sure
she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the Ruler, and
may treat us better than that heartless Prince intends to."

"All right!" exclaimed Dorothy, eagerly. "Let's pick her while we have
the chance, before the man with the star comes back."

So together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one
hand of the lovely Princess.

"Pull!" cried Dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward
them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. She was not at
all heavy, so the Wizard and Dorothy managed to lift her gently to the
ground.

The beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked
in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look
around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet
but even toned voice:

"I thank you very much."

"We salute your Royal Highness!" cried the Wizard, kneeling and kissing
her hand.

Just then the voice of the Prince was heard calling upon them to hasten,
and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of
his people.

Instantly the Princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she
was picked the Prince stood still and began to tremble.

"Sir," said the Royal Lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me
greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers
come to my rescue. I have been ready for picking all the past week, but
because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule,
you left me to stand silent upon my bush."

"I did not know that you were ripe," answered the Prince, in a low
voice.

"Give me the Star of Royalty!" she commanded.

Slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon
that of the Princess. Then all the people bowed low to her, and the
Prince turned and walked away alone. What became of him afterward our
friends never knew.

The people of Mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and
marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace
and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. But while the
people in the procession walked upon the ground the Princess walked in
the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being
and more exalted than her subjects.

No one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so Dorothy and
Zeb and the Wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves
into the vegetable