"No," said Button-Bright.
"It is on the Map of Oz, though," asserted the woman,
"and it's a fine country, I assure you. If only," she
added, and then paused to look around her with a
frightened expression. "If only --" here she stopped
again, as if not daring to go on with her speech.
"If only what, ma'am?" asked Cap'n Bill.
The woman sent the children into the house. Then she
came closer to the strangers and whispered: "If only we
had a different King, we would be very happy and
contented."
"What's the matter with your King?" asked Trot,
curiously. But the woman seemed frightened to have said
so much. She retreated to her porch, merely saying:
"The King punishes severely any treason on the part of
his subjects."
"What's treason?" asked Button-Bright.
"In this case," replied Cap'n Bill, "treason seems to
consist of knockin' the King; but I guess we know his
disposition now as well as if the lady had said more."
"I wonder," said Trot, going up to the woman, "if you
could spare us something to eat. We haven't had anything
but popcorn and lemonade for a long time.
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