[Illustration]

When he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man's
own shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in little
streams from his shaggy whiskers. He scrambled ashore and shook himself
to get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool to look
admiringly at his reflected face.

"I may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to his companions,
who watched him with smiling faces; "but I'm so much handsomer than any
donkey that I feel as proud as I can be."

"You're all right, Shaggy Man," declared Dorothy. "And Button-Bright is
all right, too. So let's thank the Truth Pond for being so nice, and
start on our journey to the Emerald City."

"I hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh. "A truth
pond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us." But he put on his
coat and started with the others in search of some one to direct them on
their way.

Tik-Tok and Billina

[Illustration]

They had not walked far across the flower-strewn meadows when they came
upon a fine road leading toward the northwest and winding gracefully
among the pretty yellow hills.

"That way," said Dorothy, "must be the direction of the Emerald City.
We'd better follow the road until we meet some one or come to a house."

The sun soon dried Button-Bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man's
shaggy clothes, and so pleased were they at regaining their own heads
that they did not mind at all the brief discomfort of getting wet.

"It's good to be able to whistle again," remarked the shaggy man, "for
those donkey lips were so thick I could not whistle a note with them."
He warbled a tune as merrily as any bird.

"You'll look more natural at the birthday celebration, too," said
Dorothy, happy in seeing her friends so happy.

Polychrome was dancing ahead in her usual sprightly manner, whirling
gaily along the smooth, level road, until she passed from sight around
the curve of one of the mounds. Suddenly they heard her exclaim "Oh!"
and she appeared again, running toward them at full speed.

"What's the matter, Polly?" asked Dorothy, perplexed.

There was no need for the Rainbow's Daughter to answer, for turning the
bend in the road there came advancing slowly toward them a funny round
man made of burnished copper, gleaming brightly in the sun. Perched on
the copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffy feathers and a
pearl necklace around her throat.

"Oh, T