orks by machinery, 'cause
his thoughts wind up, and his talk winds up, and his action winds
up--like a clock."

"Do they all wind up together?" asked the shaggy man.

"No; each one separate. But he works just lovely, and Tik-tok was a good
friend to me once, and saved my life--and Billina's life, too."

"Is he alive?" asked Button-Bright, looking hard at the copper man.

"Oh, no, but his machinery makes him just as good as alive." She turned
to the copper man and said politely: "Mr. Tik-tok, these are my new
friends: the shaggy man, and Polly the Rainbow's Daughter, and
Button-Bright, and Toto. Only Toto isn't a new friend, 'cause he's been
to Oz before."

The copper man bowed low, removing his copper hat as he did so.

"I'm ve-ry pleased to meet Dor-o-thy's fr-r-r-r-r----"

Here he stopped short.

"Oh, I guess his speech needs winding!" said the little girl, running
behind the copper man to get the key off a hook at his back. She wound
him up at a place under his right arm and he went on to say:

"Par-don me for run-ning down. I was a-bout to say I am pleased to meet
Dor-o-thy's friends, who must be my friends." The words were somewhat
jerky, but plain to understand.

"And this is Billina," continued Dorothy, introducing the yellow hen,
and they all bowed to her in turn.

"I've such wonderful news," said the hen, turning her head so that one
bright eye looked full at Dorothy.

"What is it, dear?" asked the girl.

"I've hatched out ten of the loveliest chicks you ever saw."

"Oh, how nice! And where are they, Billina?"

"I left them at home. But they're beauties, I assure you, and all
wonderfully clever. I've named them Dorothy."

"Which one?" asked the girl.

"All of them," replied Billina.

"That's funny. Why did you name them all with the same name?"

"It was so hard to tell them apart," explained the hen. "Now, when I
call 'Dorothy,' they all come running to me in a bunch; it's much
easier, after all, than having a separate name for each."

"I'm just dying to see 'em, Billina," said Dorothy, eagerly. "But tell
me, my friends, how did you happen to be here, in the Country of the
Winkies, the first of all to meet us?"

"I'll tell you," answered Tik-tok, in his monotonous voice, all the
sounds of his words being on one level--"Prin-cess Oz-ma saw you in her
mag-ic pic-ture, and knew you were com-ing here; so she sent Bil-lin-a
and me to wel-come you, as she could not come her-self; so
that--f