e's a little
fussy, you know, and afraid of growing old, being a widow and still in
her prime."

"I should think she would be," agreed Dorothy. Then, after a moment's
thought, she asked: "Are we friends or enemies? I mean, will you be good
to us, or do you intend to eat us?"

"As for that, we dragonettes would love to eat you, my child; but
unfortunately mother has tied all our tails around the rocks at the back
of our individual caves, so that we can not crawl out to get you. If you
choose to come nearer we will make a mouthful of you in a wink; but
unless you do you will remain quite safe."

There was a regretful accent in the creature's voice, and at the words
all the other dragonettes sighed dismally.

Dorothy felt relieved. Presently she asked:

"Why did your mother tie your tails?"

"Oh, she is sometimes gone for several weeks on her hunting trips, and
if we were not tied we would crawl all over the mountain and fight with
each other and get into a lot of mischief. Mother usually knows what she
is about, but she made a mistake this time; for you are sure to escape
us unless you come too near, and you probably won't do that."

"No, indeed!" said the little girl. "We don't wish to be eaten by such
awful beasts."

"Permit me to say," returned the dragonette, "that you are rather
impolite to call us names, knowing that we cannot resent your insults.
We consider ourselves very beautiful in appearance, for mother has told
us so, and she knows. And we are of an excellent family and have a
pedigree that I challenge any humans to equal, as it extends back about
twenty thousand years, to the time of the famous Green Dragon of
Atlantis, who lived in a time when humans had not yet been created. Can
you match that pedigree, little girl?"

"Well," said Dorothy, "I was born on a farm in Kansas, and I guess
that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with
your tail tied to a rock. If it isn't I'll have to stand it, that's
all."

"Tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley
eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons.

Being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of
their rock-pockets, the children and the Wizard now took time to examine
them more closely. The heads of the dragonettes were as big as barrels
and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly under the
light of the lanterns. Their front legs, which grew ju