Glinda of Oz | Page 7

unless in some way she left that fairyland or was spirited
away from it. But Dorothy was a mortal, nevertheless, and might
possibly be destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could ever
find her. She could, for instance be cut into pieces, and the pieces,
while still alive and free from pain, could be widely scattered; or she
might be buried deep underground or "destroyed" in other ways by evil
magicians, were she not properly protected. These facts Glinda was

considering while she paced with stately tread her marble hall.
Finally the good Sorceress paused and drew a ring from her finger,
handing it to Dorothy.
"Wear this ring constantly until your return," she said to the girl. "If
serious danger threatens you, turn the ring around on your finger once
to the right and another turn to the left. That will ring the alarm bell in
my palace and I will at once come to your rescue. But do not use the
ring unless you are actually in danger of destruction. While you remain
with Princess Ozma I believe she will be able to protect you from all
lesser ills."
"Thank you, Glinda," responded Dorothy gratefully, as she placed the
ring on her finger. "I'm going to wear my Magic Belt which I took from
the Nome King, too, so I guess I'll be safe from anything the Skeezers
and Flatheads try to do to me."
Ozma had many arrangements to make before she could leave her
throne and her palace in the Emerald City, even for a trip of a few days,
so she bade goodbye to Glinda and with Dorothy climbed into the Red
Wagon. A word to the wooden Sawhorse started that astonishing
creature on the return journey, and so swiftly did he run that Dorothy
was unable to talk or do anything but hold tight to her seat all the way
back to the Emerald City.


Chapter Two
Ozma and Dorothy

Residing in Ozma's palace at this time was a live Scarecrow, a most
remarkable and intelligent creature who had once ruled the Land of Oz
for a brief period and was much loved and respected by all the people.

Once a Munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of clothes with straw
and put stuffed boots on the feet and used a pair of stuffed cotton
gloves for hands. The head of the Scarecrow was a stuffed sack
fastened to the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on the
sack. When a hat had been put on the head, the thing was a good
imitation of a man. The farmer placed the Scarecrow on a pole in his
cornfield and it came to life in a curious manner. Dorothy, who was
passing by the field, was hailed by the live Scarecrow and lifted him off
his pole. He then went with her to the Emerald City, where the Wizard
of Oz gave him some excellent brains, and the Scarecrow soon became
an important personage.
Ozma considered the Scarecrow one of her best friends and most loyal
subjects, so the morning after her visit to Glinda she asked him to take
her place as Ruler of the Land of Oz while she was absent on a journey,
and the Scarecrow at once consented without asking any questions.
Ozma had warned Dorothy to keep their journey a secret and say
nothing to anyone about the Skeezers and Flatheads until their return,
and Dorothy promised to obey. She longed to tell her girl friends, tiny
Trot and Betsy Bobbin, of the adventure they were undertaking, but
refrained from saying a word on the subject although both these girls
lived with her in Ozma's palace.
Indeed, only Glinda the Sorceress knew they were going, until after
they had gone, and even the Sorceress didn't know what their errand
might be.
Princess Ozma took the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon, although she
was not sure there was a wagon road all the way to the Lake of the
Skeezers. The Land of Oz is a pretty big place, surrounded on all sides
by a Deadly Desert which it is impossible to cross, and the Skeezer
Country, according to the map, was in the farthest northwestern part of
Oz, bordering on the north desert. As the Emerald City was exactly in
the center of Oz, it was no small journey from there to the Skeezers.
Around the Emerald City the country is thickly settled in every
direction, but the farther away you get from the city the fewer people

there are, until those parts that border on the desert have small
populations. Also those faraway sections are little known to the Oz
people, except in the south, where Glinda lives and where Dorothy has
often wandered