The Road to Oz Page 14

  The Truth Pond

  They now made a more careful examination of the country around them. Allwas fresh and beautiful after the sultriness of the desert, and thesunshine and sweet, crisp air were delightful to the wanderers. Littlemounds of yellowish green were away at the right, while on the leftwaved a group of tall leafy trees bearing yellow blossoms that lookedlike tassels and pompoms. Among the grasses carpeting the ground werepretty buttercups and cowslips and marigolds. After looking at these amoment Dorothy said reflectively:

  "We must be in the Country of the Winkies, for the color of that countryis yellow, and you will notice that 'most everything here is yellow thathas any color at all."

  "But I thought this was the Land of Oz," replied the shaggy man, as ifgreatly disappointed.

  "So it is," she declared; "but there are four parts to the Land of Oz.The North Country is purple, and it's the Country of the Gillikins. TheEast country is blue, and that's the Country of the Munchkins. Down atthe South is the red Country of the Quadlings, and here, in the West,the yellow Country of the Winkies. This is the part that is ruled by theTin Woodman, you know."

  "Who's he?" asked Button-Bright.

  "Why, he's the tin man I told you about. His name is Nick Chopper, andhe has a lovely heart given him by the wonderful Wizard."

  "Where does _he_ live?" asked the boy.

  "The Wizard? Oh, he lives in the Emerald City, which is just in themiddle of Oz, where the corners of the four countries meet."

  "Oh," said Button-Bright, puzzled by this explanation.

  "We must be some distance from the Emerald City," remarked the shaggyman.

  "That's true," she replied; "so we'd better start on and see if we canfind any of the Winkies. They're nice people," she continued, as thelittle party began walking toward the group of trees, "and I came hereonce with my friends the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and theCowardly Lion, to fight a wicked witch who had made all the Winkies herslaves."

  "Did you conquer her?" asked Polly.

  "Why, I melted her with a bucket of water, and that was the end of her,"replied Dorothy. "After that the people were free, you know, and theymade Nick Chopper--that's the Tin Woodman--their Emp'ror."

  "What's that?" asked Button-Bright.

  "Emp'ror? Oh, it's something like an alderman, I guess."

  "Oh," said the boy.

  "But I thought Princess Ozma ruled Oz," said the shaggy man.

  "So she does; she rules the Emerald City and all the four countries ofOz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as Ozma. It'slike the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are allcaptains, and Ozma's the general."

  By this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfect circleand just far enough apart so that their thick branches touched--or"shook hands," as Button-Bright remarked. Under the shade of the treesthey found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool, its water asstill as glass. It must have been deep, too, for when Polychrome bentover it she gave a little sigh of pleasure.

  "Why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her pretty faceand fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool, as natural aslife.

  Dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by thedesert wind into straggling tangles. Button-Bright leaned over the edgenext, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox head frightenedthe poor little fellow.

  "I guess I won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn'tlike his donkey head, either. While Polly and Dorothy tried to comfortButton-Bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of the pool, wherehis image could not be reflected, and stared at the water thoughtfully.As he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to a rock just underthe surface of the water, and on the silver plate was engraved thesewords:

  THE TRUTH POND]

  "Ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy; "we'vefound it at last."

  "Found what?" asked Dorothy, running to him.

  "The Truth Pond. Now, at last, I may get rid of this frightful head; forwe were told, you remember, that only the Truth Pond could restore to memy proper face."

  "Me, too!" shouted Button-Bright, trotting up to them.

  "Of course," said Dorothy. "It will cure you both of your bad heads, Iguess. Isn't it lucky we found it?"

  "It is, indeed," replied the shaggy man. "I hated dreadfully to go toPrincess Ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthdaycelebration, too."

  Just then a splash startled them, for Button-Bright, in his anxiety tosee the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edge andtumbled heels over head into the water. Down he went, out of sightentirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top of the TruthPond.

  He soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailor collarand dragged him to the shore, dripping and gasping for breath. They alllooked upon the boy wonderingly, for the fox head with its sharp noseand pointed ears was gone, and in its place appeared the chubby roundface and blue eyes and pretty curls that had belonged to Button-Brightbefore King Dox of Foxville transformed him.

  "Oh, what a darling!" cried Polly, and would have hugged the little onehad he not been so wet.

  Their joyful exclamations made the child rub the water out of his eyesand look at his friends questioningly.

  "You're all right now, dear," said Dorothy. "Come and look at yourself."She led him to the pool, and although there were still a few ripples onthe surface of the water he could see his reflection plainly.

  "It's me!" he said, in a pleased yet awed whisper.

  THE SHAGGY MAN'S OWN HEAD RESTORED]

  "'Course it is," replied the girl; "and we're all as glad as you are,Button-Bright."

  "Well," announced the shaggy man, "it's my turn next." He took off hisshaggy coat and laid it on the grass and dived head first into the TruthPond.

  When he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man'sown shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in littlestreams from his shaggy whiskers. He scrambled ashore and shook himselfto get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool to lookadmiringly at his reflected face.

  "I may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to his companions,who watched him with smiling faces; "but I'm so much handsomer than anydonkey that I feel as proud as I can be."

  "You're all right, Shaggy Man," declared Dorothy. "And Button-Bright isall right, too. So let's thank the Truth Pond for being so nice, andstart on our journey to the Emerald City."

  "I hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh. "A truthpond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us." But he put on hiscoat and started with the others in search of some one to direct them ontheir way.