Dorothy wept bitterly at the
passing of her hope to get home
to Kansas again; but when she
thought it all over she was glad
she had not gone up in a balloon.
And she also felt sorry at losing
Oz, and so did her companions.
The Tin Woodman came to her
and said:
"Truly I should
be ungrateful if I failed to
mourn for the
man who gave me my lovely heart.
I should like to cry a little
because Oz is gone, if you will
kindly wipe away my tears, so
that I shall not rust."
"With pleasure," she
answered, and brought a towel
at once.
Then the Tin Woodman wept for
several minutes, and she watched
the tears carefully and wiped
them away with the towel. When
he had finished, he thanked her
kindly and oiled himself thoroughly
with his jeweled oil-can, to
guard against mishap.
The Scarecrow
was now the ruler of the Emerald
City, and although
he was not a Wizard the people
were proud of him. "For," they
said, "there is not another city
in all the world that is ruled
by a stuffed man." And, so far
as they knew, they were quite
right.
The morning after the balloon
had gone up with Oz, the four
travelers met in the Throne Room
and talked matters over. The
Scarecrow sat in the big throne
and the others stood respectfully
before him.
"We are not so unlucky," said
the new ruler, "for this Palace
and the Emerald City belong to
us, and we can do just as we
please. When I remember that
a short time ago I was up on
a pole in a farmer's cornfield,
and that now I am the ruler of
this beautiful City, I am quite
satisfied with my lot."
"I also," said the Tin Woodman, "am
well-pleased with my new heart;
and, really, that was the only
thing I wished in all the world."
"For my part, I am content
in knowing I am as brave as any
beast that ever lived, if not
braver," said the Lion modestly.
"If Dorothy would only be contented
to live in the Emerald City," continued
the Scarecrow, "we might all
be happy together."
"But I don't want to live here," cried
Dorothy. "I want to go to Kansas,
and live with Aunt Em and Uncle
Henry."
"Well, then, what can be done?" inquired
the Woodman.
The Scarecrow decided to think,
and he thought so hard that the
pins and needles began to stick
out of his brains. Finally he
said:
"Why not call
the Winged Monkeys, and ask
them to carry you over
the desert?"
"I never thought of that!" said
Dorothy joyfully. "It's just
the thing. I'll go at once for
the Golden Cap."
When she brought it into the
Throne Room she spoke the magic
words, and soon the band of Winged
Monkeys flew in through the open
window and stood beside her.
"This is the second time you
have called us," said the Monkey
King, bowing before the little
girl. "What do you wish?"
"I want you to fly with me
to Kansas," said Dorothy.
But the Monkey King shook his
head.
"That cannot be done," he said. "We
belong to this country alone,
and cannot leave it. There has
never been a Winged Monkey in
Kansas yet, and I suppose there
never will be, for they don't
belong there. We shall be glad
to serve you in any way in our
power, but we cannot cross the
desert. Good-bye."
And with another bow, the Monkey
King spread his wings and flew
away through the window, followed
by all his band.
Dorothy was
ready to cry with disappointment. "I have wasted
the charm of the Golden Cap to
no purpose," she said, "for the
Winged Monkeys cannot help me."
"It is certainly too bad!" said
the tender-hearted Woodman.
The Scarecrow was thinking
again, and his head bulged out
so horribly that Dorothy feared
it would burst.
"Let us call in the soldier
with the green whiskers," he
said, "and ask his advice."
So the soldier was summoned
and entered the Throne Room timidly,
for while Oz was alive he never
was allowed to come farther than
the door.
"This little girl," said the
Scarecrow to the soldier, "wishes
to cross the desert. How can
she do so?"
"I cannot tell," answered the
soldier, "for nobody has ever
crossed the desert, unless it
is Oz himself."
"Is there no one who can help
me?" asked Dorothy earnestly.
"Glinda might," he
suggested.
"Who is Glinda?" inquired
the Scarecrow.
"The Witch
of the South. She is the most
powerful of all the
Witches, and rules over the Quadlings.
Besides, her castle stands on
the edge of the desert, so she
may know a way to cross it."
"Glinda is a Good Witch, isn't
she?" asked the child.
"The Quadlings think she is
good," said the soldier, "and
she is kind to everyone. I have
heard that Glinda is a beautiful
woman, who knows how to keep
young in spite of the many years
she has lived."
"How can I get to her castle?" asked
Dorothy.
"The road is straight to the
South," he answered, "but it
is said to be full of dangers
to travelers. There are wild
beasts in the woods, and a race
of queer men who do not like
strangers to cross their country.
For this reason none of the Quadlings
ever come to the Emerald City."
The soldier then left them
and the Scarecrow said:
"It seems,
in spite of dangers, that the
best thing Dorothy can
do is to travel to the Land of
the South and ask Glinda to help
her. For, of course, if Dorothy
stays here she will never get
back to Kansas."
"You must have been thinking
again," remarked the Tin Woodman.
"I have," said
the Scarecrow.
"I shall go with Dorothy," declared
the Lion, "for I am tired of
your city and long for the woods
and the country again. I am really
a wild beast, you know. Besides,
Dorothy will need someone to
protect her."
"That is true," agreed the
Woodman. "My axe may be of service
to her; so I also will go with
her to the Land of the South."
"When shall we start?" asked
the Scarecrow.
"Are you going?" they
asked, in surprise.
"Certainly.
If it wasn't for Dorothy I
should never have had
brains. She lifted me from the
pole in the cornfield and brought
me to the Emerald City. So my
good luck is all due to her,
and I shall never leave her until
she starts back to Kansas for
good and all."
"Thank you," said Dorothy gratefully. "You
are all very kind to me. But
I should like to start as soon
as possible."
"We shall go tomorrow morning," returned
the Scarecrow. "So now let us
all get ready, for it will be
a long journey."
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