LITMIR.BIZ

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little old woman looked at the corner of the house again. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely, and nothing was left but the silver shoes.

      “The silver shoes are yours,” explained the Witch of the North, “and you shall wear them.” She reached down and picked up the shoes, then gave them to Dorothy.

      “The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,” said one of the Munchkins, “and they are magical; but we don’t know what they can do.”

      Dorothy carried the shoes into the house and placed them on the table. Then she came out again to the Munchkins and said:

      “I want to to get back to my aunt and uncle. Can you help me find my way?”

      The Munchkins and the Witch first looked at one another, and then at Dorothy, and then shook their heads.

      “At the East, not far from here,” said one, “there is a great desert, and none could live to cross it.”

      “It is the same at the South, in the country of the Quadlings.”

      “I am told,” said the third man, “that it is the same at the West. And that country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West, who would make you her slave if you passed her way.”

      “The North is my home,” said the old lady, “and at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this Land of Oz. I’m afraid, my dear, you will have to live with us.”

      Dorothy began to cry. The kind-hearted Munchkins began to cry as well. The little old woman took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose. She counted “One, two, three”, and the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big letters:

      “LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS”

      The little old woman read the words and asked, “Is your name Dorothy, my dear?”

      “Yes,” answered the child.

      “Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you.”

      “How can I get there?” asked Dorothy.

      “You must walk. It is a long journey. However, I will use all the magic I know to keep you from harm.”

      “Won’t you go with me?” pleaded the girl, who had begun to look upon the little old woman as her only friend.

      “No, I cannot do that,” she replied, “but I will give you my kiss, and no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North.”

      She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. Where her lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as Dorothy found out soon after.

      “The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,” said the Witch, “so you cannot miss it. Good-bye, my dear.”

      The Witch gave Dorothy a friendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times, and disappeared. Toto was very surprised and barked loudly. But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear in just that way, and was not surprised at all.

      Chapter 3

      How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

      When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So she went inside the house and got some bread and butter from the cupboard. She gave some of it to Toto. She then took a pail from the shelf and carried it down to the little brook and filled it with water. Then she saw some fruits on the trees and decided to get them for her breakfast.

      Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto to some food and water, she set about making ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds.

      Dorothy had only one other dress. It was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still pretty. The girl washed herself carefully and dressed herself in the clean dress. 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 fall apart in the long journey, Toto,” she said.

      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.

      She tried on the silver ones, and they fit her so 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 they started their journey.

      There were several roads nearby, but they took the one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time she was walking briskly toward the Emerald City. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly.

      She was surprised how pretty this country was. There were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted blue, and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables. The Munchkins were good farmers. Once in a while she would pass a house, and the people came out to look at her. The houses of the Munchkins were round, with big domes for roofs. All were painted blue, for in this country of the East blue was the favorite color.

      Toward evening, when Dorothy began to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house 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. There was a big table nearby, with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many other good things to eat.

      The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to pass the night with them.

      Dorothy stayed with the Munchkins, she ate and talked to them, and then she went to sleep in the house, with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.

      The next morning she told the Munchkins good-bye, and again started along the road of yellow brick. When she had gone several miles she decided to rest. There was a great cornfield nearby, and not far away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe corn.

      Dorothy looked at the Scarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face. Ih has an old, pointed blue hat and a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded, which had also been stuffed with straw. On its feet were some old boots with blue tops.

      While Dorothy was looking at the Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her. She thought she must have been mistaken at first, but then the figure nodded its head to her in a friendly way. Dorothy walked up to it, while Toto ran around the pole and barked.

      “Good day,” said the Scarecrow.

      “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 thankful.”

      Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole. He was stuffed with straw and was quite light.

      “Thank you very much,” said the Scarecrow. “I feel like a new man. Who are you? 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,

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