L. Frank Baum

“ But when they returned from the funeral he was ushered into the great throne-room of the palace and seated on the golden throne; and then the chief counselor informed him that he must listen to the grievances of his people and receive the homage of the noblemen of Noland.
Fluff sat on a stool beside the king, and the five high counselors stood back of him in a circle; and then the doors were thrown open and all the noblemen of the country crowded in. One by one they kissed first the king’s hand and then the princess’s hand, and vowed they would always serve them faithfully. ”

“ The question aroused a dozen suggestions, each fairy seeming to favor a different mortal. Every member of this band, as you doubtless know, was the unseen guardian of some man or woman or child in the great world beyond the forest, and it was but natural that each should wish her own ward to have the magic cloak.
While they thus disputed, another fairy joined them and pressed to the side of the queen. ”

“ All this being accomplished, they set out one morning for Nole, Aunt Rivette leading the donkey by the bridle with one hand and litle Bud with the other, while Margaret followed behind, weeping anew at this sad parting with her old home and all she had so long loved.
It was a hard journey. The old woman soon became cross and fretful, and scolded the little ones at almost every step. When Bud stumbled, as he often did, for he was unused to walking very far, Aunt Rivette would box his ears or shake him violently by the arm or tell him he was “a good-for-nothing little beggar.” ”

“ But, to her amazement, the form of the youth vanished quickly into air, and then, indeed, she knew it was a fairy that had spoken to her.
“It was a hard journey”
“You may keep your cloak,” she said to Margaret, with a little shiver of fear, “I would not touch it for the world!”
The girl was very proud of her glittering garment, and when Bud was perched upon the donkey’s back and the old woman began trudging along the road to the city, Meg followed after with much lighter steps than before. ”

“ Jikki again bowed low and withdrew, closing the door behind him, and then the children looked at each other solemnly, until Meg burst into a merry laugh.
“Oh, Bud!” she cried, “think of it! I ’m the royal Princess Fluff, and you ’re the King of all Noland! Is n’t it funny!” And then she danced about the room in great delight.
Bud answered her seriously.
“What does it all mean, Fluff?” he said. “We ’re only poor children, you know; so I can’t really be a king, And I would n’t be surprised if Aunt Rivette came in any minute and boxed my ears.” ”

“ Get a ladder!” wailed the old woman, catching sight of her nephew and niece.
“Well, you are a bird, Aunt Rivette!” shouted Bud, gleefully, for he was in a teasing mood. “You don’t need a ladder! I don’t see why you can’t fly down the same way you flew up.” And all the people shouted: “Yes, yes! The king is right! Fly down!”
Just then Rivette’s feet began to slip an the sloping roof; so she made a wild struggle to save herself, and the result was that she fluttered her wings in just the right way to sink gradually to the ground. ”

“ The garment was as beautiful as it was marvelous—each and every hue of the rainbow glinted and sparkled from the soft folds; and while it was light in weight as swan's-down, its strength was so great that the fabric was well-nigh indestructible. ”

“ Bud looked down at his merry sister and grinned from pure sympathy with her high spirits; and the donkey stopped and turned his head to look solemnly at the laughing girl behind him. “Come along!” cried the laundress, jerking at the bridle: “every one is passing us upon the road, and we must hurry to get home before noon.”
It was true. A good many travelers, some on horseback and some on foot, had passed them by since the sun rose; and although the east gate of the city of Nole was now in sight, they were obliged to take their places in the long line that sought entrance at the gate. ”

“ So, instead of faliimg, she rose gradually into the air, carrying Tullydub with her; for they clung to each other in terror, and one screamed “Murder!” and the other “Help!” in their loudest voices.
Bud laughed until the tears stood in his eyes; but Aunt Rivette, after bumping both her own head and that of the chief counselor against the ceiling several times, finally managed to control the action of her wings and to descend to the floor again. ”

“ These five had been careful not to tell the people when the old king had become ill, for they feared being annoyed by many foolish questions. They sat ina big room next the bed-chamber of the king, in the royal palace of Nole,—which is the capital city of Noland,—and kept every one out except the king’s physician, who was half blind and wholly dumb and could not gossip with outsiders had he wanted to, And while the high counselors sat and waited for the king to recover or die, as he might choose, Jikki waited upon them and brought them their meals. ”

“ The queen devoted a moment to thought, and then replied:
“Each possessor of the magic cloak mayhave one wish granted, provided the cloak is not stolen from its last wearer. In that case the magic power will not be exercised on behalf of the thief.” ”

“ We ’ll see about that.’”
“Why, the sun is shining,” answered Meg, laughing again. “And the air is sweet and fresh, and the trees are green and beautiful, and the whole world is very pleasant and delightful.” ”

“ Bud had the toys and dolls all carried upstairs Into a big room, and then he ordered everybody to keep out while he and Fluff arranged their playthings around the room and upon: the tables and chairs, besides littering the floor so that they could hardly find a clear place large enough for some of their romping games.
“‘We ’ll take ’em all,’ declared Bud.”
“After all,” he said to his sister, “it’s a good thing to be a king!” ”

“ The Wings of Aunt Rivette.
Bud and Meg had plenty to occupy them in looking over and admiring their new possessions. First they went to the princess’s rooms, where Fluff ordered her seven maids to spread out all the beautiful gowns she had received. And forty of them made quite an imposing show, I assure you. They were all dainty and sweet and of rich material, suitable for all occasions, and of all colors and shades. Of course there were none with trains, for Margaret, although a princess, was only a little girl; but the gowns were gay with bright ribbons and jeweled buttons and clasps ”

“ All the high counselors prostrated themselves in the dusty road before the donkey. The old woman was thrust back in the crowd by a soldier, where she stood staring in amazement, and Margaret, clothed in her beautiful cloak, stepped to the donkey’s
“So she also waved her bonnet and screamed: ‘Long live the King!’”side looked first at her brother and then at the group of periwigged men, who bobbed their heads in the dust before him and shouted:
“Long live the king!” ”

“ I’m sure you can dance,” returned Bud. “If you don’t know how, it’s time you learned.”
So the poor man was forced to place his arm about Aunt Rivette’s waist and to whirl her around in a waltz. The old woman knew as little about dancing as did Tullydub, and they were exceedingly awkward, bumping into every one they came near. Presently Aunt Rivette’s feet slipped, and she would have tumbled upon the floor with the chief counselor had she not begun to flutter her wings wildly. ”

“ Go, Ereol, since yon are free for a time, and carry the magic cloak to Noland. And the first person you meet who is really unhappy, be it man, woman, or child, shall receive from you the cloak as a gift from our fairy band. ”

“ Bud felt much relieved. He had no notion whatever of refusing to be a king. If there was no mistake, and he was really the powerful monarch of Noland, then there ought to be no end of fun and freedom for him during the rest of his life. To be his own master; to have plenty of money ”

“ They were good children, and were liked by every one in the village.
But one day a terrible misfortune befell them. The ferryman tried to cross the river for a passenger one very stormy night; but he never reached the other shore. When the stormsubsided and morning came they found his body lying on the river-bank, and the two children were left alone in the world.
The news was carried by travelers to the city of Nole, where the ferryman’s only sister lived; and a few days afterward the woman came to the village and took charge of her orphaned niece and nephew. ”

“ So lost did he become in thoughts of the marvelous existence opening before him that he paid scant attention to the droning speeches of the five aged counselors, who were endeavoring to acquaint him with the condition of affairs in his new kingdom, and to instruct him in his many and difficult duties as its future ruler. ”

“ When the lord high purse-bearer appeared, Bud said to him:
“Pay the man for all these dolls; and for this—and this—and this—and this!” and he began picking out the prettiest toys in all the shop, in the most reckless way you can imagine.
The soldiers loaded the carriage down with Meg’s dolls, and a big cart was filled with Bud’s toys. Then the purse-bearer paid the bill, although he sighed deeply several times while counting out the money. But the new king paid no attention to old Tillydib ”

“ The Royal Reception.
As for the king and Princess Fluff, they returned to the palace and dressed themselves in some of their prettiest garments, telling Jikki to have two ponies saddled and ready for them to ride upon.
“We really must have some toys,” said Meg, with decision; “and now that we are rich, there is no reason why we can’t buy what we want.”
“That ’s true,” answered Bud. “The old king had n’t anything to play with. Poor old man! ”

“ But Bud was angry.
“I know it ’s true,” he said; “but look here, you must n’t bother us. Just keep out of our way, please, and let me alone, and then I won’t care how many new dresses you buy.”
“I ’m going to spend every piece of this gold!” she exclaimed, clasping the purse with her wrinkled hands. “But I don't like to go through the streets in this poor dress. Won’t you lend me your cloak, Meg, until I get back?”
“Of course I will,” returned the girl; and going to the closet, she brought out the magic cloak the fairy had given her and threw it over Aunt Rivette’s shoulders. ”

“ Every one applauded his decision, and Bud
“Then a man came in leading a boy by the arm and holding a switch in his other hand.” also thought with satisfaction that he had hit upon a good way out of the difficulty.
Next came two old women, one very fat and the other very thin; and between them they led a cow, the fat woman having a rope around one horn and the thin woman a rope around the other horn. Each woman claimed she owned the cow, and they quarreled so loudly and so long that the lord high executioner had to tie a bandage over their mouths. ”