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V.
The Girl Who Owned a. Beatr Ai American
J1 '
Fairy Taleju
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This Is the First of a Series of Capital
Stories, Each Complete, Written by
L. Frank Baum, the Author of
"Father Goose," for The
Sunday Republic.
Mamma had gone downtown to shop. She
had asked Nora to look after Jane Gladys.
anfl Nora promised she would. But it was
her afternoon for polishing the- ailver, no
she stayed tn the pantry and left Jano
Glad) s to amuse herself alone In tho his
sitting-room upstairs.
The little rtrl did not mind being alone,
for she was working on her Hut piece
of embroldery-a sofa pillow for papa's
hlrthday present. Bo she crept Into the big
bay window and curled herself up on the
broad sill while she bent her brown head
over work.
Soon the door opened and closed again.
Quietly. Jane Gladys thought It was Norn,
so she didn't look up until she had taken
a couple more stitches on a forget-me-not.
Then she raised her eyes and was astonished
to find a strango man In the middle of the
room, regarding her earnestly.
He was abort and fat, and seemed to be
breathing heavily from his climb up the
stairs. He held a worn Bilk hat In one
hand and underneath his other elbow was
tacked a good-sized book. He was dressed
In a black suit that looked old and rather
shabby, and his head was bald upon the top.
"Excuse me," he said, while the child
taxed at him In solemn surprise. "Are you
Jane Gladys Brownr ,
Tea, air," aha answered.
"Very goodi very good, lndeedl" he re
marked, with a queer sort of smile. "Tve
had quite a hunt to find you, but I've suc
ceeded at lost."
How did yon get in?" Inquired Jane
Qlaflys, with a growing distrust of her vis
itor. "That ! a secret," hejsaid, mysteriously.
This was enough to put the girl on her
guard. Ehe looked at the man and the man
looked at her. and both looks were grave
and somewhat anxious.
"What do you want?" sho asked, straight
ening herself up with a dignified air.'
"AMI now we are coming to business,"
aid the man briskly. 'Tm going to be
quite frank with you. To begin with, your
father has abused me In a most ungentle
manly manner."
Jane Gladys got off the window sill and
pointed her small finger at the door.
Xieave this room "meejltlyl" she cried,
her voice trembling with Indignation. "My
papa Is the best man In tho world. He
never 'bused anybodyl"
"Allow me to explain, please," said the
visitor, without paying any attention to her
request to go away. "Tour father may be
very kind to yoo, for yon are his little girl,
yon know. But when he's downtown In his
office he's Inclined to be rather severe,
4
especially on book agents. Now, I called
on him tho other day and asked him to buy
tho 'Complete Works of Peter Smith,' and
what do you suppose he did?"
Ehe said nothing.
"Why," continued the man, with growing
excitement. "Tie ordered me from his office.
and had me put out of the building by tho
Janitor! What do you think of suoh treat
ment as that from the 'best papa In the
world,' eht"
"I think he was outte right," said Jane
Gladys.
"6h. you dot Well," said the man,
"I resolved to be revenged for tha Insult.
So, as your father Is big and strong and
a dangerous man, I have decided to b re
venged upon his little girl."
Jano Gladys shivered.
"What are you going to dor shs asked.
Tm going to present you with' this book,"
he enswered'taklng it from under his
arm. Then he sat down on the efliro of a
chair, placed his hat'on the rug and drew
a fountain pen from his vest, pocket.
'Til write your name in It,' said he.
"How do you spell Gladys?"
"G-1-a-d-y-s," she spelled.
"Thank you. Now this," he continued,
rising and handing her the book, with a
bow, "la my reenge for your father's
treatment of me. Perhaps he'll be eorry
he didn't buy tha 'Complete Works of Peter
Smith.' Good-by, my dear."
He walked to the door, gave her en
other bow, and left the room, and Jane
Gladys could see that he was laughing
to himself as If very much amused.
When the door had closed behind the
queer little man the child sat down in
the window again and glanced at the book.
It had a i red and yellow, cover and the
word "Thingamajlgs" was across tho front
in big letters.
Then she opened It curiously, and saw
her name written In blackletters upon the
nrst white leaf. , .. 4
"He was a funny little man," she said
to herself, thoughtfully.
She turned the next leaf, and saw a
big picture of a clown, dressed In green
and red and yellow, and having a very
white face with three-cornered spots of
red on each cheek and' over the eyes. While
she Jooked at this the book trembled in her
hands, the leaf cracked and creaked, end
suddenly the clown Jumped out of It and
stood upon the floor beside her, becoming
Instantly as big as any ordinary down.
After stretching his arms and legs and
yawning in a rather impolite manner, he
gave a silly chuckle and said:
"This la better! Ton don't know how
ADVENTURE OF
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cramped one gets, standing so long upon
a page of flat paper." '
Perhaps you can imagine how startled
Jano Gladys was, and how she stared at the
clown, who had Just leaped out of tha book.
"You didn't expect anything of this sort,
did you?" he asked, leering at her in clown
fashion. Then he turned around to take a
look at the room, and Jane Gladys laughed
In spite of her astonishment.
"What amuses you?" demanded tha
clown.
"Why, the back of yon is all whiter
cried the girl. "You're only a clown in
front of you."
"Quite likely," he returned. In an an
no ed tone. "The artist made a front view
of me.He wasn't expected to make the back
of me, for that was against the page of
h fcr ; j v
tlie.'book."
"But it makes you look so funny!" said
Jano Gladys, laughing until her eyes were
moist nith tears.
The clown looked sulky and sat down
upon a chair so she couldn't see his back.
'Tm not the only thing In tha book," he
remarked, crossly.
This reminded her to turn another page,
and she had scarcely noted that It con
tained tha picture of a monkey when the
animal sprang from the book with a great
crumpling of paper and landed upon the
window seat beside her.
"He-he-he-he-heP chattered the creature,
springing to the girl's shoulder end then to
the center table. "This is great fun! Now
I can be a real monkey Instead of a picture
of one." u
A BUDDING MACHINIST.
i
s "Ileal monkeys can't talk," said Jane
Gladys, reprovingly.
"How do you know? Have you ever been
one yourself?" Inquired tho animal; and
thon ho laughed loudly, and the clown
laughed, too, as if ho enjoyed the, remark.
The girl was quite bewildered by this
time. She thoughtlessly turned another
leaf, and before sho had time to look twice
a gray donkey leaped from the book and
stumbled from the window seat to the floor
with a great clatter.
"You're clumsy enough, rm sure!" said
tho child, Indignantly, for the beast bad
nearly upset her.
"Clumsyl And why not?" demanded tha
donkey, with angry voice. "If the fool ar
tist had drawn you out of perspective, as
he did me, I guess you'd be clumsy your
self."
"What'3 wron
with-you?" asked Jano
Gladys.
"ily frqnt and rear less on the left side
are nearly six Inches too short, that's
what's the matterl If that artist didn't
knowrhow to draw properly, why did he try
to make a donkey at all?"
"I don't, know," replied the child, seeing
an answer was expected.
"I can hardly stand up," grumbled the
donkey; "and tho least little thlng will
topple mo over."
"Don't mind that," said tho monkey, mak
ing a spring at the chandelier and swinging
from It by his tall until Jane Gladys feared
he would knock all the globes off; "tho
samo artist has made my ears as big as
that clown's, and everyone knows a monkey
hasn't any ears to speak of much less to
draw."
"Ho should be prosecuted," remarked the
clown, gloomily. "I haven't any back."
Jane Gladys looked from one to the other
with a puzzled expression upon her sweot
face, ahd turned another page of the book.
Swift as a flash there sprang over her
shoulder a tawney-spotted leopard, which
landed upon tho back of a big leather arm
chair and turne"d upon tho others with a
fierce movement.
The .monkey climbed to the top of the
chandelier and chattered with fright. The
donkey tried to run and straightway tip
ped over on his left side. The clown grew
paler than ever, but ho sat still In his
chair and gave a low whistle of surprise.
Tho leopard cronched upon tho back of
tho chair, lashed his tall from side to side
and glared at all of them, by turns, includ
ing Jana Gladys.
"Which of us are you going to attack
first?" asked tha donkey, trying hard to
get upon lu feet again.
"I can't attack any of you." snarled the
leopard. "The artist' made my mouth shut,
so I haven't any teeth; and ho forgot to
mako my claws. But I'm a frightful look
ing creature, nevertheless; am I not?"
"Oh. yes," said the clown, indifferently.
T suppose you're frightful looking enough.
But If you have no teeth nor claws wo
don't mind your looks at all."
This so annoyed tha leopard that he
growled horribly, and the monkey laughed
at him.
Just then the book slipped from tha girl's
lap. and. as she made a movement to catch
It ono of the pages, near tho back opened
wide. Sho caught' a gllmpsa of a fierce
grizzly bear rooking at her from tho page,
and quickly threw tho book from her. It
fell with a crash In the middle of the room-,,
but beside It stood the great grizzly, who
had wrenched himself from the page be
fore the book closed.
"Now," cried the leopard from his perch,
"you'd better look out for yourselves! You
can't laugh at him as you did at me. The
bear has both claws and teeth.'
"Indeed I have," said the bear. In a low,
deep, growling voice. "And I know how to
use them, too. If you read 1 nthat book
you'll find I'm described as a horrible, cruel
and remorseless grizzly, whose only busi
ness in life is to eat up little girls shoes,
dresses, ribbons and all! And then, tha
author says, I smack my lips and glory In
mv wickedness."
"That's awful!" said tho donkey, sitting
upon his haunches and shaking his head
sadly. "What do you suppose possessed
tha author to make yon so hungry for girls?
Do you eat animals, also?"
"The author does not mention my eating
nt.ihinr. tint iikTa clrls." reolled tha
"Very good," remarked the clowrvraw
ing a long" breath of relief. "You may be-j
gin eating JanoGladys as soon as yoU
wish. Sho laughed because I had ro baclc'j
"And sho laughed because my legs are out
of perspective," brayed the donkey.
"But you also deserve to be eaten,"
screamed the leopard from tho back of tho
leather chair; "for jou laughed, and poked
fun at mo because I had no claw3 nor
tcet! Don't you suppose, Mr. Grizzly, yon
could manago to eat a clown, a donkey and
a monkey after jou llnish tho girl?"
"Perhaps so, and a. loopard Into tho bar
gain," growled tho bear. "It will depend on
how hungry I am. But I must besrln on
tho Httlo girls llrst, because the author says
I prefer girl3 to an thing:"
Jane Gladjs was much frightened on
hearing this conversation, and she began to
realize what tho man meant when he said
he gue her the book to bo revenged. Sure
ly papa, would be sorry ha hadn't bought
tho "Completo Works of Peter Smith"
when he camo homo and found his llttla
girl eaten up by a grlrzly bear shoes,
dress, ribbons and alll
The bear stood up and balanced himself
on his rear legs.
"This is tho way I look In tha book," b
said. "Now watch mo eat tho llttla girl
Ho advanced slowly toward Jana GI
and the monkey, tha leopard, tha do:
and the clown all stood around In a
and watched the bear with mach Interest.
But before the grizzly reached her tha
child had a. sudden thought, acd cried oat!
"Stop! You mustn't cat tea, It woolA be
wrong."
"Why?" asked tha bear, tn surprise.
"Because I own you. You're ray prtrats)
property." she answered.
"I don't see how you make that on
said the bear, in a disappointed tons.
"Why, the book was given to ms; my
namo'a on the front leaf. And yon be.
long, by rights. In the book. So yoa
mustn't dare to eat your owner!" '
Tho grizzly hesitated. (
"Can any of you read?" he asked.
"I can," said tho clown.
"Then see if sho speaks tha truth. Is
her narao really in the book?"
The clown picked it up and looked at tha
name.
"It Is," said he. " 'Jana Gladys Brewsi
and written quiet plainly in big letters."
Tho bear sighed.
"Then, of course, r can't eat her," ha da
cldeO. "That author la as dlsappolnttnr as
most authors are."
"But he's not as bad as the artist."
claimed the donkey, who was still tryUsj
to stand up straight.
"The fault lies with yourselves," sett
i uiauys. severely. - way Giant ySfl
stay In the book, wherelyou were put?" --.
Tna animals looked at each, other in
foolish -way, and tha clown blushed nno",
his whits-Taint. ,
"Really" began the bear, and tbaaf he;
stopsqd;'snort-
ThSldoor boll rang loudly?
"It's mamma!" cried Jans Gladys, sprtsaa
lng to her feet. "She's coma noma at last
Now, you stupid creatures'
But.she was Interrupted by them all
lng a,rush for tha book. There was a awtssl
and a whirr and a rustling of leaves, and aa
Instant later the book lay upon the floor
looking Just Ilka any other book, while Jassi
Gladys's strange compaadefce had alt i
peared.
This story should tsach a to
quickly and clearly upon all occasional fat
had Jane Gladys not clmnrit to TWini'iTiher
that she owned tha bear ha probably wos!4
have eaten her before tha ben rang;
Copyright, 1901. by Gaa V, Em CDDBeay. mB
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