It was amusing to note the
expression on the face of King
Dox as he looked the boy over,
from his sailor hat to his
stubby shoes, and it was equally
diverting to watch Button-Bright
stare at the King in return.
No fox ever beheld a fresher,
fairer child's face, and no
child had ever before heard
a fox talk, or met with one
who dressed so handsomely and
ruled so big a city. I am sorry
to say that no one had ever
told the little boy much about
fairies of any kind; this being
the case, it is easy to understand
how much this strange experience
startled and astonished him.
"How do you like us?" asked
the King.
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
"Of course you don't. It's
too short an acquaintance," returned
his Majesty. "What do you suppose
my name is?"
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright.
"How
should
you? Well,
I'll tell
you. My
private
name is
Dox, but a King can't be called
by his private name; he has
to take one that is official.
Therefore my official name
is King Renard the Fourth.
Ren-ard with the accent on
the 'Ren'."
"What's 'ren'?" asked
Button-Bright.
"How clever!" exclaimed the
King, turning a pleased face
toward his counselors. "This
boy is indeed remarkably bright.
'What's 'ren'?' he asks; and
of course 'ren' is nothing
at all, all by itself. Yes,
he's very bright indeed."
"That question is what your
Majesty might call foxy," said
one of the counselors, an old
grey fox.
"So it is," declared
the King.
Turning
again to
Button-Bright,
he asked:
"Having
told you
my name,
what would you call me?"
"King Dox," said
the boy.
"Why?"
"'Cause 'ren''s nothing at
all," was the reply.
"Good!
Very good
indeed!
You certainly have a brilliant
mind. Do you know why two and
two make four?"
"No," said
Button-Bright.
"Clever!
clever
indeed!
Of course
you don't
know. Nobody
knows why; we only know it's
so, and can't tell why it's
so. Button-Bright, those curls
and blue eyes do not go well
with so much wisdom. They make
you look too youthful, and
hide your real cleverness.
Therefore, I will do you a
great favor. I will confer
upon you the head of a fox,
so that you may hereafter look
as bright as you really are."
As he spoke the King waved
his paw toward the boy, and
at once the pretty curls and
fresh round face and big blue
eyes were gone, while in their
place a fox's head appeared
upon Button-Bright's shoulders--a
hairy head with a sharp nose,
pointed ears, and keen little
eyes.
"Oh, don't do that!" cried
Dorothy, shrinking back from
her transformed companion with
a shocked and dismayed face.
"Too
late, my
dear; it's
done. But you also shall have
a fox's head if you can prove
you're as clever as Button-Bright."
"I don't want it; it's dreadful!" she
exclaimed; and, hearing this
verdict, Button-Bright began
to boo-hoo just as if he were
still a little boy.
"How can you call that lovely
head dreadful?" asked the King. "It's
a much prettier face than he
had before, to my notion, and
my wife says I'm a good judge
of beauty. Don't cry, little
fox-boy. Laugh and be proud,
because you are so highly favored.
How do you like the new head,
Button-Bright?"
"D-d-don't n-n-n-know!" sobbed
the child.
"Please, PLEASE change him
back again, your Majesty!" begged
Dorothy.
King Renard IV shook his
head.
"I can't do that," he said; "I
haven't the power, even if
I wanted to. No, Button-Bright
must wear his fox head, and
he'll be sure to love it dearly
as soon as he gets used to
it."
Both the shaggy man and Dorothy
looked grave and anxious, for
they were sorrowful that such
a misfortune had overtaken
their little companion. Toto
barked at the fox-boy once
or twice, not realizing it
was his former friend who now
wore the animal head; but Dorothy
cuffed the dog and made him
stop. As for the foxes, they
all seemed to think Button-Bright's
new head very becoming and
that their King had conferred
a great honor on this little
stranger. It was funny to see
the boy reach up to feel of
his sharp nose and wide mouth,
and wail afresh with grief.
He wagged his ears in a comical
manner and tears were in his
little black eyes. But Dorothy
couldn't laugh at her friend
just yet, because she felt
so sorry.
Just
then three
little
fox-princesses,
daughters of the King, entered
the room, and when they saw
Button-Bright one exclaimed: "How
lovely he is!" and the next
one cried in delight: "How
sweet he is!" and the third
princess clapped her hands
with pleasure and said, "How
beautiful he is!"
Button-Bright stopped crying
and asked timidly:
"Am
I?"
"In all the world there is
not another face so pretty," declared
the biggest fox-princess.
"You must live with us always,
and be our brother," said the
next.
"We shall all love you dearly," the
third said.
This praise did much to comfort
the boy, and he looked around
and tried to smile. It was
a pitiful attempt, because
the fox face was new and stiff,
and Dorothy thought his expression
more stupid than before the
transformation.
"I think we ought to be going
now," said the shaggy man,
uneasily, for he didn't know
what the King might take into
his head to do next.
"Don't leave us yet, I beg
of you," pleaded King Renard. "I
intend to have several days
of feasting and merry-making
in honor of your visit."
"Have it after we're gone,
for we can't wait," said Dorothy,
decidedly. But seeing this
displeased the King, she added: "If
I'm going to get Ozma to invite
you to her party I'll have
to find her as soon as poss'ble,
you know."
In spite of all the beauty
of Foxville and the gorgeous
dresses of its inhabitants,
both the girl and the shaggy
man felt they were not quite
safe there, and would be glad
to see the last of it.
"But it is now evening," the
King reminded them, "and you
must stay with us until morning,
anyhow. Therefore, I invite
you to be my guests at dinner,
and to attend the theater afterward
and sit in the royal box. To-morrow
morning, if you really insist
upon it, you may resume your
journey."
They consented to this, and
some of the fox-servants led
them to a suite of lovely rooms
in the big palace.
Button-Bright was afraid
to be left alone, so Dorothy
took him into her own room.
While a maid-fox dressed the
little girl's hair--which was
a bit tangled--and put some
bright, fresh ribbons in it,
another maid-fox combed the
hair on poor Button-Bright's
face and head and brushed it
carefully, tying a pink bow
to each of his pointed ears.
The maids wanted to dress the
children in fine costumes of
woven feathers, such as all
the foxes wore; but neither
of them consented to that.
"A sailor suit and a fox
head do not go well together," said
one of the maids, "for no fox
was ever a sailor that I can
remember."
"I'm not a fox!" cried
Button-Bright.
"Alas, no," agreed the maid. "But
you've got a lovely fox head
on your skinny shoulders, and
that's ALMOST as good as being
a fox."
The boy, reminded of his
misfortune, began to cry again.
Dorothy petted and comforted
him and promised to find some
way to restore him his own
head.
"If we can manage to get
to Ozma," she said, "the Princess
will change you back to yourself
in half a second; so you just
wear that fox head as comf't'bly
as you can, dear, and don't
worry about it at all. It isn't
nearly as pretty as your own
head, no matter what the foxes
say; but you can get along
with it for a little while
longer, can't you?"
"Don't know," said
Button-Bright,
doubtfully; but he didn't cry
any more after that.
Dorothy let the maids pin
ribbons to her shoulders, after
which they were ready for the
King's dinner. When they met
the shaggy man in the splendid
drawing room of the palace
they found him just the same
as before. He had refused to
give up his shaggy clothes
for new ones, because if he
did that he would no longer
be the shaggy man, he said,
and he might have to get acquainted
with himself all over again.
He told Dorothy he had brushed
his shaggy hair and whiskers;
but she thought he must have
brushed them the wrong way,
for they were quite as shaggy
as before.
As for the company of foxes
assembled to dine with the
strangers, they were most beautifully
costumed, and their rich dresses
made Dorothy's simple gown
and Button-Bright's sailor
suit and the shaggy man's shaggy
clothes look commonplace. But
they treated their guests with
great respect and the King's
dinner was a very good dinner
indeed. Foxes, as you know,
are fond of chicken and other
fowl; so they served chicken
soup and roasted turkey and
stewed duck and fried grouse
and broiled quail and goose
pie, and as the cooking was
excellent the King's guests
enjoyed the meal and ate heartily
of the various dishes.
The party went to the theater,
where they saw a play acted
by foxes dressed in costumes
of brilliantly colored feathers.
The play was about a fox-girl
who was stolen by some wicked
wolves and carried to their
cave; and just as they were
about to kill her and eat her
a company of fox-soldiers marched
up, saved the girl, and put
all the wicked wolves to death.
"How do you like it?" the
King asked Dorothy.
"Pretty well," she answered. "It
reminds me of one of Mr. Aesop's
fables."
"Don't mention Aesop to me,
I beg of you!" exclaimed King
Dox. "I hate that man's name.
He wrote a good deal about
foxes, but always made them
out cruel and wicked, whereas
we are gentle and kind, as
you may see."
"But his fables showed you
to be wise and clever, and
more shrewd than other animals," said
the shaggy man, thoughtfully.
"So we are. There is no question
about our knowing more than
men do," replied the King,
proudly. "But we employ our
wisdom to do good, instead
of harm; so that horrid Aesop
did not know what he was talking
about."
They did not like to contradict
him, because they felt he ought
to know the nature of foxes
better than men did; so they
sat still and watched the play,
and Button-Bright became so
interested that for the time
he forgot he wore a fox head.
Afterward they went back
to the palace and slept in
soft beds stuffed with feathers;
for the foxes raised many fowl
for food, and used their feathers
for clothing and to sleep upon.
Dorothy wondered why the
animals living in Foxville
did not wear just their own
hairy skins as wild foxes do;
when she mentioned it to King
Dox he said they clothed themselves
because they were civilized.
"But you were born without
clothes," she observed, "and
you don't seem to me to need
them."
"So were human beings born
without clothes," he replied; "and
until they became civilized
they wore only their natural
skins. But to become civilized
means to dress as elaborately
and prettily as possible, and
to make a show of your clothes
so your neighbors will envy
you, and for that reason both
civilized foxes and civilized
humans spend most of their
time dressing themselves."
"I don't," declared
the shaggy
man.
"That is true," said the
King, looking at him carefully; "but
perhaps you are not civilized."
After a sound sleep and a
good night's rest they had
their breakfast with the King
and then bade his Majesty good-bye.
"You've been kind to us--'cept
poor Button-Bright," said Dorothy, "and
we've had a nice time in Foxville."
"Then," said King Dox, "perhaps
you'll be good enough to get
me an invitation to Princess
Ozma's birthday celebration."
"I'll try," she promised; "if
I see her in time."
"It's on the twenty-first,
remember," he continued; "and
if you'll just see that I'm
invited I'll find a way to
cross the Dreadful Desert into
the marvelous Land of Oz. I've
always wanted to visit the
Emerald City, so I'm sure it
was fortunate you arrived here
just when you did, you being
Princess Ozma's friend and
able to assist me in getting
the invitation."
"If I see Ozma I'll ask her
to invite you," she replied.
The Fox-King had a delightful
luncheon put up for them, which
the shaggy man shoved in his
pocket, and the fox-captain
escorted them to an arch at
the side of the village opposite
the one by which they had entered.
Here they found more soldiers
guarding the road.
"Are you afraid of enemies?" asked
Dorothy.
"No; because we are watchful
and able to protect ourselves," answered
the captain. "But this road
leads to another village peopled
by big, stupid beasts who might
cause us trouble if they thought
we were afraid of them."
"What beasts are they?" asked
the shaggy man.
The captain hesitated to
answer. Finally, he said:
"You
will learn
all about
them when you arrive at their
city. But do not be afraid
of them. Button-Bright is so
wonderfully clever and has
now such an intelligent face
that I'm sure he will manage
to find a way to protect you."
This made Dorothy and the
shaggy man rather uneasy, for
they had not so much confidence
in the fox-boy's wisdom as
the captain seemed to have.
But as their escort would say
no more about the beasts, they
bade him good-bye and proceeded
on their journey.
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