In the Country
of the Gillikins, which is
at the North of the
Land of Oz, lived a youth called
Tip. There was more to his name
than that, for old Mombi often
declared that his whole name
was Tippetarius; but no one was
expected to say such a long word
when "Tip" would do just as well.
This boy remembered nothing
of his parents, for he had been
brought when quite young to be
reared by the old woman known
as Mombi, whose reputation, I
am sorry to say, was none of
the best. For the Gillikin people
had reason to suspect her of
indulging in magical arts, and
therefore hesitated to associate
with her.
Mombi was not exactly a Witch,
because the Good Witch who ruled
that part of the Land of Oz had
forbidden any other Witch to
exist in her dominions. So Tip's
guardian, however much she might
aspire to working magic, realized
it was unlawful to be more than
a Sorceress, or at most a Wizardess.
Tip was made to carry wood
from the forest, that the old
woman might boil her pot. He
also worked in the corn-fields,
hoeing and husking; and he fed
the pigs and milked the four-horned
cow that was Mombi's especial
pride.
But you must not suppose he
worked all the time, for he felt
that would be bad for him. When
sent to the forest Tip often
climbed trees for birds' eggs
or amused himself chasing the
fleet white rabbits or fishing
in the brooks with bent pins.
Then he would hastily gather
his armful of wood and carry
it home. And when he was supposed
to be working in the corn-fields,
and the tall stalks hid him from
Mombi's view, Tip would often
dig in the gopher holes, or if
the mood seized him -- lie upon
his back between the rows of
corn and take a nap. So, by taking
care not to exhaust his strength,
he grew as strong and rugged
as a boy may be.
Mombi's curious magic often
frightened her neighbors, and
they treated her shyly, yet respectfully,
because of her weird powers.
But Tip frankly hated her, and
took no pains to hide his feelings.
Indeed, he sometimes showed less
respect for the old woman than
he should have done, considering
she was his guardian.
There were
pumpkins in Mombi's corn-fields,
lying golden red
among the rows of green stalks;
and these had been planted and
carefully tended that the four-horned
cow might eat of them in the
winter time. But one day, after
the corn had all been cut and
stacked, and Tip was carrying
the pumpkins to the stable, he
took a notion to make a "Jack
Lantern" and try to give the
old woman a fright with it.
So he selected a fine, big
pumpkin -- one with a lustrous,
orange-red color -- and began
carving it. With the point of
his knife he made two round eyes,
a three-cornered nose, and been
considered strictly beautiful;
but it wore a smile so big and
broad, and was so Jolly in expression,
that even Tip laughed as he looked
admiringly at his work.
The child had
no playmates, so he did not
know that boys
often dig out the inside of a "pumpkin-jack," and
in the space thus made put a
lighted candle to render the
face more startling; but he conceived
an idea of his own that promised
to be quite as effective. He
decided to manufacture the form
of a man, who would wear this
pumpkin head, and to stand it
in a place where old Mombi would
meet it face to face.
"And then," said Tip to himself,
with a laugh, "she'll squeal
louder than the brown pig does
when I pull her tail, and shiver
with fright worse than I did
last year when I had the ague!"
He had plenty of time to accomplish
this task, for Mombi had gone
to a village -- to buy groceries,
she said -- and it was a journey
of at least two days.
So he took his axe to the forest,
and selected some stout, straight
saplings, which he cut down and
trimmed of all their twigs and
leaves. From these he would make
the arms, and legs, and feet
of his man. For the body he stripped
a sheet of thick bark from around
a big tree, and with much labor
fashioned it into a cylinder
of about the right size, pinning
the edges together with wooden
pegs. Then, whistling happily
as he worked, he carefully jointed
the limbs and fastened them to
the body with pegs whittled into
shape with his knife.
By the time this feat had been
accomplished it began to grow
dark, and Tip remembered he must
milk the cow and feed the pigs.
So he picked up his wooden man
and carried it back to the house
with him.
During the evening, by the
light of the fire in the kitchen,
Tip carefully rounded all the
edges of the joints and smoothed
the rough places in a neat and
workmanlike manner. Then he stood
the figure up against the wall
and admired it. It seemed remarkably
tall, even for a full-grown man;
but that was a good point in
a small boy's eyes, and Tip did
not object at all to the size
of his creation.
Next morning, when he looked
at his work again, Tip saw he
had forgotten to give the dummy
a neck, by means of which he
might fasten the pumpkinhead
to the body. So he went again
to the forest, which was not
far away, and chopped from a
tree several pieces of wood with
which to complete his work. When
he returned he fastened a cross-piece
to the upper end of the body,
making a hole through the center
to hold upright the neck. The
bit of wood which formed this
neck was also sharpened at the
upper end, and when all was ready
Tip put on the pumpkin head,
pressing it well down onto the
neck, and found that it fitted
very well. The head could be
turned to one side or the other,
as he pleased, and the hinges
of the arms and legs allowed
him to place the dummy in any
position he desired.
"Now, that," declared Tip,
proudly, "is really a very fine
man, and it ought to frighten
several screeches out of old
Mombi! But it would be much more
lifelike if it were properly
dressed."
To find clothing seemed no
easy task; but Tip boldly ransacked
the great chest in which Mombi
kept all her keepsakes and treasures,
and at the very bottom he discovered
some purple trousers, a red shirt
and a pink vest which was dotted
with white spots. These he carried
away to his man and succeeded,
although the garments did not
fit very well, in dressing the
creature in a jaunty fashion.
Some knit stockings belonging
to Mombi and a much worn pair
of his own shoes completed the
man's apparel, and Tip was so
delighted that he danced up and
down and laughed aloud in boyish
ecstacy.
"I must give him a name!" he
cried. "So good a man as this
must surely have a name. I believe," he
added, after a moment's thought, "I
will name the fellow 'Jack Pumpkinhead!'"
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