The Tin Woodman of Oz Page 13

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Restoration

  The Tin Owl gave a hoot of delight when he saw the Red Wagon draw upbefore Jinjur's house, and the Brown Bear grunted and growled with gleeand trotted toward Ozma as fast as he could wobble. As for the Canary,it flew swiftly to Dorothy's shoulder and perched there, saying in herear:

  "Thank goodness you have come to our rescue!"

  "But who are you?" asked Dorothy

  "Don't you know?" returned the Canary.

  "No; for the first time we noticed you in the Magic Picture, you werejust a bird, as you are now. But we've guessed that the giant woman hadtransformed you, as she did the others."

  "Yes; I'm Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter," announced the Canary.

  "Goodness me!" cried Dorothy. "How dreadful."

  "Well, I make a rather pretty bird, I think," returned Polychrome, "butof course I'm anxious to resume my own shape and get back upon myrainbow."

  "Ozma will help you, I'm sure," said Dorothy. "How does it feel,Scarecrow, to be a Bear?" she asked, addressing her old friend.

  "I don't like it," declared the Scarecrow Bear. "This brutal form isquite beneath the dignity of a wholesome straw man."

  "And think of me," said the Owl, perching upon the dashboard of the RedWagon with much noisy clattering of his tin feathers. "Don't I lookhorrid, Dorothy, with eyes several sizes too big for my body, and soweak that I ought to wear spectacles?"

  "Well," said Dorothy critically, as she looked him over, "you'renothing to brag of, I must confess. But Ozma will soon fix you upagain."

  The Green Monkey had hung back, bashful at meeting two lovely girlswhile in the form of a beast; but Jinjur now took his hand and led himforward while she introduced him to Ozma, and Woot managed to make alow bow, not really ungraceful, before her girlish Majesty, the Rulerof Oz.

  "You have all been forced to endure a sad experience," said Ozma, "andso I am anxious to do all in my power to break Mrs. Yoop'senchantments. But first tell me how you happened to stray into thatlonely Valley where Yoop Castle stands."

  Between them they related the object of their journey, the ScarecrowBear telling of the Tin Woodman's resolve to find Nimmie Amee and marryher, as a just reward for her loyalty to him. Woot told of theiradventures with the Loons of Loonville, and the Tin Owl described themanner in which they had been captured and transformed by the Giantess.Then Polychrome related her story, and when all had been told, andDorothy had several times reproved Toto for growling at the Tin Owl,Ozma remained thoughtful for a while, pondering upon what she hadheard. Finally she looked up, and with one of her delightful smiles,said to the anxious group:

  "I am not sure my magic will be able to restore every one of you,because your transformations are of such a strange and unusualcharacter. Indeed, Mrs. Yoop was quite justified in believing no powercould alter her enchantments. However, I am sure I can restore theScarecrow to his original shape. He was stuffed with straw from thebeginning, and even the yookoohoo magic could not alter that. TheGiantess was merely able to make a bear's shape of a man's shape, butthe bear is stuffed with straw, just as the man was. So I feelconfident I can make a man of the bear again."

  "Hurrah!" cried the Brown Bear, and tried clumsily to dance a jig ofdelight.

  "As for the Tin Woodman, his case is much the same," resumed Ozma,still smiling. "The power of the Giantess could not make him anythingbut a tin creature, whatever shape she transformed him into, so it willnot be impossible to restore him to his manly form. Anyhow, I shalltest my magic at once, and see if it will do what I have promised."

  She drew from her bosom a small silver Wand and, making passes with theWand over the head of the Bear, she succeeded in the brief space of amoment in breaking his enchantment. The original Scarecrow of Oz againstood before them, well stuffed with straw and with his features nicelypainted upon the bag which formed his head.

  The Scarecrow was greatly delighted, as you may suppose, and hestrutted proudly around while the powerful fairy, Ozma of Oz, broke theenchantment that had transformed the Tin Woodman and made a Tin Owlinto a Tin Man again.

  "Now, then," chirped the Canary, eagerly; "I'm next, Ozma!"

  "But your case is different," replied Ozma, no longer smiling butwearing a grave expression on her sweet face. "I shall have toexperiment on you, Polychrome, and I may fail in all my attempts."

  She then tried two or three different methods of magic, hoping one ofthem would succeed in breaking Polychrome's enchantment, but still theRainbow's Daughter remained a Canary-Bird. Finally, however, sheexperimented in another way. She transformed the Canary into a Dove,and then transformed the Dove into a Speckled Hen, and then changed theSpeckled Hen into a rabbit, and then the rabbit into a Fawn. And at thelast, after mixing several powders and sprinkling them upon the Fawn,the yookoohoo enchantment was suddenly broken and before them stood oneof the daintiest and loveliest creatures in any fairyland in the world.Polychrome was as sweet and merry in disposition as she was beautiful,and when she danced and capered around in delight, her beautiful hairfloated around her like a golden mist and her many-hued raiment, assoft as cobwebs, reminded one of drifting clouds in a summer sky.

  Woot was so awed by the entrancing sight of this exquisite Sky Fairythat he quite forgot his own sad plight until be noticed Ozma gazingupon him with an intent expression that denoted sympathy and sorrow.Dorothy whispered in her friend's ear, but the Ruler of Oz shook herhead sadly.

  Jinjur, noticing this and understanding Ozma's looks, took the paw ofthe Green Monkey in her own hand and patted it softly.

  "Never mind," she said to him. "You are a very beautiful color, and amonkey can climb better than a boy and do a lot of other things no boycan ever do."

  "What's the matter?" asked Woot, a sinking feeling at his heart. "IsOzma's magic all used up?"

  Ozma herself answered him.

  "Your form of enchantment, my poor boy," she said pityingly, "isdifferent from that of the others. Indeed, it is a form that isimpossible to alter by any magic known to fairies or yookoohoos. Thewicked Giantess was well aware, when she gave you the form of a GreenMonkey, that the Green Monkey must exist in the Land of Oz for allfuture time."

  Woot drew a long sigh.

  "Well, that's pretty hard luck," he said bravely, "but if it can't behelped I must endure it; that's all. I don't like being a monkey, butwhat's the use of kicking against my fate?"

  They were all very sorry for him, and Dorothy anxiously asked Ozma:

  "Couldn't Glinda save him?"

  "No," was the reply. "Glinda's power in transformations is no greaterthan my own. Before I left my palace I went to my Magic Room andstudied Woot's case very carefully. I found that no power can do awaywith the Green Monkey. He might transfer, or exchange his form withsome other person, it is true; but the Green Monkey we cannot get ridof by any magic arts known to science."

  "But--see here," said the Scarecrow, who had listened intently to thisexplanation, "why not put the monkey's form on some one else?"

  "Who would agree to make the change?" asked Ozma. "If by force wecaused anyone else to become a Green Monkey, we would be as cruel andwicked as Mrs. Yoop. And what good would an exchange do?" shecontinued. "Suppose, for instance, we worked the enchantment, and madeToto into a Green Monkey. At the same moment Woot would become a littledog."

  "Leave me out of your magic, please," said Toto, with a reproachfulgrowl. "I wouldn't become a Green Monkey for anything."

  "And I wouldn't become a dog," said Woot. "A green monkey is muchbetter than a dog, it seems to me."

  "That is only a matter of opinion," answered Toto.

  "Now, here's another idea," said the Scarecrow. "My brains are workingfinely today, you must admit. Why not transform Toto into Woot theWanderer, and then have them exchange forms? The dog would become agreen monkey and the monkey would have his own natural shape again."

  "To be sure!" cried Jinjur. "That's a fine idea."

  "Leave me out of it," said Toto. "
I won't do it."

  "Wouldn't you be willing to become a green monkey--see what a prettycolor it is--so that this poor boy could be restored to his own shape?"asked Jinjur, pleadingly.

  "No," said Toto.

  "I don't like that plan the least bit," declared Dorothy, "for then Iwouldn't have any little dog."

  "But you'd have a green monkey in his place," persisted Jinjur, wholiked Woot and wanted to help him.

  "I don't want a green monkey," said Dorothy positively.

  "Don't speak of this again, I beg of you," said Woot. "This is my ownmisfortune and I would rather suffer it alone than deprive PrincessDorothy of her dog, or deprive the dog of his proper shape. And perhapseven her Majesty, Ozma of Oz, might not be able to transform anyoneelse into the shape of Woot the Wanderer."

  "Yes; I believe I might do that," Ozma returned; "but Woot is quiteright; we are not justified in inflicting upon anyone--man or dog--theform of a green monkey. Also it is certain that in order to relieve theboy of the form he now wears, we must give it to someone else, whowould be forced to wear it always."

  "I wonder," said Dorothy, thoughtfully, "if we couldn't find someone inthe Land of Oz who would be willing to become a green monkey? Seems tome a monkey is active and spry, and he can climb trees and do a lot ofclever things, and green isn't a bad color for a monkey--it makes himunusual."

  "I wouldn't ask anyone to take this dreadful form," said Woot; "itwouldn't be right, you know. I've been a monkey for some time, now, andI don't like it. It makes me ashamed to be a beast of this sort when byright of birth I'm a boy; so I'm sure it would be wicked to ask anyoneelse to take my place."

  They were all silent, for they knew he spoke the truth. Dorothy wasalmost ready to cry with pity and Ozma's sweet face was sad anddisturbed. The Scarecrow rubbed and patted his stuffed head to try tomake it think better, while the Tin Woodman went into the house andbegan to oil his tin joints so that the sorrow of his friends might notcause him to weep. Weeping is liable to rust tin, and the Emperorprided himself upon his highly polished body--now doubly dear to himbecause for a time he had been deprived of it.

  Polychrome had danced down the garden paths and back again a dozentimes, for she was seldom still a moment, yet she had heard Ozma'sspeech and understood very well Woot's unfortunate position. But theRainbow's Daughter, even while dancing, could think and reason veryclearly, and suddenly she solved the problem in the nicest possibleway. Coming close to Ozma, she said:

  "Your Majesty, all this trouble was caused by the wickedness of Mrs.Yoop, the Giantess. Yet even now that cruel woman is living in hersecluded castle, enjoying the thought that she has put this terribleenchantment on Woot the Wanderer. Even now she is laughing at ourdespair because we can find no way to get rid of the green monkey. Verywell, we do not wish to get rid of it. Let the woman who created theform wear it herself, as a just punishment for her wickedness. I amsure your fairy power can give to Mrs. Yoop the form of Woot theWanderer--even at this distance from her--and then it will be possibleto exchange the two forms. Mrs. Yoop will become the Green Monkey, andWoot will recover his own form again."

  Ozma's face brightened as she listened to this clever proposal.

  "Thank you, Polychrome," said she. "The task you propose is not so easyas you suppose, but I will make the attempt, and perhaps I may succeed."