He turned the straw man around, examining him curiously, and patted him on all sides, and then said:

" certainly wonderful, but more durable and steady legs were made of tin Would you like me to --"

"No, indeed ! " interrupted the Scarecrow hastily; "I like myself better as "

But to Polychrome the tinsmith said:

"Nothing could improve you, my dear, are the most beautiful maiden ever seen pure happiness just to look at you "

" praise, indeed, from so skillful workman," returned the Rainbow's Daughter, laughing and dancing in and out the room

"Then it this boy you wish me to help," said Ku-Klip, looking at Woot

"No," said Woot, " here to seek your skill, but have merely come for information "

Then, , they related their search for Nimmie Amee, whom the Tin Woodman explained he had resolved to marry, yet who had promised the bride Tin Soldier before he unfortunately became rusted And story was told, they asked Ku-Klip if what had become of Nimmie Amee

"Not exactly," replied the old man, "but that she wept bitterly Tin Soldier come to marry her, as he had promised The old Witch was so provoked girl's tears that she beat Nimmie Amee with her crooked stick and then hobbled away to gather some magic herbs, she intended to transform the girl into an old hag, no one would again love her or care to marry her while she was away errand that Dorothy's house fell Wicked Witch, and she turned to dust and blew away When I heard this good news, Nimmie Amee the Silver Shoes which the Witch had worn, but Dorothy had taken them with her Emerald City "

"Yes, all Silver Shoes," said the Scarecrow

"Well," continued Ku-Klip, " , Nimmie Amee decided away forest and live with some people she was acquainted with who had house on Mount Munch never seen the girl since "

" the name people on Mount Munch, she went to live ? " asked the Tin Woodman

"No, Nimmie Amee mention her friend's name, and ask her She took with her all that carry goods that were Witch's house, and she told me the rest But when I went there nothing worth taking except some magic powders that know how to use, and bottle of Magic Glue "

" Magic Glue ? " asked Woot

" magic preparation to mend people cut themselves , , I cut off one fingers by accident, and I carried it Witch, who took down her bottle and glued it on again See ! " showing them his finger, " as good as ever No one else that I ever heard of had this Magic Glue, and when Nick Chopper cut himself to pieces enchanted axe and Captain Fyter cut himself to pieces enchanted sword, the Witch mend them, or allow me to glue them together, because she had herself wickedly enchanted the axe and sword Nothing remained but them new parts out of tin; but, as , tin answered the purpose , and their tin bodies are great improvement on their meat bodies " "Very true," said the Tin Soldier

"I quite agree ," said the Tin Woodman "I happened my old head in your cupboard, while ago, and certainly as desirable head tin one I now wear "

" ," said the Tin Soldier, "what ever became old head, Ku-Klip ? "

"And different parts bodies ? " added the Tin Woodman

"Let me think minute," replied Ku-Klip "If I remember right, you two boys used to bring me most of your parts, were cut off, and I saved them barrel corner not have brought me all the parts, for when Chopfyt I had hard work finding enough pieces to complete the job I finally had to finish him with one arm "

" Chopfyt ? "inquired Woot

"Oh, haven't you about Chopfyt ? " exclaimed Ku- Klip " not ! And he's quite curiosity, too You'll be interested in hearing about Chopfyt how he happened:

"One day, Witch destroyed and Nimmie Amee had gone to live with her friends on Mount Munch, looking around the shop for something and came bottle of Magic Glue which I had brought old Witch's house It occurred to piece together the odds and ends of you two people, which were just as good as ever, if I couldn't make man If I succeeded, an assistant to help me with my work, and it clever idea to some practical use the scraps of Nick Chopper and Captain Fyter There were two perfectly good heads in my cupboard, and lot of feet and legs and parts of bodies barrel, so I set to work what do

"First, I pieced together body, gluing it Witch's Magic Glue, which worked perfectly That hardest part job, however, because the bodies didn't match up well and some parts were missing But by using piece of Captain Fyter here and piece of Nick Chopper there, I finally got together very decent body, with heart and all the trimmings complete "

"Whose heart did you use in making asked the Tin Woodman anxiously the body ? "

" 't tell, parts had no tags on them and one heart looks much like another body was completed, I glued two fine legs and feet onto it One leg was Nick Chopper's and one was Captain Fyter's and, finding one leg longer other, I trimmed it down them match much disappointed that I had but one arm an extra leg barrel, but find arm Having glued this onto the body, ready head, and I had some difficulty in making up my mind which head to use Finally I shut my eyes and reached out my hand toward the cupboard shelf, first head I touched I glued upon my new man "

" mine ! " declared the Tin Soldier, gloomily

"No, mine," asserted Ku-Klip, "for I had given you another in exchange -- the beautiful tin head you now wear glue had dried, my man was quite an interesting fellow I named him Chopfyt, using part of Nick Chopper's name and part of Captain Fyter's name, because mixture of both your cast-off parts Chopfyt was interesting, as , but prove very agreeable companion He complained bitterly because I had given him but one arm -- it were my fault ! -- and he grumbled because the suit of blue Munchkin clothes, which I got for him from neighbor, fit him perfectly "

"Ah, that was because wearing my old head," remarked the Tin Soldier "I remember that head used very particular about its clothes "

"As an assistant," the old tinsmith continued, "Chopfyt was not success awkward with tools and was always hungry He demanded something to eat six or eight times day, so I wondered if I had fitted his insides properly Indeed, Chopfyt ate that little food was left ; so, when he proposed, one day, out world and seek adventures, delighted rid of him I even made him tin arm to place missing one, pleased him , we parted good friends "

"What became of Chopfyt ? " the Scarecrow inquired

"I never heard He started off toward the east, plains Munchkin Country, last I ever saw of him "

"It seems ," said the Tin Woodman reflectively, "that wrong in making man out cast-off parts evident that Chopfyt could, with justice, claim relationship with both of us "

"Don't worry ," advised Ku-Klip cheerfully; " likely that ever meet the fellow And, if meet him, he doesn't know who made of, for I never told him the secret manufacture Indeed, the only ones of it, and keep the secret to yourselves, to "

"Never mind Chopfyt," said the Scarecrow "Our business now is poor Nimmie Amee and let her choose her tin husband To , it seems, information Ku-Klip us, travel to Mount Munch "

" 's the programme, start at once," suggested Woot

So they all went outside, where they found Polychrome dancing about trees and talking birds and laughing as merrily she lost her Rainbow and so been separated from all her fairy sisters

They told her they were going to Mount Munch, and she replied:

" ; as likely my Rainbow there as here, and place is as likely as there It all depends weather it looks like rain ? "

They shook their heads, and Polychrome laughed again and danced on after them resumed their journey

Chapter Nineteen

The Invisible Country

They were proceeding so easily and comfortably on their way to Mount Munch that Woot said in serious tone of voice:

"I'm afraid something is going to happen "

"Why ? " asked Polychrome, dancing around the group of travelers

"Because," said the boy, thoughtfully, "I've noticed that when the least reason for getting into trouble, something is sure wrong Just now the weather is delightful; the grass is beautifully blue and quite soft to our feet; the mountain seeking shows clearly distance and no reason anything should happen to delay us in getting there Our troubles all over, and -- well, that's why I'm afraid," he added, with sigh