said Dorothy, reflectively. “Once the Scarecrow and I found the Tin Woodman in the woods, and he was just rusted still, that time, an’ no mistake. But we oiled his joints an’ got ‘em good and slippery, and after that he went with us to visit the Wizard at the Em’rald City.”
“Was that the time the Wizard scared you?” asked Aunt Em.
“He didn’t treat us well, at first,” acknowledged Dorothy; “for he made us go away and destroy the Wicked Witch. But after we found out he was only a humbug wizard we were not afraid of him.”
The Wizard sighed and looked a little ashamed.
“When we try to deceive people we always make mistakes,” he said. “But I’m getting to be a real wizard now, and Glinda the Good’s magic, that I am trying to practice, can never harm any one.”
“You were always a good man,” declared Dorothy, “even when you were a bad wizard.”
“He’s a good wizard now,” asserted Aunt Em, looking at the little man admiringly. “The way he made those tents grow out of handkerchiefs was just wonderful! And didn’t he enchant the wagon wheels so they’d find the road?”
“All the people of Oz,” said the Captain General, “are very proud of their Wizard. He once made some soap-bubbles that astonished the world.”
The Wizard blushed at this praise, yet it pleased him. He no longer looked sad, but seemed to have recovered his usual good humor.
The country through which they now rode was thickly dotted with farmhouses, and yellow grain waved in all the fields. Many of the Winkies could be seen working on their farms and the wild and unsettled parts of Oz were by this time left far behind.
These Winkies appeared to be happy, light-hearted folk, and all removed their caps and bowed low when the red wagon with its load of travelers passed by.
It was not long before they saw something glittering in the sunshine far ahead.
“See!” cried Dorothy; “that’s the Tin Castle, Aunt Em!”
And the Sawhorse, knowing his passengers were eager to arrive, broke into a swift trot that soon brought them to their destination.
24. How the Tin Woodman Told the Sad News
The Tin Woodman received Princess Dorothy’s party with much grace and cordiality, yet the little girl decided that something must be worrying with her old friend, because he was not so merry as usual.
But at first she said nothing about this, for Uncle Henry and Aunt Em were fairly bubbling over with admiration for the beautiful tin castle and its polished tin owner. So her suspicion that something unpleasant had happened was for a time forgotten.
“Where is the Scarecrow?” she asked, when they had all been ushered into the big tin drawing-room of the castle, the Sawhorse being led around to the tin stable in the rear.
“Why, our old friend has just moved into his new mansion,” explained the Tin Woodman. “It has been a long time in building, although my Winkies and many other people from all parts of the country have been busily working upon it. At last, however, it is completed, and the Scarecrow took possession of his new home just two days ago.”
“I hadn’t heard that he wanted a home of his own,” said Dorothy. “Why doesn’t he live with Ozma in the Emerald City? He used to, you know; and I thought he was happy there.”
“It seems,” said the Tin Woodman, “that our dear Scarecrow cannot be contented with city life, however beautiful his surroundings might be. Originally he was a farmer, for he passed his early life in a cornfield, where he was supposed to frighten away the crows.”
“I know,” said Dorothy, nodding. “I found him, and lifted him down from his pole.”
“So now, after a long residence in the Emerald City, his tastes have turned to farm life again,” continued the Tin Man. “He feels that he cannot be happy without a farm of his own, so Ozma gave him some land and every one helped him build his mansion, and now he is settled there for good.”
“Who designed his house?” asked the Shaggy Man.
“I believe it was Jack Pumpkinhead, who is also a farmer,” was the reply.
They were now invited to enter the tin dining room, where luncheon was served.
Aunt Em found, to her satisfaction, that Dorothy’s promise was more than fulfilled; for, although the Tin Woodman had no appetite of his own, he respected the appetites of his guests and saw that they were bountifully fed.
They passed the afternoon in wandering through the beautiful gardens and grounds of the palace. The walks were all paved with sheets of tin, brightly polished, and there were tin fountains and tin statues here and there among the trees. The flowers were mostly natural flowers and grew in the regular way; but their host showed them one flower bed which was his especial pride.
“You see, all common flowers fade and die in time,” he explained, “and so there are seasons when the pretty blooms are scarce. Therefore I decided to make one tin flower bed all of tin flowers, and my workmen have created them with rare skill. Here you see tin camelias, tin marigolds, tin carnations, tin poppies and tin hollyhocks growing as naturally as if they were real.”
Indeed, they were a pretty sight, and glistened under the sunlight like spun silver. “Isn’t this tin hollyhock going to seed?” asked the Wizard, bending over the flowers.
“Why, I believe it is!” exclaimed the Tin Woodman, as if surprised. “I hadn’t noticed that before. But I shall plant the tin seeds and raise another bed of tin hollyhocks.”
In one corner of the gardens Nick Chopper had established a fish-pond in which they saw swimming and disporting themselves many pretty tin fishes.
“Would they bite on hooks?” asked Aunt Em, curiously.
The Tin Woodman seemed hurt at this question.
“Madam,” said he, “do you suppose I would allow anyone to catch my beautiful fishes, even if they were foolish enough to bite on hooks? No, indeed! Every created thing is safe from harm in my domain, and I would as soon think of killing my little friend Dorothy as killing one of my tin fishes.”
“The Emperor is very kind-hearted, ma’am,” explained the Wizard. “If a fly happens to light upon his tin body he doesn’t rudely brush it off, as some people might do; he asks it politely to find some other resting place.”
“What does the fly do then?” enquired Aunt Em.
“Usually it begs his pardon and goes away,” said the Wizard, gravely. “Flies like to be treated politely as well as other creatures, and here in Oz they understand what we say to them, and behave very nicely.”
“Well,” said Aunt Em, “the flies in Kansas, where I came from, don’t understand anything but a swat. You have to smash ‘em to make ‘em behave; and it’s the same way with ‘skeeters. Do you have ‘skeeters in Oz?”
“We have some very large mosquitoes here, which sing as beautifully as song birds,” replied the Tin Woodman. “But they never bite or annoy our people, because they are well fed and taken care of. The reason they bite people in your country is because they are hungry—poor things!”
“Yes,” agreed Aunt Em; “they’re hungry, all right. An’ they ain’t very particular who they feed on. I’m glad you’ve got the ‘skeeters educated in Oz.”
That evening after dinner they were entertained by the Emperor’s Tin Cornet Band, which played for them several sweet melodies. Also the Wizard did a few sleight-of-hand tricks to amuse the company; after which they all retired to their cozy tin bedrooms and slept soundly until morning.