Chapter 10
It was Button-Bright who first discovered, lying on hisface beneath a broad spreading tree near the pathway, ayoung man whose body shook with the force of his sobs. Hewas dressed in a long brown smock and had sandals on hisfeet, betokening one in humble life. His head was bareand showed a shock of brown, curly hair. Button-Brightlooked down on the young man and said:
"Who cares, anyhow?"
"I do!" cried the young man, interrupting his sobs toroll over, face upward, that he might see who had spoken."I care, for my heart is broken!"
"Can't you get another one?" asked the little boy.
"I don't want another!" wailed the young man.
By this time Trot and Cap'n Bill arrived at the spotand the girl leaned over and said in a sympathetic voice:
"Tell us your troubles and perhaps we may help you."
The youth sat up, then, and bowed politely. Afterwardhe got upon his feet, but still kept wringing his handsas he tried to choke down his sobs. Trot thought he wasvery brave to control such awful agony so well.
"My name is Pon," he began. "I'm the gardener's boy."
"Then the gardener of the King is your father, Isuppose," said Trot.
"Not my father, but my master," was the reply
"I do the work and the gardener gives the orders. Andit was not my fault, in the least, that the PrincessGloria fell in love with me."
"Did she, really?" asked the little girl.
"I don't see why," remarked Button-Bright, staring atthe youth.
"And who may the Princess Gloria be?" inquired Cap'nBill.
"She is the niece of King Krewl, who is her guardian.The Princess lives in the castle and is the loveliest andsweetest maiden in all Jinxland. She is fond of flowersand used to walk in the gardens with her attendants. Atsuch times, if I was working at my tasks, I used to castdown my eyes as Gloria passed me; but one day I glancedup and found her gazing at me with a very tender look inher eyes. The next day she dismissed her attendants and,coming to my side, began to talk with me. She said I hadtouched her heart as no other young man had ever done. Ikissed her hand. Just then the King came around a bend inthe walk. He struck me with his fist and kicked me withhis foot. Then he seized the arm of the Princess andrudely dragged her into the castle."
"Wasn't he awful!" gasped Trot indignantly.
"He is a very abrupt King," said Pon, "so it was theleast I could expect. Up to that time I had not thoughtof loving Princess Gloria, but realizing it would beimpolite not to return her love, I did so. We met atevening, now and then, and she told me the King wantedher to marry a rich courtier named Googly-Goo, who is oldenough to be Gloria's father. She has refused Googly-Goothirty-nine times, but he still persists and has broughtmany rich presents to bribe the King. On that accountKing Krewl has commanded his niece to marry the old man,but the Princess has assured me, time and again, that shewill wed only me. This morning we happened to meet in thegrape arbor and as I was respectfully saluting the cheekof the Princess, two of the King's guards seized me andbeat me terribly before the very eyes of Gloria, whom theKing himself held back so she could not interfere."
"Why, this King must be a monster!" cried Trot.
"He is far worse than that," said Pon, mournfully.
"But, see here," interrupted Cap'n Bill, who hadlistened carefully to Pon. "This King may not be so muchto blame, after all. Kings are proud folks, becausethey're so high an' mighty, an' it isn't reasonable for aroyal Princess to marry a common gardener's boy."
"It isn't right," declared Button-Bright. "A Princessshould marry a Prince."
"I'm not a common gardener's boy," protested Pon. "If Ihad my rights I would be the King instead of Krewl. As itis, I'm a Prince, and as royal as any man in Jinxland."
"How does that come?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"My father used to be the King and Krewl was his PrimeMinister. But one day while out hunting, King Phearse --that was my father's name -- had a quarrel with Krewl andtapped him gently on the nose with the knuckles of hisclosed hand. This so provoked the wicked Krewl that hetripped my father backward, so that he fell into a deeppond. At once Krewl threw in a mass of heavy stones,which so weighted down my poor father that his body couldnot rise again to the surface. It is impossible to killanyone in this land, as perhaps you know, but when myfather was pressed down into the mud at the bottom of thedeep pool and the stones held him so he could neverescape, he was of no more use to himself or the worldthan if he had died. Knowing this, Krewl proclaimedhimself King, taking possession of the royal castle anddriving all my father's people out. I was a small boy,then, but when I grew up I became a gardener. I haveserved King Krewl without his knowing that I am the sonof the same King Phearse whom he so cruelly made awaywith."
"My, but that's a terr'bly exciting story!" said Trot,drawing a long breath. "But tell us, Pon, who wasGloria's father?"
"Oh, he was the King before my father," replied Pon."Father was Prime Minister for King Kynd, who wasGloria's father. She was only a baby when King Kynd fellinto the Great Gulf that lies just this side of themountains -- the same mountains that separate Jinxlandfrom the rest of the Land of Oz. It is said the GreatGulf has no bottom; but, however that may be, King Kyndhas never been seen again and my father became King inhis place."
"Seems to me," said Trot, "that if Gloria had herrights she would be Queen of Jinxland."
"Well, her father was a King," admitted Pon, "and sowas my father; so we are of equal rank, although she's agreat lady and I'm a humble gardener's boy. I can't seewhy we should not marry if we want to except that KingKrewl won't let us."
"It's a sort of mixed-up mess, taken altogether,"remarked Cap'n Bill. "But we are on our way to visit KingKrewl, and if we get a chance, young man, we'll put in agood word for you."
"Do, please!" begged Pon.
"Was it the flogging you got that broke your heart?"inquired Button-Bright.
"Why, it helped to break it, of course," said Pon.
"I'd get it fixed up, if I were you," advised the boy,tossing a pebble at a chipmunk in a tree. "You ought togive Gloria just as good a heart as she gives you."
"That's common sense," agreed Cap'n Bill. So they leftthe gardener's boy standing beside the path, and resumedtheir journey toward the castle.