"Elephant?" asked Tweaty, a yellow canary who was looking up at the
large gray beast.

"Yes?" asked the elephant, who was drinking a tall glass of chocolate
milk with his trunk.

"I was just thinking about the new Queen of Oz," said the bird solemnly.
"Do you think she'll last? I mean, I really thought that the Wonderful
Wizard of Oz himself would rule over the Land forever. Then I placed my
confidence in His Majesty the Scarecrow. Now, out of the blue, we've got
this little girl who is probably younger than most eggs, and we are
supposed to give her our neverending support?"

"Why in the world not?" the pachyderm drawled as he indolently stretched
himself. "Nibbles and I agree that, though she is very young, Princess
Ozma shows a lot of promise as Oz's new leader. Give the child a chance.
She's only been a Queen for a week or so!"

"Absolutely, Tweaty!" Nibbles agreed. "And so many rulers have been
youthful. Remember the old story about King Tut? He was just a little
boy."

Few persons guessed that Nibbles, Elephant and Tweaty were old friends,
so unlike were they in appearance and disposition. Tweaty was delicate,
clean and could sing for hours on end without repeating a tune. He took
pride in his appearance and always made sure that his refulgent feathers
were clean. Nibbles, on the other hand, was a mouse. He was often found
digging in the trash that was sometimes left by careless campers or
burrowing in other animals' nests. His fur was not what most would deem
tidy, but he was amiable and companionable. Elephant, by far the
largest of the three, was less colorful. He liked the other animals, and
he ofttimes wanted to help the smaller creatures as best he could, but
his immense size and bulk generally made him feel more like a nuisance
than a help. In spite of legends that would have us all believe that
elephants are afraid of mice, he found that most of his favorite
playmates were among the smaller creatures of Oz. He enjoyed fellowship
with mice, as well as with rabbits and hedgehogs. He had befriended
Nibbles at a young age, and it had been Nibbles who had introduced him
to Tweaty.

The three friends were enjoying a relaxing afternoon in a remote region
of the Munchkin Country known as the Lunechien Forest. It was a time of
transition in the Land of Oz. The child Queen, Ozma of Oz, had just been
named Ruler over the land. This news had met with mixed reactions. Many
Ozites maintained that only the Wond