terrible
fright.

"What's the matter?" asked the Cat.

"A dreadful Magician has come among us!" exclaimed the Wolf, "and he's
changing the forms of all the beasts--quick as a wink--and making them
all his slaves."

The Glass Cat smiled and said:

"Why, that's only the Wizard of Oz. He may be having some fun with you
forest people, but the Wizard wouldn't hurt a beast for anything."

"I don't mean the Wizard," explained the Wolf. "And if the Wizard of
Oz is that funny little man who rode a great Tiger into the clearing,
he's been transformed himself by the terrible Magician."

"The Wizard transformed? Why, that's impossible," declared the Glass
Cat.

"No; it isn't. I saw him with my own eyes, changed into the form of a
Fox, and the girl who was with him was changed to a woolly Lamb."

The Glass Cat was indeed surprised.

"When did that happen?" it asked.

"Just a little while ago in the clearing. All the animals had met
there, but they ran away when the Magician began his transformations,
and I'm thankful I escaped with my natural shape. But I'm still
afraid, and I'm going somewhere to hide."

With this the Wolf ran on, and the Glass Cat, which knew where the big
clearing was, went toward it. But now it walked more slowly, and its
pink brains rolled and tumbled around at a great rate because it was
thinking over the amazing news the Wolf had told it.

When the Glass Cat reached the clearing, it saw a Fox, a Lamb, a
Rabbit, a Munchkin boy and a fat Gillikin woman, all wandering around
in an aimless sort of way, for they were again searching for the Black
Bag of Magic Tools.

The Cat watched them a moment and then it walked slowly into the open
space. At once the Lamb ran toward it, crying:

"Oh, Wizard, here's the Glass Cat!"

"Where, Dorothy?" asked the Fox.

"Here!"

The Boy and the Woman and the Rabbit now joined the Fox and the Lamb,
and they all stood before the Glass Cat and speaking together, almost
like a chorus, asked: "Have you seen the Black Bag?"

"Often," replied the Glass Cat, "but not lately."

"It's lost," said the Fox, "and we must find it."

"Are you the Wizard?" asked the Cat.

"Yes."

"And who are these others?"

"I'm Dorothy," said the Lamb.

"I'm the Cowardly Lion," said the Munchkin boy.

"I'm the Hungry Tiger," said the Rabbit.

"I'm Gugu, King of the Forest," said the fat Woman.

The Glass Cat sat on its hind legs and began to laugh. "My, what a
funn