ed about the platform and the royal party and the visitors were
seated in the grandstand, the Wizard skillfully performed some feats of
juggling glass balls and lighted candles. He tossed a dozen or so of
them high in the air and caught them one by one as they came down,
without missing any.

Then he introduced the Scarecrow, who did a sword-swallowing act that
aroused much interest. After this the Tin Woodman gave an exhibition of
Swinging the Axe, which he made to whirl around him so rapidly that the
eye could scarcely follow the motion of the gleaming blade. Glinda the
Sorceress then stepped upon the platform, and by her magic made a big
tree grow in the middle of the space, made blossoms appear upon the
tree, and made the blossoms become delicious fruit called tamornas; and
so great was the quantity of fruit thus produced that when the servants
climbed the tree and tossed it down to the crowd, there was enough to
satisfy every person present.

Para Bruin, the rubber bear, climbed to a limb of the big tree, rolled
himself into a ball, and dropped to the platform, whence he bounded up
again to the limb. He repeated this bouncing act several times, to the
great delight of all the children present. After he had finished, and
bowed, and returned to his seat, Glinda waved her wand and the tree
disappeared; but its fruit still remained to be eaten.

The Good Witch of the North amused the people by transforming ten stones
into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten
little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed into ten
stones again, just as they were in the beginning.

Johnny Dooit next came on the platform with his tool-chest, and in a few
minutes built a great flying machine; then put his chest in the machine
and the whole thing flew away together--Johnny and all--after he had bid
good-bye to those present and thanked the Princess for her hospitality.

[Illustration]

The Wizard then announced the last act of all, which was considered
really wonderful. He had invented a machine to blow huge soap-bubbles,
as big as balloons, and this machine was hidden under the platform so
that only the rim of the big clay pipe to produce the bubbles showed
above the flooring. The tank of soap-suds, and the air-pumps to inflate
the bubbles, were out of sight beneath, so that when the bubbles began
to grow upon the floor of the platform it really seemed like magic to
the people of Oz, wh