the small red eyes of the carved elephant's-head
handle with some misgivings, but as seen in the strong sunshine the
eyes were merely red stones, while the handle plainly showed the
marks of the tool that had carved it.

When all was ready, they went into the Court of the Statues, where
all the Pinkies were assembled--together with their Pink Band--and
Cap'n Bill hooked the swinging seats onto the handle of the Magic
Umbrella.

Trot kissed Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline goodbye and said to
them:

"If you ever happen to come to Earth, you must be sure to visit me,
and I'll try to give you a good time. But p'raps you'll stay here
all your lives."

"I think we shall," replied Rosalie, laughing, "for in all Sky
Island there will be no Magic Umbrella for us to fly with."

"And when you see Polychrome," added Trot, "jus' give her my love."

Then she and Button-Bright seated themselves in the double seat,
which was flat upon the pink ground, and Cap'n Bill sat before them
on his own seat, to which the lunch basket had been fastened by
means of a stout cord.

"Hold fast!" said the sailor man, and they all held fast to the
ropes while the boy, glancing up toward the open umbrella he held,
said solemnly and distinctly:

"Take us to Trot's house on the Earth." The umbrella obeyed, at once
mounting into the air. It moved slowly at first, but gradually
increased its speed. First it lifted the seat of the boy and the
girl, then Cap'n Bill's seat, and finally the lunch basket.

"Fly high!--Mind your eye!
Don't cry!--Bye-bye!"

shouted the parrot from the Pink Witch's shoulder.

Trot leaned over and waved her hand. The Pink Band played as loud as
it could--in order that the travelers might hear it as long as
possible--and Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline threw kisses to
their vanishing friends as long as they remained in sight.

* * * * * * * * *

"Seems good to be on the way home again," remarked Trot as the
umbrella bumped into a big, black cloud.

"It reely does, mate," answered the sailorman joyously.

Fast through the cloud the umbrella swept, and then suddenly it
sailed into a clear, blue sky, across which a great and gorgeous
Rainbow spread its radiant arch. Upon the bow danced the dainty
Daughters of the Rainbow, and the umbrella passed near enough to it
for the passengers to observe Polychrome merrily leading her
sisters, her fleecy robes waving prettily in the gentle breeze.

"Goodbye, Polly!" cried Button-Bright, and Trot and Cap'n Bill both
called out, "Goodbye!"

Polychrome heard and nodded to them smilingly, never halting in her
graceful dance. Then the umbrella dropped far below the arch, which
presently faded from view.

It was an exciting ride. Scenes presented themselves entirely
different from those they had seen on their former voyage, for the
sky changes continually, and the clouds of a moment ago are not the
clouds of an hour ago. Once they passed between two small stars as
brilliant as diamonds, and once an enormous bird whose wings spread
so wide that they shadowed the sun soared directly over them and
lost itself in the vague distance of the limitless sky.

They rode quite comfortably, however, and were full of eager
interest in what they saw. The rush of air past them made them
hungry, so Cap'n Bill drew up the lunchbasket and held it so that
Button-Bright and Trot could help themselves to the pink food, which
tasted very good. And finally a dark rim appeared below them, which
the sailor declared must be the Earth. He proved to be correct, and
when they came nearer, they found themselves flying over the waves
of the ocean. Pretty soon a small island appeared, and Trot
exclaimed,

"That's the Sky Island we thought we were goin' to--only we didn't."

"Yes, an' there's the mainland, mate!" cried Cap'n Bill excitedly,
pointing toward a distant coast.

On swept the Magic Umbrella. Then its speed gradually slackened; the
houses and trees on the coast could be seen, and presently--almost
before they realized it--they were set down gently upon the high
bluff near the giant acacia. A little way off stood the white
cottage where Trot lived.

It was growing dusk as Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats and
Button-Bright folded up the umbrella and tucked it under his arm.
Trot seized the lunchbasket and ran to the house, where she found
her mother busy in the kitchen.

"Well, I'm back again," said the little girl. "Is supper ready,
mama?"

Button-Bright stayed all night with them, but next morning, bright
and early, he hooked one of the seats to his Magic Umbrella, said
goodbye to Trot and Cap'n Bill, and flew into the air to begin his
journey to Philadelphia. Just before he started, Trot said:

"Let me know if you get home safe, Button-Bright, an' come an' see
me again as quick as you can."

"I'll try to come again," said the boy. "We've had a good time,
haven't we, Trot?"

"The bes' time I EVER had!" she replied enthusiastically. Then she
asked, "Didn't you like it, too, Cap'n Bill?"

"Parts o' it, mate," the sailor answered as he thoughtfully made
marks in the sand with the end of his wooden leg, "but seems to me
the bes' part of all was gett'n' home again."

After several days Trot received a postal card from Button-Bright.
It was awkwardly scrawled, for the boy was not much of a writer, but
Trot managed to make out the words. It read as follows:

"Got home safe, Trot, and the folks were so worried they forgot to
scold me. Father has taken the Magic Umbrella and locked it up in
the big, strong chest in the attic. He put the key in his own
pocket, so I don't know as I'll ever be able to see you again. But
I'll never forget the Queen of Sky Island, and I send my love to you
and Cap'n Bill.

"Your friend,

"Button-Bright."

THE END

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