Now as soon as the conquest of King Krewl had takenplace, one of the Orks had been dispatched to Pon's housewith the joyful news. At once Gloria and Pon and Trot andButton-Bright hastened toward the castle. They weresomewhat surprised by the sight that met their eyes, forthere was the Scarecrow, crowned King, and all the peoplekneeling humbly before him. So they likewise bowed low tothe new ruler and then stood beside the throne. Cap'nBill, as the gray grasshopper, was still perched uponTrot's shoulder, but now he hopped to the shoulder of theScarecrow and whispered into the painted ear:

"I thought Gloria was to be Queen of Jinxland."

The Scarecrow shook his head.

"Not yet," he answered. "No Queen with a frozen heartis fit to rule any country." Then he turned to his newfriend, the Ork, who was strutting about, very proud ofwhat he had done, and said: "Do you suppose you, or yourfollowers, could find old Blinkie the Witch?"

"Where is she?" asked the Ork.

"Somewhere in Jinxland, I'm sure."

"Then," said the Ork, "we shall certainly be able tofind her."

"It will give me great pleasure," declared theScarecrow. "When you have found her, bring her here tome. and I will then decide what to do with her."

The Ork called his followers together and spoke a fewwords to them in a low tone. A moment after they roseinto the air -- so suddenly that the Scarecrow, who wasvery light in weight, was blown quite out of his throneand into the arms of Pon, who replaced him carefully uponhis seat. There was an eddy of dust and ashes, too, andthe grasshopper only saved himself from being whirledinto the crowd of people by jumping into a tree, fromwhere a series of hops soon brought him back to Trot'sshoulder again. The Orks were quite out of sight by thistime, so the Scarecrow made a speech to the people andpresented Gloria to them, whom they knew well alreadyand were fond of. But not all of them knew of her frozenheart, and when the Scarecrow related the story of theWicked Witch's misdeeds, which had been encouraged andpaid for by Krewl and Googly-Goo, the people were veryindignant.

Meantime the fifty Orks had scattered all over Jinxland, which is not a very big country, and their sharpeyes were peering into every valley and grove and gully.Finally one of them spied a pair of heels sticking outfrom underneath some bushes, and with a shrill whistle towarn his comrades that the witch was found the Ork flewdown and dragged old Blinkie from her hiding-place. Thentwo or three of the Orks seized the clothing of thewicked woman in their strong claws and, lifting her highin the air, where she struggled and screamed to no avail,they flew with her straight to the royal castle and sether down before the throne of the Scarecrow.

"Good!" exclaimed the straw man, nodding his stuffedhead with satisfaction. "Now we can proceed to business.Mistress Witch, I am obliged to request, gently butfirmly, that you undo all the wrongs you have done bymeans of your witchcraft."

"Pah!" cried old Blinkie in a scornful voice. "I defyyou all! By my magic powers I can turn you all into pigs,rooting in the mud, and I'll do it if you are notcareful."

"I think you are mistaken about that," said theScarecrow, and rising from his throne he walked withwobbling steps to the side of the Wicked Witch. "Before Ileft the Land of Oz, Glinda the Royal Sorceress gave me abox, which I was not to open except in an emergency. ButI feel pretty sure that this occasion is an emergency;don't you, Trot?" he asked, turning toward the littlegirl.

"Why, we've got to do something," replied Trotseriously. "Things seem in an awful muddle here, jus'now, and they'll be worse if we don't stop this witchfrom doing more harm to people."

"That is my idea, exactly," said the Scarecrow, andtaking a small box from his pocket he opened the coverand tossed the contents toward Blinkie.

The old woman shrank back, pale and trembling, as afine white dust settled all about her. Under itsinfluence she seemed to the eyes of all observers toshrivel and grow smaller.

"Oh, dear - oh, dear!" she wailed, wringing her handsin fear. "Haven't you the antidote, Scarecrow? Didn't thegreat Sorceress give you another box?"

"She did," answered the Scarecrow.

"Then give it me -- quick!" pleaded the witch. "Give itme -- and I'll do anything you ask me to!"

"You will do what I ask first," declared the Scarecrow,firmly.

The witch was shriveling and growing smaller everymoment.

"Be quick, then!" she cried. "Tell me what I must doand let me do it, or it will be too late."

"You made Trot's friend, Cap'n Bill, a grasshopper. Icommand you to give him back his proper form again," saidthe Scarecrow.

"Where is he? Where's the grasshopper? Quick -- quick!"she screamed.

Cap'n Bill, who had been deeply interested in thisconversation, gave a great leap from Trot's shoulder andlanded on that of the Scarecrow. Blinkie saw him alightand at once began to make magic passes and to mumblemagic incantations. She was in a desperate hurry, knowingthat she had no time to waste, and the grasshopper was sosuddenly transformed into the old sailor-man, Cap'n Bill,that he had no opportunity to jump off the Scarecrow'sshoulder; so his great weight bore the stuffed Scarecrowto the ground. No harm was done, however, and the strawman got up and brushed the dust from his clothes whileTrot delightedly embraced Cap'n Bill.

"The other box! Quick! Give me the other box," beggedBlinkie, who had now shrunk to half her former size.

"Not yet," said the Scarecrow. "You must first meltPrincess Gloria's frozen heart."

"I can't; it's an awful job to do that! I can't,"asserted the witch, in an agony of fear -- for still shewas growing smaller.

"You must!" declared the Scarecrow, firmly.

The witch cast a shrewd look at him and saw that hemeant it; so she began dancing around Gloria in a franticmanner. The Princess looked coldly on, as if not at allinterested in the proceedings, while Blinkie tore ahandful of hair from her own head and ripped a strip ofcloth from the bottom of her gown. Then the witch sankupon her knees, took a purple powder from her black bagand sprinkled it over the hair and cloth.

"I hate to do it -- I hate to do it!" she wailed, "forthere is no more of this magic compound in all the world.But I must sacrifice it to save my own life. A match!Give me a match, quick!" and panting from lack of breathshe gazed imploringly from one to another.

Cap'n Bill was the only one who had a match, but helost no time in handing it to Blinkie, who quickly setfire to the hair and the cloth and the purple powder. Atonce a purple cloud enveloped Gloria, and this graduallyturned to a rosy pink color --brilliant and quitetransparent. Through the rosy cloud they could all seethe beautiful Princess, standing proud and erect. Thenher heart became visible, at first frosted with ice butslowly growing brighter and warmer until all the frosthad disappeared and it was beating as softly andregularly as any other heart. And now the cloud dispersedand disclosed Gloria, her face suffused with joy, smilingtenderly upon the friends who were grouped about her.

Poor Pon stepped forward -- timidly, fearing a repulse,but with pleading eyes and arms fondly outstretchedtoward his former sweetheart -- and the Princess saw himand her sweet face lighted with a radiant smile. Withoutan instant's hesitation she threw herself into Pon's armsand this reunion of two loving hearts was so affectingthat the people turned away and lowered their eyes so asnot to mar the sacred joy of the faithful lovers.

But Blinkie's small voice was shouting to the Scarecrowfor help.

"The antidote!" she screamed. "Give me the other box --quick!"

The Scarecrow looked at the witch with his quaint,painted eyes and saw that she was now no taller than hisknee. So he took from his pocket the second box andscattered its contents on Blinkie. She ceased to grow anysmaller, but she could never regain her former size, andthis the wicked old woman well knew.

She did not know, however, that the second powder haddestroyed all her power to work magic, and seeking to berevenged upon the Scarecrow and his friends she at oncebegan to mumble a charm so terrible in its effect that itwould have destroyed half the population of Jinxland --had it worked. But it did not work at all, to theamazement of old Blinkie. And by this time the Scarecrownoticed what the little witch was trying to do, and saidto her:

"Go home, Blinkie, and behave yourself. You are nolonger a witch, but an ordinary old woman, and since youare powerless to do more evil I advise you to try to dosome good in the world. Believe me, it is more fun toaccomplish a good act than an evil one, as you willdiscover when once you have tried it."

But Blinkie was at that moment filled with grief andchagrin at losing her magic powers. She started awaytoward her home, sobbing and bewailing her fate, and notone who saw her go was at all sorry for her.