"I am
glad you and the Hungry Tiger love Dorothy best,
for she was your first friend and companion. Also
I am pleased that my Sawhorse loves me best, for
together we have endured both joy and sorrow. Hank
has proved his faith and loyalty by defending his
own little mistress; and so you are all right in
one way, but wrong in another. Our Land of Oz is a
Land of Love, and here friendship outranks every
other quality. Unless you can all be friends, you
cannot retain our love."
They accepted this rebuke very meekly.
"All right," said the Sawhorse, quite
cheerfully; "shake hoofs, friend Mule."
Hank touched his hoof to that of the wooden
horse.
"Let us be friends and rub noses," said the
Tiger. So Hank modestly rubbed noses with the big
beast.
The Lion merely nodded and said, as he crouched
before the mule:
"Any friend of a friend of our beloved Ruler is
a friend of the Cowardly Lion. That seems to cover
your case. If ever you need help or advice, friend
Hank, call on me."
"Why, this is as it should be," said Ozma,
highly pleased to see them so fully reconciled.
Then she turned to her companions: "Come, my
dears, let us resume our walk."
As they turned away Betsy said wonderingly:
"Do all the animals in Oz talk as we do?"
"Almost all," answered Dorothy. "There's a
Yellow Hen here, and she can talk, and so can her
chickens; and there's a Pink Kitten upstairs in my
room who talks very nicely; but I've a little
fuzzy black dog, named Toto, who has been with me
in Oz a long time, and he's never said a single
word but 'Bow-wow!'"
"Do you know why?" asked Ozma.
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