When Dorothy was left alone
she began to feel hungry. So
she went to the cupboard and
cut herself some bread, which
she spread with butter. She gave
some to Toto, and taking a pail
from the shelf she 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 the birds
sitting there. Dorothy went to
get him, and saw such delicious
fruit hanging from the branches
that she gathered some of it,
finding it just what she wanted
to help out her breakfast.
Then she went back to the house,
and having helped herself and
Toto to a good drink of the cool,
clear water, she set about making
ready for the journey to the
City of Emeralds.
Dorothy had only one other
dress, but that happened to be
clean and was hanging on a peg
beside her bed. It was gingham,
with checks of white and blue;
and although the blue was somewhat
faded with many washings, it
was still a pretty frock. The
girl washed herself carefully,
dressed herself in the clean
gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet
on her head. She took a little
basket and filled it with bread
from the cupboard, laying a white
cloth over the top. Then she
looked 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. And Toto looked up into
her face with his little black
eyes and wagged his tail to show
he knew what she meant.
At that moment Dorothy saw
lying on the table the silver
shoes that had belonged to the
Witch of the East.
"I wonder if they will fit
me," she said to Toto. "They
would be just the 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
ask the Great Oz how to get back
to Kansas again."
She closed the door, locked
it, and put the key carefully
in the pocket of her dress. And
so, with Toto trotting along
soberly behind her, she started
on her journey.
There were several roads near
by, but it did not take her long
to find the one paved with yellow
bricks. Within a short time she
was walking briskly toward the
Emerald City, her silver shoes
tinkling merrily on the hard,
yellow road-bed. The sun shone
bright and the birds sang sweetly,
and Dorothy did not feel nearly
so bad as you might think a little
girl would who had been suddenly
whisked away from her own country
and set down in the midst of
a strange land.
She was surprised, as she walked
along, to see how pretty the
country was about her. There
were neat fences at the sides
of the road, painted a dainty
blue color, and beyond them were
fields of grain and vegetables
in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins
were good farmers and able to
raise large crops. Once in a
while she would pass a house,
and the people came out to look
at her and bow low as she went
by; for everyone knew she had
been the means of destroying
the Wicked Witch and setting
them free from bondage. The houses
of the Munchkins were odd-looking
dwellings, for each was round,
with a big dome for a roof. All
were painted blue, for in this
country of the East blue was
the favorite color.
Toward evening, when Dorothy
was tired with her long walk
and began to wonder where she
should pass the night, she came
to a house rather larger than
the rest. On the green lawn before
it many men and women were dancing.
Five little fiddlers played as
loudly as possible, and the people
were laughing and singing, while
a big table near by was loaded
with delicious fruits and nuts,
pies and cakes, and many other
good things to eat.
The people greeted Dorothy
kindly, and invited her to supper
and to pass the night with them;
for this was the home of one
of the richest Munchkins in the
land, and his friends were gathered
with him to celebrate their freedom
from the bondage of the Wicked
Witch.
Dorothy ate a hearty supper
and was waited upon by the rich
Munchkin himself, whose name
was Boq. Then she sat upon a
settee and watched 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 and sorceresses
wear white."
"My dress is blue and white
checked," said Dorothy, smoothing
out the wrinkles in it.
"It is kind of you to wear
that," said Boq. "Blue is the
color of the Munchkins, and white
is the witch color. So we know
you are a friendly witch."
Dorothy did not know what to
say to this, for all the people
seemed to think her a witch,
and she knew very well she was
only an ordinary little 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 were made 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,
who played with Toto and pulled
his tail and crowed and laughed
in a way that greatly amused
Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity
to all the people, 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 have business with him.
But it is a long way to the Emerald
City, and it will take you many
days. The country here is rich
and pleasant, but you must pass
through rough and dangerous places
before you reach the end of your
journey."
This worried Dorothy a little,
but she knew that only the Great
Oz could help her get to Kansas
again, so she bravely resolved
not to turn back.
She bade her friends good-bye,
and again started along the road
of yellow brick. When she had
gone several miles she thought
she would stop to rest, and so
climbed to the top of the fence
beside the road and sat down.
There was a great cornfield beyond
the fence, and not far away she
saw a Scarecrow, placed high
on a pole to keep the birds from
the ripe corn.
Dorothy leaned her chin upon
her hand and gazed thoughtfully
at the Scarecrow. Its head was
a small sack stuffed with straw,
with eyes, nose, and mouth painted
on it to represent a face. An
old, pointed blue hat, that had
belonged to some Munchkin, was
perched on his head, and the
rest of the figure was a blue
suit of clothes, worn and faded,
which had also been stuffed with
straw. On the feet were some
old boots with blue tops, such
as every man wore in this country,
and the figure was raised above
the stalks of corn by means of
the pole stuck up its back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly
into the queer, painted face
of the Scarecrow, she was surprised
to see one of the eyes slowly
wink at her. She thought she
must have been mistaken at first,
for none of the scarecrows in
Kansas ever wink; but presently
the figure nodded its head to
her in a friendly way. Then she
climbed down from the fence and
walked 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 you
do?"
"I'm not feeling well," said
the Scarecrow, with a smile, "for
it is very 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 away the 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 down on the ground. "I feel
like a new man."
Dorothy was puzzled at this,
for it sounded queer to hear
a stuffed man speak, and to see
him bow and walk along beside
her.
"Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow
when he had stretched himself
and yawned. "And where are you
going?"
"My name is Dorothy," said
the girl, "and I am going to
the Emerald City, to ask the
Great Oz to send me back to Kansas."
"Where is the Emerald City?" he
inquired. "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 have
no 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, that Oz would give me some
brains?"
"I cannot tell," she returned, "but
you may come with me, if you
like. If Oz will not give you
any brains you will be no worse
off than 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 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 head stays stuffed with
straw instead of with brains,
as yours is, how am I ever to
know anything?"
"I understand how you feel," said
the little girl, who was truly
sorry for him. "If you will come
with me I'll ask Oz to do all
he can for you."
"Thank you," he
answered gratefully.
They walked back to the road.
Dorothy helped him over the fence,
and they started along the path
of yellow brick for the Emerald
City.
Toto did not like this addition
to the party at first. He smelled
around the stuffed man as if
he suspected there might be a
nest of rats in the straw, and
he often growled in an unfriendly
way at the Scarecrow.
"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
the straw. 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 he walked 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."
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