Fantasy fiction; Gale, Dorothy (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction
"Moons, stars, and rainbows! I believe you have gotten some sense,"
gasped Pinny Penny, staring with wide eyes into Skamperoo's face. "And
that's the first good I ever knew to come of magic."
Pulling Pinny Penny down to his old bench, now neatly mended and
painted green, the King of Skampavia told his little Prime Minister the
whole story I have just been telling you. When he finished and settled
back complacently, Pinny Penny instead of looking glad or pleased
stared mournfully at the ground.
"_Now_ what's the matter?" demanded Skamperoo, clapping him impatiently
on the back, while Chalk, breaking off a little branch with his teeth,
tickled Pinny Penny mischievously under the chin. "Why are you so sad
and solemn?"
"Because"--Pinny Penny ground the toe of his boot deeply into the
gravel in the path--"if you really have five more magic wishes, you'll
probably be going to some grand other place and be spending the rest of
your life in travel."
"If that were so, we wouldn't be here at all," puffed Skamperoo. "Now
get this through your head, old fellow. We are here by our own wish and
from now on my own country is good enough for me and when we've made
these five good wishes--good enough for anybody!"
"There you go! There you go!" groaned Pinny Penny, covering his face
with his hands. "It's the wishes I'm afraid of."
"Well, you needn't be!" With a great effort Skamperoo made his first
really great and wise decision. "You shall make the wishes yourself,
Pinny Penny, and I shall save only one in case of trouble!"
"Bravo! Bravo!" snorted Chalk, prancing three times round the green
bench.
"Me? You really mean me?" quavered Pinny Penny, pointing an unbelieving
finger at his own mid-section. Then, as Skamperoo nodded and before he
could change his mind, the old Chancellor fairly leapt into the air.
"I wish the King of this country to always be as wise and generous as
he has succeeded in being at this moment, as wise as the young Fairy
Ruler of Oz," panted Pinny Penny. "I wish that the people of Skampavia,
using the powers and abilities they already have, shall make this a
rich, happy, and prosperous Kingdom. I wish that the climate and soil,
the only bad features about which we might complain, shall become mild
and fertile! That's all, that's all I can think of!" confessed Pinny
Penny, shrinking happily back on the bench.
"Then I'll make a wish," whinnied Chalk, shaking his beautiful golden
mane. "I wish that we three may never be separated! Long live the KING
AND HIS PRIME MINISTER!"
"And his horse!" cried Skamperoo, bounding up to seize Chalk's bridle.
"And his horse!" echoed Pinny Penny heartily, running round to seize
Chalk's bridle on the other side. "We three for Skampavia forever!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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