an
useful.

This astonished cat was made all of glass and was so clear and
transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a
window. In the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink
balls which looked like jewels but were intended for brains. It had a
heart made of blood-red ruby. The eyes were two large emeralds. But,
aside from these colors, all the rest of the animal was of clear glass,
and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful.

"Here, wake up," said Cap'n Bill. "We want to talk to you."

Slowly the Glass Cat got upon its feed, yawned and then looked at the
three who stood before it.

"How dare you disturb me?" it asked in a peevish voice. "You ought to
be ashamed of yourselves."

"Never mind that," returned the Sailor. "Do you remember tellin' me
yesterday 'bout a Magic Flower in a Gold Pot?"

"Do you think I'm a fool? Look at my brains--you can see 'em work. Of
course I remember!" said the cat.

"Well, where can we find it?"

"You can't. It's none of your business, anyhow. Go away and let me
sleep," advised the Glass Cat.

"Now, see here," said Dorothy; "we want the Magic Flower to give to
Ozma on her birthday. You'd be glad to please Ozma, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not sure," replied the creature. "Why should I want to please
anybody?"

"You've got a heart, 'cause I can see it inside of you," said Trot.

"Yes; it's a pretty heart, and I'm fond of it," said the cat, twisting
around to view its own body. "But it's made from a ruby, and it's hard
as nails."

"Aren't you good for ANYthing?" asked Trot.

"Yes, I'm pretty to look at, and that's more than can be said of you,"
retorted the creature.

Trot laughed at this, and Dorothy, who understood the Glass Cat pretty
well, said soothingly:

"You are indeed beautiful, and if you can tell Cap'n Bill where to find
the Magic Flower, all the people in Oz will praise your cleverness.
The Flower will belong to Ozma, but everyone will know the Glass Cat
discovered it."

This was the kind of praise the crystal creature liked.

"Well," it said, while the pink brains rolled around, "I found the
Magic Flower way up in the north of the Munchkin Country where few
people live or ever go. There's a river there that flows through a
forest, and in the middle of the forest there is a small island on
which stands the gold pot in which grows the Magic Flower."

"How did you get to the island?" asked Dorothy. "Gl