ward the windows. The sky was turning gray with little streaks of pink, and the three girls huddled together on the mattress gave a sigh of relief; for nothing, not even a giant, seems so bad by daylight.
"Perhaps someone has already started to help us," said Ozma hopefully. "But here's the sign board. What shall we write?"
"How shall I begin?" asked the Scarecrow, dipping the brush into a can of green paint. "Dear Ruggedo?"
"I should say not," said Dorothy indignantly.
"Then I shall simply say, Sir," said the Scarecrow.
"If you move or turn or shake your head a-gain, ten thou-sand eggs will be hurl-ed from the pal-ace windows," suggested Tik Tok.
As this message met with general approval, the Scarecrow set it down with many flourishes and blotches of paint spilled between. Then Ozma painted her name and the Royal seal of Oz at the end.
Meanwhile, with the help of a pair of field glasses, Sir Hokus had located Ruggedo's nose, sticking out like a huge cliff below the middle window of Dorothy's room. So, tying a long rope to each corner of the sign, and rolling it up so it would go through the window, the Knight let it down till it dangled directly in front of Ruggedo's nose.
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