L. Frank Baum: Ozma of Oz

4. Tiktok the Machine Man (continued)

"I don't know," answered Dorothy, who had more to read. "Listen to this, Billina:"

+--------------------------------------------------+
|                                                  |
|           DIRECTIONS FOR USING:                  |
| For THINKING:--Wind the Clock-work Man under his |
|       left arm, (marked No. 1.)                  |
| For SPEAKING:--Wind the Clock-work Man under his |
|       right arm, (marked No. 2.)                 |
| For WALKING and ACTION:--Wind Clock-work in the  |
|       middle of his back, (marked No. 3.)        |
| N. B.--This Mechanism is guaranteed to work      |
|       perfectly for a thousand years.            |
|                                                  |
+--------------------------------------------------+

"Well, I declare!" gasped the yellow hen, in amazement; "if the copper man can do half of these things he is a very wonderful machine. But I suppose it is all humbug, like so many other patented articles."

"We might wind him up," suggested Dorothy, "and see what he'll do."

"Where is the key to the clock-work?" asked Billina.

"Hanging on the peg where I found the card."

"Then," said the hen, "let us try him, and find out if he will go. He is warranted for a thousand years, it seems; but we do not know how long he has been standing inside this rock."

Dorothy had already taken the clock key from the peg.

"Which shall I wind up first?" she asked, looking again at the directions on the card.

"Number One, I should think," returned Billina. "That makes him think, doesn't it?"

"Yes," said Dorothy, and wound up Number One, under the left arm.

"He doesn't seem any different," remarked the hen, critically.

"Why, of course not; he is only thinking, now," said Dorothy.

"I wonder what he is thinking about."

"I'll wind up his talk, and then perhaps he can tell us," said the girl.