"No; but you tried to, an' that's just as bad, if not
worse," said Dorothy, who was very indignant. "And now
I want you to send for the King and Queen of Pingaree
and have them brought here immejitly!"

"I won't," said Kaliko.

"Yes, you will!" cried Dorothy, stamping her foot at
him. "I won't have those poor people made unhappy any
longer, or separated from their little boy. Why, it's
dreadful, Kaliko, an' I'm su'prised at you. You must be
more wicked than I thought you were."

"I can't do it, Dorothy," said the Nome King, almost
weeping with despair. "I promised King Gos I'd keep
them captives. You wouldn't ask me to break my promise,
would you?"

"King Gos was a robber and an outlaw," she said, "and
p'r'aps you don't know that a storm at sea wrecked his
boat, while he was going back to Regos, and that he and
Queen Cor were both drowned."

"Dear me!" exclaimed Kaliko. "Is that so?"

"I saw it in Glinda's Record Book," said Dorothy. "So
now you trot out the King and Queen of Pingaree as
quick as you can."

"No," persisted the contrary Nome King, shaking his