It was some time before the
Cowardly Lion awakened, for he
had lain among the poppies a
long while, breathing in their
deadly fragrance; but when he
did open his eyes and roll off
the truck he was very glad to
find himself still alive.
"I ran as fast as I could," he
said, sitting down and yawning, "but
the flowers were too strong for
me. How did you get me out?"
Then they told him of the field
mice, and how they had generously
saved him from death; and the
Cowardly Lion laughed, and said:
"I have always
thought myself very big and
terrible; yet such
little things as flowers came
near to killing me, and such
small animals as mice have saved
my life. How strange it all is!
But, comrades, what shall we
do now?"
"We must journey on until we
find the road of yellow brick
again," said Dorothy, "and then
we can keep on to the Emerald
City."
So, the Lion being fully refreshed,
and feeling quite himself again,
they all started upon the journey,
greatly enjoying the walk through
the soft, fresh grass; and it
was not long before they reached
the road of yellow brick and
turned again toward the Emerald
City where the Great Oz dwelt.
The road was smooth and well
paved, now, and the country about
was beautiful, so that the travelers
rejoiced in leaving the forest
far behind, and with it the many
dangers they had met in its gloomy
shades. Once more they could
see fences built beside the road;
but these were painted green,
and when they came to a small
house, in which a farmer evidently
lived, that also was painted
green. They passed by several
of these houses during the afternoon,
and sometimes people came to
the doors and looked at them
as if they would like to ask
questions; but no one came near
them nor spoke to them because
of the great Lion, of which they
were very much afraid. The people
were all dressed in clothing
of a lovely emerald-green color
and wore peaked hats like those
of the Munchkins.
"This must be the Land of Oz," said
Dorothy, "and we are surely getting
near the Emerald City."
"Yes," answered the Scarecrow. "Everything
is green here, while in the country
of the Munchkins blue was the
favorite color. But the people
do not seem to be as friendly
as the Munchkins, and I'm afraid
we shall be unable to find a
place to pass the night."
"I should like something to
eat besides fruit," said the
girl, "and I'm sure Toto is nearly
starved. Let us stop at the next
house and talk to the people."
So, when they came to a good-sized
farmhouse, Dorothy walked boldly
up to the door and knocked.
A woman opened
it just far enough to look
out, and said, "What
do you want, child, and why is
that great Lion with you?"
"We wish to pass the night
with you, if you will allow us," answered
Dorothy; "and the Lion is my
friend and comrade, and would
not hurt you for the world."
"Is he tame?" asked
the woman, opening the door
a little wider.
"Oh, yes," said the girl, "and
he is a great coward, too. He
will be more afraid of you than
you are of him."
"Well," said the woman, after
thinking it over and taking another
peep at the Lion, "if that is
the case you may come in, and
I will give you some supper and
a place to sleep."
So they all entered the house,
where there were, besides the
woman, two children and a man.
The man had hurt his leg, and
was lying on the couch in a corner.
They seemed greatly surprised
to see so strange a company,
and while the woman was busy
laying the table the man asked:
"Where are
you all going?"
"To the Emerald City," said
Dorothy, "to see the Great Oz."
"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the
man. "Are you sure that Oz will
see you?"
"Why not?" she
replied.
"Why, it is
said that he never lets anyone
come into his presence.
I have been to the Emerald City
many times, and it is a beautiful
and wonderful place; but I have
never been permitted to see the
Great Oz, nor do I know of any
living person who has seen him."
"Does he never go out?" asked
the Scarecrow.
"Never. He
sits day after day in the great
Throne Room of his
Palace, and even those who wait
upon him do not see him face
to face."
"What is he like?" asked
the girl.
"That is hard to tell," said
the man thoughtfully. "You see,
Oz is a Great Wizard, and can
take on any form he wishes. So
that some say he looks like a
bird; and some say he looks like
an elephant; and some say he
looks like a cat. To others he
appears as a beautiful fairy,
or a brownie, or in any other
form that pleases him. But who
the real Oz is, when he is in
his own form, no living person
can tell."
"That is very strange," said
Dorothy, "but we must try, in
some way, to see him, or we shall
have made our journey for nothing."
"Why do you wish to see the
terrible Oz?" asked the man.
"I want him to give me some
brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly.
"Oh, Oz could do that easily
enough," declared the man. "He
has more brains than he needs."
"And I want him to give me
a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"That will not trouble him," continued
the man, "for Oz has a large
collection of hearts, of all
sizes and shapes."
"And I want him to give me
courage," said the Cowardly Lion.
"Oz keeps a great pot of courage
in his Throne Room," said the
man, "which he has covered with
a golden plate, to keep it from
running over. He will be glad
to give you some."
"And I want him to send me
back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Where is Kansas?" asked
the man, with surprise.
"I don't know," replied Dorothy
sorrowfully, "but it is my home,
and I'm sure it's somewhere."
"Very likely. Well, Oz can
do anything; so I suppose he
will find Kansas for you. But
first you must get to see him,
and that will be a hard task;
for the Great Wizard does not
like to see anyone, and he usually
has his own way. But what do
YOU want?" he continued, speaking
to Toto. Toto only wagged his
tail; for, strange to say, he
could not speak.
The woman now called to them
that supper was ready, so they
gathered around the table and
Dorothy ate some delicious porridge
and a dish of scrambled eggs
and a plate of nice white bread,
and enjoyed her meal. The Lion
ate some of the porridge, but
did not care for it, saying it
was made from oats and oats were
food for horses, not for lions.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman
ate nothing at all. Toto ate
a little of everything, and was
glad to get a good supper again.
The woman now gave Dorothy
a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay
down beside her, while the Lion
guarded the door of her room
so she might not be disturbed.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman
stood up in a corner and kept
quiet all night, although of
course they could not sleep.
The next morning, as soon as
the sun was up, they started
on their way, and soon saw a
beautiful green glow in the sky
just before them.
"That must be the Emerald City," said
Dorothy.
As they walked on, the green
glow became brighter and brighter,
and it seemed that at last they
were nearing the end of their
travels. Yet it was afternoon
before they came to the great
wall that surrounded the City.
It was high and thick and of
a bright green color.
In front of them, and at the
end of the road of yellow brick,
was a big gate, all studded with
emeralds that glittered so in
the sun that even the painted
eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled
by their brilliancy.
There was a bell beside the
gate, and Dorothy pushed the
button and heard a silvery tinkle
sound within. Then the big gate
swung slowly open, and they all
passed through and found themselves
in a high arched room, the walls
of which glistened with countless
emeralds.
Before them stood a little
man about the same size as the
Munchkins. He was clothed all
in green, from his head to his
feet, and even his skin was of
a greenish tint. At his side
was a large green box.
When he saw
Dorothy and her companions
the man asked, "What
do you wish in the Emerald City?"
"We came here to see the Great
Oz," said Dorothy.
The man was so surprised at
this answer that he sat down
to think it over.
"It has been many years since
anyone asked me to see Oz," he
said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He
is powerful and terrible, and
if you come on an idle or foolish
errand to bother the wise reflections
of the Great Wizard, he might
be angry and destroy you all
in an instant."
"But it is not a foolish errand,
nor an idle one," replied the
Scarecrow; "it is important.
And we have been told that Oz
is a good Wizard."
"So he is," said the green
man, "and he rules the Emerald
City wisely and well. But to
those who are not honest, or
who approach him from curiosity,
he is most terrible, and few
have ever dared ask to see his
face. I am the Guardian of the
Gates, and since you demand to
see the Great Oz I must take
you to his Palace. But first
you must put on the spectacles."
"Why?" asked
Dorothy.
"Because if
you did not wear spectacles
the brightness and
glory of the Emerald City would
blind you. Even those who live
in the City must wear spectacles
night and day. They are all locked
on, for Oz so ordered it when
the City was first built, and
I have the only key that will
unlock them."
He opened the big box, and
Dorothy saw that it was filled
with spectacles of every size
and shape. All of them had green
glasses in them. The Guardian
of the Gates found a pair that
would just fit Dorothy and put
them over her eyes. There were
two golden bands fastened to
them that passed around the back
of her head, where they were
locked together by a little key
that was at the end of a chain
the Guardian of the Gates wore
around his neck. When they were
on, Dorothy could not take them
off had she wished, but of course
she did not wish to be blinded
by the glare of the Emerald City,
so she said nothing.
Then the green man fitted spectacles
for the Scarecrow and the Tin
Woodman and the Lion, and even
on little Toto; and all were
locked fast with the key.
Then the Guardian of the Gates
put on his own glasses and told
them he was ready to show them
to the Palace. Taking a big golden
key from a peg on the wall, he
opened another gate, and they
all followed him through the
portal into the streets of the
Emerald City.
|