  "Yes, that's it," said Conjo, nodding his round head so violently that his three chins rippled like the steps of an escalator. "You have asked me to do you a favor—a very great favor—so it is only just that I should claim a reward. That's fair, isn't it?" Conjo was regarding the Shaggy Man with eyes from which was gone the somewhat foolish innocence. The Shaggy Man considered uneasily. He was beginning to remember Ozma's warning that Conjo was not to be trusted entirely. "What kind of a reward could I give you?" the Shaggy Man asked. Conjo's finger shot out, pointing toward the Shaggy Man. "That," he said. "That in your pocket will be my reward!" Involuntarily the Shaggy Man's hand went to his pocket in which rested the Magic Compass Ozma had given him. "You must be joking," said the Shaggy Man incredulously. "The Magic Compass belongs to Ozma. And if I did give it to you how would I return to the Land of Oz? No, what you ask is impossible." Conjo's voice was wheedling. "Surely you don't think Ozma expected me to repair the Love Magnet for nothing, do you? I can assure you that Ozma will regard the trading of the Magic Compass for the repair of the Love Magnet an excellent bargain. Actually the Magic Compass is, by Ozma's standards, a minor bit of magic." The Shaggy Man was perplexed. Perhaps Conjo was right. "Supposing I do give you the Magic Compass—then how will I get back to Oz?" Conjo's eyes glowed. "Nothing to it!" he declared. "You can return to Oz anytime you like—just as soon as I repair the Love Magnet, if you wish. Of course I would be happy should you care to remain my guest for a time, but the decision is entirely up to you." "How do you propose that I return to Oz?" asked the Shaggy Man. "I can't walk across the Deadly Desert, you know." "Ha, ha—ho, ho, ho!" Conjo laughed. "Walk across the Deadly Desert! Certainly not! He, he, he! You shall sail high across it—swiftly and safely! Come with me! I have something to show you." Conjo wriggled about until his fat little body emerged from the cushions and silken coverings of the divan. As he stood up, the Shaggy Man and his friends saw that the little man was dressed in a loose robe of rich purple on which were embroidered stars, crescents, black cats, and the signs of the Zodiac. All these designs were in the brightest colors, while the robe flowed about him, secured by a golden cord tied about his middle. On his feet were sandals woven of silver thread, with toes that curled up like question marks. "Come with me," repeated the fat little Wizard as he waddled to the door, "and I will show you how you can sail away in a jiffy." The Shaggy Man and the two children followed Conjo, while Twiffle remained behind, busily arranging and straightening the royal cushions and comforters of the regal divan. In the great corridor, Conjo paused before a small door that opened at his touch, revealing a cage-like little room. "Step in," the Wizard invited his guests. "This is an elevator that will whisk us to the roof of the tallest tower of the castle—an improvement over the stairway, up which I find it difficult to whisk myself in my present state of, shall we say—stoutness? Ho, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he!" Conjo beamed good humor and friendliness as the elevator shot noiselessly upward. In a few seconds the door clicked, slid open, and Conjo led his guests to the roof of the great tower. From this height they could see that the Isle of Conjo was small indeed, for the blue waters of the Nonestic Ocean were visible in any direction they looked. The sun was a great red ball of fire in the west, but it would still be several minutes before actual twilight set in. "And here," said Conjo, leading them across the roof, "is the means by which I propose you return to the Land of Oz." The Shaggy Man and the children saw before them a most curious object. It might have been the body of an automobile, except that it seemed to have neither front nor back. Both ends of it curled up like a gondola. Nor did it have wheels. The flat bottom rested solidly on the roof. To all appearances it had no means of locomotion. Conjo was regarding the strange object proudly. "Behold!" he said, "one of my most ingenious creations—the Airmobile!" "You mean to say," the Shaggy Man sighed, "that this thing is actually supposed to fly through the air?" Conjo looked hurt. "You see before you," he said resentfully, "the most perfect means of air travel yet invented." Tom broke in: "But how can it fly? It has no wings, no propeller, no jets—nothing but places to sit down!" Conjo regarded the boy pityingly. "Do you suppose I would rely upon such clumsy and inefficient means of flying as propellers, wings, and jets? The Airmobile is the perfect flying machine. It repels gravity." "It does what?" asked the Shaggy Man. Conjo stepped to the machine and opened one of the doors. "Look," he said. "See these metal plates on the floor of the ship? They are gravity resistor plates. You must know," he went on patiently, "that it's the force of gravity pulling objects to the earth that causes things to have weight. Well, my gravity resistor plates overcome gravity when exposed. Hence the ship has no weight whatever." "Yes," said Tom, "I can understand that. But what makes it move?—backward and forward and upward, I mean." "Oh, that," sniffed Conjo. "These are gravity resistor plates. They not only overcome gravity, but resist it. The power of resistance forces the machine upward. The more surface of the plates you expose, the higher you will go. And you will notice," Conjo continued, reaching inside the ship and pressing a button, "that the metal plates are mounted on rods through their middle so that they may be operated like flaps or fins—and they rotate. Thus, if you tilt them in one direction, the resistance to gravity forces you ahead in one way; tilt them in the other direction and you travel in the opposite way. Rotate them, and you can veer to right or left." "If it works, it is wonderful," said the Shaggy Man doubtfully. "Oh, it works to perfection," assured Conjo. "If it were not so late in the day, I would propose a little trip. As it is, I suggest that we go downstairs for dinner. Then I will have to leave you to examine the Love Magnet. We will all arise early in the morning, at which time you will have the pleasure of a journey over the island in my Airmobile." Twink guessed that Conjo's dinner must have been prepared and served by magic, for there were no servants in the grand dining room into which their round little host ushered them. But the food was quite as elaborate and rich as the dining room itself. The Shaggy Man and the children were hungry and they ate heartily. Even so, they could not help noticing that Conjo ate nearly twice as much as the Shaggy Man. Shaggy was gratified to find a large bowl of rosey-cheeked apples in the center of the table, which made the meal a perfect one for him. Conjo sighed with content, wiping his lips on a fine damask napkin. "Inhospitable as it may seem," he apologized, "I must leave you now to see if the Love Magnet can be repaired. I will examine it in my laboratory and tell you tomorrow if it can be fixed. Please give me the Love Magnet." This the Shaggy Man did and Conjo waddled to the door, pausing to say, "Twiffle will show you to your rooms. I hope you sleep well. I know I shall, after I finish this work." Conjo was already yawning as he left the dining room. A few seconds later Twiffle appeared in the doorway and invited Shaggy and the children to follow him. The sleeping rooms to which Twiffle led them up the marble stairway were on the second floor and were beautifully furnished with every convenience and comfort. Twink and Tom's room contained two inviting beds, and Twink noticed that pajamas of just the right size had been carefully laid out. Conjo seemed to think of everything. "See you children in the morning," said the Shaggy Man as he entered his room which adjoined that of Twink and Tom. The Shaggy Man found his bed soft and luxurious, so he slipped off his shaggy clothes, carefully arranging them on a chair so that not one frill or furbelow was out of place, put on the pajamas which Conjo had also provided for him, and slipped into bed. Instantly the light faded from the room. More magic, thought the Shaggy Man a bit uneasily, for it had appeared to him that the light was an ordinary electric one which he might switch on and off at will. But moonlight was beginning to fall through the window, so the Shaggy Man sighed with content and in a minute was sound asleep. It was several hours later when the Shaggy Man stirred, and then sat up, wide awake. What had awakened him? He was sure he had heard a clicking sound—like the door of his bedchamber closing. The moonlight revealed that the door was closed just as he had left it. Shaggy glanced at his clothes on the chair. He leaped from bed and searched through the pockets of his clothing. He gave a gasp of dismay. The Magic Compass was gone! What was this? In another pocket, Shaggy found a hard metallic object, the Love Magnet, perfectly repaired with no trace of its ever having been broken. The Shaggy Man sat down on his bed and thought hard. What should he do? For some reason Conjo had evidently entered the room, slipped the repaired Love Magnet into Shaggy's pocket, removed the Magic Compass, and left the room. It was the clicking of the door that Shaggy had heard. And Conjo had slightly disarranged Shaggy's clothes—that had called his attention to them. What did all this mean? Shaggy was sure now that Conjo was not the jolly, straightforward person he pretended to be. Perhaps he was not exactly evil, either, but he was so vain and scheming and selfish that he would bear watching. Then a sudden thought struck Shaggy and made him extremely uneasy. He had come to the Isle of Conjo of his own accord to seek out Conjo. But it was Conjo himself who had brought Twink and Tom there. Why? Were the twins in danger? What was Conjo's purpose in taking them from their home? It was up to him, thought the Shaggy Man, to find out and protect them if Conjo meant them harm or had some crazy plan that would endanger them. Shaggy unhappily concluded there was nothing he could do now. In the morning he would find out if the Airmobile was everything Conjo claimed. Then he would try to discover Conjo's plans for Twink and Tom. Perhaps Twiffle could enlighten him. Shaggy sighed. Well, at least he did have the Love Magnet. The Shaggy Man lay down on the bed and tried to sleep. After a long time he drifted into a fitful slumber broken by dreams in which Conjo sailed through the air, clutching the Love Magnet, and Twink and Tom were transformed into dolls, no larger than Twiffle. In his dream the Shaggy Man seemed to be bound with ropes to his bed, powerless to stop any of Conjo's mischief, while Twiffle tugged at his bonds saying, "Wake up, Shaggy Man, wake up!" Shaggy opened his eyes and stared. There was Twiffle at the side of his bed, shaking him and saying: "Wake up, Shaggy Man, wake up!" |
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