The Patchwork Girl of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

  SCRAPS AND THE SCARECROW

  CHAP. 13

  From here on the country improved and the desert places began to giveway to fertile spots; still no houses were yet to be seen near the road.There were some hills, with valleys between them, and on reaching thetop of one of these hills the travelers found before them a high wall,running to the right and the left as far as their eyes could reach.Immediately in front of them, where the wall crossed the roadway, stooda gate having stout iron bars that extended from top to bottom. Theyfound, on coming nearer, that this gate was locked with a great padlock,rusty through lack of use.

  "Well," said Scraps, "I guess we'll stop here."

  "It's a good guess," replied Ojo. "Our way is barred by this great walland gate. It looks as if no one had passed through in many years."

  "Looks are deceiving," declared the Shaggy Man, laughing at theirdisappointed faces, "and this barrier is the most deceiving thing in allOz."

  "It prevents our going any farther, anyhow," said Scraps. "There is noone to mind the gate and let people through, and we've no key to thepadlock."

  "True," replied Ojo, going a little nearer to peep through the bars ofthe gate. "What shall we do, Shaggy Man? If we had wings we might flyover the wall, but we cannot climb it and unless we get to the EmeraldCity I won't be able to find the things to restore Unc Nunkie to life."

  "All very true," answered the Shaggy Man, quietly; "but I know thisgate, having passed through it many times."

  "How?" they all eagerly inquired.

  "I'll show you how," said he. He stood Ojo in the middle of the road andplaced Scraps just behind him, with her padded hands on his shoulders.After the Patchwork Girl came the Woozy, who held a part of her skirt inhis mouth. Then, last of all, was the Glass Cat, holding fast to theWoozy's tail with her glass jaws.

  "Now," said the Shaggy Man, "you must all shut your eyes tight, and keepthem shut until I tell you to open them."

  "I can't," objected Scraps. "My eyes are buttons, and they won't shut."

  So the Shaggy Man tied his red handkerchief over the Patchwork Girl'seyes and examined all the others to make sure they had their eyes fastshut and could see nothing.

  "What's the game, anyhow--blind-man's-buff?" asked Scraps.

  "Keep quiet!" commanded the Shaggy Man, sternly. "All ready? Then followme."

  He took Ojo's-hand and led him forward over the road of yellow bricks,toward the gate. Holding fast to one another they all followed in a row,expecting every minute to bump against the iron bars. The Shaggy Manalso had his eyes closed, but marched straight ahead, nevertheless, andafter he had taken one hundred steps, by actual count, he stopped andsaid:

  "Now you may open your eyes."

  They did so, and to their astonishment found the wall and the gatewayfar behind them, while in front the former Blue Country of the Munchkinshad given way to green fields, with pretty farm-houses scattered amongthem.

  "That wall," explained the Shaggy Man, "is what is called an opticalillusion. It is quite real while you have your eyes open, but if you arenot looking at it the barrier doesn't exist at all. It's the same waywith many other evils in life; they seem to exist, and yet it's allseeming and not true. You will notice that the wall--or what we thoughtwas a wall--separates the Munchkin Country from the green country thatsurrounds the Emerald City, which lies exactly in the center of Oz.There are two roads of yellow bricks through the Munchkin Country, butthe one we followed is the best of the two. Dorothy once traveled theother way, and met with more dangers than we did. But all our troublesare over for the present, as another day's journey will bring us to thegreat Emerald City."

  They were delighted to know this, and proceeded with new courage. In acouple of hours they stopped at a farmhouse, where the people were veryhospitable and invited them to dinner. The farm folk regarded Scrapswith much curiosity but no great astonishment, for they were accustomedto seeing extraordinary people in the Land of Oz.

  The woman of this house got her needle and thread and sewed up the holesmade by the porcupine quills in the Patchwork Girl's body, after whichScraps was assured she looked as beautiful as ever.

  "You ought to have a hat to wear," remarked the woman, "for that wouldkeep the sun from fading the colors of your face. I have some patchesand scraps put away, and if you will wait two or three days I'll makeyou a lovely hat that will match the rest of you."

  "Never mind the hat," said Scraps, shaking her yarn braids; "it's a kindoffer, but we can't stop. I can't see that my colors have faded aparticle, as yet; can you?"

  "Not much," replied the woman. "You are still very gorgeous, in spiteof your long journey."

  The children of the house wanted to keep the Glass Cat to play with, soBungle was offered a good home if she would remain; but the cat was toomuch interested in Ojo's adventures and refused to stop.

  "Children are rough playmates," she remarked to the Shaggy Man, "andalthough this home is more pleasant than that of the Crooked Magician Ifear I would soon be smashed to pieces by the boys and girls."

  After they had rested themselves they renewed their journey, finding theroad now smooth and pleasant to walk upon and the country growing morebeautiful the nearer they drew to the Emerald City.

  By and by Ojo began to walk on the green grass, looking carefully aroundhim.

  "What are you trying to find?" asked Scraps.

  "A six-leaved clover," said he.

  "Don't do that!" exclaimed the Shaggy Man, earnestly. "It's against theLaw to pick a six-leaved clover. You must wait until you get Ozma'sconsent."

  "She wouldn't know it," declared the boy.

  "Ozma knows many things," said the Shaggy Man. "In her room is a MagicPicture that shows any scene in the Land of Oz where strangers ortravelers happen to be. She may be watching the picture of us even now,and noticing everything that we do."

  "Does she always watch the Magic Picture?" asked Ojo.

  "Not always, for she has many other things to do; but, as I said, shemay be watching us this very minute."

  "I don't care," said Ojo, in an obstinate tone of voice; "Ozma's only agirl."

  The Shaggy Man looked at him in surprise.

  "You ought to care for Ozma," said he, "if you expect to save youruncle. For, if you displease our powerful Ruler, your journey willsurely prove a failure; whereas, if you make a friend of Ozma, she willgladly assist you. As for her being a girl, that is another reason whyyou should obey her laws, if you are courteous and polite. Everyone inOz loves Ozma and hates her enemies, for she is as just as she ispowerful."

  Ojo sulked a while, but finally returned to the road and kept away fromthe green clover. The boy was moody and bad tempered for an hour or twoafterward, because he could really see no harm in picking a six-leavedclover, if he found one, and in spite of what the Shaggy Man had said heconsidered Ozma's law to be unjust.

  They presently came to a beautiful grove of tall and stately trees,through which the road wound in sharp curves--first one way and thenanother. As they were walking through this grove they heard some one inthe distance singing, and the sounds grew nearer and nearer until theycould distinguish the words, although the bend in the road still hid thesinger. The song was something like this:

  "Here's to the hale old bale of straw That's cut from the waving grain, The sweetest sight man ever saw In forest, dell or plain. It fills me with a crunkling joy A straw-stack to behold, For then I pad this lucky boy With strands of yellow gold."

  "Ah!" exclaimed the Shaggy Man; "here comes my friend the Scarecrow."

  "What, a live Scarecrow?" asked Ojo.

  "Yes; the one I told you of. He's a splendid fellow, and veryintelligent. You'll like him, I'm sure."

  Just then the famous Scarecrow of Oz came around the bend in the road,riding astride a wooden Sawhorse which was so small that its rider'slegs nearly touched the ground.

  The Scarecrow wore the blue dress of the Munchkins, in which country hewas made, and on his head was set a p
eaked hat with a flat brim trimmedwith tinkling bells. A rope was tied around his waist to hold him inshape, for he was stuffed with straw in every part of him except the topof his head, where at one time the Wizard of Oz had placed sawdust,mixed with needles and pins, to sharpen his wits. The head itself wasmerely a bag of cloth, fastened to the body at the neck, and on thefront of this bag was painted the face--ears, eyes, nose and mouth.

  The Scarecrow's face was very interesting, for it bore a comical and yetwinning expression, although one eye was a bit larger than the other andthe ears were not mates. The Munchkin farmer who had made the Scarecrowhad neglected to sew him together with close stitches and therefore someof the straw with which he was stuffed was inclined to stick out betweenthe seams. His hands consisted of padded white gloves, with the fingerslong and rather limp, and on his feet he wore Munchkin boots of blueleather with broad turns at the tops of them.

  The Sawhorse was almost as curious as its rider. It had been rudelymade, in the beginning, to saw logs upon, so that its body was a shortlength of a log, and its legs were stout branches fitted into four holesmade in the body. The tail was formed by a small branch that had beenleft on the log, while the head was a gnarled bump on one end of thebody. Two knots of wood formed the eyes, and the mouth was a gashchopped in the log. When the Sawhorse first came to life it had no earsat all, and so could not hear; but the boy who then owned him hadwhittled two ears out of bark and stuck them in the head, after whichthe Sawhorse heard very distinctly.

  This queer wooden horse was a great favorite with Princess Ozma, who hadcaused the bottoms of its legs to be shod with plates of gold, so thewood would not wear away. Its saddle was made of cloth-of-gold richlyencrusted with precious gems. It had never worn a bridle.

  As the Scarecrow came in sight of the party of travelers, he reined inhis wooden steed and dismounted, greeting the Shaggy Man with a smilingnod. Then he turned to stare at the Patchwork Girl in wonder, while shein turn stared at him.

  "Shags," he whispered, drawing the Shaggy Man aside, "pat me into shape,there's a good fellow!"

  While his friend punched and patted the Scarecrow's body, to smooth outthe humps, Scraps turned to Ojo and whispered: "Roll me out, please;I've sagged down dreadfully from walking so much and men like to see astately figure."

  She then fell upon the ground and the boy rolled her back and forth likea rolling-pin, until the cotton had filled all the spaces in herpatchwork covering and the body had lengthened to its fullest extent.Scraps and the Scarecrow both finished their hasty toilets at the sametime, and again they faced each other.

  "Allow me, Miss Patchwork," said the Shaggy Man, "to present my friend,the Right Royal Scarecrow of Oz. Scarecrow, this is Miss Scraps Patches;Scraps, this is the Scarecrow. Scarecrow--Scraps; Scraps--Scarecrow."

  They both bowed with much dignity.

  "Forgive me for staring so rudely," said the Scarecrow, "but you are themost beautiful sight my eyes have ever beheld."

  "That is a high compliment from one who is himself so beautiful,"murmured Scraps, casting down her suspender-button eyes by lowering herhead. "But, tell me, good sir, are you not a trifle lumpy?"

  "Yes, of course; that's my straw, you know. It bunches up, sometimes, inspite of all my efforts to keep it even. Doesn't your straw ever bunch?"

  "Oh, I'm stuffed with cotton," said Scraps. "It never bunches, but it'sinclined to pack down and make me sag."

  "But cotton is a high-grade stuffing. I may say it is even more stylish,not to say aristocratic, than straw," said the Scarecrow politely."Still, it is but proper that one so entrancingly lovely should have thebest stuffing there is going. I--er--I'm _so_ glad I've met you, MissScraps! Introduce us again, Shaggy."

  "Once is enough," replied the Shaggy Man, laughing at his friend'senthusiasm.

  "Then tell me where you found her, and--Dear me, what a queer cat! Whatare _you_ made of--gelatine?"

  "Pure glass," answered the cat, proud to have attracted the Scarecrow'sattention. "I am much more beautiful than the Patchwork Girl. I'mtransparent, and Scraps isn't; I've pink brains--you can see 'em work;and I've a ruby heart, finely polished, while Scraps hasn't any heart atall."

  "No more have I," said the Scarecrow, shaking hands with Scraps, as ifto congratulate her on the fact. "I've a friend, the Tin Woodman, whohas a heart, but I find I get along pretty well without one. Andso--Well, well! here's a little Munchkin boy, too. Shake hands, mylittle man. How are you?"

  Ojo placed his hand in the flabby stuffed glove that served theScarecrow for a hand, and the Scarecrow pressed it so cordially that thestraw in his glove crackled.

  Meantime, the Woozy had approached the Sawhorse and begun to sniff atit. The Sawhorse resented this familiarity and with a sudden kickpounded the Woozy squarely on its head with one gold-shod foot.

  "Take that, you monster!" it cried angrily.

  The Woozy never even winked.

  "To be sure," he said; "I'll take anything I have to. But don't make meangry, you wooden beast, or my eyes will flash fire and burn you up."

  The Sawhorse rolled its knot eyes wickedly and kicked again, but theWoozy trotted away and said to the Scarecrow:

  "What a sweet disposition that creature has! I advise you to chop it upfor kindling-wood and use me to ride upon. My back is flat and you can'tfall off."

  "I think the trouble is that you haven't been properly introduced," saidthe Scarecrow, regarding the Woozy with much wonder, for he had neverseen such a queer animal before. "The Sawhorse is the favorite steed ofPrincess Ozma, the Ruler of the Land of Oz, and he lives in a stabledecorated with pearls and emeralds, at the rear of the royal palace. Heis swift as the wind, untiring, and is kind to his friends. All thepeople of Oz respect the Sawhorse highly, and when I visit Ozma shesometimes allows me to ride him--as I am doing to-day. Now you know whatan important personage the Sawhorse is, and if some one--perhapsyourself--will tell me your name, your rank and station, and yourhistory, it will give me pleasure to relate them to the Sawhorse. Thiswill lead to mutual respect and friendship."

  The Woozy was somewhat abashed by this speech and did not know how toreply. But Ojo said:

  "This square beast is called the Woozy, and he isn't of much importanceexcept that he has three hairs growing on the tip of his tail."

  The Scarecrow looked and saw that this was true.

  "But," said he, in a puzzled way, "what makes those three hairsimportant? The Shaggy Man has thousands of hairs, but no one has everaccused him of being important."

  So Ojo related the sad story of Unc Nunkie's transformation into amarble statue, and told how he had set out to find the things theCrooked Magician wanted, in order to make a charm that would restore hisuncle to life. One of the requirements was three hairs from a Woozy'stail, but not being able to pull out the hairs they had been obliged totake the Woozy with them.

  The Scarecrow looked grave as he listened and he shook his head severaltimes, as if in disapproval.

  "We must see Ozma about this matter," he said. "That Crooked Magician isbreaking the Law by practicing magic without a license, and I'm not sureOzma will allow him to restore your uncle to life."

  "Already I have warned the boy of that," declared the Shaggy Man.

  At this Ojo began to cry. "I want my Unc Nunkie!" he exclaimed. "I knowhow he can be restored to life, and I'm going to do it--Ozma or no Ozma!What right has this girl Ruler to keep my Unc Nunkie a statue forever?"

  "Don't worry about that just now," advised the Scarecrow. "Go on to theEmerald City, and when you reach it have the Shaggy Man take you to seeDorothy. Tell her your story and I'm sure she will help you. Dorothy isOzma's best friend, and if you can win her to your side your uncle ispretty safe to live again." Then he turned to the Woozy and said: "I'mafraid you are not important enough to be introduced to the Sawhorse,after all."

  "I'm a better beast than he is," retorted the Woozy, indignantly. "Myeyes can flash fire, and his can't."

  "Is this true?" inquired the Scarec
row, turning to the Munchkin boy.

  "Yes," said Ojo, and told how the Woozy had set fire to the fence.

  "Have you any other accomplishments?" asked the Scarecrow.

  "I have a most terrible growl--that is, _sometimes_," said the Woozy, asScraps laughed merrily and the Shaggy Man smiled. But the PatchworkGirl's laugh made the Scarecrow forget all about the Woozy. He said toher:

  "What an admirable young lady you are, and what jolly good company! Wemust be better acquainted, for never before have I met a girl with suchexquisite coloring or such natural, artless manners."

  "No wonder they call you the Wise Scarecrow," replied Scraps.

  "When you arrive at the Emerald City I will see you again," continuedthe Scarecrow. "Just now I am going to call upon an old friend--anordinary young lady named Jinjur--who has promised to repaint my leftear for me. You may have noticed that the paint on my left ear haspeeled off and faded, which affects my hearing on that side. Jinjuralways fixes me up when I get weather-worn."

  "When do you expect to return to the Emerald City?" asked the ShaggyMan.

  "I'll be there this evening, for I'm anxious to have a long talk withMiss Scraps. How is it, Sawhorse; are you equal to a swift run?"

  "Anything that suits you suits me," returned the wooden horse.

  So the Scarecrow mounted to the jeweled saddle and waved his hat, whenthe Sawhorse darted away so swiftly that they were out of sight in aninstant.