They looked earnestly at the bush
[CHAPTER XXII]
They looked earnestly at the bush, and saw that their friend spoke truly. Upon a high limb was one plump, red berry, looking much like a cranberry, while lower down grew another but smaller berry, which appeared to be partially withered.
"Good!" the lark-children cried, joyfully; and the next moment Chubbins added: "You eat the big berry, Twink."
"Why?" she asked, hesitating.
"It looks as if it had more stomach-ache in it," he replied.
"I'm not afraid of that," said she. "But do you suppose the little berry will be enough for you? One side of it is withered, you see."
"That won't matter," returned the boy-lark. "The Royal Necromancer said to eat one berry. He didn't say a little or a big one, you know, or whether it should be plump or withered."
"That is true," said the girl-lark. "Shall I eat mine now?"
"The sooner the better," Chubbins replied.
"Don't forget me, little friend, when you are a human again," said Policeman Bluejay, sadly.
"I shall never forget you," Twinkle answered, "nor any part of all your kindness to us. We shall be friends forever."
That seemed to please the handsome blue bird, and Twinkle was so eager that she could not wait to say more. She plucked the big, plump berry, put it in her mouth with her little claw, and ate it as soon as possible.
In a moment she said: "Ouch! Oo-oo-oo!" But it did not hurt so badly, after all. Her form quickly changed and grew larger; and while Chubbins and Policeman Bluejay watched her anxiously she became a girl again, and the bird's body with its soft gray feathers completely disappeared.
As she felt herself changing she called: "Good-bye!" to the bluejay; but even then he could hardly understand her words.
"Good-bye!" he answered, and to Twinkle's ears it sounded like "Chir-r-rip-chee-wee!"
"How did it feel?" asked Chubbins; but she looked at him queerly, as if his language was strange to her, and seemed to be half frightened.
"Guess I'll have to eat my berry," he said, with a laugh, and proceeded to pluck and eat it, as Twinkle had done. He yelled once or twice at the cramp the fruit gave him, but as soon as the pain ceased he began to grow and change in the same way his little comrade had.
But not entirely. For although he got his human body and legs back again, all in their natural size, his wings remained as they were, and it startled him to find that the magic power had passed and he was still partly a bird.
"What's the matter?" asked Twinkle.
"Is anything wrong?" enquired the bluejay.
The boy understood them both, although they could not now understand each other. He said to Twinkle:
"I guess the berry wasn't quite big enough." Then he repeated the same thing in the bird language to Policeman Bluejay, and it sounded to Twinkle like:
"Pir-r-r-r—eep—cheep—tweet!"
The transformation goes wrong"IT'S ALMOST DARK. LET'S GO HOME."
"What in the world can you do?" asked the girl, quite distressed. "It will be just dreadful if you have to stay like that."
The tears came to Chubbins' eyes. He tried to restrain them, but could not. He flapped his little wings dolefully and said:
"I wish I was either one thing or the other! I'd rather be a child-lark again, and nest in a tree, than to go home to the folks in this way."
Policeman Bluejay had seen his dilemma at the first, and his sharp eyes had been roving over all the bushes that were within the range of his vision. Suddenly he uttered a chirp of delight and dashed away, speedily returning with another tingle-berry in his bill.
"It's the very last one there is!" said he to Chubbins.
"But it is all that I want," cried the boy, brightening at once; and then, regardless of any pain, he ate the berry as greedily as if he was fond of a stomache-ache.
The second berry had a good effect in one way, for Chubbins' wings quickly became arms, and he was now as perfectly formed as he had been before he met with the cruel tuxix. But he gave a groan, every once in a while, and Twinkle suspected that two berries were twice as powerful as one, and made a pain that lasted twice as long.
As the boy and girl looked around they were astonished to find their basket standing on the ground beside them. On a limb of the first tree of the forest sat silently regarding them a big blue bird that they knew must be Policeman Bluejay, although somehow or other he had lost his glossy black helmet and the club he had carried underneath his wing.
"It's almost dark," said Twinkle, yawning. "Let's go home, Chub."
"All right."
He picked up the basket, and for a few minutes they walked along in silence.
Then the boy asked:
"Don't your legs feel heavy, Twink?"
"Yes," said she; "do yours?"
"Awful," said he.
Policeman Bluejay
Ozma of Oz
IS
The author of THE WIZARD OF OZ and FATHER GOOSE has answered thousands of his little readers' letters by writing
This new story tells "more about Dorothy," as well as the famous characters of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion and something of several new creations equally delightful, including Tiktok, the machine man, the Yellow Hen, the Nome King and the Hungry Tiger.
The former characters are beloved by multitudes of children and their parents and the new ones, being thoroughly Baumesque, will find their places in the hearts of all.
ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN R. NEILL
Forty-one full-page colored pictures; twenty-two half pages in color and fifty black and white text pictures; special end sheets; title page; copyright page, book plate, dedication page and table of contents.
8vo, 280 pages. Extra cloth binding, side and back stamping in four colors.Uniform in size with The Land of Oz and John Dough and the Cherub.Price, - - $1.25
BY L. FRANK BAUMTip chases after Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse.A SEQUEL TO THE WIZARD OF OZ
The Land of Oz gives an account of the further adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, and introduces Jack Pumpkinhead, the Animated Saw-Horse, the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug, the Gump and many other delightful characters.
Nearly 150 black and white illustrations and 16 full-page pictures in colors byJOHN R. NEILL6vo, 300 pages. Uniform in size with Ozma of Oz. Handsomely bound in cloth, stamped in three colors. Price, $1.25.
BY L. FRANK BAUM
A whimsical tale portraying the exciting adventures of the Gingerbread Man and his comrade, Chick the Cherub, in the "Palace of Romance," "The Land of the Miflcets," "Hiland and Loland," etc. The book is delightfully pictured by John R. Neill, illustrator of OZMA OF OZ and THE LAND OF OZ.
40 full-page colored pictures; 20 colored pictorial chapter headings; 100 black and white text pictures; special end sheets; title page, copyright page, etc.
8vo, 300 pages. Extra cloth binding, side and back stamping in three colors. Price, $1.25.
Mr. Woodchuck, Prarie-Dog Town, Prince Mudturtle
SIX CHARMING NEW STORIES FOR CHILDRENBY LAURA BANCROFT
Miss Bancroft has a delightful vein of humor of the quaint, sparkling variety which readily appeals to children of all ages. Several critics who have readThe Twinkle Talesfavorably compare Miss Bancroft's stories to Mr. Baum's works.
For this series the clever artist,Maginel Wright Enrighthas made over one hundred special drawings admirably illustrating the text. The pictures, all full page, are beautifully reproduced in many colors, each book containing fifteen pictures and a decorated title page. The bindings are of imported vellum stamped in four colors with striking designs.
The Twinkle Talesare entertaining to read; splendidly illustrated; beautiful in appearance; perfectly printed on fine paper; excellently well bound. Price 50 cents per volume.
Bandit Jim Crow, Sugar-Loaf Mountain, Twinkle's Enchantment