Show I 0 L. L 1 9 i I The Valley of Voices s. s Here ere are strangers mamma cried cued the shrill and childish voice of ot some unseen person when Dorothy an and the Wizard In the doorway of ot appeared th the the- little UlUe cottage dear answered another another another an an- So So I 1 see my other voice soft sott and rind womanly What do you want de demanded a i third voice in a stern gruff accent I Well well said the Wizard are there really people in this room 1 ov Ot course replied the mans man s voice VAnd pardon And pardon me for tor or the f foolish question question but but are you all Invisible the woman answered re rei repeating re- re Surely i her low rippling laughter F Arc Mo you yon surprised that you a are e u Unable unable un- un able to see the the- people of ot yoe Voe Why yes es stamn stammered red t the tu le Wizard I l All Au the tho people I have ever met beI beZore be- be I fore Zore have been very vry plain to see Where do do you c come from from then 1 asked the woman in a curious tone I We e belong upon the Jle face tace of of- the thea V earth a th explained the Wizard but butI I I recently during an earthquake we fell teU eU down a crac crack and landed in the country of ot th the MIJ Dreadful creatures exclaimed thep the I p womans woman's voice heard of ot them They walled waned us us' up in a a. mountain tou found d continued the Wizard but we there was waz a tunnel through to this ride eMe so we came here It is a beautiful beau beau- place What do you call can it It is the Valley of Ot Voe Thank you We have seen no peo- peo e since we arrived so we came to o thIS house to inquire our way Are you hungry asked ked the wo- wo l voice t I r could eat something said Dor- Dor i thy othy I So could I added Zeb But we do not wish to Intrude I II I assure you OU the Wizard hastened t tSay to Say an right returned the theman's mans man's voice more pleasantly than before be be- 1 for fore You are re are welcome to what we have bave As i he spoke the voice came so near k to Zeb that he Jumped jumped back in alarm J Two Tw childish voices lau laughed hed merrily i I at f is' is action and Dorothy was sure they were in no danger among such I light hearted folks even if those folks co couldn't t be seen een What W at curious curio s animal Ms Is that which I Is eating tIng the grass on my lawn lawn lawnin Inquired ini in- in i the mans man's voice Jim said the girl Hes HesI I a horse What at Is s he good for tor was the theet I et question ITe Te draws the buggy you see fasen fastened fas- fas en d to him and we Wj ride in the bugi bug- bug i f of walking she explained Qan an he fight asked the mans man's voice vOIce No He can hard with his his- hise hIs heels e ls and bite a little but Jim cant can't fight she replied the bears will get him said saidon saidon on of the childrens children's voices pears Bears exclaimed Dorothy Are there bears here That Is the one evil of ot our countrY country country coun coun- trY try answered the invisible man Many n r large and fierce bears hears roam In Inthe th the Valley VaIley of ot Voe and md when they can can- catch any of ot us they eat us up but as they cannot see us we e seldom get get- caught Ar l. Are the bears too asked the girl Yes for they eat of ot the dama fruit as we all do and that keeps them up qI from b being ing seen by an eye wh whether ther human or animal Does the dama fruit grow ow on a a bush bush and look something like a peach asked the Wizard Yes was the reply If Jt It it mal makes es you le why eat it Dorothy inquired i iFor For two reasons my dear the v womans woman's voice answered The dama cama fruit is the most delicious thing that prows grows ws and when It mak makes s us invisible the u the bears cannot find us to eat us up p. p But t now good wanderers your our lunch- lunch Is on the table so please sit down and eat as much as you like T I IThe The stran strangers ers took their seats atthe at t the the table willingly enough for th thy they y yvere I were were vere all hungry and the platters clatters were now heaped with good things to eat Tn In front of ot each place was a plate I bearing one of ot the delicious dama darna fruit and the perfume that rose from these was so enticing and sweet th that t they were sorely tempted to eat of ot them and become Invisible Dut Dorothy satisfied her hunger hung r with avith other things and her companions compan ions did likewise resisting the the- temp temp- tation I S Why do you not ea the damas Basked asked asked- the womans woman's voice l I n r We re d do n not t want want to ge get answered the he girl But I if it you rema remain In visible the bears be-ars will ill n se see you you and devour youl O said a young voice that belonged to toone toone one one- of the he children We who live there here much prefer to be Invisible for forI I we can hug and kiss one another and andare are quite safe from the bears oe And we ae e do not h have ve to be particular lar about our our dr dress ss remarked the man And mamma mamma cant can't t whether my ray face Is dirty o or not added the other childish voice gleefully 1 nut But I make you wash it ft every time tt think of ot it said the mother for It ands to reason realon your face Is dirty lanu Ian whether I Ican I can see It tt or not notA i Dorothy Dorthy and stretched out h her r hand Come here please pleas please Tanu lanu and y your ur II sis sister sib sib- ter and ter-and and let me feel iou of ot you ou she re- re r They oThey came to h her r willingly and Dorothy Dorothy Dorothy Doro Doro- thy passed her hands hands' over th their lr faces and pid forms and decided one was a girl of ot sou aou about her own age and the other a a. boy somewhat smaller The Zhe girls girl's rl's hair was wast 1 t fOft and thIrty and her skin as smooth I 4 as aa When Dorothy gently touched 1 her n nose s and ears and lips they seemed I i lie le w well ll and delicately formed I I lf I could see you I am sure you wo would Uld ld be b beautiful she slie declared d. d The girl girt laughed and her mother i 1 I said i t We Ve are not vain in jn the Valley Vaney of ot oft t I Voe Vel Q we can not display our beauty aut and good actions and pleasant i ways are r what makes us lovely to our companions Yet we can see and an- an pr predate clate the beauties of at nature the J dainty flowers and trees the green greenfields fields and nd the clear blue of the Ule sky about the birds and beasts and s fishes asked Zeb he we cannot see because h 3 tj w j 4 I t i i f. f I I they they love to eat of the damas dam s. s as s much muchas as we do yet we r heat hear their sweet songs and enjoy y them Neither can we see the cruel bears for tor they also eat the fruit But the fish fishes that swim wim wimIn in o our r brooks w we Wd can see arid and often we I catch them to eat at It lt occurs to me you have a a. great deal to make you happy even while invisible invisible remarked mark d the ilie Wizard Wizard Nevertheless Nev Nay Nevertheless we we prefer to remain visible while we we are are In your valley Just then Eureka c came me in hi for she si had been beer until now now wandering outs outside de with Jim and when the kitten saw the table set with food tood she cried ried out II Now you plus must feed me Dorothy for tor Im I'm half halt starved Th The children were inclined to be frightened by the tho sight of small animal ant ani mal mai mal which reminded them of the bears bu but Dorothy reassured them by explaining that Eureka was a pet and could do no harm even if It she wished to to Then T en as the others had by this time moved away from the table the kitten sprang up upon n the chair and nd put her paws upon the cloth to see see what there was to eat To her surprise an unseen hand clutched her and held her suspended In the air lr Eureka was frantic frantie wl with terror and tried t to scratch and bite so the next moment she was dropped to the floor Did y you u see that D Dorothy rothy she gasped Yes dear her her- mistress replied there are people living in this house although we cannot see th them m. m And Andy y you U must have better manners Eur Eureka Eureka Eu Eu- r reka ka or or som something thing worse Will happen to you She placed a plate of food upon upon the floor and the kitten ate greedily Give me that nice smelling meiling fruit I saw on the table she begg begged d when she had cleaned the plate said Dorothy Those are damas and you must never even taste them Eureka Eurel a or you you'll get invisible and then we cant can't see you at at all gazed wistfully at the forbidden forbidden forbidden for for- bidden fruit Do Does s it hurt to be invisible T she asked I J dont don't l know now Dorothy answered but It would hurt me to lose loso you you j f Very well I wont won't touch touch it It decided the kitten but you must keep keep keepIt it away I from me for tor forthe the smell is very tempt tempt- ing lag Can you tell teU us sir or maam ma'am said the Wizard addressing the air because he did not quite know where the Unseen unseen unseen un un- seen people Ie stood if U there is any way we can get out of ot your beautiful Valley Vat Val ley icy and on top of ot the Earth again Oh one can leave the Valley easily enough answered the mans man's voice but to do so you must enter a far less pleasant country As for tor reaching the top of the earth I 1 have never heard that It is possible to do that and if it you succeeded in Ia getting there you would probably fall off oft Oh no said Dorothy Weve been there and we know The of VC Voe Js is s certainly a charming place resumed d the Wizard but we cannot fee e contented in any ny other land than our ur own for long Even If It we should come coma to unpleasant I I places on our way it is necessary necessary in I order to reach the earths earth's surface to j keep moving on toward it I I In that case case case- said the m mari man It willbe win will be best for you to cross our Valley and mount the s spiral staircase inside the Pyramid Mountain Mountain- The top of ol I that mountain is lost In the clouds and when you reach It you will be in the awful Land of ot Naught where the Gargoyles Gargoyles Gar Car live Copyright 1920 Frank L. L Baum for foJ forthe forthe the Geor George e Matthew Adams Adani Service baggage baggage and I never saw him again Now take warning from this story said Mr Dog getting up and stretching himself and never try to learn many new steps from Jack Rabbit or any of ot othis his family Stick to the ones you know and practice them until no steps of that family can put them beyond your reach 1 |