Little Wizard Stories of Oz................................................................................................................................1

L. Frank Baum.........................................................................................................................................1

The Cowardly Lion And The Hungry Tiger ............................................................................................1

Little Dorothy And Toto..........................................................................................................................5

Tiktok And The Nome King ....................................................................................................................8

Ozma And The Little Wizard................................................................................................................11

Jack Pumpkinhead And The Sawhorse ..................................................................................................14

The Scarecrow And The Tin Woodman................................................................................................17

In the splendid palace of the Emerald City, which is in the center of the fairy Land of Oz, is a great Throne

Room, where Princess Ozma, the Ruler, for an hour each day sits in a throne of glistening emeralds and

listens to all the troubles of her people, which they are sure to tell her about. Around Ozma's throne, on such

occasions, are grouped all the important personages of Oz, such as the Scarecrow, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tiktok

the Clockwork Man, the Tin Woodman, the Wizard of Oz, the shaggy Man and other famous fairy people.

Little Dorothy usually has a seat at Ozma's feet, and crouched on either side the throne are two enormous

These two beasts are Ozma's chief guardians, but as everyone loves the beautiful girl Princess there has never

been any disturbance in the great Throne Room, or anything for the guardians to do but look fierce and

solemn and keep quiet until the Royal Audience is over and the people go away to their homes.

Of course no one would dare be naughty while the huge Lion and Tiger crouched beside the throne; but the

fact is, the people of Oz are very seldom naughty. So Ozma's big guards are more ornamental than useful, and

One day, after everybody had left the Throne Room except the Cowardly Lion and the hungry Tiger, the Lion

"I'm getting tired of this job. No one is afraid of us and no one pays any attention to us."

"That is true," replied the big Tiger, purring softly. "We might as well be in the thick jungles where we were

born, as trying to protect Ozma when she needs no protection. And I'm dreadfully hungry all the time."

"You have enough to eat, I'm sure," said the Lion, swaying his tail slowly back and forth.

"Enough, perhaps; but not the kind of food I long for," answered the Tiger. "What I'm hungry for is fat

babies. I have a great desire to eat a few fat babies. Then, perhaps, the people of Oz would fear me and I'd

"True," agreed the Lion. "It would stir up quite a rumpus if you ate but one fat baby. As for myself, my claws

are sharp as needles and strong as crowbars, while my teeth are powerful enough to tear a person to pieces in

a few seconds. If I should spring upon a man and make chop suey of him, there would be wild excitement in

the Emerald City and the people would fall upon their knees and beg me for mercy. That, in my opinion,

"After you had torn the person to pieces, what would you do next?" asked the Tiger sleepily.

"Then I would roar so loudly it would shake the earth and stalk away to the jungle to hide myself, before

"To be sure. That is why I am named the Cowardly Lion. That is why I have always been so tame and

peaceable. But I'm awfully tired of being tame," added the Lion, with a sigh, "and it would be fun to raise a

The Tiger remained silent for several minutes, thinking deeply as he slowly washed his face with his left paw.

"I'm getting old, and it would please me to eat at least one fat baby before I die. Suppose we surprise these

people of Oz and prove our power. What do you say? We will walk out of here just as usual and the first baby

we meet I'll eat in a jiffy, and the first man or woman you meet you will tear to pieces. Then we will both run

out of the city gates and gallop across the country and hide in the jungle before anyone can stop us."

"All right; I'm game," said the Lion, yawning again so that he showed two rows of dreadfully sharp teeth.

"Come on," he said. The Lion stood up and proved he was the larger of the two, for he was almost as big as a

Out of the palace they walked, and met no one. They passed through the beautiful grounds, passed through

the beautiful grounds, past fountains and beds of lovely flowers, and met no one. Then they unlatched a gate

"I wonder how a fat baby will taste," remarked the Tiger, as they stalked majestically along side by side.

They turned a corner, but met no one, for the people of the emerald City were accustomed to take their naps

"I wonder how many pieces I ought to tear a person into," said the Lion, in a thoughtful voice.

"Would that hurt any more than to tear one into a dozen pieces?" inquired the Lion, with a little shudder.

He rushed around a corner, the Lion following, and came upon a nice fat baby sitting in the middle of the

"Why, you poor little thing," said the great beast, softly stroking the child's head with its paw. "Don't cry, my

"Why, you dreadful creature!" said the tiger reproachfully; "would you want me to eat a poor little lost baby,

that doesn't know where its mother is?" And the beast gathered the little one into its strong, hairy arms and

The Lion growled low in his throat and seemed very much disappointed; but at that moment a scream reached

their ears and a woman came bounding out of a house and into the street. Seeing her baby in the embrace of

the monster Tiger the woman screamed again and rushed forward to rescue it, but in her haste she caught her

foot in her skirt and tumbled head over heels and heels over head, stopping with such a bump that she saw

many stars in the heavens, although it was broad daylight. And there she lay, in a helpless manner, all tangled

With one bound and a roar like thunder the huge Lion was beside her. With his strong jaws he grasped her

Gasping for breath the woman struggled to free herself and tried to walk, but she limped badly and tumbled

"The baby is all right; don't worry," replied the Lion; and then he added; "Keep quiet, now, and I'll carry you

The tiger, who had approached the place with the child in its arms, asked in astonishment:

"No, nor into six pieces," answered the Lion indignantly. "I'm not such a brute as to destroy a poor woman

who has hurt herself trying to save her lost baby. If you are so ferocious and cruel and bloodthirsty, you may

"That's all right," answered the Tiger. "I'm not cruelnot in the leastI'm only hungry. But I thought you

"Thank heaven I'm respectable," said the Lion, with dignity. He then raised the woman and with much

gentleness carried her into her house, where he laid her upon a sofa. The Tiger followed with the baby, which

he safely deposited beside its mother. The little one liked the Hungry Tiger and grasping the enormous beast

by both ears the baby kissed the beast's nose to show he was grateful and happy.

"Thank you very much," said the woman. "I've often heard what good beasts you are, in spite of your power

to do mischief to mankind, and now I know that the stories are true. I do not think either of you have ever had

The Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion hung their heads and did not look into each other's eyes, for both

were shamed and humbled. They crept away and stalked back through the streets until they again entered the

palace grounds, where they retreated to the pretty, comfortable rooms they occupied at the back of the palace.

There they silently crouched in their usual corners to think over their adventure.

"I don't believe fat babies taste like gumdrops. I'm quite sure they have the flavor of raspberry tarts. My, how

"Tell me, then, into how many pieces you usually tear your victims, my bold Lion?"

"To tear anyone into pieces would soil my claws and blunt my teeth,' he said. "I'm glad I didn't muss myself

"To be sure," answered the other. "And that reminds me that I nearly lost my own reputation. For, had I eaten

that fat baby, I would not now be the Hungry Tiger. It's better to go hungry, seems to me, than to be cruel to a

Dorothy was a little Kansas girl who once accidentally found the beautiful Land of Oz and was invited to live

there always. Toto was Dorothy's small black dog, with fuzzy, curly hair and bright black eyes. Together,

when they tired of the grandeur of the Emerald City of Oz, they would wander out into the country and all

through the land, peering into queer nooks and corners and having a good time in their own simple way.

There was a little Wizard living in Oz who was a faithful friend of Dorothy and did not approve of her

traveling alone in this way, but the girl always laughed at the little man's fears for her and said she was not

One day, while on such a journey, Dorothy and Toto found themselves among the wild wooded hills at the

southeast of Oza place usually avoided by travelers because so many magical things abounded there. And,

as they entered a forest path, the little girl noticed a sign tacked to a tree, which said: "Look out for

Toto could not talk, as many of the animals of Oz can, for he was just a common Kansas dog; but he looked

at the sign so seriously that Dorothy almost believed he could read it, and she knew quite well that Toto

"Never mind Crinklink," said she. "I don't believe anything in Oz will try to hurt us, Toto, and if I get into

The path was narrow and wound here and there between the trees, but they could not lose their way, because

thick vines and creepers shut them in on both sides. They had walked a long time when, suddenly turning a

curve of the pathway, they came upon a lake of black water, so big and so deep that they were forced to stop.

"Well, Toto," said Dorothy, looking at the lake, "we must turn back, I guess, for there is neither a bridge nor a

"Here's the ferryman, though," cried a tiny voice beside them, and the girl gave a start and looked down at her

feet, where a man no taller than three inches sat at the edge of the path with his legs dangling over the lake.

Toto growled fiercely and made his ears stand up straight, but the little man did not seem in the least afraid of

the dog. He merely repeated: "I'm the ferryman, and it's my business to carry people across the lake."

Dorothy couldn't help feeling surprised, for she could have picked the little man up with one hand, and the

lake was big and broad. Looking at the ferryman more closely she saw that he had small eyes, a big nose, and

a sharp chin. His hair was blue and his clothes scarlet, and Dorothy noticed that every button on his jacket

was the head of some animal. The top button was a bear's head and the next button a wolf's head; the next

was a cat's head and the next a weasel's head, while the last button of all was the head of a fieldmouse.

When Dorothy looked into the eyes of these animals' heads, they all nodded and said in a chorus: "Don't

"Silence!" said the small ferryman, slapping each button head in turn, but not hard enough to hurt them. Then

"Why, I'd like to," she answered, hesitating; "but I can't see how you will manage to carry us, without any

"If you can't see, you mustn't see," he answered with a laugh. "All you need do is shut your eyes, say the

Instantly she was seized in a pair of strong armsarms so big and powerful that she was startled and cried

"Silence!" roared a great voice, and the girl opened her eyes to find that the tiny man had suddenly grown to a

giant and was holding both her and Toto in a tight embrace while in one step he spanned the lake and reached

Dorothy became frightened, then, especially as the giant did not stop but continued tramping in great steps

over the wooded hills, crushing bushes and trees beneath his broad feet. She struggled in vain to free herself,

while Toto whined and trembled beside her, for the little dog was frightened, too.

"Stop!" screamed the girl. "Let me down!" But the giant paid no attention. "Who are you, and where are you

taking me?" she continued; but the giant said not a word. Close to Dorothy's ear, however, a voice answered

Dorothy managed to twist her head around and found it was the second button on the jacketthe wolf's

"Some he makes his slaveseven as we areand that is the most dreadful fate of all," added the

fieldmouse. "As long as Crinklink exists we shall remain buttons, but as there are no more buttonholes on

Dorothy began to wish she had not met Crinklink. Meanwhile, the giant took such big steps that he soon

reached the heart of the hills, where, perched upon the highest peak, stood a log castle. Before this castle he

paused to set down Dorothy and Toto, for Crinklink was at present far too large to enter his own doorway. So

he made himself grow smaller, until he was about the size of an ordinary man. Then he said to Dorothy, in

Dorothy obeyed and entered the castle, with Toto at her heels. She found the place to be merely one big

room. There was a table and chair of ordinary size near the center, and at one side a wee bed that seemed

scarcely big enough for a doll. Everywhere else were dishesdishesdished! They were all soiled, and

were piled upon the floor, in all the corners and upon every shelf. Evidently Crinklink had not washed a dish

Dorothy's captor sat down in the chair and frowned at her. "You are young and strong, and will make a good

"Do you mean me to wash all those dishes?" she asked, feeling both indignant and fearful, for such a task

"That's just what I mean," he retorted. "I need clean dishes, for all I have are soiled, and you're going to make

'em clean or get trounced. So get to work and be careful not to break anything. If you smash a dish, the

penalty is one lash from my dreadful cato'ninetails for every piece the dish breaks into," and here

Dorothy knew how to wash dishes, but she remembered that often she carelessly broke one. In this case,

however, a good deal depended on being careful, so she handled the dishes very cautiously.

While she worked, Toto sat by the hearth and growled low at Crinklink, and Crinklink sat in his chair and

growled at Dorothy because she moved so slowly. He expected her to break a dish any minute, but as the

hours passed away and this did not happen Crinklink began to grow sleepy. It was tiresome watching the girl

wash dishes and often he glanced longingly at the tiny bed. Now he began to yawn, and he yawned and

"I'm going to take a nap. But the buttons on my jacket will be wide awake and whenever you break a dish the

crash will waken me. As I'm rather sleepy I hope you won't interrupt my nap by breaking anything for a long

Then Crinklink made himself grow smaller and smaller until he was three inches high and of a size to fit the

Dorothy came close to the buttons and whispered: "Would you really warn Crinklink if I tried to escape?"

"You can't escape," growled the bear. "Crinklink would become a giant, and soon overtake you."

"Oh!" cried Dorothy, drawing back; "I couldn't poss'bly kill anythingeven to save my life."

But Toto had heard this conversation and was not so particular about killing monsters. Also the little dog

knew he must try to save his mistress. In an instant he sprang upon the wee bed and was about to seize the

sleeping Crinklink in his jaws when Dorothy heard a loud crash and a heap of dishes fell from the table to the

floor. Then the girl saw Toto and the little man rolling on the floor together, like a fuzzy ball, and when the

ball stopped rolling, behold! There was Toto wagging his tail joyfully and there sat the little Wizard of Oz,

"Yes, my dear, it's me," said he, "and I've been playing tricks on youfor your own good. I wanted to

prove to you that it is really dangerous for a little girl to wander alone in a fairy country; so I took the form of

Crinklink to teach you a lesson. There isn't any Crinklink, to be sure; but if there had been you'd be severely

The Wizard now rose, took off the coat with the button heads, and spread it on the floor wrong side up. At

once there crept from beneath it a bear, a wolf, a cat, a weasel, and a fieldmouse, who all rushed from the

"Come on, toto," said Dorothy; "let's go back to the Emerald City. You've given me a good scare, wizard,"

she added, with dignity, "and p'raps I'll forgive you, by'n'by; but just now I'm mad to think how easily you

The Nome King was unpleasantly angry. He had carelessly bitten his tongue at breakfast and it still hurt; so

he roared and raved and stamped around in his underground palace in a way that rendered him very

It so happened that on this unfortunate day Tiktok, the Clockwork Man, visited the Nome King to ask a favor.

Tiktok lived in the Land of Oz, and although he was an active and important person, he was made entirely of

metal. Machinery within him, something like the works of a clock, made him move; other machinery made

Although so cleverly constructed, the Clockwork Man was far from perfect. Three separate keys wound up

his motion machinery, his speech works, and his thoughts. One or more of these contrivances was likely to

run down at a critical moment, leaving poor Tiktok helpless. Also some of his parts were wearing out,

through much use, and just now his thought machinery needed repair. The skillful little Wizard of Oz had

tinkered with Tiktok's thoughts without being able to get them properly regulated, so he had advised the

Clockwork Man to go to the Nome King and secure a new set of springs, which would render his thoughts

"Be careful what you say to the Nome King," warned the wizard. "He has a bad temper and the least little

Tiktok promised, and the Wizard wound his machinery and set him walking in the direction of the Nome

King's dominions, just across the desert from the Land of Oz. He ran down just as he reached the entrance to

the underground palace, and there Kaliko, the Nome King's Chief Steward, found him and wound him up

"Well," remarked Kaliko, "it may be safe for a castiron person like you to face his Majesty this morning, but

you must announce yourself, for should I show my face inside the jewelstudded cavern where the King is

now raving, I'd soon look like a dish of mashed potatoes, and be of no further use to anyone."

"Then walk in and make yourself at home," answered Kaliko, and threw open the door of the Kings's cavern.

Tiktok promptly walked in and faced the astonished Nome King, to whom he said: "good morning. I want

two new steel springs for my thoughtworks and a new cogwheel for my speechproducer. How about

This was true, yet an unwise speech. Had Tiktok's thoughts been in good working order he would have said

something else. The angry Nome King quickly caught up his heavy mace and hurled it straight at Tiktok.

When it struck the metal man's breast, the force of the blow burst the bolts which held the plates of his body

together and they clattered to the floor in a score of pieces. Hundreds and hundreds of wheels, pins, cogs and

Where Tiktok had stood was now only a scrapheap and the Nome King was so amazed by the terrible

His Majesty's anger quickly cooled. He remembered that the Clockwork Man was a favorite subject of the

"Too bad! too bad!" he muttered, regretfully. "I'm really sorry I made junk of the fellow. I didn't know he'd

"You'd better be," remarked Kaliko, who now ventured to enter the room. "You'll have a war on your hands

when Ozma hears of this, and the chances are you will lose your throne and your kingdom."

The Nome King turned pale, for he loved to rule the Nomes and did not know of any other way to earn a

"I'm sure of it," said Kaliko. "And she has the right to be. You've made scrapiron of her favorite."

"Sweep him up and throw the rubbish into the black pit," he commanded; and then he shut himself up in his

private den and for days would see no one, because he was so ashamed of his unreasoning anger and so

Kaliko swept up the pieces, but he did not throw them into the black pit. Being a clever and skillful mechanic

No man ever faced a greater puzzle; but it was interesting work and Kaliko succeeded. When he found a

Within two weeks, by working steadily night and day, the Chief Steward completed his task and put the three

sets of clockwork and the last rivet into Tiktok's body. He then would up the motion machinery, and the

Clockwork Man walked up and down the room as naturally as ever. Then Kaliko wound up the thought

"Fine," said the Clockwork Man. "You have done a very good job, Kaliko, and saved me from

Just then the Nome King's gong sounded, and Kaliko rushed away through the jewelstudded cavern and into

"Kaliko," said the King, in a meek voice. "I've been shut up here long enough to repent bitterly the

destruction of Tiktok. Of course Ozma will have revenge, and send an army to fight us, but we must take our

medicine. One thing comforts me: Tiktok wasn't really a live person; he was only a machine man, and so it

wasn't very wicked to stop his clockworks. I couldn't sleep nights, at first, for worry; but there's no more

harm in smashing a machine man than in breaking a wax doll. Don't you think so?"

"Then get me something to eat," commanded the King, "for I'm nearly starved. Two roasted goats, a barrel of

Kaliko bowed and hurried away to the royal kitchen, forgetting Tiktok, who was wandering around in the

outer cavern. Suddenly the Nome King looked up and saw the Clockwork Man standing before him, and at

the sight the monarch's eyes grew big and round and he fell atrembling in every limb.

"Away, grim Shadow!" he cried. "You're not here, you know; you're only a hash of cogwheels and springs,

lying at the bottom of the black pit. Vanish, thou Vision of the demolished Tiktok, and leave me in

"Then beg my pardon," said Tiktok in a gruff voice, for Kaliko had forgotten to oil the speech works.

But the sound of a voice coming from what he thought a mere vision was too much for the Nome King's

shaken nerves. He gave a yell of fear and rushed from the room. Tiktok followed, so the King bolted through

the corridors on a swift run and bumped against Kaliko, who was returning with a tray of things to eat. The

sound of the breaking dishes, as they struck the floor, added to the King's terror and he yelled again and

"Look out! Here comes a phantom clockwork man!" screamed the terrified monarch, and every Nome

dropped his tools and made a rush from the cavern, knocking over their King in their mad flight and

recklessly trampling upon his prostrate fat body. So, when Tiktok came into the cavern, there was only the

Nome King left, and he was rolling upon the rocky floor and howling for mercy, with his eyes fast shut so

that he could not see what he was sure was a dreadful phantom that was coming straight toward him.

"It occurs to me," said Tiktok calmly, "that your Majesty is acting like a baby. I am not a phantom. A

"Then you are nothing but a junkheap, and this form in which you now appear cannot be real."

"It is, though," declared Tiktok. "Kaliko picked up my pieces and put me together again. I'm as good

"That is true, your Majesty," added Kaliko, who now made his appearance, "and I hope you will forgive me

for mending Tiktok. He was quite broken up, after you smashed him, and I found it almost as hard a job to

match his pieces as to pick turnips from gooseberry bushes. But I did it," he added proudly.

"You are forgiven," announced the Nome King, rising to his feet and drawing a long breath. "I will raise your

wages one specto a year and Tiktok shall return to the Land of Oz loaded with jewels for the Princess Ozma."

"That is all right," said Tiktok. "But what I want to know is, why did you hit me with your mace?"

"Because I was angry," admitted the King. "When I am angry I always do something that

I am sorry for afterward. So I have firmly resolved never to get angry again; unlessunless"

"Unless something annoys me," said the Nome King. And then he went to his treasurechamber to get the

Once upon a time there lived in the beautiful emerald City, which lies in the center of the fairy Land of Oz, a

lovely girl called Princess Ozma, who was ruler of all that country. And among those who served this girlish

Ruler and lived in a cozy suite of rooms in her splendid palace, was a little, withered old man known as the

This little Wizard could do a good many queer things in magic; but he was a kind man, with merry, twinkling

eyes and a sweet smile; so, instead of fearing him because of his magic, everybody loved him.

Now, Ozma was very anxious that all her people who inhabited the pleasant Land of Oz should be happy and

contented, and therefore she decided one morning to make a journey to all parts of the country, that she might

discover if anything was amiss, or anyone discontented, or if there was any wrong that ought to be righted.

"Of course," said Ozma. "We may need a lot of magic before we return, for we are going into strange corners

of the land, where we may meet with unknown creatures and dangerous adventures."

So the wizard took his bag of magic tools and the two left the Emerald City and wandered over the country

for many days, at last reaching a place far up in the mountains which neither of them had ever visited before.

Stopping one morning at a cottage, built beside the rocky path which led into a pretty valley beyond, Ozma

"We are happy except for three mischievous Imps that live in yonder valley and often come here to annoy us.

If your Highness would only drive away those Imps, I and my family would be very happy and very grateful

"One is named Olite, and one Udent and one Ertinent, and they have no respect for anyone or anything. If

strangers pass through the valley, the Imps jeer at them and make horrid faces and call names, and often they

push travelers out of the path or throw stones at them. Whenever Imp Olite or Imp Udent or Imp Ertinent

comes here to bother us, I and my family run into the house and lock all the doors and windows, and we dare

Princess Ozma was grieved to hear this report and the little Wizard shook his head gravely and said the

naughty imps deserved to be punished. They told the good man they would see what could be done to protect

him and at once entered the valley to seek the dwelling place of the three mischievous creatures.

Before long they came upon three caves, hollowed from the rocks, and in front of each cave squatted a queer

little dwarf. Ozma and the Wizard paused to examine them and found them wellshaped, strong and lively.

They had big round ears, flat noses and wide grinning mouths, and their jetblack hair came to points on top

of their heads, much resembling horns. Their clothing fitted snugly to their bodies and limbs and the Imps

were so small in size that at first Ozma did not consider them at all dangerous. But one of them suddenly

reached out a hand and caught the dress of the Princess, jerking it so sharply that she nearly fell down, and a

moment later another Imp pushed the little Wizard so hard that he bumped against Ozma and both

At this the Imps laughed boisterously and began running around in a circle and kicking dust upon the Royal

The Wizard promptly obeyed. Without rising from the ground he opened his bag, got the tools he required

Instantly the three Imps became three bushesof a thorny, stubby kindwith their roots in the ground.

As the bushes were at first motionless, perhaps through surprise at their sudden transformation, the Wizard

and the Princess found time to rise from the ground and brush the dust off their pretty clothes. Then Ozma

"The unhappy lot you now endure, my poor Imps, is due entirely to your naughty actions. You can no longer

annoy harmless travelers and you must remain ugly bushes, covered with sharp thorns, until you repent of

"They can't help being good now, your Highness," said the Wizard, who was much pleased with his work,

But something must have been wrong with the Wizard's magic, or the creatures had magic of their own, for

no sooner were the words spoken than the bushes began to move. First they only waved their branches at the

girl and little man, but pretty soon they began to slide over the ground, their roots dragging through the earth,

and one pushed itself against the Wizard and pricked him so sharply with its thorns that he cried out: "Ouch!"

Ozma followed, for the other bushes were trying to stick their thorns into her legs and one actually got so

near her that it tore a great rent in her beautiful dress. The girl Princess could run, however, and she followed

the fleeing Wizard until he tumbled head first over a log and rolled upon the ground. Then she sprang behind

The Wizard heard, but he was much confused by his fall. Grabbing from his bag the first magical tool he

could find he transformed the bushes into three white pigs. That astonished the Imps. In the shape of

pigsfat, rolypoly and cutethey scampered off a little distance and sat down to think about their new

"That is much better, Wiz, for such pigs as these must be quite harmless. No one need now fear the

"I intended to transform them into mice," replied the Wizard, "but in my excitement I worked the wrong

magic. However, unless the horrid creatures behave themselves hereafter, they are liable to be killed and

But the Imps were now angry and had no intention of behaving. As Ozma and the little Wizard turned to

resume their journey, the three pigs rushed forward, dashed between their legs, and tripped them up, so that

both lost their balance and toppled over, clinging to one another. As the Wizard tried to get up he was tripped

again and fell across the back of the third pig, which carried him on a run far down the valley until it dumped

the little man in the river: Ozma had been sprawled upon the ground but found she was not hurt, so she

picked herself up and ran to the assistance of the Wizard, reaching him just as he was crawling out of the

river, grasping for breath and dripping with water. The girl could not help laughing at his woeful appearance.

But he had no sooner wiped the wet from his eyes than one of the impish pigs tripped him again and sent him

into the river for a second bath. The pigs tried to trip Ozma, too, but she ran around a stump and so managed

to keep out of their way. So the Wizard scrambled out of the water again and picked up a sharp stick to

defend himself. Then he mumbled a magic mutter which instantly dried his clothes, after which he hurried to

"This won't do," said the Princess. "We have accomplished nothing, for the pig Imps would annoy travelers

The Wizard took time to think. Then he transformed the white pigs into blue doves.

But scarcely had he spoken when the doves flew at them and tried to peck out their eyes. When they

endeavored to shield their eyes with their hands, two of the doves bit the Wizard's fingers and another caught

the pretty pink ear of the Princess in its bill and gave it such a cruel tweak that she cried out in pain and threw

"These birds are worse than pigs, Wizard," she called to her companion. "Nothing is harmless that is

animated by impudent anger or impertinent mischief. You must transform the Imps into something that is not

The Wizard was pretty busy, just then, driving off the birds, but he managed to open his bag of magic and

find a charm which instantly transformed the doves into three buttons. As they fell to the ground he picked

them up and smiled with satisfaction. The tin button was Imp Olite, the brass button was Imp Udent and the

lead button was Imp Ertinent. These buttons the Wizard placed in a little box which he put in his jacket

"Now," said he, "the Imps cannot annoy travelers, for we shall carry them back with us to the Emerald City."

"But we dare not use the buttons," said Ozma, smiling once more now that the danger was over.

"Why not?" asked the Wizard. "I intend to sew them upon my coat and watch them carefully. The spirits of

the Imps are still in the buttons, and after a time they will repent and be sorry for their naughtiness. Then they

will decide to be very good in the future. When they feel that way, the tin button will turn silver and the brass

to gold, while the lead button will become aluminum. I shall then restore them to their proper forms,

changing their names to pretty names instead of the ugly one they used to bear. Thereafter the three Imps will

become good citizens of the Land of Oz and I think you will find they will prove faithful subjects of our

"Ah, that is magic well worthwhile," exclaimed Ozma, well pleased. "There is no doubt, my friend, but that

In a room of the Royal Palace of the Emerald City of Oz hangs a Magic Picture, in which are shown all the

important scenes that transpire in those fairy dominions. The scenes shift constantly, and by watching them,

Ozma, the girl Ruler, is able to discover events taking place in any part of her kingdom.

One day she saw in her Magic Picture that a little girl and a little boy had wandered together into a great,

gloomy forest at the far west of Oz and had become hopelessly lost. Their friends were seeking them in the

wrong direction and unless Ozma came to their rescue the little ones would never be found in time to save

So the Princess sent a message to Jack Pumpkinhead and asked him to come to the palace. This personage,

one of the queerest of the queer inhabitants of Oz, was an old friend and companion of Ozma. His form was

made of rough sticks fitted together and dressed in ordinary clothes. His head was a pumpkin with a face

Jack was active, goodnatured and a general favorite; but his pumpkin head was likely to spoil with age, so

in order to secure a good supply of heads he grew a big field of pumpkins and lived in the middle of it, his

house being a huge pumpkin hollowed out. Whenever he needed a new head he picked a pumpkin, carved a

face on it and stuck it upon the stake of his neck, throwing away the old head as of no further use.

The day Ozma sent for him Jack was in prime condition and was glad to be of service in rescuing the lost

children. Ozma made him a map, showing just where the forest was and how to get to it and the paths he

"You'd better ride the Sawhorse, for he is swift and intelligent and will help you accomplish your task."

"All right," answered Jack, and went to the royal stable to tell the Sawhorse to be ready for the trip.

This remarkable animal was not unlike Jack Pumpkinhead in form, although so different in shape. Its body

was a log with four sticks stuck into it for legs. A branch at one end of the log served as a tail, while in the

other end was chopped a gash that formed a mouth. Above this were two small knots that did nicely for eyes.

The Sawhorse was the favorite steed of Ozma and to prevent its wooden legs from wearing out she had them

Jack said "Good morning" to the Sawhorse and placed upon the creature's back a saddle of purple leather,

"We're going to rescue two babes in the wood," was the reply. Then he climbed into the saddle and the

wooden animal pranced out of the stable, through the streets of the Emerald City and out upon the highway

Small though he was, the Sawhorse was swift and untiring. By nightfall they were in the far west and quite

close to the forest they sought. They passed the night standing quietly by the roadside. They needed no food,

for their wooden bodies never became hungry; nor did they sleep, because they never tired. At daybreak they

Jack now examined the map Ozma had given him and found the right path to take, which the Sawhorse

obediently followed. Underneath the trees all was silent and gloomy and Jack beguiled the way by whistling

The paths branched so many times and in so many different ways that the Pumpkinhead was often obliged to

"Of course," answered Jack. "Even a Pumpkinhead whose brains are seeds can follow so clear a map as this.

Finally they reached a place, in the very heart of the forest, where they came upon the lost boy and girl. But

they found the two children bound fast to the trunk of a big tree, at the foot of which they were sitting.

When the rescuers arrived, the little girl was sobbing bitterly and the boy was trying to comfort her, though

"Cheer up, my dears," said Jack, getting out of the saddle. "I have come to take you back to your parents. But

"Because," cried a small, sharp voice, "they are thieves and robbers. That's why!"

"Dear me!" said Jack, looking around to see who had spoken. The voice seemed to come from above.

A big grey squirrel was sitting upon a low branch of the tree. Upon the squirrel's head was a circle of gold,

with a diamond set in the center of it. He was running up and down the limbs and chattering excitedly.

"These children," continued the squirrel, angrily, "robbed our storehouse of all the nuts we had saved up for

winter. Therefore, being King of all the Squirrels in this forest, I ordered them arrested and put in prison, as

you now see them. They had no right to steal our provisions and we are going to punish them."

"We were hungry," said the boy, pleadingly, "and we found a hollow tree full of nuts, and ate them to keep

"Quite right," remarked Jack, nodding his pumpkin head. "I don't blame you one bit under the circumstances.

"Stop that!" cried the King Squirrel, chattering and whisking about. "You mustn't release our prisoners. You

But Jack paid no attention to the protest. His wooden fingers were awkward and it took him some time to

untie the ropes. When at last he succeeded, the tree was full of squirrels, called together by their King, and

they were furious at losing their prisoners. From the tree they began to hurl nuts at Pumpkinhead, who

Now, at the top of this tree was a big dead limb, and so many squirrels gathered upon it that suddenly it broke

away and fell to the ground. Poor Jack was standing directly under it and when the limb struck him it

smashed his pumpkin head into a pulpy mass and sent Jack's wooden form tumbling, to stop with a bump

He sat up, a moment afterward, but when he felt for his head it was gone. He could not see; neither could he

speak. It was perhaps the greatest misfortune that could have happened to Jack Pumpkinhead, and the

squirrels were delighted. They danced around in the tree in great glee as they saw Jack's plight.

The boy and girl were indeed free, but their protector was ruined. The Sawhorse was there, however, and in

his way he was wise. He had seen the accident and knew that the smashed pumpkin would never again serve

Jack as a head. So he said to the children, who were frightened at this accident to their new found friend:

"Pick up the Pumpkinhead's body and set it on my saddle. Then mount behind it and hold on. We must get

out of this forest as soon as we can, or the squirrels may capture you again. I must guess at the right path, for

The two children lifted Jack's body, which was not at all heavy, and placed it upon the saddle. Then they

climbed up behind it and the Sawhorse immediately turned and trotted back along the path he had come,

bearing all three with ease. However, when the path began to branch into many paths, all following different

directions, the wooden animal became puzzled and soon was wandering aimlessly about, without any hope of

finding the right way. Toward evening they came upon a fine fruit tree, which furnished the children a

supper, and at night the little ones lay upon a bed of leaves while the Sawhorse stood watch, with the limp,

Now, Ozma had seen in her Magic Picture all that had happened in the forest, so she sent the little wizard,

mounted upon the Cowardly Lion, to save the unfortunates. The Lion knew the forest well and when he

reached it he bounded straight through the tangled paths to where the Sawhorse was wandering, with Jack

The wizard was grieved at the sight of the headless Jack, but believed he could save him. He first led the

Sawhorse out of the forest and restored the boy and girl to the arms of their anxious friends, and then he sent

The Wizard now mounted the Sawhorse and supported Jack's form on the long ride to the pumpkin field.

When they arrived at Jack's house the Wizard selected a fine pumpkinnot too ripeand very neatly

carved a face on it. Then he stuck the pumpkin solidly on Jack's neck and asked him:

"Fine!" replied Jack, and shook the hand of the little Wizard gratefully. "You have really saved my life, for

without your assistance I could not have found my way home to get a new head. But I'm all right, now, and I

shall be very careful not to get this beautiful head smashed." And he shook the Wizard's hand again.

"Are the brains in the new head any better than the old ones?" inquired the Sawhorse, who had watched

"Why, these seeds are quite tender," replied the Wizard, "so they will give our friend tender thoughts. But, to

speak truly, my dear Sawhorse, Jack Pumpkinhead, with all his good qualities, will never be noted for his

There lived in the Land of Oz two queerly made men who were the best of friends. They were so much

happier when together that they were seldom apart; yet they liked to separate, once in a while, that they might

One was Scarecrow. That means he was a suit of blue Munchkin clothes, stuffed with straw, on top of which

was fastened a round cloth head, filled with bran to hold it in shape. On the head were painted two eyes, two

ears, a nose and a mouth. The Scarecrow had never been much of a success in scaring crows, but he prided

himself on being a superior man, because he could feel no pain, was never tired and did not have to eat or

drink. His brains were sharp, for the Wizard of Oz had put pins and needles in the Scarecrow's brains.

The other man was made all of tin, his arms and legs and head being cleverly jointed so that he could move

them freely. He was known as the Tin Woodman, having at one time been a woodchopper, and everyone

The Tin Woodman lived in a magnificent tin castle, built on his country estate in the Winkie Land, not far

from the Emerald City of Oz. It had pretty tin furniture and was surrounded by lovely gardens in which were

many tin trees and beds of tin flowers. The palace of the Scarecrow was not far distant, on the banks of a

One morning the tin Woodman went to visit his friend the Scarecrow, and as they had nothing better to do

they decided to take a boat ride on the river. So they got into the Scarecrow's boat, which was formed from a

big corncob, hollowed out and pointed at both ends and decorated around the edges with brilliant jewels. The

There was a good breeze that day, so the boat glided swiftly over the water. By and by they came to a smaller

river that flowed from out a deep forest, and the Tin Woodman proposed they sail up this stream, as it would

be cool and shady beneath the trees of the forest. So the Scarecrow, who was steering, turned the boat up the

stream and the friends continued talking together of old times and the wonderful adventures they had met

with while traveling with Dorothy, the little Kansas girl. They became so much interested in this talk that

they forgot to notice that the boat was now sailing through the forest, or that the stream was growing more

The Tin Woodman sprang to his feet just as the boat bumped into the rock, and the jar made him lose his

balance. He toppled and fell overboard and being made of tin he sank to the bottom of the water in an instant

Immediately the Scarecrow threw out the anchor, so as to hold the boat in that place, and then he leaned over

"It is, indeed," replied the Tin woodman, speaking in muffled tones because so much water covered him. "I

cannot drown, of course, but I must lie here until you find a way to get me out. Meantime, the water is

soaking into all my joints and I shall become badly rusted before I am rescued."

"Very true,' agreed the Scarecrow; "but be patient, my friend, and I'll dive down and get you. My straw will

The Scarecrow now took off his hat and made a dive from the boat into the water; but he was so light in

weight that he barely dented the surface of the stream, nor could he reach the Tin Woodman with this

outstretched straw arms. So he floated to the boat and climbed into it, saying the while:

"Do not despair, my friend. We have an extra anchor aboard, and I will tie it around my waist, to make me

"Don't do that!" called the tin man. "That would anchor you also to the bottom, where I am. And we'd both be

"True enough," sighed the Scarecrow, wiping his wet face with a handkerchief; and then he gave a cry of

astonishment, for he found he had wiped off one painted eye and now had but one eye to see with.

"How dreadful!" said the poor Scarecrow. "That eye must have been painted in watercolor, instead of oil. I

must be careful not to wipe off the other eye, for then I could not see to help you at all."

A shriek of elfish laughter greeted this speech and looking up the Scarecrow found the trees full of black

crows, who seemed much amused by the straw man's oneeyed countenance. He knew the crows well,

however, and they had usually been friendly to him because he had never deceived them into thinking he was

"We couldn't look as funny as you, if we did," replied one old crow, the king of them. "But what had gone

"The Tin Woodman, my dear friend and companion, had fallen overboard and is now on the bottom of the

river," said the Scarecrow. "I'm trying to get him out again, but I fear I shall not succeed."

"Why, it's easy enough," declared the old crow. "Tie a string to him and all of my crows will fly down, take

hold of the string, and pull him up out of the water. There are hundreds of us here, so our united strength

"But I can't tie a string to him," replied the Scarecrow. "My straw is so light that I am unable to dive through

He found a fishline in the boat, with a stout hook at the end of it. No bait was needed, so the Scarecrow

"Hook it into a joint," advised the crow, who was now perched upon a branch that stuck far out and bent

The Scarecrow tried to do this, but having only one eye he could not see the joints very clearly.

"Hurry up, please," begged the Tin Woodman; "you've no idea how damp it is down here."

The Tin Woodman made the attempt and after several trials wound the line around his neck and hooked it

"Good!" cried the King Crow, a mischievous old fellow. "Now, then, we'll all grab the line and pull you out."

At once the air was filled with black crows, each of whom seized the cord with beak or talons. The Scarecrow

watched them with much interest and forgot that he had tied the other end of the line around his own waist, so

"All together for the good caws!" shrieked the King Crow, and with a great flapping of wings the birds rose

The Scarecrow clapped his stuffed hands in glee as he saw his friend drawn from the water into the air; but

the next moment the straw man was himself in the air, his stuffed legs kicking wildly; for the crows had

flown straight up through the trees. On one end of the line dangled the Tin Woodman, hung by the neck, and

on the other dangled the Scarecrow, hung by the waist and clinging fast to the spare anchor of the boar, which

"Hi, therebe careful!" shouted the Scarecrow to the crows. "Don't take us so high. Land us on the river

But the crows were bent on mischief. They thought it a good joke to bother the two, now that they held them

"Here's where the crows scare the Scarecrow!" chuckled the naughty King Crow, and at his command the

birds flew over the forest to where a tall dead tree stood higher than all the other trees. At the very top was a

crotch, formed by two dead limbs and into the crotch the crows dropped the center of the line. Then, letting

go their hold, they flew away, chattering with laughter, and left the two friends suspended high in the

Now the Tin Woodman was much heavier than the Scarecrow, but the reason they balanced so nicely was

because the straw man still clung fast to the iron anchor. There they hung, not ten feet apart, yet unable to

"If you did I'd tumble to the ground, where my tin would be badly dented by the fall. Also you would shoot

For a time they both dangled in silence, the breeze swaying them gently to and fro. Finally the tin man said:

"Here is an emergency, friend, where only brains can help us. We must think of some way to escape."

He thought so long that the tin man grew tired and tried to change his position, but found his joints had

already rusted so badly that he could not move them. And his oilcan was back in the boat.

"Do you suppose your brains are rusted, friend Scarecrow?" he asked in a weak voice, for his jaws would

And with this the Scarecrow clapped his hands to his head, forgetting the anchor, which tumbled to the

ground. The result was astonishing; for, just as the tin man had said, the light Scarecrow flew into the air,

sailing over the top of the tree and landed in a bramblebush, while the tin man fell plump to the ground, and

landing on a bed of dry leaves was not dented at all. The Tin Woodman's joints were so rusted, however, that

While they were in this sad plight the sound of hoofs was heard and along the forest path rode the little

wizard of Oz, seated on a wooden Sawhorse. He smiled when he saw the oneeyed head of the Scarecrow

sticking out of the bramblebush, but he helped the poor straw man out of his prison.

"Thank you, dear Wiz," said the grateful Scarecrow. "Now we must get the oilcan and rescue the Tin

Together they ran to the river bank, but the boat was floating in midstream and the Wizard was obliged to

mumble some magic words to draw it to the bank, so the Scarecrow could get the oilcan. Then back they

flew to the tin man, and while the Scarecrow carefully oiled each joint the little Wizard moved the joints

gently back and forth until they worked freely. After an hour of this labor the Tin Woodman was again on his

The wizard and the Sawhorse also got aboard the corncob craft and together they returned to the Scarecrow's