第46章

"Be quick, then!" she cried."Tell me what I must do and let me do it, or it will be too late.""You made Trot's friend, Cap'n Bill, a grasshopper.Icommand you to give him back his proper form again," said the Scarecrow.

"Where is he? Where's the grasshopper? Quick -- quick!"she screamed.

Cap'n Bill, who had been deeply interested in this conversation, gave a great leap from Trot's shoulder and landed on that of the Scarecrow.Blinkie saw him alight and at once began to make magic passes and to mumble magic incantations.She was in a desperate hurry, knowing that she had no time to waste, and the grasshopper was so suddenly transformed into the old sailor-man, Cap'n Bill, that he had no opportunity to jump off the Scarecrow's shoulder; so his great weight bore the stuffed Scarecrow to the ground.No harm was done, however, and the straw man got up and brushed the dust from his clothes while Trot delightedly embraced Cap'n Bill.

"The other box! Quick! Give me the other box," begged Blinkie, who had now shrunk to half her former size.

"Not yet," said the Scarecrow."You must first melt Princess Gloria's frozen heart.""I can't; it's an awful job to do that! I can't,"asserted the witch, in an agony of fear -- for still she was growing smaller.

"You must!" declared the Scarecrow, firmly.

The witch cast a shrewd look at him and saw that he meant it; so she began dancing around Gloria in a frantic manner.The Princess looked coldly on, as if not at all interested in the proceedings, while Blinkie tore a handful of hair from her own head and ripped a strip of cloth from the bottom of her gown.Then the witch sank upon her knees, took a purple powder from her black bag and sprinkled it over the hair and cloth.

"I hate to do it -- I hate to do it!" she wailed, "for there is no more of this magic compound in all the world.

But I must sacrifice it to save my own life.A match!

Give me a match, quick!" and panting from lack of breath she gazed imploringly from one to another.

Cap'n Bill was the only one who had a match, but he lost no time in handing it to Blinkie, who quickly set fire to the hair and the cloth and the purple powder.At once a purple cloud enveloped Gloria, and this gradually turned to a rosy pink color --brilliant and quite transparent.Through the rosy cloud they could all see the beautiful Princess, standing proud and erect.Then her heart became visible, at first frosted with ice but slowly growing brighter and warmer until all the frost had disappeared and it was beating as softly and regularly as any other heart.And now the cloud dispersed and disclosed Gloria, her face suffused with joy, smiling tenderly upon the friends who were grouped about her.

Poor Pon stepped forward -- timidly, fearing a repulse, but with pleading eyes and arms fondly outstretched toward his former sweetheart -- and the Princess saw him and her sweet face lighted with a radiant smile.Without an instant's hesitation she threw herself into Pon's arms and this reunion of two loving hearts was so affecting that the people turned away and lowered their eyes so as not to mar the sacred joy of the faithful lovers.

But Blinkie's small voice was shouting to the Scarecrow for help.

"The antidote!" she screamed."Give me the other box --quick!"

The Scarecrow looked at the witch with his quaint, painted eyes and saw that she was now no taller than his knee.So he took from his pocket the second box and scattered its contents on Blinkie.She ceased to grow any smaller, but she could never regain her former size, and this the wicked old woman well knew.

She did not know, however, that the second powder had destroyed all her power to work magic, and seeking to be revenged upon the Scarecrow and his friends she at once began to mumble a charm so terrible in its effect that it would have destroyed half the population of Jinxland --had it worked.But it did not work at all, to the amazement of old Blinkie.And by this time the Scarecrow noticed what the little witch was trying to do, and said to her:

"Go home, Blinkie, and behave yourself.You are no longer a witch, but an ordinary old woman, and since you are powerless to do more evil I advise you to try to do some good in the world.Believe me, it is more fun to accomplish a good act than an evil one, as you will discover when once you have tried it."But Blinkie was at that moment filled with grief and chagrin at losing her magic powers.She started away toward her home, sobbing and bewailing her fate, and not one who saw her go was at all sorry for her.