This amazing news had saddened
every heart and all were now
anxious to return to the Emerald
City and share Ozma's fate. So
they started without loss of
time, and as the road led past
the Scarecrow's new mansion they
determined to make a brief halt
there and confer with him.
"The Scarecrow is probably
the wisest man in all Oz," remarked
the Tin Woodman, when they had
started upon their journey. "His
brains are plentiful and of excellent
quality, and often he has told
me things I might never have
thought of myself. I must say
I rely a great deal upon the
Scarecrow's brains in this emergency."
The Tin Woodman rode on the
front seat of the wagon, where
Dorothy sat between him and the
Wizard.
"Has the Scarecrow heard of
Ozma's trouble?" asked the Captain
General.
"I do not know, sir," was
the reply.
"When I was a private," said
Omby Amby, "I was an excellent
army, as I fully proved in our
war against the Nomes. But now
there is not a single private
left in our army, since Ozma
made me the Captain General,
so there is no one to fight and
defend our lovely Ruler."
"True," said the Wizard. "The
present army is composed only
of officers, and the business
of an officer is to order his
men to fight. Since there are
no men there can be no fighting."
"Poor Ozma!" whispered Dorothy,
with tears in her sweet eyes. "It's
dreadful to think of all her
lovely fairy country being destroyed.
I wonder if we couldn't manage
to escape and get back to Kansas
by means of the Magic Belt? And
we might take Ozma with us and
all work hard to get money for
her, so she wouldn't be so VERY
lonely and unhappy about the
loss of her fairyland."
"Do you think there would be
any work for ME in Kansas?" asked
the Tin Woodman.
"If you are hollow, they might
use you in a canning factory," suggested
Uncle Henry. "But I can't see
the use of your working for a
living. You never eat or sleep
or need a new suit of clothes."
"I was not thinking of myself," replied
the Emperor, with dignity. "I
merely wondered if I could not
help to support Dorothy and Ozma."
As they indulged in these sad
plans for the future they journeyed
in sight of the Scarecrow's new
mansion, and even though filled
with care and worry over the
impending fate of Oz, Dorothy
couldn't help a feeling of wonder
at the sight she saw.
The Scarecrow's new house was
shaped like an immense ear of
corn. The rows of kernels were
made of solid gold, and the green
upon which the ear stood upright
was a mass of sparkling emeralds.
Upon the very top of the structure
was perched a figure representing
the Scarecrow himself, and upon
his extended arms, as well as
upon his head, were several crows
carved out of ebony and having
ruby eyes. You may imagine how
big this ear of corn was when
I tell you that a single gold
kernel formed a window, swinging
outward upon hinges, while a
row of four kernels opened to
make the front entrance. Inside
there were five stories, each
story being a single room.
The gardens around the mansion
consisted of cornfields, and
Dorothy acknowledged that the
place was in all respects a very
appropriate home for her good
friend the Scarecrow.
"He would have been very happy
here, I'm sure," she said, "if
only the Nome King had left us
alone. But if Oz is destroyed
of course this place will be
destroyed too."
"Yes," replied the Tin Woodman, "and
also my beautiful tin castle,
that has been my joy and pride."
"Jack Pumpkinhead's house will
go too," remarked the Wizard, "as
well as Professor Wogglebug's
Athletic College, and Ozma's
royal palace, and all our other
handsome buildings."
"Yes, Oz will indeed become
a desert when the Nome King gets
through with it," sighed Omby
Amby.
The Scarecrow came out to meet
them and gave them all a hearty
welcome.
"I hear you have decided always
to live in the Land of Oz, after
this," he said to Dorothy; "and
that will delight my heart, for
I have greatly disliked our frequent
partings. But why are you all
so downcast?"
"Have you heard the news?" asked
the Tin Woodman.
"No news to make me sad," replied
the Scarecrow.
Then Nick Chopper
told his friend of the Nome
King's tunnel,
and how the evil creatures of
the North had allied themselves
with the underground monarch
for the purpose of conquering
and destroying Oz. "Well," said
the Scarecrow, "it certainly
looks bad for Ozma, and all of
us. But I believe it is wrong
to worry over anything before
it happens. It is surely time
enough to be sad when our country
is despoiled and our people made
slaves. So let us not deprive
ourselves of the few happy hours
remaining to us."
"Ah! that is real wisdom," declared
the Shaggy Man, approvingly. "After
we become really unhappy we shall
regret these few hours that are
left to us, unless we enjoy them
to the utmost."
"Nevertheless," said the Scarecrow, "I
shall go with you to the Emerald
City and offer Ozma my services."
"She says we can do nothing
to oppose our enemies," announced
the Tin Woodman.
"And doubtless she is right,
sir," answered the Scarecrow. "Still,
she will appreciate our sympathy,
and it is the duty of Ozma's
friends to stand by her side
when the final disaster occurs."
He then led them into his queer
mansion and showed them the beautiful
rooms in all the five stories.
The lower room was a grand reception
hall, with a hand-organ in one
corner. This instrument the Scarecrow,
when alone, could turn to amuse
himself, as he was very fond
of music. The walls were hung
with white silk, upon which flocks
of black crows were embroidered
in black diamonds. Some of the
chairs were made in the shape
of big crows and upholstered
with cushions of corn-colored
silk.
The second story contained
a fine banquet room, where the
Scarecrow might entertain his
guests, and the three stories
above that were bed-chambers
exquisitely furnished and decorated.
"From these rooms," said the
Scarecrow, proudly, "one may
obtain fine views of the surrounding
cornfields. The corn I grow is
always husky, and I call the
ears my regiments, because they
have so many kernels. Of course
I cannot ride my cobs, but I
really don't care shucks about
that. Taken altogether, my farm
will stack up with any in the
neighborhood."
The visitors partook of some
light refreshment and then hurried
away to resume the road to the
Emerald City. The Scarecrow found
a seat in the wagon between Omby
Amby and the Shaggy Man, and
his weight did not add much to
the load because he was stuffed
with straw.
"You will notice I have one
oat-field on my property," he
remarked, as they drove away. "Oat-straw
is, I have found, the best of
all straws to re-stuff myself
with when my interior gets musty
or out of shape."
"Are you able to re-stuff yourself
without help?" asked Aunt Em. "I
should think that after the straw
was taken out of you there wouldn't
be anything left but your clothes."
"You are almost correct, madam," he
answered. "My servants do the
stuffing, under my direction.
For my head, in which are my
excellent brains, is a bag tied
at the bottom. My face is neatly
painted upon one side of the
bag, as you may see. My head
does not need re-stuffing, as
my body does, for all that it
requires is to have the face
touched up with fresh paint occasionally."
It was not far from the Scarecrow's
mansion to the farm of Jack Pumpkinhead,
and when they arrived there both
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em were
much impressed. The farm was
one vast pumpkin field, and some
of the pumpkins were of enormous
size. In one of them, which had
been neatly hollowed out, Jack
himself lived, and he declared
that it was a very comfortable
residence. The reason he grew
so many pumpkins was in order
that he might change his head
as often as it became wrinkled
or threatened to spoil.
The pumpkin-headed man welcomed
his visitors joyfully and offered
them several delicious pumpkin
pies to eat.
"I don't indulge in pumpkin
pies myself, for two reasons," he
said. "One reason is that were
I to eat pumpkins I would become
a cannibal, and the other reason
is that I never eat, not being
hollow inside."
"Very good reasons," agreed
the Scarecrow.
They told Jack Pumpkinhead
of the dreadful news about the
Nome King, and he decided to
go with them to the Emerald City
and help comfort Ozma.
"I had expected to live here
in ease and comfort for many
centuries," said Jack, dolefully; "but
of course if the Nome King destroys
everything in Oz I shall be destroyed
too. Really, it seems too bad,
doesn't it?"
They were soon on their journey
again, and so swiftly did the
Sawhorse draw the wagon over
the smooth roads that before
twilight fell they had reached
the royal palace in the Emerald
City, and were at their journey's
end.
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