The Patchwork Girl, who never slept and who could see very well in thedark, had wandered among the rocks and bushes all night long, with theresult that she was able to tell some good news the next morning."Over the crest of the hill before us," she said, "is a big grove oftrees of many kinds on which all sorts of fruits grow. If you will gothere, you will find a nice breakfast awaiting you." This made themeager to start, so as soon as the blankets were folded and strapped tothe back of the Sawhorse, they all took their places on the animalsand set out for the big grove Scraps had told them of.

As soon as they got over the brow of the hill, they discovered it tobe a really immense orchard, extending for miles to the right and leftof them. As their way led straight through the trees, they hurriedforward as fast as possible. The first trees they came to borequinces, which they did not like. Then there were rows of citrontrees and then crab apples and afterward limes and lemons. But beyondthese they found a grove of big, golden oranges, juicy and sweet, andthe fruit hung low on the branches so they could pluck it easily.

They helped themselves freely and all ate oranges as they continued ontheir way. Then, a little farther along, they came to some treesbearing fine, red apples, which they also feasted on, and the Wizardstopped here long enough to tie a lot of the apples in one end of ablanket.

"We do not know what will happen to us after we leave thisdelightful orchard," he said, "so I think it wise to carry a supply ofapples with us. We can't starve as long as we have apples, you know."

Scraps wasn't riding the Woozy just now. She loved to climb the treesand swing herself by the branches from one tree to another. Some ofthe choicest fruit was gathered by the Patchwork Girl from the veryhighest limbs and tossed down to the others. Suddenly, Trot asked,"Where's Button-Bright?" and when the others looked for him, theyfound the boy had disappeared.

"Dear me!" cried Dorothy. "I guess he's lost again, and that willmean our waiting here until we can find him."

"It's a good place to wait," suggested Betsy, who had found a plumtree and was eating some of its fruit.

"How can you wait here and find Button-Bright at one and the sametime?" inquired the Patchwork Girl, hanging by her toes on a limb justover the heads of the three mortal girls.

"Perhaps he'll come back here," answered Dorothy.

"If he tries that, he'll prob'ly lose his way," said Trot. "I'veknown him to do that lots of times. It's losing his way that gets himlost."

"Very true," said the Wizard. "So all the rest of you must stay herewhile I go look for the boy."

"Won't YOU get lost, too?" asked Betsy.

"I hope not, my dear."

"Let ME go," said Scraps, dropping lightly to the ground. "I can'tget lost, and I'm more likely to find Button-Bright than any of you."Without waiting for permission, she darted away through the trees andsoon disappeared from their view.

"Dorothy," said Toto, squatting beside his little mistress, "I've lostmy growl."

"How did that happen?" she asked.

"I don't know," replied Toto. "Yesterday morning the Woozy nearlystepped on me, and I tried to growl at him and found I couldn't growla bit."

"Can you bark?" inquired Dorothy.

"Oh, yes indeed."

"Then never mind the growl," said she.

"But what will I do when I get home to the Glass Cat and the PinkKitten?" asked the little dog in an anxious tone.

"They won't mind if you can't growl at them, I'm sure," said Dorothy."I'm sorry for you, of course, Toto, for it's just those things wecan't do that we want to do most of all; but before we get back, youmay find your growl again."

"Do you think the person who stole Ozma stole my growl?"

Dorothy smiled.

"Perhaps, Toto."

"Then he's a scoundrel!" cried the little dog.

"Anyone who would steal Ozma is as bad as bad can be," agreed Dorothy,"and when we remember that our dear friend, the lovely Ruler of Oz, islost, we ought not to worry over just a growl."

Toto was not entirely satisfied with this remark, for the more hethought upon his lost growl, the more important his misfortune became.When no one was looking, he went away among the trees and tried hisbest to growl--even a little bit--but could not manage to do so. Allhe could do was bark, and a bark cannot take the place of a growl, sohe sadly returned to the others.

Now Button-Bright had no idea that he was lost at first. He hadmerely wandered from tree to tree seeking the finest fruit until hediscovered he was alone in the great orchard. But that didn't worryhim just then, and seeing some apricot trees farther on, he went tothem. Then he discovered some cherry trees; just beyond these weresome tangerines. "We've found 'most ev'ry kind of fruit but peaches,"he said to himself, "so I guess there are peaches here, too, if I canfind the trees."

He searched here and there, paying no attention to his way, until hefound that the trees surrounding him bore only nuts. He put somewalnuts in his pockets and kept on searching, and at last--right amongthe nut trees--he came upon one solitary peach tree. It was agraceful, beautiful tree, but although it was thickly leaved, it boreno fruit except one large, splendid peach, rosy-cheeked and fuzzy andjust right to eat.

In his heart he doubted this statement, for this was a solitary peachtree, while all the other fruits grew upon many trees set close to oneanother; but that one luscious bite made him unable to resist eatingthe rest of it, and soon the peach was all gone except the pit.Button-Bright was about to throw this peach pit away when he noticedthat it was of pure gold. Of course, this surprised him, but so manythings in the Land of Oz were surprising that he did not give muchthought to the golden peach pit. He put it in his pocket, however, toshow to the girls, and five minutes afterward had forgotten all aboutit.

For now he realized that he was far separated from his companions, andknowing that this would worry them and delay their journey, he beganto shout as loud as he could. His voice did not penetrate very faramong all those trees, and after shouting a dozen times and getting noanswer, he sat down on the ground and said, "Well, I'm lost again.It's too bad, but I don't see how it can be helped."

As he leaned his back against a tree, he looked up and saw a Bluefinchfly down from the sky and alight upon a branch just before him. Thebird looked and looked at him. First it looked with one bright eyeand then turned its head and looked at him with the other eye. Then,fluttering its wings a little, it said, "Oho! So you've eaten theenchanted peach, have you?"

"Was it enchanted?" asked Button-Bright.

"Of course," replied the Bluefinch."Ugu the Shoemaker did that."

"But why? And how was it enchanted? And what will happen to one whoeats it?" questioned the boy.

."Ask Ugu the Shoemaker. He knows," said the bird, preening itsfeathers with its bill.

"And who is Ugu the Shoemaker?"

"The one who enchanted the peach and placed it here--in the exactcenter of the Great Orchard--so no one would ever find it. We birdsdidn't dare to eat it; we are too wise for that. But you areButton-Bright from the Emerald City, and you, YOU, YOU ate theenchanted peach!

You must explain to Ugu the Shoemaker why you didthat." And then, before the boy could ask any more questions, thebird flew away and left him alone.

Button-Bright was not much worried to find that the peach he had eatenwas enchanted. It certainly had tasted very good, and his stomachdidn't ache a bit. So again he began to reflect upon the best way torejoin his friends. "Whichever direction I follow is likely to be thewrong one," he said to himself, "so I'd better stay just where I amand let THEM find ME--if they can."

A White Rabbit came hopping through the orchard and paused a littleway off to look at him. "Don't be afraid," said Button-Bright. "Iwon't hurt you."

"Oh, I'm not afraid for myself," returned the White Rabbit. "It's youI'm worried about."

."Yes, I'm lost,' said the boy.

"I fear you are, indeed," answered the Rabbit. "Why on earth did youeat the enchanted peach?"

The boy looked at the excited little animal thoughtfully. "There weretwo reasons," he explained. "One reason was that I like peaches, andthe other reason was that I didn't know it was enchanted."

"That won't save you from Ugu the Shoemaker," declared the WhiteRabbit, and it scurried away before the boy could ask any morequestions.

"Rabbits and birds," he thought, "are timid creatures and seem afraidof this shoemaker, whoever he may be. If there was another peach halfas good as that other, I'd eat it in spite of a dozen enchantments ora hundred shoemakers!"

Just then, Scraps came dancing along and saw him sitting at the footof the tree. "Oh, here you are!" she said. "Up to your old tricks,eh? Don't you know it's impolite to get lost and keep everybodywaiting for you? Come along, and I'll lead you back to Dorothy andthe others."

Button-Bright rose slowly to accompany her.

"That wasn't much of a loss," he said cheerfully. "I haven't been gone half a day, so there's no harm done."

Dorothy, however, when the boy rejoined the party, gave him a goodscolding. "When we're doing such an important thing as searching forOzma," said she, "it's naughty for you to wander away and keep us fromgetting on. S'pose she's a pris'ner in a dungeon cell! Do you wantto keep our dear Ozma there any longer than we can help?"

"If she's in a dungeon cell, how are you going to get her out?"inquired the boy.

"Never you mind. We'll leave that to the Wizard. He's sure to find away."

The Wizard said nothing, for he realized that without his magic toolshe could do no more than any other person. But there was no usereminding his companions of that fact; it might discourage them. "Theimportant thing just now," he remarked, "is to find Ozma, and as ourparty is again happily reunited, I propose we move on."

As they came to the edge of the Great Orchard, the sun was setting andthey knew it would soon be dark. So it was decided to camp under thetrees, as another broad plain was before them. The Wizard spread theblankets on a bed of soft leaves, and presently all of them exceptScraps and the Sawhorse were fast asleep. Toto snuggled close to hisfriend the Lion, and the Woozy snored so loudly that the PatchworkGirl covered his square head with her apron to deaden the sound.