When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So shewent to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spreadwith butter. She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from theshelf she carried it down to the little brook and filled it withclear, sparkling water. Toto ran over to the trees and began tobark at the birds sitting there. Dorothy went to get him, and sawsuch delicious fruit hanging from the branches that she gatheredsome of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast.
Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself andToto to a good drink of the cool, clear water, she set aboutmaking ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds.
Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to beclean and was hanging on a peg beside her bed. It was gingham,with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhatfaded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock. The girlwashed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham,and tied her pink sunbonnet on her head. She took a little basketand filled it with bread from the cupboard, laying a white clothover the top. Then she looked down at her feet and noticed howold 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 waggedhis tail to show he knew what she meant.
At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoesthat had belonged to the Witch of the East.
"I wonder if they will fit me," she said to Toto. "They would bejust 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 silverones, 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 Cityand ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again."
She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully inthe pocket of her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberlybehind her, she started on her journey.
There were several roads near by, but it did not take her longto find the one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time shewas walking briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoestinkling merrily on the hard, yellow road-bed. The sun shonebright and the birds sang sweetly, and Dorothy did not feelnearly so bad as you might think a little girl would who hadbeen suddenly whisked away from her own country and set downin the midst of a strange land.
She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty thecountry was about her. There were neat fences at the sides of theroad, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields ofgrain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins weregood farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while shewould pass a house, and the people came out to look at her and bowlow as she went by; for everyone knew she had been the means ofdestroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from bondage.The houses of the Munchkins were odd-looking dwellings, for eachwas 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 andbegan to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to ahouse rather larger than the rest. On the green lawn before itmany men and women were dancing. Five little fiddlers played asloudly as possible, and the people were laughing and singing,while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits andnuts, pies and cakes, and many other good things to eat.
The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper andto pass the night with them; for this was the home of one of therichest Munchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered withhim to celebrate their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.
Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the richMunchkin himself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat upon a setteeand 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 sorceresseswear white."
"My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothingout the wrinkles in it.
"It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is thecolor of the Munchkins, and white is the witch color. So we knowyou are a friendly witch."
Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the peopleseemed to think her a witch, and she knew very well she was onlyan ordinary little girl who had come by the chance of a cycloneinto a strange land.
When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her intothe house, where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it.The sheets were made of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly inthem 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 ina way that greatly amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity toall 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 beenthere. It is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless theyhave 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 andpleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous placesbefore you reach the end of your journey."
This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only theGreat Oz could help her get to Kansas again, so she bravelyresolved not to turn back.
She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the roadof yellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought shewould stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence besidethe 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 keepthe birds from the ripe corn.
Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfullyat 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 suitof clothes, worn and faded, which had also been stuffed with straw.On the feet were some old boots with blue tops, such as every manwore in this country, and the figure was raised above the stalksof corn by means of the pole stuck up its back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, paintedface of the Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyesslowly wink at her. She thought she must have been mistaken at first,for none of the scarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently thefigure nodded its head to her in a friendly way. Then she climbeddown from the fence and walked up to it, while Toto ran around thepole 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 toscare away crows."
"Can't you get down?" asked Dorothy.
"No, for this pole is stuck up my back. If you will pleasetake 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 beenset down on the ground. "I feel like a new man."
Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear astuffed man speak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her.
"Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow when he had stretchedhimself and yawned. "And where are you going?"
"My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to theEmerald 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 beno worse off than you are now."
"That is true," said the Scarecrow. "You see," he continuedconfidentially, "I don't mind my legs and arms and body beingstuffed, because I cannot get hurt. If anyone treads on my toesor 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 staysstuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am Iever to know anything?"
"I understand how you feel," said the little girl, who wastruly sorry for him. "If you will come with me I'll ask Oz todo all he can for you."
"Thank you," he answered gratefully.
They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over thefence, and they started along the path of yellow brick for theEmerald City.
Toto did not like this addition to the party at first.He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected theremight be a nest of rats in the straw, and he often growledin 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 hurtthe straw. Do let me carry that basket for you. I shall not mindit, 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 amafraid of."
"What is that?" asked Dorothy; "the Munchkin farmer who made you?"
"No," answered the Scarecrow; "it's a lighted match."
Next chapter: 4. The Road Through the Forest
