The Road to Oz | Page 8

the shaggy man, "let's start on, or we won't get anywhere
before night comes."
"Where do you expect to get to?" asked Dorothy.
"I'm like Button-Bright. I don't know," answered the shaggy man, with
a laugh. "But I've learned from long experience that every road leads
somewhere, or there wouldn't be any road; so it's likely that if we travel
long enough, my dear, we will come to some place or another in the

end. What place it will be we can't even guess at this moment, but we're
sure to find out when we get there."
"Why, yes," said Dorothy; "that seems reas'n'ble, Shaggy Man."

3. A Queer Village
Button-Bright took the shaggy man's hand willingly; for the shaggy
man had the Love Magnet, you know, which was the reason
Button-Bright had loved him at once. They started on, with Dorothy on
one side, and Toto on the other, the little party trudging along more
cheerfully than you might have supposed. The girl was getting used to
queer adventures, which interested her very much. Wherever Dorothy
went Toto was sure to go, like Mary's little lamb. Button-Bright didn't
seem a bit afraid or worried because he was lost, and the shaggy man
had no home, perhaps, and was as happy in one place as in another.
Before long they saw ahead of them a fine big arch spanning the road,
and when they came nearer they found that the arch was beautifully
carved and decorated with rich colors. A row of peacocks with spread
tails ran along the top of it, and all the feathers were gorgeously painted.
In the center was a large fox's head, and the fox wore a shrewd and
knowing expression and had large spectacles over its eyes and a small
golden crown with shiny points on top of its head.
While the travelers were looking with curiosity at this beautiful arch
there suddenly marched out of it a company of soldiers--only the
soldiers were all foxes dressed in uniforms. They wore green jackets
and yellow pantaloons, and their little round caps and their high boots
were a bright red color. Also, there was a big red bow tied about the
middle of each long, bushy tail. Each soldier was armed with a wooden
sword having an edge of sharp teeth set in a row, and the sight of these
teeth at first caused Dorothy to shudder.
A captain marched in front of the company of fox-soldiers, his uniform
embroidered with gold braid to make it handsomer than the others.

Almost before our friends realized it the soldiers had surrounded them
on all sides, and the captain was calling out in a harsh voice:
"Surrender! You are our prisoners."
"What's a pris'ner?" asked Button-Bright.
"A prisoner is a captive," replied the fox-captain, strutting up and down
with much dignity.
"What's a captive?" asked Button-Bright.
"You're one," said the captain.
That made the shaggy man laugh
"Good afternoon, captain," he said, bowing politely to all the foxes and
very low to their commander. "I trust you are in good health, and that
your families are all well?"
The fox-captain looked at the shaggy man, and his sharp features grew
pleasant and smiling.
"We're pretty well, thank you, Shaggy Man," said he; and Dorothy
knew that the Love Magnet was working and that all the foxes now
loved the shaggy man because of it. But Toto didn't know this, for he
began barking angrily and tried to bite the captain's hairy leg where it
showed between his red boots and his yellow pantaloons.
"Stop, Toto!" cried the little girl, seizing the dog in her arms. "These
are our friends."
"Why, so we are!" remarked the captain in tones of astonishment. "I
thought at first we were enemies, but it seems you are friends instead.
You must come with me to see King Dox."
"Who's he?" asked Button-Bright, with earnest eyes.
"King Dox of Foxville; the great and wise sovereign who rules over our

community."
"What's sov'rin, and what's c'u'nity?" inquired Button-Bright.
"Don't ask so many questions, little boy."
"Why?"
"Ah, why indeed?" exclaimed the captain, looking at Button-Bright
admiringly. "If you don't ask questions you will learn nothing. True
enough. I was wrong. You're a very clever little boy, come to think of
it--very clever indeed. But now, friends, please come with me, for it is
my duty to escort you at once to the royal palace."
The soldiers marched back through the arch again, and with them
marched the shaggy man, Dorothy, Toto, and Button-Bright. Once
through the opening they found a fine, big city spread out before them,
all the houses of carved marble in beautiful colors. The decorations
were mostly birds and other fowl, such as peacocks, pheasants, turkeys,
prairie-chickens, ducks, and geese. Over each doorway