The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Read online

  Chapter IV.

  The Road through the Forest.

  After a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew sodifficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow brick,which were here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken ormissing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothywalked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains he walkedstraight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full lengthon the hard bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy wouldpick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her inlaughing merrily at his own mishap.

  The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were fartherback. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the fartherthey went the more dismal and lonesome the country became.

  At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook, andDorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. She offered a pieceto the Scarecrow, but he refused.

  "I am never hungry," he said; "and it is a lucky thing I am not. Formy mouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole in it so I couldeat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoilthe shape of my head."

  Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and wenton eating her bread.

  "Tell me something about yourself, and the country you came from,"said the Scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner. So she toldhim all about Kansas, and how gray everything was there, and howthe cyclone had carried her to this queer land of Oz. The Scarecrowlistened carefully, and said,

  "I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautifulcountry and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas."

  "_'I was only made yesterday,' said the Scarecrow._"]

  "That is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "No matterhow dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and bloodwould rather live there than in any other country, be it ever sobeautiful. There is no place like home."

  The Scarecrow sighed.

  "Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads werestuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in thebeautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It isfortunate for Kansas that you have brains."

  "Won't you tell me a story, while we are resting?" asked the child.

  The Scarecrow looked at her reproachfully, and answered,

  "My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I wasonly made day before yesterday. What happened in the world beforethat time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made myhead, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that Iheard what was going on. There was another Munchkin with him, and thefirst thing I heard was the farmer saying,

  "'How do you like those ears?'

  "'They aren't straight,' answered the other.

  "'Never mind,' said the farmer; 'they are ears just the same,' whichwas true enough.

  "'Now I'll make the eyes,' said the farmer. So he painted my righteye, and as soon as it was finished I found myself looking at him andat everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this wasmy first glimpse of the world.

  "'That's a rather pretty eye,' remarked the Munchkin who was watchingthe farmer; 'blue paint is just the color for eyes.'

  "'I think I'll make the other a little bigger,' said the farmer; andwhen the second eye was done I could see much better than before.Then he made my nose and my mouth; but I did not speak, becauseat that time I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun ofwatching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when theyfastened on my head, at last, I felt very proud, for I thought I wasjust as good a man as anyone.

  "'This fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer; 'helooks just like a man.'

  "'Why, he is a man,' said the other, and I quite agreed with him. Thefarmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on atall stick, where you found me. He and his friend soon after walkedaway and left me alone.

  "I did not like to be deserted this way; so I tried to walk afterthem, but my feet would not touch the ground, and I was forced tostay on that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had nothing tothink of, having been made such a little while before. Many crows andother birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me theyflew away again, thinking I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me andmade me feel that I was quite an important person. By and by an oldcrow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched uponmy shoulder and said,

  "'I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner.Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.'Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. Theother birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corntoo, so in a short time there was a great flock of them about me."

  "I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrowafter all; but the old crow comforted me, saying: 'If you only hadbrains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and abetter man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth havingin this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.'

  "After the crows had gone I thought this over, and decided I wouldtry hard to get some brains. By good luck, you came along and pulledme off the stake, and from what you say I am sure the great Oz willgive me brains as soon as we get to the Emerald City."

  "I hope so," said Dorothy, earnestly, "since you seem anxious to havethem."

  "Oh yes; I am anxious," returned the Scarecrow. "It is such anuncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool."

  "Well," said the girl, "let us go." And she handed the basket to theScarecrow.

  There were no fences at all by the road side now, and the land wasrough and untilled. Towards evening they came to a great forest,where the trees grew so big and close together that their branchesmet over the road of yellow brick. It was almost dark under thetrees, for the branches shut out the daylight; but the travellers didnot stop, and went on into the forest.

  "If this road goes in, it must come out," said the Scarecrow, "and asthe Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go whereverit leads us."

  "Anyone would know that," said Dorothy.

  "Certainly; that is why I know it," returned the Scarecrow. "If itrequired brains to figure it out, I never should have said it."

  After an hour or so the light faded away, and they found themselvesstumbling along in the darkness. Dorothy could not see at all,but Toto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and theScarecrow declared he could see as well as by day. So she took holdof his arm, and managed to get along fairly well.

  "If you see any house, or any place where we can pass the night," shesaid, "you must tell me; for it is very uncomfortable walking in thedark."

  Soon after the Scarecrow stopped.

  "I see a little cottage at the right of us," he said, "built of logsand branches. Shall we go there?"

  "Yes, indeed;" answered the child. "I am all tired out."

  So the Scarecrow led her through the trees until they reached thecottage, and Dorothy entered and found a bed of dried leaves in onecorner. She lay down at once, and with Toto beside her soon fellinto a sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up inanother corner and waited patiently until morning came.