The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (best books to read for self improvement .txt) ๐
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- Author: L. Frank Baum
Read book online ยซThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (best books to read for self improvement .txt) ๐ยป. Author - L. Frank Baum
The other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so they made up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend down their branches, and that probably these were the policemen of the forest, and given this wonderful power in order to keep strangers out of it.
The four travelers walked with ease through the trees until they came to the farther edge of the wood. Then, to their surprise, they found before them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It was smooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads.
โWhat shall we do now?โ asked Dorothy.
โI will make a ladder,โ said the Tin Woodman, โfor we certainly must climb over the wall.โ
The Dainty China Country
While the Woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in the forest Dorothy lay down and slept, for she was tired by the long walk. The Lion also curled himself up to sleep and Toto lay beside him.
The Scarecrow watched the Woodman while he worked, and said to him:
โI cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of.โ
โRest your brains and do not worry about the wall,โ replied the Woodman. โWhen we have climbed over it, we shall know what is on the other side.โ
After a time the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but the Tin Woodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. The Scarecrow waked Dorothy and the Lion and Toto, and told them that the ladder was ready. The Scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but he was so awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep him from falling off. When he got his head over the top of the wall the Scarecrow said, โOh, my!โ
โGo on,โ exclaimed Dorothy.
So the Scarecrow climbed farther up and sat down on the top of the wall, and Dorothy put her head over and cried, โOh, my!โ just as the Scarecrow had done.
Then Toto came up, and immediately began to bark, but Dorothy made him be still.
The Lion climbed the ladder next, and the Tin Woodman came last; but both of them cried, โOh, my!โ as soon as they looked over the wall. When they were all sitting in a row on the top of the wall, they looked down and saw a strange sight.
Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colors. These houses were quite small, the biggest of them reaching only as high as Dorothyโs waist. There were also pretty little barns, with china fences around them; and many cows and sheep and horses and pigs and chickens, all made of china, were standing about in groups.
But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer country. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothyโs knee.
No one did so much as look at the travelers at first, except one little purple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to the wall and barked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again.
โHow shall we get down?โ asked Dorothy.
They found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so the Scarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him so that the hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they took pains not to light on his head and get the pins in their feet. When all were safely down they picked up the Scarecrow, whose body was quite flattened out, and patted his straw into shape again.
โWe must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,โ said Dorothy, โfor it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due South.โ
They began walking through the country of the china people, and the first thing they came to was a china milkmaid milking a china cow. As they drew near, the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over the stool, the pail, and even the milkmaid herself, and all fell on the china ground with a great clatter.
Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg off, and that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poor milkmaid had a nick in her left elbow.
โThere!โ cried the milkmaid angrily. โSee what you have done! My cow has broken her leg, and I must take her to the menderโs shop and have it glued on again. What do you mean by coming here and frightening my cow?โ
โIโm very sorry,โ returned Dorothy. โPlease forgive us.โ
But the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer. She picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limping on three legs. As she left them the milkmaid cast many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close to her side.
Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.
โWe must be very careful here,โ said the kind-hearted Woodman, โor we may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it.โ
A little farther on Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed young Princess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to run away.
Dorothy wanted to see more of the Princess, so she ran after her. But the china girl cried out:
โDonโt chase me! Donโt chase me!โ
She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped and said, โWhy not?โ
โBecause,โ answered the Princess, also stopping, a safe distance away, โif I run I may fall down and break myself.โ
โBut could you not be mended?โ asked the girl.
โOh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know,โ replied the Princess.
โI suppose not,โ said Dorothy.
โNow there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns,โ continued the china lady, โwho is always trying to stand upon his head. He has broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesnโt look at all pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself.โ
Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them, and Dorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow and green he was completely covered with cracks, running every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places.
The Clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out his cheeks and nodding his head at them saucily, he said:
โMy lady fair,
Why do you stare
At poor old Mr. Joker?
Youโre quite as stiff
And prim as if
Youโd eaten up a poker!โ
โBe quiet, sir!โ said the Princess. โCanโt you see these are strangers, and should be treated with respect?โ
โWell, thatโs respect, I expect,โ declared the Clown, and immediately stood upon his head.
โDonโt mind Mr. Joker,โ said the Princess to Dorothy. โHe is considerably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish.โ
โOh, I donโt mind him a bit,โ said Dorothy. โBut you are so beautiful,โ she continued, โthat I am sure I could love you dearly. Wonโt you let me carry you back to Kansas, and stand you on Aunt Emโs mantel? I could carry you in my basket.โ
โThat would make me very unhappy,โ answered the china Princess. โYou see, here in our country we live contentedly, and can talk and move around as we please. But whenever any of us are taken away our joints at once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantels and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country.โ
โI would not make you unhappy for all the world!โ exclaimed Dorothy. โSo Iโll just say good-bye.โ
โGood-bye,โ replied the Princess.
They walked carefully through the china country. The little animals and all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangers would break them, and after an hour or so the travelers reached the other side of the country and came to another china wall.
It was not so high as the first, however, and by standing upon the Lionโs back they all managed to scramble to the top. Then the Lion gathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall; but just as he jumped, he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all to pieces.
โThat was too bad,โ said Dorothy, โbut really I think we were lucky in not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cowโs leg and a church. They are all so brittle!โ
โThey are, indeed,โ said the Scarecrow, โand I am thankful I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world than being a Scarecrow.โ
The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts
After climbing down from the china wall the travelers found themselves in a disagreeable country, full of bogs and marshes and covered with tall, rank grass. It was difficult to walk without falling into muddy holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight. However, by carefully picking their way, they got safely along until they reached solid ground. But here the country seemed wilder than ever, and after a long and tiresome walk through the underbrush they entered another forest, where the trees were bigger and older than any they had ever seen.
โThis forest is perfectly delightful,โ declared the Lion, looking around him with joy. โNever have I seen a more beautiful place.โ
โIt seems gloomy,โ said the Scarecrow.
โNot a bit of it,โ answered the Lion. โI should like to live here all my life. See how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and how rich and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. Surely no wild beast could wish a pleasanter home.โ
โPerhaps there are wild beasts in the forest now,โ said Dorothy.
โI suppose there are,โ returned the Lion, โbut I do not see any of them about.โ
They walked through the forest until it became too dark to go any farther. Dorothy and Toto and the Lion lay down to sleep, while the Woodman and the Scarecrow kept watch over them as usual.
When morning came, they started again. Before they had gone far they heard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals. Toto whimpered a little, but none of the others was frightened, and they kept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the natural history, and for a moment Dorothy was afraid. But the Lion explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and he judged by their snarling and growling that they were in great trouble.
As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him, and at once the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers came up to the Lion and bowed, saying:
โWelcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more.โ
โWhat is your trouble?โ asked the Lion quietly.
โWe are all threatened,โ answered the tiger, โby a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. It is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. It has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of us is safe while
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