"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Mrs. Hi-Lo. "It is such a relief to know that our Charlie turned out all right after all. There were times," the woman confessed, "when I had a horrible suspicion that he was made from a bad grade of pine—knotty pine, you know."
"There are those who share that opinion," murmured the Wizard. But Mrs. Hi-Lo was so overjoyed to hear of her son that she paid no attention to the Wizard's words.
Hi-Lo, who seemed totally uninterested in this conversation concerning his wayward son, merely muttered, "A bad one, that youngster," and then yawned somewhat pointedly and remarked that since their beds were far too small for their guests to occupy, he and his wife would retire to their bedrooms and Dorothy and the Wizard could pass the night in the living room.
Mrs. Hi-Lo supplied them with warm blankets and soft pillows, and then she and Hi-Lo bid them a happy good night. Dorothy made a snug bed on the davenport, while the Wizard curled up cozily before the fire.
Just before Dorothy dropped off to sleep she asked, "Do you suppose this Princess Ozana has any connection with Oz, Wizard?"
"It is possible, and then again, the name may be merely a coincidence, my dear," the little man answered sleepily, "so don't build your hopes too high."
A moment later Dorothy's eyes closed and she was sound asleep, dreaming that Toto, in a bright blue uniform with big gold buttons and a little red cap, was operating the elevator and saying, "Right this way, Dorothy! Step lively, please. Going up—next stop, Princess Ozana!"
