a few years for him to return and then started
in search of him, leaving her eldest daughter,
Ann Soforth, to act as Queen.

Now, Ann had not forgotten when her birthday
came, for that meant a party and feasting and
dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many
years the birthdays marked. In a land where people
live always, this is not considered a cause for
regret, so we may justly say that Queen Ann of
Oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go
at that.

But she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the
housework than she could help. She was an
ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact
that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so
stupid and unenterprising. Often she wondered what
had become of her father and mother, out beyond
the pass, in the wonderful Land of Oz, and the
fact that they did not return to Oogaboo led Ann
to suspect that they had found a better place to
live. So, when Salye refused to sweep the floor of
the living room in the palace, and Ann would not
sweep it, either, she said to her sister:

"I'm going away. This absurd Kingdom of Oogaboo
tires me."

"Go, if you want to," answered Salye; "but you