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that?"
"I don't know," said the boy. "It looks like a silver
cloud with a dark lining."
"Oh, that is the chocolate army coming to attack
the Emerald City. Faster, faster, Sawhorse !" cried
Jenny.
The wooden animal plunged down the mountain-
side, racing so fast that the wind sounded like a fifth
whistle in Number Nine's breeches. In the valley the
Sawhorse leaped over the red boulders, its four stiff
legs throwing up banners of red dust.
Jenny watched the silver cloud with the dark lin-
ing. It was coming closer! It now seemed to be of
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such size that a fourth of the sky was covered. Now
it was over the Land of Oz!
"Will we reach the Emerald City before it does?"
Jenny cried. "Faster, faster, good Sawhorse!"
The animal's hooves hardly touched the ground.
It sped out of the Quadling wilderness and into the
farmlands. The red farmers ran out to the road to
see what was speeding like unbolted lightning.
Closer and closer to the Emerald City sailed the
cloud. "We are lost!" thought Jenny. "They will get
there before us."
Number Nine dug his heels hard against the sides
of the Sawhorse. The Sawhorse galloped faster, and
got ahead of the cloud. On and on it galloped
through the day. At times the cloud would sail ahead,
and at times the Sawhorse gained on it.
Toward evening, Jenny and Number Nine saw the
green wall of the Emerald City in the distance. The
silver cloud with the dark lining was directly above
them.
"We must reach the gate of the Emerald City be-
fore the chocolate soldiers steer that cloud down to
earth," cried Jenny.
The Sawhorse doubled its speed in a final effort.
It could go no faster. But the cloud sailed ahead,
and began to drop to the field outside the city gate.
"Too late!" groaned Jenny, as she saw the choco-
late soldiers leap from the cloud and begin to form
their ranks.
Number Nine cried hopefully, "It will take them
a few minutes to get in battle formation. We may
still make it!"
The Sawhorse dashed straight on, and then around
the soldiers, who were blocking the way. Cries of
"Halt!" came from a thousand chocolate throats, and
a volley of chocolate bullets came after the speed-
ing three. When they reached the city gate, it opened
before them, for the Guardian had seen everything.
The gate slammed shut behind them.
"To the palace!" Jenny ordered the Sawhorse. It
galloped through the streets and parks, while the
people scattered out of its way. The trees drew up
their lowest branches, and the houses lifted their
stoops out of the way.
"It must be Choose Day," said Jenny, "for the city
is full of visitors."
At the palace stairs the Sawhorse stopped so sud-
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denly that Number Nine and Jenny were pitched
over its head.
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em were rocking peacefully
in the palace pavilion.
"What's the rush?" asked Uncle Henry, as Jenny
and Number Nine picked themselves up from the
grass.
"Land sakes, children, are you hurt?" asked Aunt
Eni.
"Where is Ozma?" cried Jenny as soon as she was
on her feet. "The city is about to be attacked!"
Aunt Em stopped her rocking. "Why, Ozma and
Dorothy went off in the carriage to visit Glinda the
GOOd. What's that you said about a tack?"
"No time now!" cried Jenny, leaping back upon
the Sawhorse. "Come on, Whistlebreeches!" Scores
of people scurried out of the path of the racing Saw-
horse.
In another minute they were at the Style Shop.
Jenny and Number Nine ran inside. The shop was
filled with Choose Day shoppers, but Jenny and Num-
ber Nine pulled the turn-style loose from the floor,
and ran out without speaking to the amazed Sister
Six, or the shoppers waiting to be served.
Holding the turn-style, the two remounted the
Sawhorse and sent it dashing to the city gate. When
they came up, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers,
who was the Army of Oz, was hiding under the tower
stairs. He peeped out fearfully. He was trembling
so hard that his long green whiskers fluttered like
a flag. The Guardian of the Gate was running down
from the tower, carrying an extra key and lock with
which to fortify the city.
"That won't do any good," cried Jenny, dragging
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