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Chapter 24 · The Emerald City of Oz

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  This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Emerald
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  City of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Chapter twenty four, How the
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  tin Woodman told the sad news. The tin Woodman received Princess Dorothy's party with
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  much grace and cordiality. Yet the little girl decided that something must be worrying
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  her old friend, because he was not so merry as usual. But at
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  first she said nothing about this, for Uncle Henry and Aunt em were fairly
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  bubbling over with admiration for the beautiful tin castle and its polished tin owner,
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  so her suspicion that something unpleasant had happened was for a time forgotten. Where
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  is the scarecrow, she asked, when they had all been ushered into the
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  big tin drawing room of the castle, the sawhorse being led around to the
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  tin stable in the rear. Why our old friend has just moved into his
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  new mansion, explained the tin Woodman. It has been a long time in
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  building, although my winkies and many other people from all parts of the country
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  have been busily working upon it. At last However, it is completed,
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  and the Scarecrow took possession of his new home just two days ago. I
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  hadn't heard that he wanted a home of his own, said Dorothy. Why
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  doesn't he live with Ozma in the Emerald City? He used to, you
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  know, and I thought he was happy there. It seems, said the
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  tin Woodman, that our dear Scarecrow cannot be contented with city life, however
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  beautiful his surroundings might be. Originally he was a farmer, for he passed
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  his early life in a cornfield where he was supposed to frighten away the crows,
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  I know, said Dorothy, nodding. I found him and lifted him
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  down from his pole. So now, after a long residence in the Emerald
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  City, his tastes have turned to farm life again, continued the tin Man.
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  He feels that he cannot be happy without a farm of his own.
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  So Ozma gave him some land, and every one helped him build his mansion,
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  and now he is settled there for good. Who designed his house,
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  asked the Shaggy Man. I believe it was Jack Pumpkinhead, who is also
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  a farmer, was the reply. They were now invited to enter the tin
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  dining room, where luncheon was served. Aunt em found to her satisfaction that
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  Dorothy's promise was more than fulfilled, for although the tin woodman had no appetite
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  of his own, he respected the appetites of his guests and saw that they
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  were bountifully fed. They passed the afternoon in wandering through the beautiful gardens and
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  grounds of the palace. The walks were all paved with sheets of tin,
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  brightly polished, and there were tin fountains and tin statues here and there among
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  the trees. The flowers were mostly natural flowers and grew in the regular way,
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  But their host showed them one flower bed, which was his especial pride.
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  You see, all common flowers fade and die in time, he explained,
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  and so there are seasons when the pretty blooms are scarce. Therefore I
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  decided to make one tin flower bed all of tin flowers, and my workmen
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  have created them with rare skill. Here you see tin camelias, tin marigolds,
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  tin carnations, tin poppies, and tin hollyhocks, growing as naturally as
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  if they were real. Indeed, they were a pretty sight and glistened under
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  the sunlight like spun silver. Isn't this tin hollyhock going to seed? Asked
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  the wizard, bending over the flowers. Why I believe it is, exclaimed
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  the tin woodman, as if surprised. I hadn't noticed that before. But
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  I shall plant the tin seeds and raise another bed of tin hollyhocks. In
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  one corner of the gardens, nick Chopper had established a fish pond, in
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  which they saw swimming and disporting themselves many pretty tin fishes. Would they bite
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  on hooks? Asked aunt em curiously. The tin Woodman seemed hurt at this
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  question. Madam said he do you suppose I would allow anyone to catch my
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  beautiful fishes, even if they were foolish enough to bite on hooks. No,
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  indeed, every created thing is safe from harm in my domain, and
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  I would as soon think of killing my little friend Dorothy as killing one of
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  my tin fishes. The Emperor is very kind hearted, ma'am, explained the
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  wizard. If a fly happens to light upon his tin body, he doesn't
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  rudely brush it off, as some people might do. He asks it politely
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  to find some other resting place. What does the fly do, then,
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  inquired aunt Em. Usually it begs his pardon and goes away, said the
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  wizard gravely. Flies like to be treated politely as well as other creatures,
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  and here in Oz they understand what we say to them and behave very nicely,
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  well, said aunt Em. The flies in Kansas, where I came
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  from, don't understand anything but a swat. You have to smash'em to
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  make em behave. And it's the same with skeeters. Do you have skeeters
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  in Oz? We have some very large mosquitoes here which sing as beautifully as
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  song birds, replied the tin woodman. But they never bite or annoy our
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  people because they are well fed and taken care of. The reason they bite
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  people in your country is because they are hungry poor things. Yes, agreed
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  aunt Em. They're hungry all right, and they ain't very particular who they
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  feed on. I'm glad you've got the skeeters educated in Oz. That evening,
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  after dinner, they were entertained by the Emperor's tin cornet band, which
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  played for them several sweet melodies. Also, the Wizard did a few sleight
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  of hand tricks to amuse the company, after which they all retired to their
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  cozy tin bedrooms and slept soundly until morning. After breakfast, Dorothy said to
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  the tin woodman, if you'll tell us which way to go, we'll visit
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  the Scarecrow on our way home. I will go with you and show you
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  the way, replied the Emperor, for I must journey to day to the
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  Emerald City. He looked so anxious as he said this that the little girl
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  asked, there isn't anything wrong with Ozma, is there? He shook his
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  tin head. Not yet, said he. But I'm afraid the time has
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  come when i must tell you some very bad news. Little friend. Oh
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  what is it? Cried Dorothy. Do you remember the Nome King, asked
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  the tin Woodman. I remember him very well, she replied. The Nome
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  King has not a kind heart, said the Emperor sadly, and he has
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  been harboring wicked thoughts of revenge because we once defeated him and liberated his slaves,
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  and you took away his magic belt. So he has ordered his nomes
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  to dig a long tunnel underneath the deadly desert, so that he may march
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  his hosts right into the Emerald City. When he gets there, he intends
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  to destroy our beautiful country. Dorothy was much surprised to hear this. How
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  did Ozma find out about the tunnel, she asked? She saw it in
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  her magic picture, of course, said Dorothy. I might have known that.
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  And what is she going to do? I cannot tell? Was the
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  reply. Pooh, cried the yellow hen. We're not afraid of the Nomes.
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  If we roll a few of our eggs down the tunnel, they'll run
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  away back home as fast as they can go. Why that's true enough,
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  exclaimed Dorothy. The scarecrow once conquered all the Nome King's army with some of
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  Billina's eggs. But you do not understand all of the dreadful plot, continued
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  the tin woodman. The Nome King is clever, and he knows his Nomes
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  would run from eggs, so he has bargained with many terrible creatures to help
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  him. These evil spirits are not afraid of eggs or anything else, and
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  they are very powerful. So the Nome King will send them through the tunnel
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  first to conquer and destroy, and then the Nomes will follow after to get
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  their share of the plunder and slaves. They were all startled to hear this,
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  and every face wore a troubled. Look is the tunnel already, asked
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  Dorothy. Ozma sent me word yesterday that the tunnel was all completed, except
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  for a thin crust of earth at the end. When our enemies break through
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  this crust, they will be in the gardens of the royal Palace, in
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  the heart of the Emerald City. I offer to arm all my winkies and
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  march to Ozma's assistance, but she said no. I wonder why, asked
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  Dorothy. She answered that all the inhabitants of oz gathered together, were not
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  powerful enough to fight and overcome the evil forces of the Nome king. Therefore
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  she refuses to fight at all. But they will capture and enslave us,
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  and plunder and ruin all our lovely land, exclaimed the Wizard, greatly disturbed
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  by this statement. I fear they will, said the tin woodman sorrowfully.
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  And I also fear that those who are not fairies, such as the Wizard
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  and Dorothy and her uncle and aunt, as well as Toto and Billina,
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  will be speedily put to death by the conquerors. What can be done,
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  asked Dorothy, shuddering a little at the prospect of this awful fate. Nothing
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  can be done, gloomily replied the Emperor of the Winkies. But since Ozma
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  refuses my army, I will go myself to the Emerald City. The least
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  I may do is to perish beside my beloved ruler. End of Chapter twenty four.