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In his little room back of the Throne Room the Wizard had found a lot
of things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for
no one had occupied the apartment in his absence. There was enough
material there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he
had learned from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed
part of the night in getting them ready. So he followed the trick of
the nine tiny piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly
delighted his audience and the people did not seem to care a bit
whether the little man was a humbug Wizard or not, so long as he
succeeded in amusing them. They applauded all his tricks and at the
end of the performance begged him earnestly not to go away again and
leave them.
"In that case," said the little man, gravely, "I will cancel all of my
engagements before the crowned heads of Europe and America and devote
myself to the people of Oz, for I love you all so well that I can deny
you nothing."
After the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends
joined Princess Ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where
even the Tiger and the Lion were sumptuously fed and Jim the Cab-horse
ate his oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies,
sapphires and diamonds set around the rim of it.
In the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates
where the games were to be held. There was a beautiful canopy for
Ozma and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and
jump and wrestle. You may be sure the folks of Oz did their best with
such a distinguished company watching them, and finally Zeb offered to
wrestle with a little Munchkin who seemed to be the champion. In
appearance he was twice as old as Zeb, for he had long pointed
whiskers and wore a peaked hat with little bells all around the brim
of it, which tinkled gaily as he moved. But although the Munchkin was
hardly tall enough to come to Zeb's shoulder he was so strong and
clever that he laid the boy three times on his back with apparent ease.
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