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THE LOST PRINCESS OF OZ



by L。 FRANK BAUM











This Book is Dedicated



To My Granddaughter



OZMA BAUM











To My Readers







Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful



imaginations。 This pleases me。 Imagination has brought



mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of



civilization。 Imagination led Columbus to discover



America。 Imagination led Franklin to discover



electricity。 Imagination has given us the steam engine;



the telephone; the talking…machine and the automobile;



for these things had to be dreamed of before they



became realities。 So I believe that dreams  day



dreams; you know; with your eyes wide open and your



brain…machinery whizzing  are likely to lead to the



betterment of the world。 The imaginative child will



become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create;



to invent; and therefore to foster civilization。 A



prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of



untold value in developing imagination in the young。 I



believe it。







Among the letters I receive from children are many



containing suggestions of 〃what to write about in the



next Oz Book。〃 Some of the ideas advanced are mighty



interesting; while others are too extravagant to be



seriously considered  even in a fairy tale。 Yet I



like them all; and I must admit that the main idea in



〃The Lost Princess of Oz〃 was suggested to me by a



sweet little girl of eleven who called to see me and to



talk about the Land of Oz。 Said she: 〃I s'pose if Ozma



ever got lost; or stolen; ev'rybody in Oz would be



dreadful sorry。〃







That was all; but quite enough foundation to build



this present story on。 If you happen to like the story;



give credit to my little friend's clever hint。







L。 Frank Baum



Royal Historian of Oz











1 A Terrible Loss



2 The Troubles of Glinda the Good



3 The Robbery of Cayke the Cookie Cook



4 Among the Winkies



5 Ozma's Friends Are Perplexed



6 The Search Party



7 The Merry…Go…Round Mountains



8 The Mysterious City



9 The High Coco…Lorum of Thi



10 Toto Loses Something



11 Button…Bright Loses Himself



12 The Czarover of Herku



13 The Truth Pond



14 The Unhappy Ferryman



15 The Big Lavender Bear



16 The Little Pink Bear



17 The Meeting



18 The Conference



19 Ugu the Shoemaker



20 More Surprises



21 Magic Against Magic



22 In the Wicker Castle



23 The Defiance of Ugu the Shoemaker



24 The Little Pink Bear Speaks Truly



25 Ozma of Oz



26 Dorothy Forgives















THE LOST PRINCESS of OZ



















Chapter One







A Terrible Loss











There could be no doubt of the fact: Princess Ozma; the



lovely girl ruler of the Fairyland of Oz; was lost。 She



had completely disappeared。 Not one of her subjects 



not even her closest friends  knew what had become of her。







It was Dorothy who first discovered it。 Dorothy was a



little Kansas girl who had come to the Land of Oz to



live and had been given a delightful suite of rooms in



Ozma's royal palace; just because Ozma loved Dorothy



and wanted her to live as near her as possible; so the



two girls might be much together。







Dorothy was not the only girl from the outside world



who had been welcomed to Oz and lived in the royal



palace。 There was another named Betsy Bobbin; whose



adventures had led her to seek refuge with Ozma; and



still another named Trot; who had been invited;



together with her faithful companion; Cap'n Bill; to



make her home in this wonderful fairyland。 The three



girls all had rooms in the palace and were great chums;



but Dorothy was the dearest friend of their gracious



Ruler and only she at any hour dared to seek Ozma in



her royal apartments。 For Dorothy had lived in Oz much



longer than the other girls and had been made a



Princess of the realm。







Betsy was a year older than Dorothy and Trot was a



year younger; yet the three were near enough of an age



to become great playmates and to have nice times



together。 It was while the three were talking together



one morning in Dorothy's room that Betsy proposed they



make a journey into the Munchkin Country; which was one



of the four great countries of the Land of Oz ruled by



Ozma。







〃I've never been there yet;〃 said Betsy Bobbin; 〃but



the Scarecrow once told me it is the prettiest country



in all Oz。〃







〃I'd like to go; too;〃 added Trot。







〃All right;〃 said Dorothy; 〃I'll go and ask Ozma。



Perhaps she will let us take the Sawhorse and the Red



Wagon; which would be much nicer for us than having to



walk all the way。 This Land of Oz is a pretty big



place; when you get to all the edges of it。〃







So she jumped up and went along the balls of the



splendid palace until she came to the royal suite;



which filled all the front of the second floor。 In a



little waiting room sat Ozma's maid; Jellia Jamb; who



was busily sewing。







〃Is Ozma up yet?〃 inquired Dorothy。







〃I don't know; my dear;〃 replied Jellia。 〃I haven't



heard a word from her this morning。 She hasn't even



called for her bath or her breakfast; and it is far



past her usual time for them。〃







〃That's strange!〃 exclaimed the little girl。







〃Yes;〃 agreed the maid; 〃but of course no harm could



have happened to her。 No one can die or be killed in



the Land of Oz and Ozma is herself a powerful fairy;



and she has no enemies; so far as we know。 Therefore I



am not at all worried about her; though I must admit



her silence is unusual。〃







〃Perhaps;〃 said Dorothy; thoughtfully; 〃she has



overslept。 Or she may be reading; or working out some



new sort of magic to do good to her people。〃







〃Any of these things may be true;〃 replied Jellia



Jamb; 〃so I haven't dared disturb our royal mistress。



You; however; are a privileged character; Princess; and



I am sure that Ozma wouldn't mind at all if you went in



to see her。〃







〃Of course not;〃 said Dorothy; and opening the door



of the outer chamber she went in。 All was still here。



She walked into another room; which was Ozma's boudoir;



and then; pushing hack a heavy drapery richly broidered



with threads of pure gold; the girl entered the



sleeping…room of the fairy Ruler of Oz。 The bed of



ivory and gold was vacant; the room was vacant; not a



trace of Ozma was to be found。







Very much surprised; yet still with no fear that



anything had happened to her friend; Dorothy returned



through the boudoir to the other rooms of the suite。



She went into the music room; the library; the



laboratory; the bath; the wardrobe and even into the



great throne room; which adjoined the royal suite; but



in none of these places could she find Ozma。







So she returned to the anteroom where she had left



the maid; Jellia Jamb; and said:







〃She isn't in her rooms now; so she must have gone



out。〃







〃I don't understand how she could do that without my



seeing her;〃 replied Jellia; 〃unless she made herself



invisible。〃







〃She isn't there; anyhow;〃 declared Dorothy。







〃Then let us go find her;〃 suggested the maid; who



appeared to be a little uneasy。







So they went into the corridors and there Dorothy



almost stumbled over a queer girl who was dancing



lightly along the passage。







〃Stop a minute; Scraps!〃 she called。 〃Have you seen



Ozma this morning?〃







〃Not I!〃 replied the queer girl; dancing nearer。 〃I



lost both my eyes in a tussle with the Woozy; last



night; for the creature scraped 'em both off my face



with his square paws。 So I put the eyes in my pocket



and this morning Button…Bright led me to Aunt Em; who



sewed 'em on again。 So I've seen nothing at all today;



except during the last five minutes。 So of course I



haven't seen Ozma。〃







〃Very well; Scraps;〃 said Dorothy; looking curiously



at the eyes; which were merely two round black buttons



sewed upon the girl's face。







There were other things about Scraps that would have



seemed curious to one seeing her for the first time。



She was commonly called 'The Patchwork Girl;〃 because



her body and limbs were made from a gaycolored



patchwork quilt which had been cut into shape and



stuffed with cotton。 Her head was a round ba

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