“Take that!” screamed Ruggedo furiously. There was a bright flash; then the box righted itself slowly and sailed straight back into Ruggedo’s hands and, more wonderful still, it was open! With his eyes almost popping from his head, the gnome sat down on the floor, the box in his lap.
In the first tray were four golden flasks and each one was carefully labeled. The first was marked, “Flying Fluid”; “Vanishing Cream” was in the second. The third flask held “Glegg’s Instantaneous Expanding Extract,” and in the fourth was “Spike’s Hair Strengthener.”
Ruggedo rubbed his hands gleefully and lifted out the top tray. In the next compartment was a tiny copper kettle, a lamp and a package marked “Triple Trick Tea.” So anxious was Ruggedo to know what was in the last compartment that he scarcely glanced at Glegg’s tea set. Quickly he peered into the bottom of the casket. There were two boxes. Taking up the first Ruggedo read, “Glegg’s Question Box. Shake three times after each question.”
“Great Grampus!” spluttered the gnome, “this is a find!” He was growing more excited every minute and his hands shook so he could hardly read the label on the last box. Finally he made it out: “Re-animating Rays, guaranteed to reawaken any person who has lost the power of life through sorcery, witchcraft or enchantment,” said the label.
Well, did anyone ever hear anything more magic than that? Ruggedo glanced from one to the other of the little gold flasks and boxes. There were so many he hardly knew which to use first. “Flying Fluid and Vanishing Cream,” mused the gnome. Well, they might help after he had captured Oz, but he felt it would take more powerful magic than Flying Fluid and Vanishing Cream to capture the fairy Kingdom. Next he picked up the bottle labeled “Spike’s Hair Strengthener.” Anything that strengthened would be helpful, so, with one eye on the last bottle, Ruggedo absently rubbed some of the hair strengthener on his head. He stopped rubbing in a hurry and put his finger in his mouth with a howl of pain. Then he jumped up in alarm and ran to a small mirror hanging on the wall. Every hair on his head had become an iron spike and the result was so terrible that it frightened even the old gnome. He flung the bottle angrily on the ground. But stop! He could butt his enemies with the sharp spikes! Comforting himself with this cheerful thought, Ruggedo returned to the magic box.
“Instantaneous Expanding Extract,” muttered the gnome, turning the bottle over carefully. “That ought to make me larger—and if I were larger—if I were larger!” He snapped his fingers and began hopping up and down. He was about to empty the bottle over his head when he suddenly reflected that it might be safer to try this powerful extract on someone else. But on whom?
Ruggedo glanced quickly around the cave and then remembered the wooden doll. He would try a little on Peg Amy and see how it worked. Turning the key he stepped softly into Wag’s room. Without wakening the rabbit, Ruggedo dragged out the wooden doll. Propping her up against the wall, the gnome uncorked the bottle of expanding fluid and dropped two drops on Peg Amy’s head. Peg was about ten inches high, but no sooner had the expanding fluid touched her than she shot up four feet and with such force that she lost her balance and came crashing down on top of Ruggedo, almost crushing him flat.
