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10 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter ten, The Guardian of the Gate. It was some
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  Speaker 1: time before the Cowardly Lion awakened, for he had lain
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  Speaker 1: among the poppies a long while, breathing in their deadly fragrance.
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  Speaker 1: But when he did open his eyes and roll off
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  Speaker 1: the truck, he was very glad to find himself still alive.
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  Speaker 1: I ran as fast as I could, he said, sitting
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  Speaker 1: down and yawning, But the flowers were too strong for me.
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  Speaker 1: How did you get me out? Then they told him
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  Speaker 1: of the field mice and how they had generously saved
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  Speaker 1: him from death. And the cowardly Lion laughed and said,
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  Speaker 1: I have always thought myself a very big and terrible
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  Speaker 1: Yet such little things as flowers came near to killing me,
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  Speaker 1: and such small animals as mice have saved my life.
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  Speaker 1: How strange it all is, But comrades, what shall we
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  Speaker 1: do now? We must journey on until we find the
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  Speaker 1: road of yellow brick again, said Dorothy, and then we
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  Speaker 1: can keep on to the Emerald City. A lion. Being
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  Speaker 1: fully refreshed and feeling quite himself again, they all started
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  Speaker 1: upon the journey, greatly enjoying the walk through the soft,
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  Speaker 1: fresh grass, and it was not long before they reached
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  Speaker 1: the road of yellow Brick, and turned again toward the
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  Speaker 1: Emerald City, where the great oz dwelt. The road was
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  Speaker 1: smooth and well paved now, and the country about was beautiful,
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  Speaker 1: so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the forest far behind,
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  Speaker 1: and with it the many dangers they had met in
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  Speaker 1: its gloomy shades. Once more, they could see fences built
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  Speaker 1: beside the road, but these were painted green, and when
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  Speaker 1: they came to a small house in which a farmer
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  Speaker 1: evidently lived, that also was painted green. They passed by
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  Speaker 1: several of these houses during the afternoon, and sometimes people
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  Speaker 1: came to the doors and looked at them as if
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  Speaker 1: they would like to ask questions, But no one came
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  Speaker 1: near them nor spoke to them, because of the great lion,
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  Speaker 1: of which they were very much afraid. The people were
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  Speaker 1: all dressed in a clothing of lovely emerald green color,
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  Speaker 1: and war or peaked hats like those of the munchkins.
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  Speaker 1: This must be the land of oz, said Dorothy, and
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  Speaker 1: we are surely getting near the Emerald City. Yes, answered
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow. Everything is green here, while in the country
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  Speaker 1: of the Munchkins, blue was the favorite color. But the
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  Speaker 1: people do not seem to be as friendly as the munchkins,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm afraid we shall be unable to find a
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  Speaker 1: place to pass the night. I should like something to
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  Speaker 1: eat besides fruit, said the girl, And I'm sure Toto
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  Speaker 1: is nearly starved. Let us stop at the next house
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  Speaker 1: and talk to the people. So, when they came to
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  Speaker 1: a good sized farmhouse, Dorothy walked boldly up to the
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  Speaker 1: door and knocked. A woman opened it just far enough
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  Speaker 1: to look out and said, what do you want, child?
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  Speaker 1: And why is that great lion with you? We wish
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  Speaker 1: to pass the night with you, if you will allow us,
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  Speaker 1: answered Dorothy. And the lion is my friend and comrade,
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  Speaker 1: and would not hurt you for the world. Is he tame?
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  Speaker 1: Asked the woman, opening the door a little wider. Oh yes,
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  Speaker 1: said the girl. And he is a great coward too.
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  Speaker 1: He will be more afraid of you than you are
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  Speaker 1: of him, well, said the woman, after thinking it over
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  Speaker 1: and taking another peep of the lion. If that is
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  Speaker 1: the case, you may come in and I will give
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  Speaker 1: you some supper in a place to sleep. So they
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  Speaker 1: all entered the house, where there were besides the woman,
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  Speaker 1: two children and a man. The man had hurt his
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  Speaker 1: leg and was lying on the couch in a corner.
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  Speaker 1: They seemed greatly surprised to see so strange a company,
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  Speaker 1: And while the woman was busy laying the table, the
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  Speaker 1: man asked, where are you all going to the Emerald City,
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  Speaker 1: said Dorothy, to see the Great Oz. Oh, indeed, exclaimed
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  Speaker 1: the man. Are you sure that Oz will see you?
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  Speaker 1: Why not, she replied? Why? It is said that he
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  Speaker 1: never lets any one come into his presence. I have
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  Speaker 1: been to the Emerald City many times, and it is
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  Speaker 1: a beautiful and wonderful place. But I have never been
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  Speaker 1: permitted to see the Great Oz, Nor do I know
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  Speaker 1: of any living person who has seen him. Does he
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  Speaker 1: never go out, asked the scarecrow. Never. He sits day
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  Speaker 1: after day in the great Throne room of his palace,
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  Speaker 1: and even those who wait upon him do not see
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  Speaker 1: him face to face. What is he like, asked the girl.
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  Speaker 1: That is hard to tell, said the man, thoughtfully. You see,
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  Speaker 1: Oz is a great wizard, and he can take on
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  Speaker 1: any form he wishes, so that some say he looks
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  Speaker 1: like a bird, and some say he looks like an elephant,
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  Speaker 1: and some say he looks like a cat. To others,
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  Speaker 1: he appears as a beautiful fairy, or a brownie, or
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  Speaker 1: any other form that pleases him. But who the real
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  Speaker 1: Oz is? When is he in his own form? No
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  Speaker 1: living person can tell. That is very strange, said Dorothy.
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  Speaker 1: But we must try in some way to see him,
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  Speaker 1: or we shall have made our journey for nothing. Why
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  Speaker 1: do you wish to see the terrible Oz, asked the man.
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  Speaker 1: I want him to give me some brains, said the
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  Speaker 1: scarecrow eagerly. Oh Oz could do that easily enough, declared
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  Speaker 1: the man. He he has more brains than he needs.
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  Speaker 1: And I want him to give me a heart, said
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  Speaker 1: the tin woodman. That will not trouble him, continued the man.
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  Speaker 1: For Oz has a large collection of hearts of all
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  Speaker 1: sizes and shapes. And I want him to give me courage,
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  Speaker 1: said the cowardly lion. OZ keeps a great pot of
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  Speaker 1: courage in his throne room, said the man, which he
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  Speaker 1: has covered with a golden plate to keep it from
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  Speaker 1: running over. He will be glad to give you some.
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  Speaker 1: And I want him to send me back to Kansas,
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  Speaker 1: said Dorothy. Where is Kansas, asked the man with surprise.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, replied Dorothy sorrowfully. But it is my home,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm sure it's somewhere very likely. Well Oz can
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  Speaker 1: do anything, so I suppose he will find Kansas for you.
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  Speaker 1: But first you must get to see him, and that
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  Speaker 1: will be a hard task, for the great wizard does
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  Speaker 1: not like to see anyone, and he usually has his
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  Speaker 1: own way. But what do you want, he continued speaking
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  Speaker 1: to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail for strange to
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  Speaker 1: stay he could not speak. The woman now called to
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  Speaker 1: them that supper was ready, so they gathered around the table,
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  Speaker 1: and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge and a dish of
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  Speaker 1: scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and
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  Speaker 1: enjoyed her meal. The lion ate some of the porridge
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  Speaker 1: but did not care for it, saying it was made
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  Speaker 1: from oats, and oats were food for horses, not for lions.
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  Speaker 1: The scarecrow and the tin woodman ate nothing at all.
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  Speaker 1: Toto ate a little of everything and was glad to
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  Speaker 1: get a good supper again. The woman now gave Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay down beside her,
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  Speaker 1: while the lion guarded the door of her room so
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  Speaker 1: she might not be disturbed. The scarecrow and the tin
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  Speaker 1: woodman stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night,
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  Speaker 1: although of course they could not sleep. The next morning,
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  Speaker 1: as soon as the sun was up, they started on
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  Speaker 1: their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in
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  Speaker 1: the sky just before them. That must be the Emerald City,
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  Speaker 1: said Dory. As they walked on, the green glow became
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  Speaker 1: brighter and brighter, and it seemed that at last they
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  Speaker 1: were nearing the end of their travels. Yet it was
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  Speaker 1: afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded
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  Speaker 1: the city. It was high and thick and of a
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  Speaker 1: bright green color. In front of them, and at the
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  Speaker 1: end of the road of yellow brick was a big gate,
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  Speaker 1: all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun
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  Speaker 1: that even the painted eyes of the scarecrow were dazzled
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  Speaker 1: by their brilliancy. There was a bell beside the gate,
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  Speaker 1: and Dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle
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  Speaker 1: sound within. Then the big gate swung slowly open, and
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  Speaker 1: they all passed through and found themselves in a high
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  Speaker 1: arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds.
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  Speaker 1: Before them stood a little man about the same size
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  Speaker 1: as the munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from
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  Speaker 1: his head to his feet, and even his skin was
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  Speaker 1: of a greenish tent. At his side was a large
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  Speaker 1: green box. When he saw Dorothy and her companions, the
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  Speaker 1: man asked, what do you wish in the Emerald City.
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  Speaker 1: We came here to see the Great Oz, said Dorothy.
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  Speaker 1: The man was so surprised at this answer he sat
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  Speaker 1: down to think it over. It has been many years
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  Speaker 1: since anyone asked me to see Oz, he said, shaking
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  Speaker 1: his head in perplexity. He is powerful and terrible, and
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  Speaker 1: if you come on an idle or foolish errand to
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  Speaker 1: bother the wise reflections of the great wizard, he might
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  Speaker 1: be angry and destroy you all in an instant. But
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  Speaker 1: it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle, one,
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  Speaker 1: replied the scarecrow. It is important, and we have been
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  Speaker 1: told that Oz is a good wizard. So he is,
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  Speaker 1: said the green man, and he rules the Emerald City
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  Speaker 1: wisely and well. But to those who are not honest,
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  Speaker 1: or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible,
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  Speaker 1: and few have ever dared ask to see his face.
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  Speaker 1: I am the guardian of the gate heats, And since
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  Speaker 1: you demand to see the Great Oz. I must take
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  Speaker 1: you to his palace, but first you must put on
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  Speaker 1: the spectacles. Why, asked Dorothy, because if you do not
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  Speaker 1: wear spectacles, the brightness and glory of the Emerald City
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  Speaker 1: would blind you. Even those who live in the city
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  Speaker 1: must wear spectacles night and day. They are all locked
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  Speaker 1: on for Oz so ordered it when the city was
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  Speaker 1: first built, And I have the only key that will
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  Speaker 1: unlock them. He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw
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  Speaker 1: that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape.
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  Speaker 1: All of them had green glasses in them. The Guardian
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  Speaker 1: of the Gates found a pair that would just fit
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two
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  Speaker 1: golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back
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  Speaker 1: of her head, where they were locked together by a
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  Speaker 1: little key that was at the end of a chain
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  Speaker 1: the Guardian of the gate wore around his neck. When
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  Speaker 1: they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had
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  Speaker 1: she wished, But of course she did not wish to
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  Speaker 1: be blinded by the glare of the Emerald City, so
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  Speaker 1: she said nothing. Then the green Man fitted spectacles for
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow, and the tin Woodman, and the Lion, and
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  Speaker 1: even on little Toto and all were locked fast with
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  Speaker 1: the key. Then the guardian of the gates put on
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  Speaker 1: his own glasses and told them he was ready to
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  Speaker 1: show them to the palace. Taking a big golden key
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  Speaker 1: from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate,
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  Speaker 1: and they all followed him through the portal into the
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  Speaker 1: streets of the Emerald City. End of chapter ten.