Trot and Cap'n Bill stood before the Magic Flower, actually rootedto the spot.

"Aren't you hungry, Cap'n?" asked the little girl, with a long sigh,for she had been standing there for hours and hours.

"Well," replied the sailor-man, "I ain't sayin' as I couldn't EAT,Trot--if a dinner was handy--but I guess old folks don't get as hungryas young folks do."

"I'm not sure 'bout that, Cap'n Bill," she said thoughtfully. "AgeMIGHT make a diff'rence, but seems to me SIZE would make a biggerdiff'rence. Seeing you're twice as big as me, you ought to be twiceas hungry."

"I hope I am," he rejoined, "for I can stand it a while longer. Ido hope the Glass Cat will hurry, and I hope the Wizard won't wastetime a-comin' to us."

Trot sighed again and watched the wonderful Magic Flower, becausethere was nothing else to do. Just now a lovely group of pink peoniesbudded and bloomed, but soon they faded away, and a mass of deep bluelilies took their place. Then some yellow chrysanthemums blossomed onthe plant, and when they had opened all their petals and reachedperfection, they gave way to a lot of white floral balls spotted withcrimson--a flower Trot had never seen before.

"But I get awful tired watchin' flowers an' flowers an' flowers,"she said impatiently.

"They're might pretty," observed Cap'n Bill.

"I know; and if a person could come and look at the Magic Flowerjust when she felt like it, it would be a fine thing, but to HAVE TOstand and watch it, whether you want to or not, isn't so much fun. I wish,Cap'n Bill, the thing would grow fruit for a while instead of flowers."

Scarcely had she spoken when the white balls with crimson spotsfaded away and a lot of beautiful ripe peaches took their place. Witha cry of mingled surprise and delight Trot reached out and plucked apeach from the bush and began to eat it, finding it delicious. Cap'nBill was somewhat dazed at the girl's wish being granted so quickly,so before he could pick a peach they had faded away and bananas tooktheir place. "Grab one, Cap'n!" exclaimed Trot, and even while eating thepeach she seized a banana with her other hand and tore it from the bush.

The old sailor was still bewildered. He put out a hand indeed, but he wastoo late, for now the bananas disappeared and lemons took their place.

"Pshaw!" cried Trot. "You can't eat those things; but watch out,Cap'n, for something else."

Cocoanuts next appeared, but Cap'n Bill shook his head.

"Ca'n't crack 'em," he remarked, "'cause we haven't anything handy tosmash 'em with."

"Well, take one, anyhow," advised Trot; but the cocoanuts were gonenow, and a deep, purple, pear-shaped fruit which was unknown to themtook their place. Again Cap'n Bill hesitated, and Trot said to him:

"You ought to have captured a peach and a banana, as I did. Ifyou're not careful, Cap'n, you'll miss all your chances. Here, I'lldivide my banana with you."

Even as she spoke, the Magic Plant was covered with big red apples,growing on every branch, and Cap'n Bill hesitated no longer. Hegrabbed with both hands and picked two apples, while Trot had onlytime to secure one before they were gone.

"It's curious," remarked the sailor, munching his apple, "how thesefruits keep good when you've picked 'em, but dis'pear inter thin air ifthey're left on the bush."

"The whole thing is curious," declared the girl, "and it couldn'texist in any country but this, where magic is so common. Those arelimes. Don't pick 'em, for they'd pucker up your mouth and--Ooo! herecome plums!" and she tucked her apple in her apron pocket and capturedthree plums--each one almost as big as an egg--before they disappeared.Cap'n Bill got some too, but both were too hungry to fast any longer,so they began eating their apples and plums and let the magic bushbear all sorts of fruits, one after another. The Cap'n stopped onceto pick a fine cantaloupe, which he held under his arm, and Trot,having finished her plums, got a handful of cherries and an orange;but when almost every sort of fruit had appeared on the bush, the cropceased and only flowers, as before, bloomed upon it.

"I wonder why it changed back," mused Trot, who was not worriedbecause she had enough fruit to satisfy her hunger.

"Well, you only wished it would bear fruit 'for a while,'" said thesailor, "and it did. P'raps if you'd said 'forever,' Trot, it wouldhave always been fruit."

"But why should MY wish be obeyed?" asked the girl. "I'm not afairy or a wizard or any kind of a magic-maker."

"I guess," replied Cap'n Bill, "that this little island is a magicisland, and any folks on it can tell the bush what to produce, an'it'll produce it."

"Do you think I could wish for anything else, Cap'n and get it?" sheinquired anxiously.

"What are you thinkin' of, Trot?"

"I'm thinking of wishing that these roots on our feet woulddisappear, and let us free."

"Try it, Trot."

So she tried it, and the wish had no effect whatever.

"Try it yourself, Cap'n," she suggested.

Then Cap'n Bill made the wish to be free, with no better result.

"No," said he, "it's no use; the wishes only affect the Magic Plant;but I'm glad we can make it bear fruit, 'cause now we know we won'tstarve before the Wizard gets to us."

"But I'm gett'n' tired standing here so long," complained the girl."If I could only lift one foot, and rest it, I'd feel better."

"Same with me, Trot. I've noticed that if you've got to do a thing,and can't help yourself, it gets to be a hardship mighty quick."

"Folks that can raise their feet don't appreciate what a blessing itis," said Trot thoughtfully. "I never knew before what fun it is toraise one foot, an' then another, any time you feel like it."

"There's lots o' things folks don't 'preciate," replied thesailor-man. "If somethin' would 'most stop your breath, you'd thinkbreathin' easy was the finest thing in life. When a person's well, hedon't realize how jolly it is, but when he gets sick he 'members thetime he was well, an' wishes that time would come back. Most folksforget to thank God for givin' 'em two good legs, till they lose one o''em, like I did; and then it's too late, 'cept to praise God forleavin' one."

"Your wooden leg ain't so bad, Cap'n," she remarked, looking at itcritically. "Anyhow, it don't take root on a Magic Island, like ourmeat legs do."

"I ain't complainin'," said Cap'n Bill. "What's that swimmin'towards us, Trot?" he added, looking over the Magic Flower and acrossthe water.

The girl looked, too, and then she replied.

"It's a bird of some sort. It's like a duck, only I never saw aduck have so many colors."

The bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the Magic Isle, and asit drew nearer its gorgeously colored plumage astonished them. Thefeathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples,and it had a yellow head with a red plume, and pink, white and violetin its tail. When it reached the Isle, it came ashore and approachedthem, waddling slowly and turning its head first to one side and thento the other, so as to see the girl and the sailor better.

"You're strangers," said the bird, coming to a halt near them, "andyou've been caught by the Magic Isle and made prisoners."

"Yes," returned Trot, with a sigh; "we're rooted. But I hope wewon't grow."

"You'll grow small," said the Bird. "You'll keep growing smallerevery day, until bye and bye there'll be nothing left of you. That'sthe usual way, on this Magic Isle."

"How do you know about it, and who are you, anyhow?" asked Cap'n Bill.

"I'm the Lonesome Duck," replied the bird. "I suppose you've heardof me?"

"No," said Trot, "I can't say I have. What makes you lonesome?"

"Why, I haven't any family or any relations," returned the Duck.

"Haven't you any friends?"

"Not a friend. And I've nothing to do. I've lived a long time, andI've got to live forever, because I belong in the Land of Oz, where noliving thing dies. Think of existing year after year, with nofriends, no family, and nothing to do! Can you wonder I'm lonesome?"

"Why don't you make a few friends, and find something to do?"inquired Cap'n Bill.

"I can't make friends because everyone I meet--bird, beast, orperson--is disagreeable to me. In a few minutes I shall be unable tobear your society longer, and then I'll go away and leave you," saidthe Lonesome Duck. "And, as for doing anything, there's no use in it.All I meet are doing something, so I have decided it's common anduninteresting and I prefer to remain lonesome."

"Don't you have to hunt for your food?" asked Trot.

"No. In my diamond palace, a little way up the river, food ismagically supplied me; but I seldom eat, because it is so common."

"You must be a Magician Duck," remarked Cap'n Bill.

"Why so?"

"Well, ordinary ducks don't have diamond palaces an' magic food,like you do."

"True; and that's another reason why I'm lonesome. You mustremember I'm the only Duck in the Land of Oz, and I'm not like anyother duck in the outside world."

"Seems to me you LIKE bein' lonesome," observed Cap'n Bill.

"I can't say I like it, exactly," replied the Duck, "but since itseems to be my fate, I'm rather proud of it."

"How do you s'pose a single, solitary Duck happened to be in theLand of Oz?" asked Trot, wonderingly.

"I used to know the reason, many years ago, but I've quite forgottenit," declared the Duck. "The reason for a thing is never so importantas the thing itself, so there's no use remembering anything but thefact that I'm lonesome."

"I guess you'd be happier if you tried to do something," assertedTrot. "If you can't do anything for yourself, you can do things forothers, and then you'd get lots of friends and stop being lonesome."

"Now you're getting disagreeable," said the Lonesome Duck, "and Ishall have to go and leave you."

"Can't you help us any," pleaded the girl. "If there's anythingmagic about you, you might get us out of this scrape."

"I haven't any magic strong enough to get you off the Magic Isle,"replied the Lonesome Duck. "What magic I possess is very simple, butI find it enough for my own needs."

"If we could only sit down a while, we could stand it better," saidTrot, "but we have nothing to sit on."

"Then you will have to stand it," said the Lonesome Duck.

"P'raps you've enough magic to give us a couple of stools,"suggested Cap'n Bill.

"A duck isn't supposed to know what stools are," was the reply.

"But you're diff'rent from all other ducks."

"That is true." The strange creature seemed to reflect for amoment, looking at them sharply from its round black eyes. Then itsaid: "Sometimes, when the sun is hot, I grow a toadstool to shelterme from its rays. Perhaps you could sit on toadstools."

"Well, if they were strong enough, they'd do," answered Cap'n Bill.

"Then, before I do I'll give you a couple," said the Lonesome Duck,and began waddling about in a small circle. It went around the circleto the right three times, and then it went around to the left threetimes. Then it hopped backward three times and forward three times.

"What are you doing?" asked Trot.

"Don't interrupt. This is an incantation," replied the LonesomeDuck, but now it began making a succession of soft noises that soundedlike quacks and seemed to mean nothing at all. And it kept up thesesounds so long that Trot finally exclaimed:

"Can't you hurry up and finish that 'cantation? If it takes allsummer to make a couple of toadstools, you're not much of a magician."

"I told you not to interrupt," said the Lonesome Duck, sternly."If you get TOO disagreeable, you'll drive me away before I finishthis incantation."

Trot kept quiet, after the rebuke, and the Duck resumed the quackymuttering. Cap'n Bill chuckled a little to himself and remarked toTrot in a whisper: "For a bird that ain't got anything to do, thisLonesome Duck is makin' consider'ble fuss. An' I ain't sure, afterall, as toadstools would be worth sittin' on."

Even as he spoke, the sailor-man felt something touch him frombehind and, turning his head, he found a big toadstool in just theright place and of just the right size to sit upon. There was onebehind Trot, too, and with a cry of pleasure the little girl sank backupon it and found it a very comfortable seat--solid, yet almost like acushion. Even Cap'n Bill's weight did not break his toadstool down,and when both were seated, they found that the Lonesome Duck hadwaddled away and was now at the water's edge.

"Thank you, ever so much!" cried Trot, and the sailor called out:"Much obliged!"

But the Lonesome Duck paid no attention. Without even looking intheir direction again, the gaudy fowl entered the water and swamgracefully away.