They
now made a more careful examination
of the country around them.
All was fresh and beautiful
after the sultriness of the
desert, and the sunshine and
sweet, crisp air were delightful
to the wanderers. Little mounds
of yellowish green were away
at the right, while on the
left waved a group of tall
leafy trees bearing yellow
blossoms that looked like tassels
and pompoms. Among the grasses
carpeting the ground were pretty
buttercups and cowslips and
marigolds. After looking at
these a moment Dorothy said
reflectively:
"We
must be
in the
Country
of the Winkies, for the color
of that country is yellow,
and you will notice that 'most
everything here is yellow that
has any color at all."
"But I thought this was the
Land of Oz," replied the shaggy
man, as if greatly disappointed.
"So it is," she declared; "but
there are four parts to the
Land of Oz. The North Country
is purple, and it's the Country
of the Gillikins. The East
Country is blue, and that's
the Country of the Munchkins.
Down at the South is the red
Country of the Quadlings, and
here, in the West, the yellow
Country of the Winkies. This
is the part that is ruled by
the Tin Woodman, you know."
"Who's he?" asked
Button-Bright.
"Why,
he's the
tin man
I told
you about.
His name
is
Nick Chopper, and he has a
lovely heart given him by the
wonderful Wizard."
"Where does HE live?" asked
the boy.
"The
Wizard?
Oh, he
lives in
the Emerald
City, which
is just in the middle of Oz,
where the corners of the four
countries meet."
"Oh," said
Button-Bright,
puzzled by this explanation.
"We must be some distance
from the Emerald City," remarked
the shaggy man.
"That's true," she replied; "so
we'd better start on and see
if we can find any of the Winkies.
They're nice people," she continued,
as the little party began walking
toward the group of trees, "and
I came here once with my friends
the Scarecrow, and the Tin
Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion,
to fight a wicked witch who
had made all the Winkies her
slaves."
"Did you conquer her?" asked
Polly.
"Why, I melted her with a
bucket of water, and that was
the end of her," replied Dorothy. "After
that the people were free,
you know, and they made Nick
Chopper--that's the Tin Woodman--their
Emp'ror."
"What's that?" asked
Button-Bright.
"Emp'ror?
Oh, it's
something
like an alderman, I guess."
"Oh," said
the boy.
"But I thought Princess Ozma
ruled Oz," said the shaggy
man.
"So
she does;
she rules
the Emerald
City and
all the
four
countries of Oz; but each country
has another little ruler, not
so big as Ozma. It's like the
officers of an army, you see;
the little rulers are all captains,
and Ozma's the general."
By
this time
they had
reached
the trees, which stood in a
perfect circle and just far
enough apart so that their
thick branches touched--or "shook
hands," as Button-Bright remarked.
Under the shade of the trees
they found, in the center of
the circle, a crystal pool,
its water as still as glass.
It must have been deep, too,
for when Polychrome bent over
it she gave a little sigh of
pleasure.
"Why, it's a mirror!" she
cried; for she could see all
her pretty face and fluffy,
rainbow-tinted gown reflected
in the pool, as natural as
life.
Dorothy bent over, too, and
began to arrange her hair,
blown by the desert wind into
straggling tangles. Button-Bright
leaned over the edge next,
and then began to cry, for
the sight of his fox head frightened
the poor little fellow.
"I guess I won't look," remarked
the shaggy man, sadly, for
he didn't like his donkey head,
either. While Polly and Dorothy
tried to comfort Button-Bright,
the shaggy man sat down near
the edge of the pool, where
his image could not be reflected,
and stared at the water thoughtfully.
As he did this he noticed a
silver plate fastened to a
rock just under the surface
of the water, and on the silver
plate was engraved these words:
THE TRUTH POND
"Ah!" cried the shaggy man,
springing to his feet with
eager joy; "we've found it
at last."
"Found what?" asked
Dorothy, running to him.
"The Truth
Pond. Now, at last, I may
get rid of this
frightful head; for we were
told, you remember, that only
the Truth Pond could restore
to me my proper face."
"Me, too!" shouted
Button-Bright, trotting up
to them.
"Of course," said Dorothy. "It
will cure you both of your
bad heads, I guess. Isn't it
lucky we found it?"
"It is, indeed," replied
the shaggy man. "I hated dreadfully
to go to Princess Ozma looking
like this; and she's to have
a birthday celebration, too."
Just then
a splash startled them, for
Button-Bright, in
his anxiety to see the pool
that would "cure" him, had
stepped too near the edge and
tumbled heels over head into
the water. Down he went, out
of sight entirely, so that
only his sailor hat floated
on the top of the Truth Pond.
He soon bobbed up, and the
shaggy man seized him by his
sailor collar and dragged him
to the shore, dripping and
gasping for breath. They all
looked upon the boy wonderingly,
for the fox head with its sharp
nose and pointed ears was gone,
and in its place appeared the
chubby round face and blue
eyes and pretty curls that
had belonged to Button-Bright
before King Dox of Foxville
transformed him.
"Oh, what a darling!" cried
Polly, and would have hugged
the little one had he not been
so wet.
Their joyful exclamations
made the child rub the water
out of his eyes and look at
his friends questioningly.
"You're all right now, dear," said
Dorothy. "Come and look at
yourself." She led him to the
pool, and although there were
still a few ripples on the
surface of the water he could
see his reflection plainly.
"It's me!" he
said, in a pleased yet awed
whisper.
"'Course it is," replied
the girl, "and we're all as
glad as you are, Button-Bright."
"Well," announced the shaggy
man, "it's my turn next." He
took off his shaggy coat and
laid it on the grass and dived
head first into the Truth Pond.
When he came up the donkey
head had disappeared, and the
shaggy man's own shaggy head
was in its place, with the
water dripping in little streams
from his shaggy whiskers. He
scrambled ashore and shook
himself to get off some of
the wet, and then leaned over
the pool to look admiringly
at his reflected face.
"I may not be strictly beautiful,
even now," he said to his companions,
who watched him with smiling
faces; "but I'm so much handsomer
than any donkey that I feel
as proud as I can be."
"You're all right, Shaggy
Man," declared Dorothy. "And
Button-Bright is all right,
too. So let's thank the Truth
Pond for being so nice, and
start on our journey to the
Emerald City."
"I hate to leave it," murmured
the shaggy man, with a sigh. "A
truth pond wouldn't be a bad
thing to carry around with
us." But he put on his coat
and started with the others
in search of some one to direct
them on their way.
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