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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter two, The Council with the Munchkins. She was awakened
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  Speaker 1: by a shock so sudden and severe that if Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: had not been lying on the soft bed, she might
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  Speaker 1: have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her
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  Speaker 1: catch her breath and wonder what had happened, And Toto
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  Speaker 1: put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally.
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving,
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  Speaker 1: nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in
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  Speaker 1: at the window, flooding the little room. She sprang from
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  Speaker 1: her bed, and, with Toto at her heels, ran and
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  Speaker 1: opened the door. The little girl gave a cry of
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  Speaker 1: amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and
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  Speaker 1: bigger at the wonderful sights she saw. The cyclone had
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  Speaker 1: set the house down very gently, for a cyclone in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were
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  Speaker 1: lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing
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  Speaker 1: rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on
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  Speaker 1: every hand, and birds with red and brilliant plumage sang
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  Speaker 1: and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way
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  Speaker 1: off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between
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  Speaker 1: green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to
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  Speaker 1: a little girl who had lived so long on the dry,
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  Speaker 1: gray prairies. While she stood looking eagerly at the strange
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  Speaker 1: and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group
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  Speaker 1: of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were
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  Speaker 1: not as big as the grown folks she had always
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  Speaker 1: been used to, but neither were they very small. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a
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  Speaker 1: well grown child for her age, although they were so
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  Speaker 1: far as looks go, many years older. Three were men
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  Speaker 1: and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They
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  Speaker 1: wore round hats that rose to a small point a
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  Speaker 1: foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims
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  Speaker 1: that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of them
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  Speaker 1: men were blue. The little woman's hat was white, and
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  Speaker 1: she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from
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  Speaker 1: her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened
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  Speaker 1: in the sun like diamonds. The men were dressed in
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  Speaker 1: blue of the same shade as their hats, and wore
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  Speaker 1: well polished boots with a deep roll of blue at
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  Speaker 1: the tops. The men Dorothy thought were about as old
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  Speaker 1: as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards, But
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  Speaker 1: the little woman was doubtless much older. Her face was
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  Speaker 1: covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she
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  Speaker 1: walked rather stiffly. When these people drew near the house
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  Speaker 1: where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and
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  Speaker 1: whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. But
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  Speaker 1: the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a
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  Speaker 1: low bow, and said, in a sweet voice, you are welcome,
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  Speaker 1: most noble sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We
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  Speaker 1: are so grateful to you for having killed the wicked
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  Speaker 1: Witch of the East and for setting our people free
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  Speaker 1: from bondage. Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder What
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  Speaker 1: could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a
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  Speaker 1: sorceress and saying she had killed the wicked witch of
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  Speaker 1: the east. Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl who
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  Speaker 1: had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home,
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  Speaker 1: and she had never killed anything in all her life.
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  Speaker 1: But the little woman evidently expected her to answer, So
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy said, with hesitation, you are very kind, but there
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  Speaker 1: must be some mistake. I have not killed anything your
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  Speaker 1: house did anyway, replied the little old woman with a laugh.
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  Speaker 1: And that is the same thing. See, she continued, pointing
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  Speaker 1: to the corner of the house. There are her two
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  Speaker 1: feet still sticking out from under a block of wood.
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy looked and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: just under the corner of the great beam the house
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  Speaker 1: rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver
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  Speaker 1: shoes with pointed toes. Oh dear, Oh dear, cried Dory. Dorothy,
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  Speaker 1: clasping her hands together in dismay. The house must have
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  Speaker 1: fallen on her. Whatever shall we do, There is nothing
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  Speaker 1: to be done, said the little woman calmly. But who
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  Speaker 1: was she asked Dorothy. She was the wicked Witch of
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  Speaker 1: the East. As I said, answered the little woman, she
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  Speaker 1: has held all the munchkins in bondage for many years,
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  Speaker 1: making them slave for her night and day. Now they
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  Speaker 1: are all set free and are grateful to you for
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  Speaker 1: the favor. Who are the munchkins, inquired Dorothy. They are
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  Speaker 1: the people who live in this land of the East,
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  Speaker 1: where the wicked Witch ruled. Are you a munchkin, asked Dorothy. No,
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  Speaker 1: but I am their friend, although I live in the
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  Speaker 1: land of the North. When they saw the Witch of
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  Speaker 1: the East was dead, the munchkins sent a swift messenger
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  Speaker 1: to me, and I came at once. I am the
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  Speaker 1: witch of the North. Oh gracious, cried Dorothy. Are you
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  Speaker 1: a real witch, Yes, indeed, answered the little woman. But
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  Speaker 1: I am a good and the people love me. I
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  Speaker 1: am not as powerful as the wicked witch was who
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  Speaker 1: ruled here, or I should have set to people free myself.
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  Speaker 1: But I thought all witches were wicked, said the girl,
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  Speaker 1: who was half frightened at facing a real witch. Oh no,
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  Speaker 1: that is a great mistake. There were only four witches
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  Speaker 1: in all the land of Oz, and two of them,
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  Speaker 1: those who live in the north in the south, are
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  Speaker 1: good witches. I know this is true, for I am
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  Speaker 1: one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. Those who
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  Speaker 1: dwell in the east and the West were indeed wicked witches.
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  Speaker 1: But now that you have killed one of them, there
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  Speaker 1: is but one wicked witch in all the land of Oz,
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  Speaker 1: the one who lives in the west. But Dorothy said,
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  Speaker 1: after a moment's thought, Aunt em has told me that
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  Speaker 1: the witches were all dead years and years ago. Who
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  Speaker 1: is aunt, m inquired the little old woman. She is
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  Speaker 1: my aunt, who lives in Kansas, where I come from.
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  Speaker 1: The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time,
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  Speaker 1: with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground.
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  Speaker 1: Then she looked up and said, I do not know
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  Speaker 1: where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country
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  Speaker 1: mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country? Oh? Yes,
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  Speaker 1: replied Dorothy. Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries,
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  Speaker 1: I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor
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  Speaker 1: sorceresses nor magicians. But you see, the land of Oz
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  Speaker 1: has never been civilized, for we are cut off from
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  Speaker 1: all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have
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  Speaker 1: witches and wizards amongst us. Who are the wizards, asked Dorothy.
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  Speaker 1: Oz himself is the great wizard, answered the witch, sinking
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  Speaker 1: her voice to a whisper. He is more powerful than
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  Speaker 1: all the rest of us together. He lives in the
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  Speaker 1: city of Emeralds. Dorothy was going to ask another question,
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  Speaker 1: but just then the munchkins, who had been standing silently by,
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  Speaker 1: gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of
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  Speaker 1: the house where the wicked witch had been lying. What
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  Speaker 1: is it, asked the little old woman, and looked and
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  Speaker 1: began to laugh. The feet of the dead witch had
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  Speaker 1: disappeared entirely, and nothing was left but the silver shoes.
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  Speaker 1: She was so old, explained the witch of the North,
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  Speaker 1: that she dried up quickly in the sun. That is
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  Speaker 1: the end of her. But the silver shoes are yours,
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  Speaker 1: and you shall have them to wear. She reached down
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  Speaker 1: and picked up the shoes, and, after shaking the dust
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  Speaker 1: out of them, handed them to Dorothy. The Witch of
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  Speaker 1: the East was proud of those silver shoes, said one
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  Speaker 1: of the munchkins. And there is some charm connected with them,
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  Speaker 1: but what it is we never knew. Dorothy carried the
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  Speaker 1: shoes into the house and placed them on the table.
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  Speaker 1: Then she came out again to the munchkins and said,
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  Speaker 1: I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle,
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  Speaker 1: for I am sure they will worry about me. Can
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  Speaker 1: you help me find my way? The munchkins and the
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  Speaker 1: witch first looked at one another, and then at Dorothy,
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  Speaker 1: and then shook their heads. At the east, not far
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  Speaker 1: from here, said one, there is a great desert, and
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  Speaker 1: none could live to cross it. It is the same
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  Speaker 1: at the south, said another. For I have been there
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  Speaker 1: and seen it. The south is the country of the quadlings,
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  Speaker 1: I am told, said the third man, that it is
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  Speaker 1: the same at the west, And that country where the
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  Speaker 1: winkies live is ruled by the wicked witch of the west,
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  Speaker 1: who would make you her slave if you passed her way.
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  Speaker 1: The north is my home, said the old lady, and
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  Speaker 1: at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds
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  Speaker 1: this land of Oz. I'm afraid, my dear, you will
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  Speaker 1: have to live with us. Dorothy began to sob at this,
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  Speaker 1: for she felt lonely among all these strange people. Her
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  Speaker 1: tears seemed to grieve the kind hearted munchkins, for they
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  Speaker 1: immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weep. Also
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  Speaker 1: as for the little old woman. She took off her
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  Speaker 1: cap and balanced the point on the end of her
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  Speaker 1: nose while she counted one, two, three in a solemn voice.
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  Speaker 1: At once the cap changed to a slate on which
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  Speaker 1: was written in big white chalk marks. Let Dorothy go
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  Speaker 1: to the city of Emeralds. The little old woman took
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  Speaker 1: the slate from her nose, and, having read the words
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  Speaker 1: on it, asked, is your name, Dorothy, my dear yes,
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  Speaker 1: answered the child, looking up and drying her tears. Then
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  Speaker 1: you must go to the city of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz
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  Speaker 1: will help you. Where is this city, asked Dorothy. It
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  Speaker 1: is exactly in the center of the country and is
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  Speaker 1: ruled by Oz, the great wizard I told you of.
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  Speaker 1: Is he a good man? Inquired the girl anxiously. He
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  Speaker 1: is a good wizard. Whether he is a man or not,
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  Speaker 1: I cannot tell, for I have never seen him. How
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  Speaker 1: can I get there, asked Dorothy. You must walk. It
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  Speaker 1: is a long journey through a country that is sometimes
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  Speaker 1: pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use
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  Speaker 1: all the magic arts I know of to keep you
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  Speaker 1: from harm. Won't you go with me? Pleaded the girl,
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  Speaker 1: who had begun to look upon the little old woman
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  Speaker 1: as her only friend. No, I cannot do that, she replied,
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  Speaker 1: But I will give you my kiss, and no one
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  Speaker 1: will dare injure a person who has been kissed by
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  Speaker 1: the Witch of the North. She came close to Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: and kissed her gently on the forehead. Where her lips
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  Speaker 1: touched the girl, they left a round, shiny mark. As
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy found out soon after, the road to the city
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  Speaker 1: of Emeralds is paved with yellow bricks, said the witch,
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  Speaker 1: so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz.
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  Speaker 1: Do not be afraid of him, but tell your story
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  Speaker 1: and ask him to help you. Good Bye, my dear.
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  Speaker 1: The three munchkins bowed low to her and wished her
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  Speaker 1: a pleasant journey, after which they walked away through the trees.
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  Speaker 1: The witch gave Dorothy a friendly little nod, whirled around
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  Speaker 1: on her left heel three times, and straightway disappeared, much
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  Speaker 1: to the surprise of Little Toto, who barked after her
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  Speaker 1: loudly enough when she had gone because he had been
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  Speaker 1: afraid even to growl while she stood by. But Dorothy,
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  Speaker 1: knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to
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  Speaker 1: disappear in just that way, and was not surprised. In
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  Speaker 1: the least end of chapter two,