pleases him. But who the real Oz is, when he is in his own form,no living person can tell."
"That is very strange," said Dorothy, "but we must try, insome way, to see him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing.""Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" asked the man."I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly."Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man."He has more brains than he needs.""And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman."That will not trouble him," continued the man, "for Oz has alarge collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes.""And I want him to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion."Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room," saidthe man, "which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep itfrom running over. He will be glad to give you some.""And I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy."Where is Kansas?" asked the man, with surprise."I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully, "but it is my home,and I'm sure it's somewhere."
"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he willfind Kansas for you. But first you must get to see him, and thatwill be a hard task; for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone,and he usually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he continued,speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say,he could not speak.
The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so theygathered around the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridgeand a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, andenjoyed her meal. The Lion ate some of the porridge, but did notcare for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food forhorses, not for lions. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman atenothing at all. Toto ate a little of everything, and was glad toget a good supper again.
The woman now gave Dorothy a bed to sleep in, and Toto laydown beside her, while the Lion guarded the door of her room soshe might not be disturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodmanstood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of coursethey could not sleep.
The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started ontheir way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky justbefore them.
"That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter,and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels.Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surroundedthe City. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick,was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in thesun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled bytheir brilliancy.
