English
InhermagnificentpalaceintheEmeraldCity,thebeautifulgirlRulerofallthewonderfulLandofOzsatinherdaintyboudoirwithherfriendPrincessDorothybesideher.
OzmawasstudyingarollofmanuscriptwhichshehadtakenfromtheRoyalLibrary,whileDorothyworkedatherembroideryandattimesstoopedtopatashaggylittleblackdogthatlayatherfeet.
Thelittledog’snamewasToto,andhewasDorothy’sfaithfulcompanion.
TojudgeOzmaofOzbythestandardsofourworld,youwouldthinkherveryyoung—perhapsfourteenorfifteenyearsofage—yetforyearsshehadruledtheLandofOzandhadneverseemedabitolder.
DorothyappearedmuchyoungerthanOzma.
ShehadbeenalittlegirlwhenfirstshecametotheLandofOz,andshewasalittlegirlstill,andwouldneverseemtobeadayolderwhileshelivedinthiswonderfulfairyland.
Ozwasnotalwaysafairyland,Iamtold.
Onceitwasmuchlikeotherlands,exceptitwasshutinbyadreadfuldesertofsandywastesthatlayallaroundit,thuspreventingitspeoplefromallcontactwiththerestoftheworld.
Seeingthisisolation,thefairybandofQueenLurline,passingoverOzwhileonajourney,enchantedthecountryandsomadeitaFairyland.
AndQueenLurlineleftoneofherfairiestorulethisenchantedLandofOz,andthenpassedonandforgotallaboutit.
FromthatmomentnooneinOzeverdied.
Thosewhowereoldremainedold;thosewhowereyoungandstrongdidnotchangeasyearspassedthemby;thechildrenremainedchildrenalways,andplayedandrompedtotheirhearts’content,whileallthebabieslivedintheircradlesandweretenderlycaredforandnevergrewup.
SopeopleinOzstoppedcountinghowoldtheywereinyears,foryearsmadenodifferenceintheirappearanceandcouldnotaltertheirstation.
Theydidnotgetsick,sotherewerenodoctorsamongthem.
Accidentsmighthappentosome,onrareoccasions,itistrue,andwhilenoonecoulddienaturally,asotherpeopledo,itwaspossiblethatonemightbetotallydestroyed.
Suchincidents,however,wereveryunusual,andsoseldomwasthereanythingtoworryoverthattheOzpeoplewereashappyandcontentedascanbe.
AnotherstrangethingaboutthisfairyLandofOzwasthatwhoevermanagedtoenteritfromtheoutsideworldcameunderthemagicspelloftheplaceanddidnotchangeinappearanceaslongastheylivedthere.
SoDorothy,whonowlivedwithOzma,seemedjustthesamesweetlittlegirlshehadbeenwhenfirstshecametothisdelightfulfairyland.
PerhapsallpartsofOzmightnotbecalledtrulydelightful,butitwassurelydelightfulintheneighborhoodoftheEmeraldCity,whereOzmareigned.
Herlovinginfluencewasfeltformanymilesaround,buttherewereplacesinthemountainsoftheGillikinCountry,andtheforestsoftheQuadlingCountry,andperhapsinfar-awaypartsoftheMunchkinandWinkieCountries,wheretheinhabitantsweresomewhatrudeanduncivilizedandhadnotyetcomeunderthespellofOzma’swiseandkindlyrule.
Also,whenOzfirstbecameafairyland,itharboredseveralwitchesandmagiciansandsorcerersandnecromancers,whowerescatteredinvariousparts,butmostofthesehadbeendeprivedoftheirmagicpowers,andOzmahadissuedaroyaledictforbiddinganyoneinherdominionstoworkmagicexceptGlindatheGoodandtheWizardofOz.
Ozmaherself,beingarealfairy,knewalotofmagic,butsheonlyusedittobenefithersubjects.
Thislittleexplanationwillhelpyoutounderstandbetterthestoryyouarereaching,butmostofitisalreadyknowntothosewhoarefamiliarwiththeOzpeoplewhoseadventurestheyhavefollowedinotherOzbooks.
OzmaandDorothywerefastfriendsandweremuchtogether.
EveryoneinOzlovedDorothyalmostaswellastheydidtheirlovelyRuler,forthelittleKansasgirl’sgoodfortunehadnotspoiledherorrenderedheratallvain.
ShewasjustthesamebraveandtrueandadventurouschildasbeforeshelivedinaroyalpalaceandbecamethechumofthefairyOzma.
Intheroominwhichthetwosat—whichwasoneofOzma’sprivatesuiteofapartments—hungthefamousMagicPicture.
ThiswasthesourceofconstantinteresttolittleDorothy.
Onehadbuttostandbeforeitandwishtoseewhatanypersonwasdoing,andatonceascenewouldflashuponthemagiccanvaswhichshowedexactlywherethatpersonwas,andlikeourownmovingpictureswouldreproducetheactionsofthatpersonaslongasyoucaredtowatchthem.
Sotoday,whenDorothytiredofherembroidery,shedrewthecurtainsfrombeforetheMagicPictureandwishedtoseewhatherfriendButtonBrightwasdoing.
ButtonBright,shesaw,wasplayingballwithOjo,theMunchkinboy,soDorothynextwishedtoseewhatherAuntEmwasdoing.
ThepictureshowedAuntEmquietlyengagedindarningsocksforUncleHenry,soDorothywishedtoseewhatheroldfriendtheTinWoodmanwasdoing.
TheTinWoodmanwasthenjustleavinghistincastleinthecompanyoftheScarecrowandWoottheWanderer.
Dorothyhadneverseenthisboybefore,soshewonderedwhohewas.
Alsoshewascurioustoknowwherethethreeweregoing,forshenoticedWoot’sknapsackandguessedtheyhadstartedonalongjourney.
SheaskedOzmaaboutit,butOzmadidnotknow.
ThatafternoonDorothyagainsawthetravelersintheMagicPicture,buttheyweremerelytrampingthroughthecountryandDorothywasnotmuchinterestedinthem.
Acoupleofdayslater,however,thegirl,beingagainwithOzma,wishedtoseeherfriends,theScarecrowandtheTinWoodmanintheMagicPicture,andonthisoccasionfoundtheminthegreatcastleofMrs.Yoop,theGiantess,whowasatthetimeabouttotransformthem.
BothDorothyandOzmanowbecamegreatlyinterestedandwatchedthetransformationswithindignationandhorror.
“WhatawickedGiantess!”exclaimedDorothy.
“Yes,”answeredOzma,“shemustbepunishedforthiscrueltytoourfriends,andtothepoorboywhoiswiththem.”
AfterthistheyfollowedtheadventureofthelittleBrownBearandtheTinOwlandtheGreenMonkeywithbreathlessinterest,andweredelightedwhentheyescapedfromMrs.Yoop.
Theydidnotknow,then,whotheCanarywas,butrealizeditmustbethetransformationofsomepersonofconsequence,whomtheGiantesshadalsoenchanted.
When,finally,thedaycamewhentheadventurersheadedsouthintotheMunchkinCountry,Dorothyaskedanxiously:
“Can’tsomethingbedoneforthem,Ozma?Can’tyouchange‘embackintotheirownshapes?They’vesufferedenoughfromthesedreadfultransformations,seemstome.”
“I’vebeenstudyingwaystohelpthem,eversincetheyweretransformed,”repliedOzma.
“Mrs.YoopisnowtheonlyYookoohooinmydominions,andtheYookoohoomagicisverypeculiarandhardforotherstounderstand,yetIamresolvedtomaketheattempttobreaktheseenchantments.
Imaynotsucceed,butIshalldothebestIcan.
Fromthedirectionsourfriendsaretaking,IbelievetheyaregoingtopassbyJinjur’sRanch,soifwestartnowwemaymeetthemthere.Wouldyouliketogowithme,Dorothy?”
“Ofcourse,”answeredthelittlegirl;“Iwouldn’tmissitforanything.”
“ThenordertheRedWagon,”saidOzmaofOz,“andwewillstartatonce.”
Dorothyrantodoasshewasbid,whileOzmawenttoherMagicRoomtomakereadythethingsshebelievedshewouldneed.
InhalfanhourtheRedWagonstoodbeforethegrandentranceofthepalace,andbeforeitwashitchedtheWoodenSawhorse,whichwasOzma’sfavoritesteed.
ThisSawhorse,whilemadeofwood,wasverymuchaliveandcouldtravelswiftlyandwithouttiring.
Tokeeptheendsofhiswoodenlegsfromwearingdownshort,OzmahadshodtheSawhorsewithplatesofpuregold.
Hisharnesswasstuddedwithbrilliantemeraldsandotherjewelsandso,whilehehimselfwasnotatallhandsome,hisoutfitmadeasplendidappearance.
SincetheSawhorsecouldunderstandherspokenwords,Ozmausednoreinstoguidehim.Shemerelytoldhimwheretogo.
WhenshecamefromthepalacewithDorothy,theybothclimbedintotheRedWagonandthenthelittledog,Toto,ranupandasked:
“Areyougoingtoleavemebehind,Dorothy?”DorothylookedatOzma,whosmiledinreturnandsaid:
“Totomaygowithus,ifyouwishhimto.”
SoDorothyliftedthelittledogintothewagon,for,whilehecouldrunfast,hecouldnotkeepupwiththespeedofthewonderfulSawhorse.
Awaytheywent,overhillsandthroughmeadows,coveringthegroundwithastonishingspeed.
Itisnotsurprising,therefore,thattheRedWagonarrivedbeforeJinjur’shousejustasthatenergeticyoungladyhadfinishedscrubbingtheGreenMonkeyandwasabouttoleadhimtothecaramelpatch.
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