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  • CHAPTER 3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

  • When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry.

  • So she went to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter.

  • She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from the shelf she carried it down to the

  • little brook and filled it with clear, sparkling water.

  • Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there.

  • Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches

  • that she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her

  • breakfast.

  • Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto to a good drink of

  • the cool, clear water, she set about making ready for the journey to the City of

  • Emeralds.

  • Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a

  • peg beside her bed.

  • It was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat

  • faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock.

  • The girl washed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her

  • pink sunbonnet on her head.

  • She took a little basket and filled it with bread from the cupboard, laying a white

  • cloth over the top. Then she looked down at her feet and

  • noticed how old and worn her shoes were.

  • "They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto," she said.

  • And Toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged his tail to

  • show he knew what she meant.

  • At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes that had belonged to

  • the Witch of the East. "I wonder if they will fit me," she said to

  • Toto.

  • "They would be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out."

  • She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, which fitted her

  • as well as if they had been made for her.

  • Finally she picked up her basket. "Come along, Toto," she said.

  • "We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again."

  • She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocket of her dress.

  • And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her, she started on her journey.

  • There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to find the one paved

  • with yellow bricks.

  • Within a short time she was walking briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes

  • tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow road- bed.

  • The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly, and Dorothy did not feel nearly so

  • bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her

  • own country and set down in the midst of a strange land.

  • She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the country was about her.

  • There were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and

  • beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance.

  • Evidently the Munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops.

  • Once in a while she would pass a house, and the people came out to look at her and bow

  • low as she went by; for everyone knew she had been the means of destroying the Wicked

  • Witch and setting them free from bondage.

  • The houses of the Munchkins were odd- looking dwellings, for each was round, with

  • a big dome for a roof. All were painted blue, for in this country

  • of the East blue was the favorite color.

  • Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and began to wonder where she

  • should pass the night, she came to a house rather larger than the rest.

  • On the green lawn before it many men and women were dancing.

  • Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible, and the people were laughing and

  • singing, while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies

  • and cakes, and many other good things to eat.

  • The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and to pass the night

  • with them; for this was the home of one of the richest Munchkins in the land, and his

  • friends were gathered with him to celebrate

  • their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.

  • Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself, whose

  • name was Boq.

  • Then she sat upon a settee and watched the people dance.

  • When Boq saw her silver shoes he said, "You must be a great sorceress."

  • "Why?" asked the girl.

  • "Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch.

  • Besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches and sorceresses wear white."

  • "My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out the wrinkles in it.

  • "It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color of the Munchkins, and

  • white is the witch color.

  • So we know you are a friendly witch."

  • Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to think her a

  • witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little girl who had come by the

  • chance of a cyclone into a strange land.

  • When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her into the house, where he gave

  • her a room with a pretty bed in it.

  • The sheets were made of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning,

  • with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.

  • She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who played with Toto and

  • pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way that greatly amused Dorothy.

  • Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people, for they had never seen a dog

  • before. "How far is it to the Emerald City?" the

  • girl asked.

  • "I do not know," answered Boq gravely, "for I have never been there.

  • It is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless they have business with him.

  • But it is a long way to the Emerald City, and it will take you many days.

  • The country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous

  • places before you reach the end of your journey."

  • This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the Great Oz could help her get

  • to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turn back.

  • She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of yellow brick.

  • When she had gone several miles she thought she would stop to rest, and so climbed to

  • the top of the fence beside the road and sat down.

  • There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far away she saw a

  • Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe corn.

  • Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow.

  • Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted

  • on it to represent a face.

  • An old, pointed blue hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on his head,

  • and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded, which had also

  • been stuffed with straw.

  • On the feet were some old boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this

  • country, and the figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole

  • stuck up its back.

  • While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the Scarecrow,

  • she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her.

  • She thought she must have been mistaken at first, for none of the scarecrows in Kansas

  • ever wink; but presently the figure nodded its head to her in a friendly way.

  • Then she climbed down from the fence and walked up to it, while Toto ran around the

  • pole and barked. "Good day," said the Scarecrow, in a rather

  • husky voice.

  • "Did you speak?" asked the girl, in wonder. "Certainly," answered the Scarecrow.

  • "How do you do?" "I'm pretty well, thank you," replied

  • Dorothy politely.

  • "How do you do?" "I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow,

  • with a smile, "for it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away

  • crows."

  • "Can't you get down?" asked Dorothy. "No, for this pole is stuck up my back.

  • If you will please take away the pole I shall be greatly obliged to you."

  • Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole, for, being stuffed

  • with straw, it was quite light. "Thank you very much," said the Scarecrow,

  • when he had been set down on the ground.

  • "I feel like a new man." Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded

  • queer to hear a stuffed man speak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her.

  • "Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow when he had stretched himself and yawned.

  • "And where are you going?"

  • "My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to the Emerald City, to ask the

  • Great Oz to send me back to Kansas." "Where is the Emerald City?" he inquired.

  • "And who is Oz?"

  • "Why, don't you know?" she returned, in surprise.

  • "No, indeed. I don't know anything.

  • You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all," he answered sadly.

  • "Oh," said Dorothy, "I'm awfully sorry for you."

  • "Do you think," he asked, "if I go to the Emerald City with you, that Oz would give

  • me some brains?" "I cannot tell," she returned, "but you may

  • come with me, if you like.

  • If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than you are now."

  • "That is true," said the Scarecrow.

  • "You see," he continued confidentially, "I don't mind my legs and arms and body being

  • stuffed, because I cannot get hurt.

  • If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn't matter, for I can't

  • feel it.

  • But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw

  • instead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything?"

  • "I understand how you feel," said the little girl, who was truly sorry for him.

  • "If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he can for you."

  • "Thank you," he answered gratefully.

  • They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence, and they

  • started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City.

  • Toto did not like this addition to the party at first.

  • He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats in

  • the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at the Scarecrow.

  • "Don't mind Toto," said Dorothy to her new friend.

  • "He never bites." "Oh, I'm not afraid," replied the

  • Scarecrow.

  • "He can't hurt the straw. Do let me carry that basket for you.

  • I shall not mind it, for I can't get tired. I'll tell you a secret," he continued, as

  • he walked along.

  • "There is only one thing in the world I am afraid of."

  • "What is that?" asked Dorothy; "the Munchkin farmer who made you?"

  • "No," answered the Scarecrow; "it's a lighted match."

CHAPTER 3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow