Oz 02: The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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tired out," said the boy, yawning wearily; " and_the grass is soft and cool . let_us lie down here and sleep until morning ."

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" I_can't sleep," said jack .

"I never do," said the Scarecrow .

" I_do_not even know what sleep is," said the saw- horse .

" still, we_must_have consideration for_this poor boy, who_is made of flesh and blood and bone, and gets tired," suggested the Scarecrow, in_his usual thoughtful manner ."I remember it was_the same way with little Dorothy . we always had to sit through_the night while she slept ."

"I'm sorry," said tip, meekly, " but I_can't help it . and I'm dreadfully hungry, too ! "

" here_is a new danger ! " remarked jack, gloomily ." I_hope you_are_not fond of eating pumpkins ."

" not unless they're stewed and made into pies," answered the boy, laughing ." so have no fears of me, friend jack ."

" what a coward that Pumpkinhead is ! " said the saw- horse, scornfully .

" you_might_be a coward yourself, if you_knew you were liable to spoil ! " retorted jack, angrily .

" there ! -- there ! " interrupted the Scarecrow; "don't let_us quarrel . we all have our weaknesses, dear friends; so we_must strive to_be considerate of one another . and since_this poor boy is hungry and has nothing whatever to eat, let_us all remain

119 quiet and allow him to sleep; for_it is said that in sleep a mortal may forget even hunger ."

" thank_you ! " exclaimed tip, gratefully ." your majesty is fully as good as_you_are wise -- and_that is saying a good_deal ! "

he then stretched himself upon_the grass and, using the stuffed form of_the Scarecrow for a pillow, was presently fast asleep .

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121 a nickel- plated emperor

tip awoke soon after dawn, but the Scarecrow had already risen and plucked, with_his clumsy fingers, a double- handful of ripe berries from some bushes near by . these the boy ate greedily, finding them an ample breakfast, and afterward the little party resumed its journey .

after an hour's ride they reached the summit of a hill from whence they espied the city of_the Winkies and noted the tall domes of_the emperor's palace rising from_the clusters of more modest dwellings .

the Scarecrow became greatly animated at_this sight, and exclaimed:

" how delighted I_shall_be to_see my old friend the tin woodman again ! I_hope_that he rules his people more successfully than I_have ruled mine ! "

is_the tin woodman the emperor of_the Winkies ? " asked the horse .

" yes, indeed . they invited him to rule over

122 them soon after_the wicked witch was destroyed; and as nick chopper has_the best heart in all the world I_am_sure he has proved an excellent and able emperor ."

" i_thought that ' emperor' was_the title of a person who rules an empire," said tip, " and_the country of_the Winkies is only a kingdom ."

"Don't mention that to_the tin woodman ! " exclaimed the Scarecrow, earnestly ." you_would hurt his feelings terribly . he_is a proud man, as he has every reason to_be, and it pleases him to_be termed emperor rather than king ."

"I'm sure it makes no difference to_me," replied the boy .

the saw- horse now ambled forward at apace so fast that its riders had hard work to stick upon its back; so there_was little further conversation until they drew up beside the palace steps .

an aged Winkie, dressed in a uniform of silver cloth, came forward to assist them to alight . said the Scarecrow to_his personage:

" show us at once to your master, the emperor ."

the man looked from one to another of_the party in an embarrassed way, and finally answered:

" I_fear I_must ask_you to wait for a time . the emperor is_not receiving this_morning ."

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" how is_that ? " enquired the Scarecrow, anxiously ." I_hope nothing has happened to him ."

"Oh, no; nothing serious," returned the man ." but this_is his majesty's day for being polished; and just now his August presence is thickly smeared with putz- pomade ."

"Oh, I_see ! " cried the Scarecrow, greatly reassured ." my friend was ever inclined to_be a dandy, and I suppose he_is now more proud than ever of_his personal appearance ."

" he_is, indeed," said the man, with a polite bow ." our mighty emperor has lately caused himself to_be nickel- plated ."

" good gracious ! " the Scarecrow exclaimed at hearing this ." if his wit bears the same polish, how sparkling it must_be ! but show us in -- I'm sure the emperor will receive us, even in_his present state"

" the emperor's state is always magnificent," said the man ." but i_will venture to_tell him of your arrival, and will receive his commands concerning you ."

so the party followed the servant into a splendid ante- room, and_the saw- horse ambled awkwardly after them, having no knowledge that a horse might_be expected to remain outside .

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the travelers were at first somewhat awed by their surroundings, and even the Scarecrow seemed impressed as he examined the rich hangings of silver cloth caught up into knots and fastened with tiny silver axes . upon a handsome center- table stood a large silver oil- can, richly engraved with scenes from_the past adventures of_the tin woodman, Dorothy, the cowardly lion and_the Scarecrow: the lines of_the engraving being traced upon_the silver in yellow gold . on_the walls hung several portraits, that of_the Scarecrow seeming to_be the most prominent and carefully executed, while a the large painting of_the famous wizard of Oz, in act of presenting the tin woodman with a heart, covered almost one entire end of_the room .

while the visitors gazed at_these things in silent admiration they suddenly heard a loud voice in_the next room exclaim:

" well ! well ! well ! what a great surprise ! "

and then the door burst open and nick chopper rushed into their midst and caught the Scarecrow in a close and loving embrace that creased him into many folds and wrinkles .

" my dear old friend ! my noble comrade ! " cried the tin woodman, joyfully ." how delighted ! ," I_am to meet you once again .

125 full page line- art drawing .

caught the SCARECROW in a close and LOVING embrace

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and then he released the Scarecrow and held him at arms' length while he surveyed the beloved, painted features .

but, alas ! the face of_the Scarecrow and many portions of_his body bore great blotches of putz- pomade; for_the tin woodman, in_his eagerness to welcome his friend, had quite forgotten the condition of_his toilet and had rubbed the thick coating of paste from_his own body to_that of_his comrade .

" dear me ! " said the Scarecrow dolefully ." what a mess I'm in ! "

" never mind, my friend," returned the tin woodman," I'll send_you to my imperial laundry, and you'll come out as good as new ."

" won't I be mangled ? " asked the Scarecrow .

" no, indeed ! " was_the reply ." but tell me, how came your majesty here ? and who_are your companions ? "

the Scarecrow, with great politeness, introduced tip and jack Pumpkinhead, and_the latter personage seemed to interest the tin woodman greatly .

" you_are_not very substantial, I_must admit," said the emperor ." but you_are certainly unusual, and therefore worthy to_become a member of_our select society ."

"I thank your majesty, said jack, humbly .

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" I_hope you_are enjoying good health ? " continued the woodman .

" at present, yes;" replied the Pumpkinhead, with a sigh; " but I_am in constant terror of_the day when I_shall spoil ."

" nonsense ! " said the emperor -- but in a kindly, sympathetic tone ." do_not, I beg of you, dampen today's sun with_the showers of tomorrow . for before_your head has time to spoil you_can_have it canned, and in_that way it may_be preserved indefinitely ."

tip, during this conversation, was looking at_the woodman with undisguised amazement, and noticed that_the celebrated emperor of_the Winkies was composed entirely of pieces of tin, neatly soldered

128 and riveted together into_the form of a man . he rattled and clanked a little, as he moved, but in_the main he_seemed to_be most cleverly constructed, and_his appearance was only marred by_the thick coating of polishing- paste that covered him from head to foot .

the boy's intent gaze caused the tin woodman to remember that he_was not in_the most presentable condition, so he begged his friends to excuse him while he retired to_his private apartment and allowed his servants to polish him . this_was accomplished in a short time, and when_the emperor returned his nickel- plated body shone so magnificently that_the Scarecrow heartily congratulated him on_his improved appearance .

" that nickel- plate was, I confess, a happy thought," said nick; " and it was_the more necessary because I had become somewhat scratched during my adventurous experiences . you_will observe this engraved star upon my left breast . it not_only indicates where my excellent heart lies, but covers very neatly the patch made by_the wonderful wizard when he placed that valued organ in my breast with_his own skillful hands ."

" is your heart, then, a hand- organ ? " asked the Pumpkinhead, curiously .

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" by no means," responded the emperor, with dignity ." it_is, I_am convinced, a strictly orthodox heart, although somewhat larger and warmer than most people possess ."

then he turned to_the Scarecrow and asked:

" are your subjects happy and contented, my dear friend ? "

" I_cannot, say" was_the reply ." for_the girls of Oz have risen in revolt and driven me out_of_the emerald city ."

" great goodness ! " cried the tin woodman, " what a calamity ! they surely do_not complain of your wise and gracious rule ? "

" no; but they say it_is a poor rule that don't work both ways," answered the Scarecrow; " and these females are also of_the opinion that men have ruled the land long enough . so they_have captured my city, robbed the treasury of all its jewels, and_are running things to suit themselves ."

" dear me ! what an extraordinary idea ! " cried the emperor, who was both shocked and surprised .

" and I heard some_of_them say," said tip, " that_they intend to march here and capture the castle and city of_the tin woodman ."

"Ah ! we_must not give them time to do_that," said the emperor, quickly; " we_will go at once and

130 full page line- art drawing .

RENOVATING his majesty, the SCARECROW .

131 recapture the emerald city and place the Scarecrow again upon his throne ."

" i_was sure you_would help me," remarked the Scarecrow in a pleased voice ." how large an army can_you assemble ? "

" we_do_not need an army," replied the woodman ." we four, with_the aid of_my gleaming axe, are enough to strike terror into_the hearts of_the rebels ."

" we five," corrected the Pumpkinhead .

"Five ? " repeated the tin woodman .

" yes; the saw- horse is brave and fearless," answered jack, forgetting his recent quarrel with_the quadruped .

the tin woodman looked around him in a puzzled way, for_the saw- horse had until now remained quietly standing in a corner, where the emperor had_not noticed him . tip immediately called the odd- looking creature to_them, and it approached so awkwardly that_it nearly upset the beautiful center- table and_the engraved oil- can .

"I begin to_think," remarked the tin woodman as he looked earnestly at_the saw- horse, " that wonders will never cease ! how came this creature alive ? "

" I_did it with a magic powder," modestly asserted the boy ." and_the saw- horse has_been very useful to_us ."

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" he enabled us to escape the rebels," added the Scarecrow .

" then we_must surely accept him as a comrade," declared the emperor ."A live saw- horse is a distinct novelty, and should prove an interesting study .Does he know anything ? "

" well, I_cannot claim any great experience in life," the saw- horse answered for himself ." but I seem to learn very quickly, and often it occurs to_me that I_know more than any of_those around me ."

" perhaps you_do," said the emperor; " for experience does_not always mean wisdom . but time is precious just now, so let_us quickly make preparations to start upon our journey .

the emperor called his lord high chancellor and instructed him how to run the kingdom during his absence . meanwhile the Scarecrow was taken apart and_the painted sack that served him for a head was carefully laundered and restuffed with_the brains originally given him by_the great wizard . his clothes were also cleaned and pressed by_the imperial tailors, and_his crown polished and again sewed upon his head, for_the tin woodman insisted he_should_not renounce this badge of royalty . the Scarecrow now presented a very respectable appearance, and although in no way addicted to vanity he

133 was quite pleased with himself and strutted a trifle as he walked . while this_was being done tip mended the wooden limbs of jack Pumpkinhead and made them stronger than before, and_the saw- horse was also inspected to_see if he_was in good working order .

then bright and early the next morning they set out upon_the return journey to_the emerald city, the tin woodman bearing upon his shoulder agleaming axe and leading the way, while the Pumpkinhead rode upon_the saw- horse and tip and_the Scarecrow walked upon either side to_make sure that he didn't fall off or become damaged .

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135 Mr H .M .Woggle- bug, T .E .

now, general Jinjur -- who, you_will remember, commanded the army of revolt -- was rendered very uneasy by_the escape of_the Scarecrow from_the emerald city . she feared, and with

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