They had not walked far across the flower-strewn meadows when they cameupon a fine road leading toward the northwest and winding gracefullyamong the pretty yellow hills.

"That way," said Dorothy, "must be the direction of the Emerald City.We'd better follow the road until we meet some one or come to a house."

The sun soon dried Button-Bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man'sshaggy clothes, and so pleased were they at regaining their own headsthat they did not mind at all the brief discomfort of getting wet.

"It's good to be able to whistle again," remarked the shaggy man, "forthose donkey lips were so thick I could not whistle a note with them."He warbled a tune as merrily as any bird.

"You'll look more natural at the birthday celebration, too," saidDorothy, happy in seeing her friends so happy.

Polychrome was dancing ahead in her usual sprightly manner, whirlinggaily along the smooth, level road, until she passed from sight aroundthe curve of one of the mounds. Suddenly they heard her exclaim "Oh!"and she appeared again, running toward them at full speed.

"What's the matter, Polly?" asked Dorothy, perplexed.

There was no need for the Rainbow's Daughter to answer, for turningthe bend in the road there came advancing slowly toward them a funnyround man made of burnished copper, gleaming brightly in the sun.Perched on the copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffyfeathers and a pearl necklace around her throat.

"Oh, Tik-tok!" cried Dorothy, running forward. When she came to him,the copper man lifted the little girl in his copper arms and kissedher cheek with his copper lips.

"Oh, Billina!" cried Dorothy, in a glad voice, and the yellow hen flewto her arms, to be hugged and petted by turns.

The others were curiously crowding around the group, and the girl saidto them:

"It's Tik-tok and Billina; and oh! I'm so glad to see them again."

"Wel-come to Oz," said the copper man in a monotonous voice.

Dorothy sat right down in the road, the yellow hen in her arms, andbegan to stroke Billina's back. Said the hen:

"Dorothy, dear, I've got some wonderful news to tell you."

"Tell it quick, Billina!" said the girl.

Just then Toto, who had been growling to himself in a cross way, gavea sharp bark and flew at the yellow hen, who ruffled her feathers andlet out such an angry screech that Dorothy was startled.

"Stop, Toto! Stop that this minute!" she commanded. "Can't you seethat Billina is my friend?" In spite of this warning had she notgrabbed Toto quickly by the neck the little dog would have done theyellow hen a mischief, and even now he struggled madly to escapeDorothy's grasp. She slapped his ears once or twice and told him tobehave, and the yellow hen flew to Tik-tok's shoulder again, where shewas safe.

"What a brute!" croaked Billina, glaring down at the little dog.

"Toto isn't a brute," replied Dorothy, "but at home Uncle Henry has towhip him sometimes for chasing the chickens. Now look here, Toto,"she added, holding up her finger and speaking sternly to him, "you'vegot to understand that Billina is one of my dearest friends, and musn'tbe hurt--now or ever."

Toto wagged his tail as if he understood.

"The miserable thing can't talk," said Billina, with a sneer.

"Yes, he can," replied Dorothy; "he talks with his tail, and I knoweverything he says. If you could wag your tail, Billina, you wouldn'tneed words to talk with."

"Nonsense!" said Billina.

"It isn't nonsense at all. Just now Toto says he's sorry, and thathe'll try to love you for my sake. Don't you, Toto?"

"Bow-wow!" said Toto, wagging his tail again.

"But I've such wonderful news for you, Dorothy," cried theyellow hen; "I've--"

"Wait a minute, dear," interrupted the little girl; "I've got tointroduce you all, first. That's manners, Billina. This," turning toher traveling companions, "is Mr. Tik-tok, who works by machinery'cause his thoughts wind up, and his talk winds up, and his actionwinds 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 agood 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." Sheturned to the copper man and said politely: "Mr. Tik-tok, these aremy new friends: the shaggy man, and Polly the Rainbow's Daughter, andButton-Bright, and Toto. Only Toto isn't a new friend, 'cause he'sbeen 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---" Here hestopped short.

"Oh, I guess his speech needs winding!" said the little girl, runningbehind the copper man to get the key off a hook at his back. Shewound 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 tomeet Dor-o-thy's friends, who must be my friends." The words weresomewhat 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 onebright 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 allwonderfully 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, whenI call 'Dorothy,' they all come running to me in a bunch; it's mucheasier, after all, than having a separate name for each."

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

"I'll tell you," answered Tik-tok, in his monotonous voice, all thesounds of his words being on one level--"Prin-cess Oz-ma saw you inher mag-ic pic-ture, and knew you were com-ing here; so she sentBil-lin-a and me to wel-come you as she could not come her-self; sothat--fiz-i-dig-le cum-so-lut-ing hy-ber-gob-ble in-tu-zib-ick--"

"Good gracious! Whatever's the matter now?" cried Dorothy, as thecopper man continued to babble these unmeaning words, which no onecould understand at all because they had no sense.

"Don't know," said Button-Bright, who was half scared. Polly whirledaway to a distance and turned to look at the copper man in a fright.

"His thoughts have run down, this time," remarked Billina composedly,as she sat on Tik-tok's shoulder and pruned her sleek feathers. "Whenhe can't think, he can't talk properly, any more than you can. You'llhave to wind up his thoughts, Dorothy, or else I'll have to finish hisstory myself."

Dorothy ran around and got the key again and wound up Tik-tok underhis left arm, after which he could speak plainly again.

"Par-don me," he said, "but when my thoughts run down, my speech hasno mean-ing, for words are formed on-ly by thought. I was a-bout tosay that Oz-ma sent us to wel-come you and in-vite you to comestraight to the Em-er-ald Ci-ty. She was too bus-y to come her-self,for she is pre-par-ing for her birth-day cel-e-bra-tion, which is tobe a grand af-fair."

"I've heard of it," said Dorothy, "and I'm glad we've come in time toattend. Is it far from here to the Emerald City?"

"Not ve-ry far," answered Tik-tok, "and we have plen-ty of time.To-night we will stop at the pal-ace of the Tin Wood-man, andto-mor-row night we will ar-rive at the Em-er-ald Ci-ty."

"Goody!" cried Dorothy. "I'd like to see dear Nick Chopper again.How's his heart?"

"It's fine," said Billina; "the Tin Woodman says it gets softer andkindlier every day. He's waiting at his castle to welcome you,Dorothy; but he couldn't come with us because he's getting polished asbright as possible for Ozma's party."

"Well then," said Dorothy, "let's start on, and we can talk more as we go."

They proceeded on their journey in a friendly group, for Polychromehad discovered that the copper man was harmless and was no longerafraid of him. Button-Bright was also reassured, and took quite afancy to Tik-tok. He wanted the clockwork man to open himself, so thathe might see the wheels go round; but that was a thing Tik-tok couldnot do. Button-Bright then wanted to wind up the copper man, andDorothy promised he should do so as soon as any part of the machineryran down. This pleased Button-Bright, who held fast to one ofTik-tok's copper hands as he trudged along the road, while Dorothywalked on the other side of her old friend and Billina perched byturns upon his shoulder or his copper hat. Polly once more joyouslydanced ahead and Toto ran after her, barking with glee. The shaggyman was left to walk behind; but he didn't seem to mind that a bit,andwhistled merrily or looked curiously upon the pretty scenes they passed.

At last they came to a hilltop from which the tin castle of NickChopper could plainly be seen, its towers glistening magnificentlyunder the rays of the declining sun.

"How pretty!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I've never seen the Emp'ror's newhouse before."

"He built it because the old castle was damp, and likely to rust histin body," said Billina. "All those towers and steeples and domes andgables took a lot of tin, as you can see."

"Is it a toy?" asked Button-Bright softly.

"No, dear," answered Dorothy; "it's better than that. It's the fairydwelling of a fairy prince."