LITTLE WIZARD STORIES OF OZ

Contents


The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger 15

Little Dorothy and Toto 39

Tiktok and the Nome King 63

Ozma and the Little Wizard 87

Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse 111

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman 135



These two beasts are Ozma's chief guardians, but as everyone loves the
beautiful girl Princess there has never been any disturbance in the
great Throne Room, or anything for the guardians to do but look fierce
and solemn and keep quiet until the Royal Audience is over and the
people go away to their homes.

Of course no one would dare be naughty while the huge Lion and Tiger
crouched beside the throne; but the fact is, the people of Oz are very
seldom naughty. So Ozma's big guards are more ornamental than useful,
and no one realizes that better than the beasts themselves.

One day, after everybody had left the Throne Room except the Cowardly
Lion and the Hungry Tiger, the Lion yawned and said to his friend:

"I'm getting tired of this job. No one is afraid of us and no one pays
any attention to us."

"That is true," replied the big Tiger, purring softly. "We might as well
be in the thick jungles where we were born, as trying to protect Ozma
when she needs no protection. And I'm dreadfully hungry all the time."

"You have enough to eat, I'm sure," said the Lion, swaying his tail
slowly back and forth.

"Enough, perhaps; but not the kind of food I long for," answered the
Tiger. "What I'm hungry for is fat babies. I have a great desire to eat
a few fat babies. Then, perhaps, the people of Oz would fear me and I'd
become more important."