Oz 12: The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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much curiosity, but begged the tin man to_go on with_his tale .

" the witch with_the silver shoes hated me for having defied her," resumed the emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, " and she insisted that Nimmie Amee should never marry me . therefore she made the enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and_the tinsmith also replaced that member with tin, including these finely- jointed hands that you_see me using . but, alas ! after_that, the axe, still enchanted by_the cruel witch, cut my body in two, so_that I fell to_the ground . then the witch, who was watching from a near- by bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body into several small pieces, after which, thinking that at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee .

" but Nimmie Amee found me . she picked up my arms and legs and head, and made a bundle of_them and carried them to_the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a fine body of pure tin . when he had joined the arms and legs to_the body, and set my head in_the tin collar, i_was a much better man than ever, for_my body could_not ache or pain me, and i_was so beautiful and bright that I had no need of clothing .Clothing is always a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has_to be replaced; but my tin body only needs to_be oiled and polished .

"Nimmie Amee still declared she_would marry me, as she still loved me in_spite of_the witch's evil deeds . the girl declared i_would make_the brightest husband in all the world, which_was quite true . however, the wicked witch was not yet defeated . when I returned to my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which_was the only meat part of me then remaining . moreover, the old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it away with her and hid it . but Nimmie Amee came into_the forest and found me wandering around helplessly, because I could_not_see where to_go, and she led me to my friend the tinsmith . the faithful fellow at once set to work to_make me a tin head, and he had just completed it when Nimmie Amee came running up with my old head, which she had stolen from_the witch . but, on reflection, I considered the tin head far superior to_the meat one -- I_am wearing it yet, so you_can see its beauty and grace of outline -- and_the girl agreed with me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than one formed of different materials . the tinsmith was as proud of_his workmanship as i_was, and for three whole days, all admired me and praised my beauty ." being now completely formed of tin, I had no more fear of_the wicked witch, for she was powerless to injure me .Nimmie Amee said we_must_be married at once, for then she_could come to my cottage and live with me and keep me bright and sparkling .

"' I_am_sure, my dear nick,' said the brave and beautiful girl -- my name was then nick chopper, you_should_be told -- ' that you_will make_the best husband any girl could_have . I_shall_not_be obliged to cook for_you, for now you_do_not eat; I shall_not_have to_make your bed, for tin does_not tire or require sleep; when we go to a dance, you_will_not get weary before_the music stops and say you_want to_go home . all day long, while you_are chopping wood in_the forest, I_shall_be_able to amuse myself in my own way -- a privilege few wives enjoy . there_is no temper in your new head, so you_will_not get angry with me . finally, I_shall take pride in being the wife of_the only live tin woodman in all the world ! ' which shows that Nimmie Amee was as wise as she was brave and beautiful ."

" i_think she was a very nice girl," said Woot the wanderer ." but, tell me, please, why were you not killed when_you were chopped to pieces ? "

" in_the land of Oz," replied the emperor, " no one can ever be killed .a man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is still the same man; and, as I lost parts of_my meat body by degrees, I always remained the same person as in_the beginning, even though in_the end i_was all tin and no meat ."

" I_see," said the boy, thoughtfully ." and did you marry Nimmie Amee ? "

" no," answered the tin woodman, " I_did_not . she said she still loved me, but I_found that I no longer loved her . my tin body contained no heart, and without a heart no one can love . so the wicked witch conquered in_the end, and when I left the Munchkin country of Oz, the poor girl was still the slave of_the witch and had to_do her bidding day and night ."

" where did you go ? " asked Woot .

" well, I first started out to_find a heart, so I_could love Nimmie Amee again; but hearts are more scarce than one would think . one day, in a big forest that was strange to_me, my joints suddenly became rusted, because I had forgotten to oil them . there I stood, unable to move hand or foot . and there I continued to stand -- while days came and went -- until Dorothy and_the Scarecrow came along and rescued me . they oiled my joints and set me free, and I've taken good care never to rust again ."

" who was_this Dorothy ? " questioned the wanderer .

"A little girl who happened to_be in a house when it_was carried by a cyclone all the way from Kansas to_the land of Oz . when_the house fell, in_the Munchkin country, it fortunately landed on_the wicked witch and smashed her flat . it_was a big house, and i_think the witch is under it yet ."

" no," said the Scarecrow, correcting him, " Dorothy says the witch turned to dust, and_the wind scattered the dust in every direction ."

" well," continued the tin woodman, " after meeting the Scarecrow and Dorothy, I went with_them to_the emerald city, where the wizard of Oz gave_me a heart . but the wizard's stock of hearts was low, and he_gave me a kind heart instead of aLoving heart, so_that I_could_not love Nimmie Amee any more than I_did when i_was heartless ."

"Couldn't the wizard give_you a heart that was both kind and Loving ? " asked the boy .

" no; that was what I asked for, but he_said he_was so short on hearts, just then, that there_was but one in stock, and I_could take that or none at all . so I accepted it, and I_must say that for its kind it_is a very_good heart indeed ."

" it seems to_me," said Woot, musingly, " that_the wizard fooled you . it can't be a very kind heart, you_know ."

" why_not ? " demanded the emperor .

" because it_was unkind of you to desert the girl who loved you, and who had_been faithful and true to_you when_you were in trouble . had the heart the wizard gave_you been a kind heart, you_would_have gone back home and made the beautiful Munchkin girl your wife, and then brought her here to_be an empress and live in your splendid tin castle ."

the tin woodman was so surprised at_this frank speech that for a time he_did nothing but stare hard at_the boy wanderer . but the Scarecrow wagged his stuffed head and said in a positive tone:

" this boy is right .I've often wondered, myself, why you didn't go back and find that poor Munchkin girl ."

then the tin woodman stared hard at his friend the Scarecrow . but finally he_said in a serious tone of voice:

" I_must admit that never before have i_thought of_such a thing as finding Nimmie Amee and making her empress of_the Winkies . but it_is surely not too late, even now, to do_this, for_the girl must still be living in_the Munchkin country . and, since_this strange wanderer has reminded me of Nimmie Amee, I believe it_is my duty to set out and find her . surely it_is_not the girl's fault that I no longer love her, and so, if I_can make her happy, it_is proper that i_should do_so, and in_this_way reward her for her faithfulness ."

" quite right, my friend ! " agreed the Scarecrow .

" will_you accompany me on_this errand ? " asked the tin emperor .

" of_course," said the Scarecrow .

" and will_you take me along ? " pleaded Woot the wanderer in an eager voice .

" to_be_sure," said the tin woodman, " if_you care to join our party . it_was you who first told me it_was my duty to_find and marry Nimmie Amee, and I'd like you to_know that nick chopper, the tin emperor of_the Winkies, is a man who never shirks his duty, once it_is pointed out to him ."

" it ought_to_be a pleasure, as_well as a duty, if_the girl is so beautiful," said Woot, well pleased with_the idea of_the adventure .

" beautiful things may_be admired, if_not loved," asserted the tin man ."Flowers are beautiful, for instance, but we_are_not inclined to marry them . duty, on_the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you_are inclined to act, or not . in this_case, I obey the bugle call of duty ."

" when shall we start ? " inquired the Scarecrow, who was always glad to embark upon a new adventure ."I don't hear any bugle, but when do we go ? "

" as_soon_as we_can get ready," answered the emperor ."I'll call my servants at once and order them to_make preparations for_our journey ."

chapter three

roundabout

Woot the wanderer slept that night in_the tin castle of_the emperor of_the Winkies and found his tin bed quite comfortable . early the next morning he rose and took a walk through_the gardens, where there were tin fountains and beds of curious tin flowers, and where tin birds perched upon_the branches of tin trees and sang songs that sounded like the notes of tin whistles . all these wonders had_been made by_the clever Winkie tinsmiths, who wound the birds up every morning so_that they_would move about and sing .

after breakfast the boy went into_the throne room, where the emperor was having his tin joints carefully oiled by a servant, while other servants were stuffing sweet, fresh straw into_the body of_the Scarecrow .

Woot watched this operation with much interest, for_the Scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes filled with straw . the coat was buttoned tight to_keep the packed straw from falling out and a rope was tied around the waist to hold it in shape and prevent the straw from sagging down . the Scarecrow's head was agunnysack filled with bran, on_which the eyes, nose and mouth had_been painted . his hands were white cotton gloves stuffed with fine straw .Woot noticed that even when carefully stuffed and patted into shape, the straw man was awkward in_his movements and decidedly wobbly on_his feet, so the boy wondered if_the Scarecrow would_be_able to travel with_them all the way to_the forests of_the Munchkin country of Oz .

the preparations made for_this important journey were very simple .a knapsack was filled with food and given Woot the wanderer to carry upon his back, for_the food was for_his use alone . the tin woodman shouldered an axe which_was sharp and brightly polished, and_the Scarecrow put the emperor's oil- can in_his pocket, that he might oil his friend's joints should they need it .

" who_will govern the Winkie country during your absence ? " asked the boy .

" why, the country will run itself," answered the emperor ." as a matter of fact, my people do_not need an emperor, for Ozma of Oz watches over the welfare of all her subjects, including the Winkies . like a good_many kings and emperors, I_have a grand title, but very little real power, which allows me time to amuse myself in my own way . the people of Oz have but one law to obey, which_is: ' behave yourself,' so it_is easy for_them to abide by_this law, and you'll notice they behave very_well . but it_is time for_us to_be off, and I_am eager to start because I suppose that that poor Munchkin girl is anxiously awaiting my coming ."

" she's waited a long_time already, seems to_me," remarked the Scarecrow, as_they left the grounds of_the castle and followed a path that led eastward .

" true," replied the tin woodman; " but I've noticed that_the last end of a wait, however long it_has_been, is_the hardest to endure; so I_must try to_make Nimmie Amee happy as_soon_as_possible ."

"Ah; that proves you_have a kind heart," remarked the Scarecrow, approvingly .

" it's too bad he hasn't aLoving heart," said Woot ." this tin man is going to marry a nice girl through kindness, and not because he loves her, and somehow that doesn't seem quite right ."

" even so, I_am not sure it isn't best for_the girl," said the Scarecrow, who seemed very intelligent for a straw man, " for aloving husband is_not always kind, while a kind husband is sure to_make any girl content ."

"Nimmie Amee will become an empress ! " announced the tin woodman, proudly ." I_shall_have a tin gown made for her, with tin ruffles and tucks on_it, and she shall_have tin slippers, and tin earrings and bracelets, and wear a tin crown on her head . I_am_sure that_will delight Nimmie Amee, for all girls are fond of finery ."

" are we going to_the Munchkin

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