Page:The Royal Book of Oz.djvu/116

 Majesty's illustrious and useful age."

"Eigh—ty five!" gasped the Scarecrow, staring in dismay at the gray wrinkled face of the old Silverman. "Now see here Chew Chew—are you sure of that?"

"Quite sure, Immortal and Honored Master!"

The Scarecrow could not help but be convinced of the truth of the Grand Chew Chew's story. The pole in the Munchkin farmer's corn field was none other than the magic bean stalk, and he—thrust on the pole by the farmer to scare away the crows—had received the spirit of the Emperor Chang Wang Woe. "Which accounts for my cleverness," he thought gloomily. Now surely he should have been pleased, for he had come in search of a family, but the acquisition of an empire, sons and grandsons, and old age, all in a trice, fairly took his breath away.

"Does the prophecy say anything about restoring my imperial person?" he asked anxiously, for the thought of looking like Chew Chew was not a cheerful one.

"Alas, no!" sighed the Grand Chew Chew sorrowfully. "But we have very clever wizards on the Island and I shall set them at work on the problem at once."

"Now don't be in such a rush," begged the Scare-