“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 sob at this, for she felt lonely among all these strange people. Her tears seemed to grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weep also. As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose, while she counted “one, two, three” in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks:
“LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS.”
The little old woman took the slate from her nose, and, having read the words on it, asked,
[18] “Is your name Dorothy, my dear?”
“Yes,” answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.
“Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you.”
“Where is this City?” asked Dorothy.
“It is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of.”
“Is he a good man?” enquired the girl, anxiously.
“He is a good Wizard. Whether he is a man or not I cannot tell, for I have never seen him.”
“How can I get there?” asked Dorothy.
“You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of 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. When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you. Good-bye, my dear.”
The three Munchkins bowed low to her and wished her a pleasant journey, after which they walked away through the trees. The Witch gave Dorothy a friendly [19] little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times, and straightway disappeared, much to the surprise of little Toto, who barked after her loudly enough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she stood by.
But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear in just that way, and was not surprised in the least.
Munchkins: Wortschöpfung; Phantasiegestalten.jar: Rütteln, Erschütterung.to whine: winseln, wimmern.dismally (adv.): trübselig, trostlos.sward: Rasen, Grasnarbe.luscious: üppig.banks (pl.): Gruppe, Reihe.gorgeous: prächtig.plumage: Gefieder, Federkleid.to rush: strömen, schnell fließen.to sparkle: glitzern, funkeln.queer: sonderbar, seltsam, eigenartig.grown: erwachsen.well-grown: gut entwickelt.oddly (adv.): seltsam, sonderbar.brim: Krempe.to tinkle: hell klingen, klingeln.sweetly (adv.): wohltönend, lieblich.plait: Falte.to sprinkle: verstreuen, verteilen.to glisten: glänzen, glitzern.shade: Farbton.wrinkle: Runzel, Falte.sorceress: Zauberin.bondage: Knechtschaft, Sklaverei.evidently (adv.): augenscheinlich, offenbar, zweifelsohne.hesitation: Zögern, Unschlüssigkeit.shod: Part. Perf. von to shoe.to clasp one’s hands: die Hände falten.dismay: Furcht, Schrecken.to slave: schuften.gracious (auch: good gracious): Ausruf des Erstaunens; du meine Güte!, du liebe Güte!to be mistaken: sich irren.to account for s.th.: etwas erklären.magician: Magier, Zauberer.emerald: Smaragd.Quadlings: Wortschöpfung; Phantasiegestalten.Winkies: Wortschöpfung; Phantasiegestalten.to grieve: betrüben, bekümmern, bedrücken.kind-hearted (auch: kindly hearted): gutherzig, wohlwollend.slate: Schiefertafel.straightway (adv.): sofort, auf der Stelle.to growl: knurren, brummen.
[20] Chapter III
How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow
When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So she went to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter. She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from the shelf she carried it down to the little brook and filled it with clear, sparkling water. Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there. Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches that she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast.
Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto to a good drink of the cool, clear water, she set about making ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds.
Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a peg beside her bed. It was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock. The girl washed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet on her head. She took a little basket and filled it with bread from the cupboard, [21] 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 never do for a long journey, Toto,” she said. And Toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged his tail to show he knew what she meant.
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. “They would be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out.”
She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, which fitted her as 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, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her, she started on her journey.
There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to find the one paved with yellow brick. Within a short time she was walking briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow roadbed. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweet and Dorothy did not feel nearly as [22] bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the midst of a strange land.
She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the country was about her. There were neat
fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a house, and the
