iz-i-dig-le cum-so-lut-ing hy-ber-gobble in-tu-zib-ick----"

"Good gracious! Whatever's the matter now?" cried Dorothy, as the copper
man continued to babble these unmeaning words, which no one could
understand at all because they had no sense.

"Don't know," said Button-Bright, who was half scared. Polly whirled
away to a distance and turned to look at the copper man in a fright.

[Illustration]

"His thoughts have run down, this time," remarked Billina composedly, as
she sat on Tik-tok's shoulder and pruned her sleek feathers. "When he
can't think he can't talk properly, any more than you can. You'll have
to wind up his thoughts, Dorothy, or else I'll have to finish his story
myself."

Dorothy ran around and got the key again and wound up Tik-tok under his
left arm, after which he could speak plainly again.

"Par-don me," he said, "but when my thoughts run down my speech has no
mean-ing, for words are formed on-ly by thought. I was a-bout to say
that Oz-ma sent us to wel-come you and in-vite you to come straight to
the Em-er-ald Ci-ty. She was too bus-y to come her-self, for she is
pre-par-ing for her birth-day cel-e-bra-tion, which is to be a grand
af-fair."

"I've heard of it," said Dorothy, "and I'm glad we've come in time to
attend. Is it far from here to the Emerald City?"

"Not ve-ry far," answered Tik-tok, "and we have plen-ty of time.
To-night we will stop at the pal-ace of the Tin Wood-man, and to-mor-row
night we will ar-rive at the Em-er-ald Ci-ty."

"Goody!" cried Dorothy. "I'd like to see dear Nick Chopper again. How's
his heart?"

"It's fine," said Billina; "the Tin Woodman says it gets softer and
kindlier every day. He's waiting at his castle to welcome you, Dorothy;
but he couldn't come with us because he 'is getting polished as bright
as possible for Ozma's party."

"Well, then," said Dorothy, "let's start on, and we can talk more as we
go."

They proceeded on their journey in a friendly group, for Polychrome had
discovered that the copper man was harmless and was no longer afraid of
him. Button-Bright was also reassured, and took quite a fancy to
Tik-tok. He wanted the clockwork man to open himself, so that he might
see the wheels go round; but that was a thing Tik-tok could not do.
Button-Bright then wanted to wind up the copper man, and Dorothy
promised he should do so as soon as any part of the machinery ran down.
This pleased Button-Bright, who held fast to one of Tik-tok's copper