Oz 01: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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the wonderful wizard of Oz

by L . frank Baum

Contents

-- introduction--
1 . the cyclone
2 . the council with_the Munchkins
3 . how Dorothy saved the Scarecrow
4 . the road through_the forest
5 . the rescue of_the tin woodman
6 . the cowardly lion
7 . the journey to_the great Oz
8 . the deadly poppy field
9 . the queen of_the field Mice
10 . the guardian of_the Gates
11 . the emerald city of Oz
12 . the search for_the wicked witch
13 . the rescue
14 . the winged Monkeys
15 . the discovery of Oz the terrible
16 . the magic art of_the great humbug
17 . how the balloon was Launched
18 . away to_the south
19 .Attacked by_the Fighting Trees
20 . the dainty china country
21 . the lion Becomes the king of Beasts
22 . the country of_the Quadlings
23 .Glinda the good witch Grants Dorothy's wish
24 . home again

introduction

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through_the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal . the winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations .

yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as " historical" in_the children's library; for_the_time has_come for a series of newer " wonder tales" in_which_the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale . modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident .

Having this thought in mind, the story of " the wonderful wizard of Oz" was written solely to_please children of today . it aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in_which_the wonderment and joy are retained and_the heartaches and nightmares are left out .

L . frank Baum

Chicago, April, 1900 .

the wonderful wizard of OZ

1 . the cyclone

Dorothy lived in_the midst of_the great Kansas prairies, with uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and aunt Em, who was_the farmer's wife . their house was small, for_the lumber to build it had to_be carried by wagon many miles . there were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for_the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and_the beds . uncle Henry and aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner . there_was no garret at all, and no cellar-- except a small hole dug in_the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in_case one of_those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path . it_was reached by a trap door in_the middle of_the floor, from_which a ladder led down into_the small, dark hole .

when Dorothy stood in_the doorway and looked around, she_could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side . not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to_the edge of_the sky in all directions . the sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it . even the grass was not green, for_the sun had burned the tops of_the long blades until they were the same gray color to_be seen everywhere . once the house had_been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and_the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else .

when aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife . the sun and wind had changed her, too . they had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and_they were gray also . she was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now . when Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, aunt Em had_been so startled by_the child's laughter that she_would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at_the little girl with wonder that she_could find anything to laugh at .

uncle Henry never laughed . he worked hard from morning till night and did_not know what joy was . he_was gray also, from_his long beard to_his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke .

it_was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings .Toto was not gray; he_was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of_his funny, wee nose .Toto played all day long, and Dorothy played with_him, and loved him dearly .

today, however, they were_not playing . uncle Henry sat upon_the doorstep and looked anxiously at_the sky, which_was even grayer than usual . Dorothy stood in_the door with Toto in her arms, and looked at_the sky too . aunt Em was washing the dishes .

from_the far north they heard a low wail of_the wind, and uncle Henry and Dorothy could_see where the long grass bowed in waves before_the coming storm . there now came a sharp whistling in_the air from_the south, and as_they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in_the grass coming from_that direction also .

suddenly uncle Henry stood up .

" there's a cyclone coming, Em," he_called to_his wife ."I'll go look after_the stock ." then he ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept .

aunt Em dropped her work and came to_the door . one glance told her of_the danger close at hand .

" quick, Dorothy ! " she screamed ." run for_the cellar ! "

Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed, and_the girl started to_get him . aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in_the floor and climbed down the ladder into_the small, dark hole . Dorothy caught Toto at last and started to_follow her aunt . when she was halfway across the room there came a great shriek from_the wind, and_the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and sat down suddenly upon_the floor .

then a strange thing happened .

the house whirled around two_or_three times and rose slowly through_the air . Dorothy felt as_if she were going up in a balloon .

the north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of_the cyclone . in_the middle of a cyclone the air is generally still, but the great pressure of_the wind on every side of_the house raised it up higher and higher, until it_was at_the very top of_the cyclone; and there it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you_could carry a feather .

it_was very dark, and_the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found she was riding quite easily . after_the first few whirls around, and one other time when_the house tipped badly, she felt as_if she were being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle .

Toto did_not like it . he ran about_the room, now here, now there, barking loudly; but Dorothy sat quite still on_the floor and waited to_see what would happen .

once Toto got too near the open trap door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him . but soon she saw one of_his ears sticking up through_the hole, for_the strong pressure of_the air was keeping him up so_that he_could_not fall . she crept to_the hole, caught Toto by_the ear, and dragged him into_the room again, afterward closing the trap door so_that no more accidents could happen .

hour after hour passed away, and slowly Dorothy got over her fright; but she felt quite lonely, and_the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf . at first she had wondered if she_would be dashed to pieces when_the house fell again; but as_the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and_see what the future would bring . at last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and Toto followed and lay down beside her .

in_spite of_the swaying of_the house and_the wailing of_the wind, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep .

2 . the council with_the Munchkins

she was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had_not_been lying on_the soft bed she might_have_been hurt . as it_was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally . Dorothy sat up and noticed that_the house was not moving; nor was_it dark, for_the bright sunshine came in at_the window, flooding the little room . she sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door .

the little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at_the wonderful sights she saw .

the cyclone had set the house down very gently-- for a cyclone-- in_the midst of a country of marvelous beauty . there were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits .Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in_the trees and bushes .a little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so_long on_the dry, gray prairies .

while she stood looking eagerly at_the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of_the queerest people she had ever seen . they were_not as big as_the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very_small . in_fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well- grown child for her age, although they were, so_far as looks go, many years older .

three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed . they wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as_they moved . the hats of_the men were blue; the little woman's hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders . over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in_the sun like diamonds . the men were dressed in blue, of_the same shade as their hats, and wore well- polished boots with a deep roll of blue at_the tops . the men, Dorothy thought, were about as old as uncle Henry, for two of_them had beards . but the little woman was doubtless much older . her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly .

when these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in_the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as_if afraid to_come farther . but the little old woman walked up_to Dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice:

" you_are welcome, most noble sorceress, to_the land of_the Munchkins . we_are so grateful to_you for having killed the wicked witch of_the east, and for setting our people free from bondage ."

Dorothy listened to_this speech with wonder . what could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the wicked witch of_the east ? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had_been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life .

but the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, " you_are very kind, but there_must_be some mistake . I_have_not killed anything ."

" your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh, " and that_is_the same thing . see ! " she continued, pointing to_the corner of_the house ." there_are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood ."

Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright . there, indeed, just under the corner of_the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes .

"Oh, dear ! Oh, dear ! " cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay ." the house must_have fallen on her . whatever shall we_do ? "

" there_is nothing to_be_done," said the little woman calmly .

" but who was she ? " asked Dorothy .

" she was_the wicked witch of_the east, as I_said," answered the little woman ." she has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day . now they_are all set free, and_are grateful to_you for_the favor ."

" who_are the Munchkins ? " inquired Dorothy .

" they_are the people who live in_this land of_the east where the wicked witch ruled ."

" are_you aMunchkin ? " asked Dorothy .

" no, but I_am their friend, although I live in_the land of_the north . when_they saw the witch of_the east was dead the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to_me, and I_came at once . I_am

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