The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ 1. The Cyclone Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no ga rret at all, and no cellar--except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole. When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a h ouse broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass w as not green, for the su n had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house wa s as dull and gray as everything else. When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken th e red from h e r cheeks and l ips, and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the ch ild's laughter that she would scream and pres s her ha nd upon her heart w

henever Dorothy's merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at. Uncle Henry never laughed. He work ed hard from morning till night and did not know wha t jo y w as. He was gray also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke. It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. Tot o wa s n ot gray; he w a s a little blac

k dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny , wee nose. Toto played all day long, and Dorothy played with h im, and loved him d ear ly. Tod ay, h owe ver, t he y were not playing. Uncle Henry sat upon the doorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer than u sual. Dorothy stood in the door with Toto in her arms , and looked at the sky t oo. Aunt E m was washing th e dishes. From t

he far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the co ming storm. There now came a sharp whistlin g in the air from the south, and as they turne d the ir eyes that way they saw ripples in the grass coming from that direction also. Suddenly Uncle Henry stood up. "There's a cyclone coming, Em," he called to his wife. "I'll go look after the stock." Then he ran to ward the sheds where the cows and ho rses were kep t . Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One glance told her of the danger close at hand. "Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed. "Run for the cellar!" Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the be d, and the girl started to get him. Aunt Em, badly frig ht en ed, threw open the trap door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole. Dorothy caught Toto at last and started to follow her aunt. When she was halfway across the room there came a g reat shriek from the wind, and the house shook so ha r d th a t she lost her footing and sat down suddenly upon the floor. Then a strange thing happened. The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were goin g up in a balloon. The north and south winds met w h ere the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is gen erally still, but the g reat pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very top of th e cyc lone; and the re it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feath er. It was very dark, and the w ind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found she w as riding quite easily. After the first few whirls arou nd, and o ne other t ime when the house tipped badly, sh e fel t as if she were being roc ked gently, like a baby in a cradle. Toto did n ot like it. He ran about the room, now here, now ther e, barking loudly; but Dorothy sat quite still on the floor a nd wai ted t o see what would happen. Once Toto got t oo near the open trap door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him. But soon she saw one of his ears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the air was ke eping hi m up so that he could not fall. She crept to the hole, caught Toto by the ear, and dragged him into the room again, afterward closing the tr ap door so that no more accidents c ould h app en. Hour after hour passed away, and slowly Dorothy got over her fright; but she felt quite lonely, and the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf. At first she had wondered if she would be dashed to pieces when the hous e fell a g ain; but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring. At last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and Toto followed and l ay d ow n beside her. In spite of the swaying of the house and the wailing of the wind, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep. 2. The Council with the Munchkins She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and seve re that if Dorothy had not be en lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and notice d t hat the house was not moving; n or was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. She sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door. The little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her e yes growing big ger and bi gg er at the wonde rful sights she saw. The cyclone had set the house down very gently--for a cyclone--in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bea ring rich and lu scious fr ui ts. Banks of gor geous flowers were on every h a nd, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between gr een banks, and m urmurin g i n a voice very gratefu l to a little girl who ha d lived so long on the dry, gray prairies. While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest p eo pl e she had e ver seen. T hey were not as big as the g rown folk she had al ways been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, t hey seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for h e r ag e, al th o u gh the y were, so far as looks go, m any years o ld er . Three wer e me n and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with li ttl e bell s around the brims that tinkle d sw eetly as the y moved. The hats of the men were blue; the little wo man's hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulde r s. Ov er it w ere sprinkled little stars that glist e ned i n th e s u n like dia monds. The men were dressed in b lue, of the same shade as their hats, and wo re well-polished boots with a deep roll o f bl ue at th e t op s. The men, Dorothy thought, were abou t as ol d as Un cle H enry , for two of them had beards. Bu t the little woman was doubtless much older. He r face was covered with wrinkles, her hair w as n ea r ly wh ite , an d she walked rather stiffly. When the s e peop le drew nea r th e hous e where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among the msel ves, as if afraid to come farther. But the lit t le old woma n w alked up to Dorothy, made a low bow an d said, in a s w eet voic e: "You are welcome, most no ble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to y ou for having killed the Wicked Witch of t h e E ast, a n d for setting our p eople free from bondage." Dorothy listened to th i s spe ech with wonder. What co uld the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, an d saying she had killed the Wicked Wit ch of th e East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who h a d b een carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and sh e had never killed anything in all her life. But the little woman evidently expecte d he r to answer ; so Dorothy said, w ith hesitation, "You are very kin d, but t here must be som e mistak e. I have not killed anything." " Your house did, anyway," replied the litt le old woman, with a laugh, "and that is the sa me thing. Se e!" she contin ued, pointing to the corner of t he hou se. "There are her two

feet, still sticking out from und er a block of wood." Dorothy looked, and ga ve a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the c orne r of the great b eam the house rested on, two feet were stick ing ou t, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes. " Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping h er hands together in dismay. "The house must have fall en o n her. Whate ver shal l we do?" "There is nothing to b e do ne," said t he little woma

n calmly. "But who was she?" a sked Dorothy. "She was the Wicked Witch of th e East, as I said," answe red the l i ttle wo man. "She h as held al l the Munchkins in bondage for man y years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for t he favor." "Who are the Munch ki n s?" in quired Dorothy. "They are t he people who live in this land of the E a st where the Wicked

Witch ruled." "Are you a Mun chkin?" asked Dorothy. "No, but I am their friend , although I live in the land of th e N orth. When they saw the Witch of th e East was dead the Munchkins sent a swi ft m essenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North." "Oh, gracious!" cried Dorot hy. "Are you a real witch?" "Yes, i n deed," answe red the littl e w o man. "But I am a good w itch, and the people love me. I am not as po werful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself." "But I thought all witches were wicked," sa id the girl, who was h alf frightened at fa cing a real witch. "Oh , no, that is a great mistake. There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz, and two of the m, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I know this is true, for I am one of them m y self, and cannot be mistaken. T hose who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you hav e killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Wit ch in all the Land of Oz--the one who lives in the West." "B ut, " said D oro t hy , after a moment's thought, "Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead--years and y ears ago." "Who is Aunt Em?" inquired the little o ld woman. "She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I cam e from." The Witch o f the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Th en she looked up and said, "I do not know where Kansas is, fo r I have never heard that country mentioned bef ore. But tell me, is it a civilized country?" "Oh, yes," replied Dorothy. "Then that account s for it. In the civilized countri es I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceress es, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz h as never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witc hes and wizards am ongst us." "Who are the wizards?" a sked Doroth y. "Oz himself is the G reat Wizard," answered the Witch, sinking her voice t o a whisper. "He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City o f Emeralds." Dorothy was going to ask another q uestion, but just then the M unchkins, wh o had been standing silently by, gave a l o ud shout a nd pointed to the corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying. "What is it?" asked the little old woma n, and looke d, and began t o laugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared en tirely, and not hi ng was left but the silver shoes. "She was so old," explained the Witch of the North, "that she dried up qu ickly in the sun . That is the end of her. But the sil ver shoes are yours, and you shall h ave them to we ar. " She reached down and picked up the shoes, an d after shaking the dust out of them handed them to Dorothy. "The Witch of the East wa s proud of those silver shoes," sa id one of the Munchkins, "and there is some charm connected w ith t hem; but what it is we never knew." D orothy carried the shoes into the house and placed them o n the table. Then she cam e out again to t he Munchkins and said: "I am anxious to get back to m y aunt and uncle, for I am sur e they will worry about me. Can you help me find my w ay?" The Munchkins and the Witch first looked at one another, an d then at Dorothy , and then shook their heads. "At the East, not far from here," said one, "there is a great desert, a n d none could live to cross it." "It is the same at the South," said another, "for I have been there and seen it. T he South is the country of th e Qua dlings." "I am told," said the third man, "that it is the same at the West. And that country , where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West, who would make you her slave if you passed her way." "The North is m y ho m e," said the old lady, "and at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this Land of Oz. I'm afraid, my dear, you will have to live with us." Dorothy began t o sob at this, for she felt lonely among al l these str ange people. H er tears s eemed to grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchie fs and began to weep also. As for the little old woman, she took off her c ap and balanced the point on the end of her nos e, whil e she co unted "One, tw o, three" in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks: "LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS" The little old woman took the slate from h er nose, a nd ha ving read the words on it, a sked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?" "Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears. "Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you." " Where is this city?" asked Dor othy. "It is e xactly in th e center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I tol d you of." "Is he a good man?" inquired the girl anxiously. "He is a good Wizard. W hether he is a man or not I cannot tell, for I have never seen him." "How can I get there?" asked Dorothy. "You must walk. It is a long journey, thro ug h a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep yo u from harm." "Won't you go wi th m e?" pleaded the girl, wh o had begun to look upon the little old wom an as her only friend. "No , I cannot do that," she replied, "but I will give you my kiss, and no one will da re injure a person who has been kiss ed by the Witch of t he North." She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. Where her lips to uched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as Doroth y found ou t soon after. "T he road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow bric k," said the Witch, "so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, but tell yo ur story an d ask him to help yo u. Good-b ye, my dear." The three Munchkins bowed low to her and w ished her a pleasant journey, after which they walked away through th e trees. Th e Witch gave Doroth y a fr iendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three tim es, and straightway disappeared, muc h to the surprise of little

Toto, who barked after her loud ly en ough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she stood by. But Dorothy, kn owing her to be a witch, had ex pected her to disappe ar in just that way, and was not surprised in the least. 3. How Dorothy Saved the Sc ar ecrow When Dorothy was left alo ne she began to f

eel hungry . So she went to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter. She gave so me to Toto, an d taking a pail from the shelf she carried i t down to the little brook and fille d it with cl ear, sparkling wate r. Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there . Dorothy went to get him, and sa w such delicious fruit hanging from the branches t hat she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her bre akf ast. Then she went back to the house, and having helped hers elf and Toto to a good drink of the cool, clear water, s he set abou t making ready for the journe y to the City of Emeralds. Dorothy had only one other dr ess, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a peg be side her bed. It was gi ngham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat f aded with m any washings, it was still a pre tty frock. The girl washed herself care fully, dressed herself in t he clean gin gha m, and tied her pink sunbonn et on her head. She took a little basket and fille d it with bread fr om the cupboard, laying a wh ite cloth over th e top. Then she l ooked down at her feet and notic ed how old and worn her sh oes were. "They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto, " she said. And Toto looked u p into her face wi th his little bla ck eyes and wagged hi s tail to show he knew what s he meant. At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table t he s ilver shoes that had belon ged to the Wi tch of the East. "I won der i f they will fit m e," she said to Toto. "They would b e just th e thing t o take a long walk in, for they could not wear o ut." She took off her ol

d lea ther sho es and tried on the silver ones, w hich fitte d her as well as if they had been made for her. F inally she pic ked up her bask e t. "Come along, Toto," she said. " We will go to the Emerald City and ask t he Great Oz how to get ba ck to Kansas again." She c losed the do or, locked it, an d put the key carefully in t he pocket of her dre

ss. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behi nd her, sh e started on her journey. There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to find the one paved with yellow bri cks. Within a short time she was walking briskly toward the Emeral d City, her silver shoes tinkl ing merrily on the hard, yellow road-bed. The sun shone bright and the bir ds sang sweetly, and Dorothy did not feel nearly so

bad as you might thin k a little girl woul d who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in th e midst of a strange land. S he was surprised, as she walked alon g, to see how pretty the country was a bout her. There were neat f ences at the si des of the ro ad, painted a dainty blue color, and beyon d them were fields of grain and vegetable s in abundance . Evidently the Munc hkins were go

od farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a ho use, an d the people came out to look at her an d bow low as she went by; for everyon e knew she h ad been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from bondage. The houses of the Mu nchkins w e re odd-looking dwellings, for each w as r ound, with a big dome for a r oof. All were pai nted blue, for in t his countr

y of the E ast blue w as the favorite color. Toward evening, when Dorothy w as tired wit h her long walk and began to won der whe re she should pass the nig ht, she cam e to a house rather larger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and w omen wer e dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly a s p ossi ble, and the people were laughing an d singing, w hile a bi g table

near by w as loaded with delicious fr uits and nuts, pies and cak es, and m any other g ood thin gs to eat. The people greet ed Dorothy kindly, and invited her to s upper and t o pa ss the night with t hem; for th is was the hom e of one of the richest Mun chkins in the land, a nd his friends were gathered with h i m to c el ebrate their free dom from the bo ndage of the Wicked Wit

ch. Dorot hy ate a hearty supper and wa s waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself, w hose name was Boq. Then she s at upo n a settee and watch e d the people dance. When Boq sa w her silve r shoes he s aid, "You must be a great sor ceress." "Why?" asked th e girl. "Be cause yo u wear silver sho es and ha ve k i l led the Wicked Witch. Besides, you have white in your fr ock, and only witches an d sorceresses wear white." " My dress is blue and white checked, " said D orothy, smoothing out the w ri nkles in it. "It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. " Blue is the color of the Mun chkins, and white is the witch color. So we know you are a friendl y witch." Dor othy did not know wh at t o say to th is, for all th e people seemed to think her a witch, and she knew v

ery well she was only an ordinary littl e girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone int o a strange land. W hen she h ad tire d watching t he dancing, Boq led her into the house, where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were made of blue cloth, and Doro thy slept soundly in th em t ill mo r nin g, with To t o curled up on the blue rug beside her. She ate a hearty b

reakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who played wit h Toto and pulled hi s t ail and c rowed a n d laug hed in a way that greatl y amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity to all the peo ple, for the y had never seen a dog befor e. "How far i s it t o the Emer ald City?" th e girl asked. "I do not know," answ

ered Boq gravely, "for I h ave never been the re. It is be tter for p eo ple to keep awa y from Oz, unl ess they have b usiness with him. But it is a long way to the Emerald Cit y, and it will take y ou man y da ys. The c ountr y her e is rich and pleasant, but you must pas s through ro ugh and dangerous

p laces before you reach the end of your journey." This w orried Do rothy a little, b ut s he kne w tha t o nly the G re at Oz could h elp her ge t to Kansas again , so she bra vely resolved not to turn back. She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of yello w brick. When she had gon e sev eral mil es she thought sh e w ould stop to rest, and s o climbed to the t op of the fe nce beside the road and sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far aw ay she sa w a Scarecrow, plac ed hig h on a p ole to k eep the bird s fr om the ripe corn. Dorothy l eaned her chin up on her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow . Its head was a small sack stuffed wit h straw, with eye s, nose, a nd mouth painted on it to repre sent a f ace. A n old, pointe d blue hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perche d on his head, and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded, which had a lso been stuf fed with straw. On t he f eet were s o me old bo ots with blue t ops, such as every man wore in this country, and the figure was rais ed above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its back. While Dorothy was look ing earne stly into the queer, pain ted fac e of the Sc arecrow, sh e was surpr ised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her. She thought she must have been mistaken at first, for none of the scarecrow s in Kansas ever wink; b ut p resently the figure n o dd ed its h ead to her in a friendly way. Then she climbed dow n from the fence and walked up to it, while Toto ran around the p ole and barked. "Good day," said th e Scarecrow, in a rather hus ky voice. "Did you speak ?" asked th e girl , in wonder. "Certainly," answer ed the Sc arecrow. "How do you do?" "I'm pretty well, thank you," replied Dorothy politely. "How do you do?" "I'm not feeling w ell," sa id th e Scarecrow, with a smile , "for it is ve ry ted i ous being perched up here night and day to scare away crows." "Can't you get down?" asked Dorothy. "No , for this pole is stuck up my back. If you will please t ake away the pole I shall be greatly oblig ed to you." Do r oth y reached up both arms and lifted the figure o ff the pole, for, being stuffe d with straw, it was q uite light. "T hank you very much," said the Scarecrow, when he h ad been set d own on the ground. "I feel li k e a n ew man." Dor othy was puzzled at th is, for it sounded qu eer to hear a stuffed man spe ak, and to s ee him bow an d walk along beside her. "Who are you ?" asked the Sc arecrow when he had str etched hi mself and y awned. " And wher e are you goin g?" "My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I a m going to the Emerald City, to ask the Grea t Oz to s end me back to Kansas." "Where is th e Em era ld City?" he i nquired . "And w ho is Oz?" "Wh y, don't you know?" she returned, in surprise. " No, indeed. I do n't know anything. You see, I am stuf fed, so I have no brains at all," he answ ered sadly. "Oh," s aid Do rothy, "I'm aw fully sorry for you." "Do you think," he asked, "if I go to the E merald City with you, that Oz w ould give me some brains?" "I cannot t ell," she returned, "but you may co me with me, if you like. If Oz will not giv e you any br ains you will be no wors e off than you are now." "That is tru e," said the Scarecrow. "You s ee," he continued confidentiall y, "I do n't mind my legs and a rms and body being stuffed, because I canno t get hurt. If any one tre ads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn't matter, for I can't feel it. But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my hea d stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to kno w any thing?" "I understand how you f eel," said t he little girl, who was t ruly sorry for him. "If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he c an for you." "Thank you," he answered gratefully. They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence, and they started al ong the pa th of yellow brick for t he Emerald City. Toto did not l ike this ad dition to the p arty at f irst. He s melled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats in the straw, and he ofte n growle d in an unfriendly way at the Scarecrow. "Don't mi nd Toto," said Dorothy to her n ew friend. "He nev er bites ." "Oh, I'm not afraid," replied the Scarec row. "He ca n't hurt the straw. Do let me carry that basket for y ou. I sha ll not mind it, for I can't get t ired. I'll tell you a secret, " he continued, as he walked along. "There is only one thin g in the wo rld I am afraid of." "Wh at is that?" asked Dorothy; "the Munchkin farme r who made you?" " No," answered the S carecrow; "it's a lighted match." 4. The Road Through th e Forest After a few hours t he road began to b e ro ugh, and the w alking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow often stumble d over the yellow bri cks, which were here very uneve n. Sometimes, indeed, t hey were brok en or missing altogether, leaving holes t hat Toto ju mped across and Do rothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brain s, he walked straigh t ahead, and so stepped into the h oles and fell at full lengt h on th e hard bricks. It never hu r t him, how ever, an d Dorothy would pic k h im up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughin g merrily at his own mishap. The farms were not nearly so well cared for here a s they were farther back. There were fewe r house s and fewer fruit tree s, and the farther they went the more dismal and lo nesome the cou ntry became. At noon they sa t down by th e roadside, near a little brook, and Dorothy opened her bask et and got out som e bread. She offe red a piece to the Scarecrow, but he refused. "I am nev er hu ngry," he said, "and it is a lucky t hing I am not, for

my mouth is only painted, and if I should c ut a hole in it so I co uld eat, the str aw I am stuffed with would come out, and that wo uld sp oil the shape of my head." Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded a nd went o n eating her bread. "Tell me something about yourself and t he count ry yo u came from," said the Scarecrow, when she had finis

hed he r dinner. So she told him all about Kansas, and how gray ever ything was there, and how the cyclone ha d carried her to t his queer Land of Oz. The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "I cann ot understand why you should wish to leave this beautif ul countr y a nd go ba ck to the dry, gray place you c all Kansas." "That is because you have no brains" answered the girl

. "No matter how dreary and gray o ur homes are, we people of flesh and blood w ould r ather live th ere than in a ny other country, be it ever so beautiful. Th ere is no place like home." The Scarecrow sighed. "Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads were stuf fed with str aw, like mine, you would p robably all live in th e beautiful p laces, and then Kan sas would have no people at all.

It is fortunate for Kansas t hat you have bra ins." "Won't you tell me a story, while we are res ting?" asked the child. Th e Scarec row looke d at her re proachfully , and answered: "My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the wor ld before that time is all u nknown to me. Luckily, w hen the far mer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was g oing on. There was a nother Munchki n with him, and the first thing I h eard was the farmer sayin g, `How do you like those ears?' "`They aren't straight,'" ans wered the other. "`Never mind,'" said the far mer. "`They are ea rs just the same,' " which was true enough. "` Now I'll m ake the eyes,'" said t h e farmer. So he painted my right eye, and as soo n as it was fin ished I found myself looking at him and at e verything around me with a gre at deal of curiosity, for this was my first glimpse of the world. "`That's a rath er pretty eye,'" remarked the Munchkin who was watchi ng the farmer. "`Blue paint is just the color for eyes.' "`I think I'll make the other a little bigge r,'" said the farmer. And when the sec ond eye was done I could see much better than bef ore. Then he made my nose an d my mouth. But I did n ot speak, because at that time I didn't know w hat a mouth was for. I had the f un of watc hing them make my bo dy and my arms and legs; a nd when they fas tened on my head, a t last, I felt very proud, for I thought I was just as good a man as anyone. "`This fellow will scare the crow s fast enough,' sa id the farmer. `H e looks just like a man.' "`Why, he is a man,' said th e other, and I quite agreed with him. The farmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on a tall stick, where you found me. He and his f riend soon after walked away and left me alone. "I did not like to be de serted this way. So I tried to walk after them. But my f eet would not touch the ground, and I was forced to stay on that pole. It w as a lo nely life to lead, f or I had noth ing to think of, having been made s uch a little while befor e. Many crows and other birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they fle w away again, thinking I was a Munchkin; an d this pleased me and made me fe el that I was quite an important person. By and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulder and sai d: "`I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me i n this clumsy manner. Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.' Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. The other birds, seeing h e was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn too, s o in a short time there was a g reat flock of them abou t me. "I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying , `If you o nly had brains in your head you wo uld be as go od a man as any o

f them, and a better man th an some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.' " After the c rows had gone I thought this over, and decided I w ould try hard to get s ome brains. By good luck you came along and pulled me off the stake, and from w hat you say I am sure the Great Oz will give m e brains as s oon as we get to the Emerald City. " "I hope so," said Dor othy earnestly, "since you seem anxious to have them." "Oh, yes; I am anxio us," returne d the S carecrow. "It is su ch an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a foo l." "Well," said the girl, "let us go." A nd she handed the basket to t he Scarecrow. There we re no fences at all by the roadside now, and the lan d was rough and untilled. Toward eve ning they came t o a great forest, where the trees g

rew so big and close together th at their branches m et over the road of yell ow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shu t out the daylight; but the travelers did not stop, and went on into the forest. "If this road goes in, it must come out," said the Scarec row, "and as the Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us." "Anyone would know t

hat," said Dorothy. "Certainly; th at is why I k now it," returned the Scarecrow. "If it required brains to figure it out, I never should have said it." Afte r an hour or so the light fad ed away, and they found th emselves stumbling along in the darkn ess. Dorothy could not see at all, but Toto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and the Sc arecrow declared he co uld see as well as b y d

a y. So she took h old of his arm and man ag ed to get along fairly well. "If you see any house, or any place wh ere we can pass the night," sh e said, "you must t ell me; for it is ver y unco mfortable walking in the dark." Soon after the Scarecrow stopped. "I see a li ttle cottage at the right of us," he said, "built of logs and br anches. Shall w e go there?" "Yes, indeed ," answered the child. "I am all tired out." So th e Scarecrow led her through the tr ees until they reached the cottage , and Dorothy entered a nd found a b ed of dried leaves i n one co rner. She lay down at once, and with Toto beside he r soon fell into a sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, s tood up in anothe r corner and wai ted patiently until morning ca me. 5. The Rescue of the Tin Wo odman When Dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and Toto had long been out chasing b irds around h im a nd squirrels. She s at up and loo ked around her. Scarecrow, still stan ding patiently in his c orner, waiting for her. "We must go and search for water," she said to h im. "Why d o you want water?" he asked. "To wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so the dry bread will not stick in m y throat." "It must be inconvenient to be made of fles h," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully, "fo r you must sleep, an d eat a nd drink. H owever, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to thin k properly ." They left the cottage and wal ked through the trees until they found a little spring of clear water, whe re Dorothy dr ank and bathed and ate her breakfast. She saw ther e was not much br e ad left in the bas ket, and the girl was thankful the Scarecr ow did not have to eat anyth ing, for there wa s scarcely e nough for herself and Toto for th e day. When she had finis hed her meal, an d was about to go back to the road of yello w brick, she was startled to hear a deep gro an near by. "What was that?" she asked timidly. "I cannot imagine," repl ied the Scarecrow; "but we can go an d see." Just then another groan reached the ir ears, and the soun d seemed to come from behind the m. They turned and walk ed through the forest a few steps, whe n Dorothy discovered something shin ing in a ray of sunshine t hat fell between the trees. She ran t o the place and then stopp ed short, w ith a little cry of sur prise. One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. Hi s head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, b ut he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could n ot stir at all. Dorothy l ooked a t him in amazement, and so did th e Scarecro w, while Tot o barked sharply and mad e a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his t eeth . "Did you groan?" asked Do rothy. "Yes," ans wered the tin man, "I did. I've been g roaning for more than a ye ar, and no one has ever heard me befor e or come to help me." "W hat can I do for you?" she inquired softly , for she was moved by the sad voice in w hich the man spoke. "Get an oil-can and oil my joints," he answere d. "They are rusted so b adly that I cannot m ove them at all; if I am well oile d I shall soon be all right ag ain. You will find an oil-can o n a shelf in my cottage." Dorot hy at once ran back to the c ottage and found the oil-can, and then she returned and asked anxiously, "Where a re yo ur joints?" "Oil my neck, first," replied the Tin Woo dman. S o she oiled it, and as it was quite badly rus ted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin hea d and moved it gently fro m side to side u ntil it worked freely, and th en the man could turn it himself. "Now oil t he joints in my arms," he said. And Doroth y oiled them and th e Scare crow bent them car efully until they w ere quite free from ru st and as go od as new. The Tin Woodman g ave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he lean ed again st the tree. "This is a great comfort," he s aid. "I have been hold ing that a xe in the air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be able to put it d own at last. Now, if you will o il the joints of my leg s, I shall be all right once more." So they oiled h is legs unti l he could mo ve them freely; and he thanked them again and again for his release , for he seemed a very polite creature, and very gr ateful. "I might have st ood there alwa ys if y ou had not come along," he said ; "so you have cert ainly saved my life. Ho w did you happen to be here?" "We are on our way to t he Emerald City to see the Great Oz," s he answered, "and we s topped at your

cottage to pass th e night." "Why do you w ish to see Oz?" he asked. "I wan t him to send me back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants him to put a few brains in to his head," she replied. The Tin Woodman appeared to th ink deeply for a mo

ment. Then he sai d: "Do you suppose Oz co uld give me a heart?" "Why, I guess so," Dorothy answered . "It would be as easy as to give the Scarecrow br ains." "True," the Tin Woodman returned. "S o, if you will allow me to join your party , I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help m e." "Come along, " said the Scarecrow heartily , and Dorothy added that she would be pleased to have his c ompany. So the T in Woodman shouldered his a xe and they all passed through the forest until they came to the ro ad that was pave d with yellow brick. The Tin Woo dman had asked Dorothy to put t he oil-can in her basket. "For," he said, "if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, I would need the oil-can badly." It was a bit of good luck to have their new comr ade join the par ty, for soon after they had begun th eir journey again they came to a plac e where the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that the travelers could not pass. But the T in Woodman set to work with his axe a nd chopped so well that soon he cl eared a passage for the entire party. D orothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did not notice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to the side of the road. Indeed h e was obliged to call to her to help him up ag ain. "Why didn't you walk around the hole?" a sked the Tin Woodman. "I don't kno w enough," replied the Scarecrow cheerfully. "My hea d is stuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to ask him for some brains." "Oh, I see," said the Tin Woodman. "But, after all, brains are not the best things in the world." "Have y ou any?" inquired the Scarecrow. "No, my head is quite empty, " answered the Woodman. "But once I had brains, and a heart al so; so, having tried them both, I sho uld much rather have a heart." "And why is that?" asked the Scare crow. "I will tell you my story, and then you will know." So, while they were walking through the forest, the Tin Woodman told the followi ng story: "I was born the son of a wo odman w