The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Page 3

  Chapter III

  How Dorothy saved the Scarecrow.

  When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So she wentto the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread withbutter. She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from the shelfshe carried it down to the little brook and filled it with clear,sparkling water. Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at thebirds sitting there. Dorothy went to get him, and saw such deliciousfruit hanging from the branches that she gathered some of it, findingit just what she wanted to help out her breakfast.

  Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Tototo a good drink of the cool, clear water, she set about making readyfor the journey to the City of Emeralds.

  Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean andwas hanging on a peg beside her bed. It was gingham, with checksof white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded withmany washings, it was still a pretty frock. The girl washed herselfcarefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pinksunbonnet on her head. She took a little basket and filled it withbread from the cupboard, laying a white cloth over the top. Then shelooked down at her feet and noticed how old and worn her shoes were.

  "They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto," she said. AndToto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and waggedhis tail to show he knew what she meant.

  At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes thathad belonged to the Witch of the East.

  "I wonder if they will fit me," she said to Toto. "They would be justthe thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out."

  She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones,which fitted her as well as if they had been made for her.

  Finally she picked up her basket.

  "Come along, Toto," she said, "we will go to the Emerald City and askthe great Oz how to get back to Kansas again."

  She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in thepocket of her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behindher, she started on her journey.

  There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long tofind the one paved with yellow brick. Within a short time she waswalking briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes tinklingmerrily on the hard, yellow roadbed. The sun shone bright and thebirds sang sweet and Dorothy did not feel nearly as bad as you mightthink a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from herown country and set down in the midst of a strange land.

  She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the countrywas about her. There were neat fences at the sides of the road,painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain andvegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good farmersand able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass ahouse, and the people came out to look at her and bow low as shewent by; for everyone knew she had been the means of destroying thewicked witch and setting them free from bondage. The houses of theMunchkins were odd looking dwellings, for each was round, with a bigdome for a roof. All were painted blue, for in this country of theEast blue was the favorite color.

  Towards evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and beganto wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house ratherlarger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and womenwere dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible andthe people were laughing and singing, while a big table near by wasloaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many othergood things to eat.

  The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and topass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richestMunchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him tocelebrate their freedom from the bondage of the wicked witch.

  Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkinhimself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat down upon a settee andwatched the people dance.

  When Boq saw her silver shoes he said,

  "You must be a great sorceress."

  "Why?" asked the girl.

  "Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the wicked witch.Besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches andsorceresses wear white."

  "_You must be a great sorceress._"]

  "My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out thewrinkles in it.

  "It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color ofthe Munchkins, and white is the witch color; so we know you are afriendly witch."

  Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemedto think her a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinarylittle girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.

  When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her into the house,where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets weremade of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning,with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.

  She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, whoplayed with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a waythat greatly amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity to all thepeople, for they had never seen a dog before.

  "How far is it to the Emerald City?" the girl asked.

  "I do not know," answered Boq, gravely, "for I have never been there.It is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless they havebusiness with him. But it is a long way to the Emerald City, and itwill take you many days. The country here is rich and pleasant, butyou must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach theend of your journey."

  This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the great Ozcould help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not toturn back.

  She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road ofyellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought she wouldstop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the roadand sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and notfar away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birdsfrom the ripe corn.

  Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at theScarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes,nose and mouth painted on it to represent a face. An old, pointedblue hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on thishead, and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn andfaded, which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were someold boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, andthe figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the polestuck up its back.

  "_Dorothy gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow._"]

  While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face ofthe Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly winkat her. She thought she must have been mistaken, at first, for none ofthe scarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently the figure nodded itshead to her in a friendly way. Then she climbed down from the fence andwalked up to it, while Toto ran around the pole and barked.

  "Good day," said the Scarecrow, in a rather husky voice.

  "Did you speak?" asked the girl, in wonder.

  "Certainly," answered the Scarecrow; "how do you do?"

  "I'm pretty well, thank you," replied Dorothy, politely; "how do youdo?"

  "I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, with a smile, "for it isvery tedious 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 take awaythe pole I shall be greatly obliged to you."

  Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole; for,being stuffed with straw, it was quite light.

  "Thank you very much," said the Scarecrow, when he had been set downon the ground. "I feel like a new man."

  Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffedman speak, and to see
him bow and walk along beside her.

  "Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow, when he had stretched himself andyawned, "and where are you going?"

  "My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to the EmeraldCity, to ask the great Oz to send me back to Kansas."

  "Where is the Emerald City?" he enquired; "and who is Oz?"

  "Why, don't you know?" she returned, in surprise.

  "No, indeed; I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I haveno brains at all," he answered, sadly.

  "Oh," said Dorothy; "I'm awfully sorry for you."

  "Do you think," he asked, "If I go to the Emerald City with you, thatthe great Oz would give me some brains?"

  "I cannot tell," she returned; "but you may come with me, if youlike. If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse offthan you are now."

  "That is true," said the Scarecrow. "You see," he continued,confidentially, "I don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed,because I cannot get hurt. If anyone treads on my toes or sticks apin into me, it doesn't matter, for I cant feel it. But I do not wantpeople to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with strawinstead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything?"

  "I understand how you feel," said the little girl, who was trulysorry for him. "If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he canfor you."

  "Thank you," he answered, gratefully.

  They walked back to the road, Dorothy helped him over the fence, andthey started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City.

  Toto did not like this addition to the party, at first. He smelledaround the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest ofrats in the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at theScarecrow.

  "Don't mind Toto," said Dorothy, to her new friend; "he never bites."

  "Oh, I'm not afraid," replied the Scarecrow, "he can't hurt thestraw. Do let me carry that basket for you. I shall not mind it,for I can't get tired. I'll tell you a secret," he continued, as hewalked along; "there is only one thing in the world I am afraid of."

  "What is that?" asked Dorothy; "the Munchkin farmer who made you?"

  "No," answered the Scarecrow; "it's a lighted match."