Next morning the Scarecrow said
to his friends:
"Congratulate
me. I am going to Oz to get
my brains at last.
When I return I shall be as other
men are."
"I have always liked you as
you were," said Dorothy simply.
"It is kind of you to like
a Scarecrow," he replied. "But
surely you will think more of
me when you hear the splendid
thoughts my new brain is going
to turn out." Then he said good-bye
to them all in a cheerful voice
and went to the Throne Room,
where he rapped upon the door.
"Come in," said
Oz.
The Scarecrow went in and found
the little man sitting down by
the window, engaged in deep thought.
"I have come for my brains," remarked
the Scarecrow, a little uneasily.
"Oh, yes; sit down in that
chair, please," replied Oz. "You
must excuse me for taking your
head off, but I shall have to
do it in order to put your brains
in their proper place."
"That's all right," said the
Scarecrow. "You are quite welcome
to take my head off, as long
as it will be a better one when
you put it on again."
So the Wizard unfastened his
head and emptied out the straw.
Then he entered the back room
and took up a measure of bran,
which he mixed with a great many
pins and needles. Having shaken
them together thoroughly, he
filled the top of the Scarecrow's
head with the mixture and stuffed
the rest of the space with straw,
to hold it in place.
When he had
fastened the Scarecrow's head
on his body again he said
to him, "Hereafter you will be
a great man, for I have given
you a lot of bran-new brains."
The Scarecrow was both pleased
and proud at the fulfillment
of his greatest wish, and having
thanked Oz warmly he went back
to his friends.
Dorothy looked at him curiously.
His head was quite bulged out
at the top with brains.
"How do you feel?" she
asked.
"I feel wise indeed," he answered
earnestly. "When I get used to
my brains I shall know everything."
"Why are those needles and
pins sticking out of your head?" asked
the Tin Woodman.
"That is proof that he is sharp," remarked
the Lion.
"Well, I must go to Oz and
get my heart," said the Woodman.
So he walked to the Throne Room
and knocked at the door.
"Come in," called Oz, and the
Woodman entered and said, "I
have come for my heart."
"Very well," answered the little
man. "But I shall have to cut
a hole in your breast, so I can
put your heart in the right place.
I hope it won't hurt you."
"Oh, no," answered the Woodman. "I
shall not feel it at all."
So Oz brought a pair of tinsmith's
shears and cut a small, square
hole in the left side of the
Tin Woodman's breast. Then, going
to a chest of drawers, he took
out a pretty heart, made entirely
of silk and stuffed with sawdust.
"Isn't it a beauty?" he
asked.
"It is, indeed!" replied the
Woodman, who was greatly pleased. "But
is it a kind heart?"
"Oh, very!" answered
Oz. He put the heart in the
Woodman's
breast and then replaced the
square of tin, soldering it neatly
together where it had been cut.
"There," said he; "now
you have a heart that any man
might
be proud of. I'm sorry I had
to put a patch on your breast,
but it really couldn't be helped."
"Never mind the patch," exclaimed
the happy Woodman. "I am very
grateful to you, and shall never
forget your kindness."
"Don't speak of it," replied
Oz.
Then the Tin Woodman went back
to his friends, who wished him
every joy on account of his good
fortune.
The Lion now walked to the
Throne Room and knocked at the
door.
"Come in," said
Oz.
"I have come for my courage," announced
the Lion, entering the room.
"Very well," answered the little
man; "I will get it for you."
He went to a cupboard and reaching
up to a high shelf took down
a square green bottle, the contents
of which he poured into a green-gold
dish, beautifully carved. Placing
this before the Cowardly Lion,
who sniffed at it as if he did
not like it, the Wizard said:
"Drink."
"What is it?" asked
the Lion.
"Well," answered Oz, "if
it were inside of you, it would
be courage. You know, of course,
that courage is always inside
one; so that this really cannot
be called courage until you have
swallowed it. Therefore I advise
you to drink it as soon as possible."
The Lion hesitated no longer,
but drank till the dish was empty.
"How do you feel now?" asked
Oz.
"Full of courage," replied
the Lion, who went joyfully back
to his friends to tell them of
his good fortune.
Oz, left to
himself, smiled to think of
his success in giving
the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman
and the Lion exactly what they
thought they wanted. "How can
I help being a humbug," he said, "when
all these people make me do things
that everybody knows can't be
done? It was easy to make the
Scarecrow and the Lion and the
Woodman happy, because they imagined
I could do anything. But it will
take more than imagination to
carry Dorothy back to Kansas,
and I'm sure I don't know how
it can be done."
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