The Rain King got too much water in his basin andspilled some over the brim. That made it rain in acertain part of the country--a real hard shower,for a time--and sent the Rainbow scampering to theplace to show the gorgeous colors of his gloriousbow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and thesky was clear.

The coming of the Rainbow is always a joyousevent to earth folk, yet few have ever seen itclose by. Usually the Rainbow is so far distantthat you can observe its splendid hues but dimly,and that is why we seldom catch sight of thedancing Daughters of the Rainbow.

In the barren country where the rain hadjust fallen there appeared to be no humanbeings at all; but the Rainbow appeared, justthe same, and dancing gayly upon its arch werethe Rainbow's Daughters, led by the fairylikePolychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful thatno girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness.

Polychrome was in a merry mood and danced downthe arch of the bow to the ground, daring hersisters to follow her. Laughing and gleeful, theyalso touched the ground with their twinkling feet;but all the Daughters of the Rainbow knew thatthis was a dangerous pastime, so they quicklyclimbed upon their bow again.

All but Polychrome. Though the sweetest andmerriest of them all, she was likewise the mostreckless. Moreover, it was an unusual sensation topat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes.Before she realized it the bow had lifted anddisappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here wasPolychrome standing helpless upon a rock, hergauzy draperies floating about her like brilliantcobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to helpher regain her lost bow!

"Dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing acrossher pretty face, "I'm caught again. This is thesecond time my carelessness has left me on earthwhile my sisters returned to our Sky Palaces. Thefirst time I enjoyed some pleasant adventures, butthis is a lonely, forsaken country and I shall bevery unhappy until my Rainbow comes again and Ican climb aboard. Let me think what is best to bedone."

She crouched low upon the flat rock, drew herdraperies about her and bowed her head.

It was in this position that Betsy Bobbin spiedPolychrome as she came along the stony path,followed by Hank, the Princess and Shaggy. At oncethe girl ran up to the radiant Daughter of theRainbow and exclaimed:

"Oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!"

Polychrome raised her golden head. Therewere tears in her blue eyes.

"I'm the most miserable girl in the wholeworld!" she sobbed.

The others gathered around her.

"Tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged thePrincess.

"I--I've lost my bow!" wailed Polychrome.

"Take me, my dear," said Shaggy Man in asympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau"instead of "bow."

"I don't want you!" cried Polychrome, stampingher foot imperiously; "I want my Rainbow."

"Oh; that's different," said Shaggy. "But try toforget it. When I was young I used to cry for theRainbow myself, but I couldn't have it. Looks asif you couldn't have it, either; so please don'tcry."

Polychrome looked at him reproachfully.

"I don't like you," she said.

"No?" replied Shaggy, drawing the Love Magnetfrom his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a weespeck of a like?"

"Yes, yes!" said Polychrome, clasping herhands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchantedtalisman; "I love you, Shaggy Man!"

"Of course you do," said he calmly; "but I don'ttake any credit for it. It's the Love Magnet'spowerful charm. But you seem quite alone andfriendless, little Rainbow. Don't you want to joinour party until you find your father and sistersagain?"

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"We don't just know that," said Betsy, takingher hand; "but we're trying to find Shaggy's long-lost brother, who has been captured by theterrible Metal Monarch. Won't you come with us,and help us?"

Polychrome looked from one to another of thequeer party of travelers and a bewitching smilesuddenly lighted her face.

"A donkey, a mortal maid, a Rose Princess and aShaggy Man!" she exclaimed. "Surely you need help,if you intend to face Ruggedo."

"Do you know him, then?" inquired Betsy.

"No, indeed. Ruggedo's caverns are beneath theearth's surface, where no Rainbow can everpenetrate. But I've heard of the Metal Monarch. Heis also called the Nome King, you know, and he hasmade trouble for a good many people --mortals andfairies--in his time," said Polychrome.

"Do you fear him, then?" asked the Princess,anxiously.

"No one can harm a Daughter of the Rainbow,"said Polychrome proudly. "I'm a sky fairy."

"Then," said Betsy, quickly, "you will be ableto tell us the way to Ruggedo's cavern."

"No," returned Polychrome, shaking her head,"that is one thing I cannot do. But I will gladly,,go with you and help you search for the place."

This promise delighted all the wanderers andafter the Shaggy Man had found the path againthey began moving along it in a more happymood. The Rainbow's Daughter danced lightlyover the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with herbeautiful features wreathed in smiles. Shaggycame next, walking steadily and now and thensupporting the Rose Princess, who followed him.Betsy and Hank brought up the rear, and if shetired with walking the girl got upon Hank's backand let the stout little donkey carry her fora while.

At nightfall they came to some trees that grewbeside a tiny brook and here they made camp andrested until morning. Then away they tramped,finding berries and fruits here and there whichsatisfied the hunger of Betsy, Shaggy and Hank,so that they were well content with their lot.

It surprised Betsy to see the Rose Princesspartake of their food, for she considered her afairy; but when she mentioned this to Polychrome,the Rainbow's Daughter explained that when Ozgawas driven out of her Rose Kingdom she ceased tobe a fairy and would never again be more than amere mortal. Polychrome, however, was a fairywherever she happened to be, and if she sipped afew dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no oneever saw her do it.

As they continued their wandering journey,direction meant very little to them, for they werehopelessly lost in this strange country. Shaggysaid it would be best to go toward the mountains,as the natural entrance to Ruggedo's undergroundcavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky,deserted place; but mountains seemed all aroundthem except in the one direction that they hadcome from, which led to the Rose Kingdom and thesea. Therefore it mattered little which way theytraveled.

By and by they espied a faint trail that lookedlike a path and after following this for some timethey reached a crossroads. Here were many paths,leading in various directions, and there was asignpost so old that there were now no words uponthe sign. At one side was an old well, with achain windlass for drawing water, yet there was nohouse or other building anywhere in sight.

While the party halted, puzzled which wayto proceed, the mule approached the well andtried to look into it.

"He's thirsty," said Betsy.

"It's a dry well," remarked Shaggy. "Probablythere has been no water in it for many years. But,come; let us decide which way to travel."

No one seemed able to decide that. They satdown in a group and tried to consider whichroad might be the best to take. Hank, however,could not keep away from the well and finallyhe reared up on his hind legs, got his head overthe edge and uttered a loud "Hee-haw!" Betsywatched her animal friend curiously.

"I wonder if he sees anything down there?" shesaid.

At this, Shaggy rose and went over to the wellto investigate, and Betsy went with him. ThePrincess and Polychrome, who had become fastfriends, linked arms and sauntered down one of theroads, to find an easy path.

"Really," said Shaggy, "there does seem tobe something at the bottom of this old well."

"Can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" askedthe girl.

There was no bucket at the end of the windlasschain, but there was a big hook that at one timewas used to hold a bucket. Shaggy let down thishook, dragged it around on the bottom and thenpulled it up. An old hoopskirt came with it, andBetsy laughed and threw it away. The thingfrightened Hank, who had never seen a hoopskirtbefore, and he kept a good distance away from it.

Several other objects the Shaggy Man capturedwith the hook and drew up, but none of these wasimportant.

"This well seems to have been the dump forall the old rubbish in the country," he said,letting down the hook once more. "I guess I'vecaptured everything now. No--the hook has caughtagain. Help me, Betsy! Whatever this thing is,it's heavy."

She ran up and helped him turn the windlassand after much effort a confused mass of coppercame in sight.

"Good gracious!" exclaimed Shaggy. "Here isa surprise, indeed!"

"What is it?" inquired Betsy, clinging to thewindlass and panting for breath.

For answer the Shaggy Man grasped thebundle of copper and dumped it upon theground, free of the well. Then he turned it overwith his foot, spread it out, and to Betsy'sastonishment the thing proved to be a copperman.

"Just as I thought," said Shaggy, looking hardat the object. "But unless there are two coppermen in the world this is the most astonishingthing I ever came across."

At this moment the Rainbow's Daughter and theRose Princess approached them, and Polychromesaid:

"What have you found, Shaggy One?"

"Either an old friend, or a stranger," hereplied.

"Oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried Betsy,who had knelt down to examine the man. "Dear me;how funny! Listen to this."

Then she read the following words, engravedupon the copper plates of the man's body:

SMITH & TINKER'SPatent Double-Action, Extra-Responsive,Thought-Creating, Perfect-Talking

MECHANICAL MANFitted with our Special Clockwork Attachment.Thinks, Speaks, Acts, and Does Everythingbut Live.

"Isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the Princess.

"Yes; but here's more," said Betsy, readingfrom another engraved plate:

DIRECTIONS FOR USING:

For THINKING:--Wind the Clockwork

Man under his left arm, (marked No. 1).For SPEAKING:--Wind the ClockworkMan under his right arm, (marked No. 2).For WALKING and ACTION:--Wind Clockwork Manin the middle of his back, (marked No. 3).

N. B.--This Mechanism is guaranteed towork perfectly for a thousand years.

"If he's guaranteed for a thousand years," saidPolychrome, "he ought to work yet."

"Of course," replied Shaggy. "Let's wind him up."

In order to do this they were obliged to set thecopper man upon his feet, in an upright position,and this was no easy task. He was inclined totopple over, and had to be propped again andagain. The girls assisted Shaggy, and at last Tik-Tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon hisbroad feet.

"Yes," said Shaggy, looking at the copper mancarefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friendTik-Tok, whom I left ticking merrily in theLand of Oz. But how he came to this lonelyplace, and got into that old well, is surely amystery."

"If we wind him, perhaps he will tell us,"suggested Betsy. "Here's the key, hanging to ahook on his back. What part of him shall I wind upfirst?"

"His thoughts, of course," said Polychrome,"for it requires thought to speak or moveintelligently."

So Betsy wound him under his left arm, andat once little flashes of light began to show inthe top of his head, which was proof that he hadbegun to think.

"Now, then," said Shaggy, "wind up hisphonograph."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Why, his talking-machine. His thoughts maybe interesting, but they don't tell us anything."

So Betsy wound the copper man under his rightarm, and then from the interior of his copper bodycame in jerky tones the words: "Ma-ny thanks!"

"Hurrah!" cried Shaggy, joyfully, and he slappedTik-Tok upon the back in such a hearty manner thatthe copper man lost his balance and tumbled to theground in a heap. But the clock-work that enabledhim to speak had been wound up and he kept saying:"Pick-me-up! Pick-me-up! Pick-me-up!" until theyhad again raised him and balanced him upon hisfeet, when he added politely: "Ma-ny thanks!"

"He won't be self-supporting until we windup his action," remarked Shaggy; so Betsywound it, as tight as she could--for the keyturned rather hard--and then Tik-Tok lifted hisfeet, marched around in a circle and ended bystopping before the group and making them alla low bow.

"How in the world did you happen to be inthat well, when I left you safe in Oz?" inquiredShaggy.

"It is a long sto-ry," replied Tik-Tok, "butI'll tell it in a few words. Af-ter you had gonein search of your broth-er, Oz-ma saw you wander-ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in hermag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er inthe Nome King's cavern; so she sent me to tell youwhere to find your broth-er and told me to help youif I could. The Sor-cer-ess, Glin-da the Good,trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of aneye; but here I met the Nome King him-self--oldRug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the Met-alMon-arch. Rug-ge-do knew what I had come for, andhe was so an-gry that he threw me down the well.Af-ter my works ran down I was help-less un-til youcame a-long and pulled me out a-gain. Ma-nythanks."

"This is, indeed, good news," said Shaggy. "Isuspected that my brother was the prisoner ofRuggedo; but now I know it. Tell us, Tik-Tok, howshall we get to the Nome King's undergroundcavern?"

"The best way is to walk," said Tik-Tok. "Wemight crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-veruntil we get there; but the best way is to walk."

"I know; but which road shall we take?"

"My ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that,"replied Tik-Tok.

"There is more than one entrance to theunderground cavern," said Polychrome; "but oldRuggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, sothat earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain.If we find our way underground at all, it will beby chance."

"Then," said Betsy, "let us select any road,haphazard, and see where it leads us."

"That seems sensible," declared the Princess."It may require a lot of time for us to findRuggedo, but we have more time than anythingelse."

"If you keep me wound up," said Tik-Tok, "Iwill last a thou-sand years."

"Then the only question to decide is whichway to go," added Shaggy, looking first at oneroad and then at another.

But while they stood hesitating, a peculiarsound reached their ears--a sound like thetramping of many feet.

"What's coming?" cried Betsy; and then sheran to the left-hand road and glanced along thepath. "Why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "Whatshall we do, hide or run?"

"Stand still," commanded Shaggy. "I'm not afraidof an army. If they prove to be friendly, they canhelp us; if they are enemies, I'll show them theLove Magnet."