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

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