The Saw-Horse, finding himself
alive, seemed even more astonished
than Tip. He rolled his knotty
eyes from side to side, taking
a first wondering view of the
world in which he had now so
important an existence. Then
he tried to look at himself;
but he had, indeed, no neck to
turn; so that in the endeavor
to see his body he kept circling
around and around, without catching
even a glimpse of it. His legs
were stiff and awkward, for there
were no knee-joints in them;
so that presently he bumped against
Jack Pumpkinhead and sent that
personage tumbling upon the moss
that lined the
roadside.
Tip became alarmed at this
accident, as well as at the persistence
of the Saw-Horse in prancing
around in a circle; so he called
out:
"Whoa! Whoa,
there!"
The Saw-Horse paid no attention
whatever to this command, and
the next instant brought one
of his wooden legs down upon
Tip's foot so forcibly that the
boy danced away in pain to a
safer distance, from where he
again yelled:
"Whoa! Whoa,
I say!"
Jack had now managed to raise
himself to a sitting position,
and he looked at the Saw-Horse
with much interest.
"I don't believe the animal
can hear you," he remarked.
"I shout loud enough, don't
I?" answered Tip, angrily.
"Yes; but the horse has no
ears," said the smiling Pumpkinhead.
"Sure enough!" exclaimed Tip,
noting the fact for the first
time. "How, then, am I going
to stop him?"
But at that instant the Saw-Horse
stopped himself, having concluded
it was impossible to see his
own body. He saw Tip, however,
and came close to the boy to
observe him more fully.
It was really comical to see
the creature walk; for it moved
the legs on its right side together,
and those on its left side together,
as a pacing horse does; and that
made its body rock sidewise,
like a cradle.
Tip patted
it upon the head, and said "Good boy! Good Boy!" in
a coaxing tone; and the Saw-Horse
pranced away to examine with
its bulging eyes the form of
Jack Pumpkinhead.
"I must find a halter for him," said
Tip; and having made a search
in his pocket he produced a roll
of strong cord. Unwinding this,
he approached the Saw-Horse and
tied the cord around its neck,
afterward fastening the other
end to a large tree. The Saw-Horse,
not understanding the action,
stepped backward and snapped
the string easily; but it made
no attempt to run away.
"He's stronger than I thought," said
the boy, "and rather obstinate,
too."
"Why don't you make him some
ears?" asked Jack. "Then you
can tell him what to do."
"That's a splendid idea!" said
Tip. "How did you happen to think
of it?"
"Why, I didn't think of it," answered
the Pumpkinhead; "I didn't need
to, for it's the simplest and
easiest thing to do."
So Tip got out his knife and
fashioned some ears out of the
bark of a small tree.
"I mustn't make them too big," he
said, as he whittled, "or our
horse would become a donkey."
"How is that?" inquired
Jack, from the roadside.
"Why, a horse has bigger ears
than a man; and a donkey has
bigger ears than a horse," explained
Tip.
"Then, if my ears were longer,
would I be a horse?" asked Jack.
"My friend," said Tip, gravely, "you'll
never be anything but a Pumpkinhead,
no matter how big your ears are."
"Oh," returned Jack, nodding; "I
think I understand."
"If you do, you're a wonder," remarked
the boy "but there's no harm
in thinking you understand. I
guess these ears are ready now.
Will you hold the horse while
I stick them on?"
"Certainly, if you'll help
me up," said Jack.
So Tip raised him to his feet,
and the Pumpkinhead went to the
horse and held its head while
the boy bored two holes in it
with his knife-blade and inserted
the ears.
"They make him look very handsome," said
Jack, admiringly.
But those words, spoken close
to the Saw-Horse, and being the
first sounds he had ever heard,
so startled the animal that he
made a bound forward and tumbled
Tip on one side and Jack on the
other. Then he continued to rush
forward as if frightened by the
clatter of his own foot-steps.
"Whoa!" shouted Tip, picking
himself up; "whoa! you idiot
whoa!" The Saw- Horse would probably
have paid no attention to this,
but just then it stepped a leg
into a gopher-hole and stumbled
head-over-heels to the ground,
where it lay upon its back, frantically
waving its four legs in the air.
Tip ran up to it.
"You're a nice sort of a horse,
I must say!" he exclaimed. "Why
didn't you stop when I yelled
'whoa?'"
"Does 'whoa' mean to stop?" asked
the Saw-Horse, in a surprised
voice, as it rolled its eyes
upward to look at the boy.
"Of course it does," answered
Tip.
"And a hole in the ground means
to stop, also, doesn't it?" continued
the horse.
"To be sure; unless you step
over it," said Tip.
"What a strange place this
is," the creature exclaimed,
as if amazed. "What am I doing
here, anyway?"
"Why, I've brought you to life," answered
the boy "but it won't hurt you
any, if you mind me and do as
I tell you."
"Then I will do as you tell
me," replied the Saw-Horse, humbly. "But
what happened to me, a moment
ago? I don't seem to be just
right, someway."
"You're upside down," explained
Tip. "But just keep those legs
still a minute and I'll set you
right side up again."
"How many sides have I?" asked
the creature, wonderingly.
"Several," said Tip, briefly. "But
do keep those legs still."
The Saw-Horse now became quiet,
and held its legs rigid; so that
Tip, after several efforts, was
able to roll him over and set
him upright.
"Ah, I seem all right now," said
the queer animal, with a sigh.
"One of your ears is broken," Tip
announced, after a careful examination. "I'll
have to make a new one."
Then he led the Saw-Horse back
to where Jack was vainly struggling
to regain his feet, and after
assisting the Pumpkinhead to
stand upright Tip whittled out
a new ear and fastened it to
the horse's head.
"Now," said he, addressing
his steed, "pay attention to
what I'm going to tell you. 'Whoa!'
means to stop; 'Get-Up!' means
to walk forward; 'Trot!' means
to go as fast as you can. Understand?"
"I believe I do," returned
the horse.
"Very good.
We are all going on a journey
to the Emerald City,
to see His Majesty, the Scarecrow;
and Jack Pumpkinhead is going
to ride on your back, so he won't
wear out his joints."
"I don't mind," said the Saw-Horse. "Anything
that suits you suits me."
Then Tip assisted Jack to get
upon the horse.
"Hold on tight," he cautioned, "or
you may fall off and crack your
pumpkin head."
"That would be horrible!" said
Jack, with a shudder. "What shall
I hold on to?"
"Why, hold on to his ears," replied
Tip, after a moment's hesitation.
"Don't do that!" remonstrated
the Saw-Horse; "for then I can't
hear."
That seemed reasonable, so
Tip tried to think of something
else.
"I'll fix it!" said
he, at length. He went into
the wood
and cut a short length of limb
from a young, stout tree. One
end of this he sharpened to a
point, and then he dug a hole
in the back of the Saw-Horse,
just behind its head. Next he
brought a piece of rock from
the road and hammered the post
firmly into the animal's back.
"Stop! Stop!" shouted the horse; "you're
jarring me terribly."
"Does it hurt?" asked
the boy.
"Not exactly hurt," answered
the animal; "but it makes me
quite nervous to be jarred."
"Well, it's all over now" said
Tip, encouragingly. "Now, Jack,
be sure to hold fast to this
post and then you can't fall
off and get smashed."
So Jack held on tight, and
Tip said to the horse:
"Get up."
The obedient creature at once
walked forward, rocking from
side to side as he raised his
feet from the ground.
Tip walked beside the Saw-Horse,
quite content with this addition
to their party. Presently he
began to whistle.
"What does that sound mean?" asked
the horse.
"Don't pay any attention to
it," said Tip. "I'm just whistling,
and that only means I'm pretty
well satisfied."
"I'd whistle myself, if I could
push my lips together," remarked
Jack. "I fear, dear father, that
in some respects I am sadly lacking."
After journeying on for some
distance the narrow path they
were following turned into a
broad roadway, paved with yellow
brick. By the side of the road
Tip noticed a sign-post that
read:
"NINE MILES
TO THE EMERALD CITY."
But it was now growing dark,
so he decided to camp for the
night by the roadside and to
resume the journey next morning
by daybreak. He led the Saw-
Horse to a grassy mound upon
which grew several bushy trees,
and carefully assisted the Pumpkinhead
to alight.
"I think I'll lay you upon
the ground, overnight," said
the boy. "You will be safer that
way."
"How about me?" asked
the Saw-Horse.
"It won't hurt you to stand," replied
Tip; "and, as you can't sleep,
you may as well watch out and
see that no one comes near to
disturb us."
Then the boy stretched himself
upon the grass beside the Pumpkinhead,
and being greatly wearied by
the journey was soon fast asleep.
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