L.Frank Baum. The marvelous land of Oz -
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At first he was generally disappointed; but the next moment he became
curious to know what Mombi was going to do. So he hid behind a hedge,
where he could see without being seen, and prepared to watch.
After some search the woman drew from her basket an old pepper-box,
upon the faded label of which the wizard had written with a lead-pencil:
"Powder of Life."
"Ah - here it is!" she cried, joyfully. "And now let us see if it is
potent. The stingy wizard didn't give me much of it, but I guess there's
enough for two or three doses."
Tip was much surprised when he overheard this speech. Then he saw old
Mombi raise her arm and sprinkle the powder from the box over the pumpkin
head of his man Jack. She did this in the same way one would pepper a
baked potato, and the powder sifted down from Jack's head and scattered
over the red shirt and pink waistcoat and purple trousers Tip had dressed
him in, and a portion even fell upon the patched and worn shoes.
Then, putting the pepper-box back into the basket, Mombi lifted her
left hand, with its little finger pointed upward, and said:
"Weaugh!"
Then she lifted her right hand, with the thumb pointed upward, and
said:
"Teaugh!"
Then she lifted both hands, with all the fingers and thumbs spread
out, and cried:
"Peaugh!"
Jack Pumpkinhead stepped back a pace, at this, and said in a
reproachful voice:
"Don't yell like that! Do you think I'm deaf?"
Old Mombi danced around him, frantic with delight.
"He lives!" she screamed: "He lives! he lives!"
Then she threw her stick into the air and caught it as it came down;
and she hugged herself with both arms, and tried to do a step of a jig;
and all the time she repeated, rapturously: