ld friend, or a stranger," he replied.

"Oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried Betsy, who had knelt down to
examine the man. "Dear me; how funny! Listen to this."

Then she read the following words, engraved upon the copper plates of
the man's body:

SMITH & TINKER'S
Patent Double-Action, Extra-Responsive,
Thought-Creating, Perfect-Talking
MECHANICAL MAN
Fitted with our Special Clockwork Attachment.
Thinks, Speaks, Acts, and Does Everything but Live.

"Isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the Princess.

"Yes; but here's more," said Betsy, reading from another engraved plate:

DIRECTIONS FOR USING:

For THINKING:--Wind the Clockwork
Man under his left arm, (marked No. 1).
For SPEAKING:--Wind the Clockwork
Man under his right arm, (marked No. 2).
For WALKING and ACTION:--Wind Clockwork Man
in the middle of his back, (marked No. 3).

N. B.--This Mechanism is guaranteed to
work perfectly for a thousand years.

"If he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said Polychrome, "he ought
to work yet."

"Of course," replied Shaggy. "Let's wind him up."

In order to do this they were obliged to set the copper man upon his
feet, in an upright position, and this was no easy task. He was
inclined to topple over, and had to be propped again and again. The
girls assisted Shaggy, and at last Tik-Tok seemed to be balanced and
stood alone upon his broad feet.

"Yes," said Shaggy, looking at the copper man carefully, "this must be,
indeed, my old friend Tik-Tok, whom I left ticking merrily in the Land
of Oz. But how he came to this lonely place, and got into that old
well, is surely a mystery."

"If we wind him, perhaps he will tell us," suggested Betsy. "Here's the
key, hanging to a hook on his back. What part of him shall I wind up
first?"

"His thoughts, of course," said Polychrome, "for it requires thought to
speak or move intelligently."

So Betsy wound him under his left arm, and at once little flashes of
light began to show in the top of his head, which was proof that he had
begun to think.

"Now, then," said Shaggy, "wind up his phonograph."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Why, his talking-machine. His thoughts may be interesting, but they
don't tell us anything."

So Betsy wound the copper man under his right arm, and then from the
interior of his copper body came in jerky tones the words: "Ma-ny
thanks!"

"Hurrah!" cried Shaggy, joyfully,