The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Page 6

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
people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by; for
everyone knew she had been the means of destroying the Wicked
Witch and setting them free from bondage. The houses of the
Munchkins were odd-looking dwellings, for each was round, with a big
dome for a roof. All were painted blue, for in this country of the East
blue was the favorite color.
Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and began
to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house rather
larger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and women
were dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible, and the
people were laughing and singing, while a big table near by was loaded
with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many other good
things to eat.
The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and to
pass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richest
Munchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him to
celebrate their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.
Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkin
himself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat upon a settee and watched
the people dance.
When Boq saw her silver shoes he said, "You must be a great
sorceress."
"Why?" asked the girl.
"Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch.
Besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches and
sorceresses wear white."
"My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out the
wrinkles in it.

"It is kind of you to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color of the
Munchkins, and white is the witch color. So we know you are a
friendly witch."
Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to
think her a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinary
little girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.
When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her into the house,
where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were made
of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, with
Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.
She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who
played with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way
that greatly amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people,
for they had never seen a dog before.
"How far is it to the Emerald City?" the girl asked.
"I do not know," answered Boq gravely, "for I have never been there. It
is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless they have business
with him. But it is a long way to the Emerald City, and it will take you
many days. The country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass
through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of your
journey."
This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the Great Oz
could help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turn
back.
She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of
yellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought she would
stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the road and
sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far
away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from
the ripe corn.

Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the
Scarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes,
nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face. An old, pointed blue
hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on his head,
and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded,
which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were some old
boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the
figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up
its back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the
Scarecrow,