AbdulHannanMujawar/ch_development · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Come here, Eureka!" she said.

"I won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice.

"Oh, Eureka! Why are you so bad?"

The kitten did not reply.

"If you don't come to me, right away," continued Dorothy, getting
provoked, "I'll take my Magic Belt and wish you in the Country of the
Gurgles."

"Why do you want me?" asked Eureka, disturbed by this threat.

"You must go to Princess Ozma. She wants to talk to you."

"All right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "I'm not afraid of
Ozma--or anyone else."

Dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved
and thoughtful silence.

"Tell me, Eureka," said the Princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty
piglet?"

"I won't answer such a foolish question," asserted Eureka, with a snarl.

"Oh, yes you will, dear," Dorothy declared. "The piglet is gone, and you
ran out of the room when Jellia opened the door. So, if you are
innocent, Eureka, you must tell the Princess how you came to be in her
room, and what has become of the piglet."

"Who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly.

"No one," answered Ozma. "Your actions alone accuse you. The fact is
that I left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the
table; and you must hove stolen in without my knowing it. When next the
door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone."

"That's none of my business," growled the kitten.

"Don't be impudent, Eureka," admonished Dorothy.

"It is you who are impudent," said Eureka, "for accusing me of such a
crime when you can't prove it except by guessing."

Ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. She summoned her
Captain-General, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said:

"Carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until
she is tried by law for the crime of murder."

So the Captain-General took Eureka from the arms of the now weeping
Dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it
away to prison.

"What shall we do now?" asked the Scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a
crime had cast a gloom over all the company.

"I will summon the Court to meet in the Throne Room at three o'clock,"
replied Ozma. "I myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a
fair trial."

"What will happen if she is guilty?" asked Dorothy.

"She must die," answered the Princess.

"Nine times?" enquired the Scarecrow.

"As many times as is necessary," was the reply. "I will ask the Tin
Woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart I am
sure he will do his best to save her. And the Woggle-Bug shall be the
Public Accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him."

"Who will be the jury?" asked the Tin Woodman.

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF THE WIZARD OF OZ.]

"There ought to be several animals on the jury," said Ozma, "because
animals understand each other better than we people understand them.
So the jury shall consist of the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, Jim
the Cab-horse, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Wizard, Tik-tok the
Machine Man, the Sawhorse and Zeb of Hugson's Ranch. That makes the nine
which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the
testimony."

They now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an
appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a
fairyland like Oz. But it must be stated that the people of that Land
were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer
amongst them, and it had been years since any Ruler had sat in judgment
upon an offender of the law. The crime of murder being the most dreadful
crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the Emerald City when
the news of Eureka's arrest and trial became known.

The Wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly
thoughtful. He had no doubt Eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized
that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly,
since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food,
and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the

"Come here, Eureka!" she said.

"I won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice.

"Oh, Eureka! Why are you so bad?"

The kitten did not reply.

"If you don't come to me, right away," continued Dorothy, getting

provoked, "I'll take my Magic Belt and wish you in the Country of the

Gurgles."

"Why do you want me?" asked Eureka, disturbed by this threat.

"You must go to Princess Ozma. She wants to talk to you."

"All right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "I'm not afraid of

Ozma--or anyone else."

Dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved

and thoughtful silence.

"Tell me, Eureka," said the Princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty

piglet?"

"I won't answer such a foolish question," asserted Eureka, with a snarl.

"Oh, yes you will, dear," Dorothy declared. "The piglet is gone, and you

ran out of the room when Jellia opened the door. So, if you are

innocent, Eureka, you must tell the Princess how you came to be in her

room, and what has become of the piglet."

"Who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly.

"No one," answered Ozma. "Your actions alone accuse you. The fact is

that I left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the

table; and you must hove stolen in without my knowing it. When next the

door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone."

"That's none of my business," growled the kitten.

"Don't be impudent, Eureka," admonished Dorothy.

"It is you who are impudent," said Eureka, "for accusing me of such a

crime when you can't prove it except by guessing."

Ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. She summoned her

Captain-General, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said:

"Carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until

she is tried by law for the crime of murder."

So the Captain-General took Eureka from the arms of the now weeping

Dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it

away to prison.

"What shall we do now?" asked the Scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a

crime had cast a gloom over all the company.

"I will summon the Court to meet in the Throne Room at three o'clock,"

replied Ozma. "I myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a

fair trial."

"What will happen if she is guilty?" asked Dorothy.

"She must die," answered the Princess.

"Nine times?" enquired the Scarecrow.

"As many times as is necessary," was the reply. "I will ask the Tin

Woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart I am

sure he will do his best to save her. And the Woggle-Bug shall be the

Public Accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him."

"Who will be the jury?" asked the Tin Woodman.

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF THE WIZARD OF OZ.]

"There ought to be several animals on the jury," said Ozma, "because

animals understand each other better than we people understand them.

So the jury shall consist of the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, Jim

the Cab-horse, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Wizard, Tik-tok the

Machine Man, the Sawhorse and Zeb of Hugson's Ranch. That makes the nine

which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the

testimony."

They now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an

appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a

fairyland like Oz. But it must be stated that the people of that Land

were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer

amongst them, and it had been years since any Ruler had sat in judgment

upon an offender of the law. The crime of murder being the most dreadful

crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the Emerald City when

the news of Eureka's arrest and trial became known.

The Wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly

thoughtful. He had no doubt Eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized

that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly,

since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food,

and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the