Shaggy Man of Oz

<p><SPAN name="CHAPTER_26" id="CHAPTER_26"></SPAN></p> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus104.jpg" width-obs="523" height-obs="350" alt=""/></div> <h2>CHAPTER 26<br/> <small>Twink and Tom Home Again</small></h2> <p>"It is growing quite late," Ozma said, turning to Twink and Tom. "And I am sure you children must be tired after the strenuous adventures of the day." The Little Ruler paused and then added, "I know, too, that you are anxious to return home to your parents."</p> <p>Twink nodded. "Yes, your Highness," she said. "We have had a wonderful time in Oz, and we love you all very dearly, but we must go home as soon as we can."</p> <p>"Twink's right," agreed Tom. "We have had a great time, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything, but we belong at home in Buffalo."</p> <hr class="chap" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus105.jpg" width-obs="611" height-obs="350" alt=""/></div> <hr class="chap" /> <p>Ozma smiled her most charming smile. "Very well," she said. "We will say goodbye now. Then Dorothy and the Shaggy Man will show you to your room where beds are prepared for you. While you sleep, I will use the Magic Belt to transport you to your beds in your own home."</p> <hr class="chap" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus106.jpg" width-obs="255" height-obs="350" alt=""/></div> <hr class="chap" /> <p>Twink and Tom bade goodnight and goodbye to Ozma and the King of the Fairy Beavers. The little animal had accepted Ozma's invitation to be her guest as long as he felt he could absent himself from his Kingdom.</p> <p>Then Dorothy and the Shaggy Man led Twink and Tom to one of the most beautiful sleeping rooms the children had ever seen. The four talked together for a short time, after which Dorothy and Shaggy said farewell and slipped quietly from the room.</p> <p>It had been a long, exciting day, and Twink and Tom had no difficulty falling asleep, although they knew that sometime during the night they would travel magically from the Land of Oz to their own beds in their home in far-away Buffalo.</p> <hr class="tb" /> <p>And that was just what happened.</p> <hr class="chap" /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus107.jpg" width-obs="501" height-obs="350" alt=""/></div> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus108.jpg" width-obs="299" height-obs="350" alt=""/></div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />