started for the green grove at once, and the others followed
him, being curious to witness the final rescue of his long-sought,
long-lost brother.

Not far from the edge of the grove they came upon a small hut, cleverly
made of twigs and golden branches woven together. As they approached
the place they caught a glimpse of a form that darted into the hut and
slammed the door tight shut after him.

Shaggy Man ran to the door and cried aloud:

"Brother! Brother!"

"Who calls," demanded a sad, hollow voice from within.

"It is Shaggy--your own loving brother--who has been searching for you
a long time and has now come to rescue you."

"Too late!" replied the gloomy voice. "No one can rescue me now."

"Oh, but you are mistaken about that," said Shaggy. "There is a new
King of the nomes, named Kaliko, in Ruggedo's place, and he has
promised you shall go free."

"Free! I dare not go free!" said the Ugly One, in a voice of despair.

"Why not, Brother?" asked Shaggy, anxiously.

"Do you know what they have done to me?" came the answer through the
closed door.

"No. Tell me, Brother, what have they done?"

"When Ruggedo first captured me I was very handsome. Don't you
remember, Shaggy?"

"Not very well, Brother; you were so young when I left home. But I
remember that mother thought you were beautiful."

"She was right! I am sure she was right," wailed the prisoner. "But
Ruggedo wanted to injure me--to make me ugly in the eyes of all the
world--so he performed a wicked enchantment. I went to bed
beautiful--or you might say handsome--to be very modest I will merely
claim that I was good-looking--and I wakened the next morning the
homeliest man in all the world! I am so repulsive that when I look in a
mirror I frighten myself."

"Poor Brother!" said Shaggy softly, and all the others were silent from
sympathy.

"I was so ashamed of my looks," continued the voice of Shaggy's
brother, "that I tried to hide; but the cruel King Ruggedo forced me to
appear before all the legion of nomes, to whom he said: 'Behold the
Ugly One!' But when the nomes saw my face they all fell to laughing and
jeering, which prevented them from working at their tasks. Seeing this,
Ruggedo became angry and pushed me into a tunnel, closing the rock
entrance so that I could not get out. I followed the length of the
tunnel until I reached this huge dome, where the marvelous Metal Forest
stands, and here I have remained ever since."

"Poor Bro