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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen, The Discovery of Oz the Terrible. The four
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  Speaker 1: travelers walked up to the great gate of Emerald City
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  Speaker 1: and rang the bell. After ringing several times, it was
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  Speaker 1: opened by the same guardian of the Gates they had
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  Speaker 1: met before. What are you back again, he asked, in surprise.
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  Speaker 1: Do you not see us, answered the scarecrow, But I
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  Speaker 1: thought you had gone to visit the Wicked Witch of
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  Speaker 1: the West. We did visit her, said the scarecrow, and
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  Speaker 1: she let you go again, asked the man in wonder.
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  Speaker 1: She could not help it, for she has melted, explained
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow. Melted. Well, that is good news, indeed, said
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  Speaker 1: the man who melted her. It was Dorothy, said the lion. Gravely.
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  Speaker 1: Good gracious, exclaimed the man, and he bowed very low
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  Speaker 1: indeed before her. Then he led them into his little
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  Speaker 1: room and locked the spectacles from the great box on
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  Speaker 1: all their eyes, just as he had done before. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: they passed on through the gate into the Emerald City.
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  Speaker 1: When the people heard from the Guardian of the Gates
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  Speaker 1: that Dorothy had melted the wicked Witch of the West,
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  Speaker 1: they all gathered around the travelers and followed them in
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  Speaker 1: a great crowd to the palace of Oz. The soldier
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  Speaker 1: with the green whiskers was still on guard before the door,
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  Speaker 1: but he let them in at once, and they were
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  Speaker 1: again met by the beautiful Green Girl, who showed each
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  Speaker 1: of them to their old rooms at once so they
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  Speaker 1: might rest until the Great Wizard was ready to receive them.
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  Speaker 1: The soldier had the news carried straight to Oz that
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy and the other travelers had come back again after
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  Speaker 1: destroying the wicked Witch, but Oz made no reply. They
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  Speaker 1: thought the Great Wizard would send for them at once,
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  Speaker 1: but he did not. They had no word from him
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  Speaker 1: the next day, nor the next, nor the next. The
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  Speaker 1: waiting was tiresome and wearing, and at last they grew
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  Speaker 1: vexed that Oz should treat them in so poor a
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  Speaker 1: fashion after sending them to undergo hardships in slavery. So
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  Speaker 1: the Scarecrow at last asked the Green Girl to take
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  Speaker 1: another message to Oz, saying if he did not let
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  Speaker 1: them in to see him at once, they would call
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  Speaker 1: the winged monkeys to help them and find out whether
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  Speaker 1: he kept his promises or not. When the Wizard was
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  Speaker 1: given this message, he was so frightened that he sent
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  Speaker 1: word for them to come to the throne room at
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  Speaker 1: four minutes after nine o'clock the next morning. He had
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  Speaker 1: once met the wing monkeys in the land of the West,
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  Speaker 1: and he did not wish to meet them again. The
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  Speaker 1: four travelers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the
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  Speaker 1: gift Oz had promised to bestow on him. Dorothy fell
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  Speaker 1: asleep only once, and then she dreamed she was in Kansas,
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  Speaker 1: where Aunt em was telling her how glad she was
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  Speaker 1: to have her little girl home again. Promptly, at nine
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  Speaker 1: o'clock the next morning, the green whiskered soldier came to them,
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  Speaker 1: and four minutes later they all went into the throne
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  Speaker 1: room of the Great Oz. Of course, each one of
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  Speaker 1: them expected to see the wizard in the shape he
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  Speaker 1: had taken before, and all were greatly prized when they
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  Speaker 1: looked about and saw no one at all in the room.
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  Speaker 1: They kept close to the door and closer to one another,
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  Speaker 1: for the stillness of the empty room was more dreadful
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  Speaker 1: than any of the forms they had seen Oz take. Presently,
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  Speaker 1: they heard a solemn voice that seemed to come somewhere
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  Speaker 1: near the top of the great dome, and it said,
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  Speaker 1: I am Oz the Great and Terrible. Why do you
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  Speaker 1: seek me. They looked again in every part of the room,
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  Speaker 1: and then, seeing no one, Dorothy asked, where are you.
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  Speaker 1: I am everywhere, answered the voice, but to the eyes
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  Speaker 1: of the common mortals, I am invisible. I will now
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  Speaker 1: seat myself upon my throne that you may converse with me. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: the voice seemed just then to come straight from the
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  Speaker 1: throne itself, so they walked toward it and stood in
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  Speaker 1: a row while Dorothy said, we have come to claim
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  Speaker 1: our promise. O Oz, what promise? Asked Oz. You promise
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  Speaker 1: to send me back to Kansas when the Wicked Witch
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  Speaker 1: was destroyed, said the girl. And you promised to give
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  Speaker 1: me brains, said the scarecrow. And you promised to give
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  Speaker 1: me a heart, said the tin woodman. And you promised
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  Speaker 1: to give me courage, said the cowardly lion. Is the
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  Speaker 1: Wicked Witch really destroyed? Asked the voice, And Dorothy thought
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  Speaker 1: it trembled a little. Yes, she answered, I melted her
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  Speaker 1: with a bucket of water. Dear me, said the voice,
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  Speaker 1: How sudden, Well come to me tomorrow, for I must
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  Speaker 1: have time to think it over. You've had plenty of
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  Speaker 1: time already, said the tin woodman angrily. We shan't wait
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  Speaker 1: a day longer, said the scarecrow. You must keep your
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  Speaker 1: promise to us, exclaimed Dorothy. The lion thought it might
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  Speaker 1: be as well to frighten the wizard, so he gave
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  Speaker 1: a large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful
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  Speaker 1: that Toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped
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  Speaker 1: over the screen that stood in the corner. As it
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  Speaker 1: fell with a crash, They looked that way, and the
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  Speaker 1: next moment all of them were filled with wonder, for
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  Speaker 1: they saw standing in just the spot the screen had hidden,
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  Speaker 1: a little old man with a bald head and a
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  Speaker 1: wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as
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  Speaker 1: they were. The tin Woodman, raising his axe, rushed toward
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  Speaker 1: the little man and cried out, who are you. I
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  Speaker 1: am Oz the Great and Terrible, said the little man,
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  Speaker 1: in a trembling voice. But don't strike me, please don't,
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  Speaker 1: and I'll do anything you want me to. Our friends
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  Speaker 1: looked at him in surprise and dismay. I thought Oz
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  Speaker 1: was a great head, said Dorothy. And I thought Oz
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  Speaker 1: was a lovely lady, said the scarecrow. And I thought
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  Speaker 1: Oz was a terrible beast, said the tin Woodman, and
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  Speaker 1: I thought Oz was a ball of fire, exclaimed the lion. No,
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  Speaker 1: you are all wrong, said the little man meekly. I
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  Speaker 1: have been making believe, making believe, cried Dorothy. Are you
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  Speaker 1: not a great wizard? Hush, my dear, don't speak so loud,
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  Speaker 1: or you will be overheard and I should be ruined.
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  Speaker 1: I'm supposed to be great wizard, and you aren't, she asked.
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  Speaker 1: Not a bit of it, my dear, just a common man.
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  Speaker 1: You are more than that, said the scarecrow, in a
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  Speaker 1: grieved tone. You're a humbug. Exactly so, declared the little man,
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  Speaker 1: rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. I
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  Speaker 1: am a humbug, but this is terrible, said the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: How shall I ever get my heart? Or I my courage,
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  Speaker 1: asked the lion, or I my brains, wailed the scarecrow,
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  Speaker 1: wiping the tears from his eyes with his coat sleeve.
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  Speaker 1: My dear friends, said Oz, I pray you not speak
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  Speaker 1: of these little things. Think of me and the terrible
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  Speaker 1: trouble I am in at being found out. Doesn't anyone
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  Speaker 1: else know you're a humbug, asked Dorothy. No one knows
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  Speaker 1: it but you, for and myself, replied Oz, I have
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  Speaker 1: fooled everyone so long that I thought I should never
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  Speaker 1: be found out. It was a great mistake my ever
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  Speaker 1: letting you into the throne room. Usually I will not
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  Speaker 1: see even my subjects, and so they believe I am
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  Speaker 1: something terrible. But I don't understand, said Dorothy in bewilderment.
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  Speaker 1: How was it that you appeared to me as a
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  Speaker 1: great head? That was one of my tricks? Answered Oz.
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  Speaker 1: Step this way, please, and I will tell you all
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  Speaker 1: about it. He led the way to a small chamber
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  Speaker 1: in the rear of the throne room, and they all
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  Speaker 1: followed him. He pointed to one corner in which lay
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  Speaker 1: the great head, made out of many thicknesses of paper
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  Speaker 1: and with a carefully painted face. This I hung from
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  Speaker 1: the ceiling by a wire, said Oz. I stood behind
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  Speaker 1: the screen and pulled a thread to make the eyes
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  Speaker 1: move in the mouth open. But how about the voice,
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  Speaker 1: she inquired. Oh, I'm a ventriloquist, said the little man.
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  Speaker 1: I can throw the sound of my voice wherever I wish,
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  Speaker 1: so that you thought it was coming out of the head.
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  Speaker 1: Here are the other things I used to deceive you.
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  Speaker 1: He showed the scarecrow, the dress, and the mask he
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  Speaker 1: had worn when he seemed to be the lovely lady,
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  Speaker 1: and the tid woodman saw that his terrible beast was
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  Speaker 1: nothing but a lot of skins sewn together with slats
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  Speaker 1: to keep their sides out. As for the ball of fire,
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  Speaker 1: the false wizard had hung that also from the ceiling.
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  Speaker 1: It was really a ball of cotton, but when oil
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  Speaker 1: was poured upon it, the ball burned fiercely. Really, said
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for
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  Speaker 1: being such a humbug. I am. I certainly am, answered
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  Speaker 1: the little man sorrowfully. But it was the only thing
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  Speaker 1: I could do. Sit down, please, there are plenty of chairs,
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  Speaker 1: and I will tell you my story. So they sat
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  Speaker 1: down and listened while he told the following tale. I
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  Speaker 1: was born in Omaha. Why that isn't very far from Kansas,
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  Speaker 1: cried Dorothy. No, but it's farther from here, he said,
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  Speaker 1: shaking his head at her sadly. When I grew up,
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  Speaker 1: I became a ventriloquist, and at that I was very
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  Speaker 1: well trained by a great master. I can imitate any
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  Speaker 1: kind of bird or beast. Here, he mewed so like
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  Speaker 1: a kitten that Toto pricked up his ears and looked
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  Speaker 1: everywhere to see where she was. After a time, continued oz,
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  Speaker 1: I tired of that and became a balloonist. What is that,
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  Speaker 1: asked Dorothy, a man who goes up in a balloon
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  Speaker 1: on circus day so as to draw a crowd of
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  Speaker 1: people together and get them to pay to see the circus.
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  Speaker 1: He explained, Oh, she said, I know. Well, one day
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  Speaker 1: I went up in a balloon and the ropes got
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  Speaker 1: twisted so that I couldn't come down again. It went
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  Speaker 1: way up above the clouds, so far that a current
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  Speaker 1: of air struck it and carried it many many miles away.
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  Speaker 1: For a day and the night I traveled through the air,
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  Speaker 1: And on the morning of the second day, I awoke
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  Speaker 1: and found the balloon floating over a strange and beautiful country.
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  Speaker 1: It came down gradually, and I was not hurt a bit,
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  Speaker 1: But I found myself in the midst of a strange people, who,
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  Speaker 1: seeing me come from the clouds, thought I was a
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  Speaker 1: great wizard. Of course, I let them think so, because
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  Speaker 1: they were afraid of me, and promised to do anything
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  Speaker 1: I wished them to do. Just to amuse myself and
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  Speaker 1: keep the good people busy, I ordered them to build
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  Speaker 1: the city and my palace, and they did it all
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  Speaker 1: willingly and well. Then I thought, as the country was
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  Speaker 1: so green and beautiful, I would call it the Emerald City.
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  Speaker 1: And to make the name fit her better, I put
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  Speaker 1: green spectacles on all the people, so that everything they
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  Speaker 1: saw was green. But isn't everything here green, asked Dorothy.
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  Speaker 1: No more than in any other city, replied Oz. But
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  Speaker 1: when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you
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  Speaker 1: see looks green to you. The Emerald City was built
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  Speaker 1: a great many years ago. For I was a young
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  Speaker 1: man when the balloon brought me here, and I am
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  Speaker 1: a very old man now. But my people have worn
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  Speaker 1: green glasses on their eyes so long that most of
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  Speaker 1: them think it really is an emerald city. And it
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  Speaker 1: certainly is a beautiful place, abounding in jewels and precious
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  Speaker 1: metals and every good thing that is needed to make
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  Speaker 1: one happy. I have been good to the people, and
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  Speaker 1: they like me. But ever since this palace was built,
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  Speaker 1: I have shut myself up and would not see any
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  Speaker 1: of them. My greatest fears was the witches. For while
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  Speaker 1: I had no magical powers at all, I soon found
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  Speaker 1: out that the witches were really able to do wonderful things.
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  Speaker 1: There were four of them in this country, and they
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  Speaker 1: ruled the people who lived in the north and South,
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  Speaker 1: and east and west. Fortunately, the witches of the north
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  Speaker 1: and South were good, and I knew they would do
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  Speaker 1: me no harm. But the witches of the East and
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  Speaker 1: the West were terribly wicked, and had they not thought
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  Speaker 1: I was more powerful than they themselves, they would surely
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  Speaker 1: have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly
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  Speaker 1: fear of them for many years, So you can imagine
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  Speaker 1: how pleased I was when I heard your house had
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  Speaker 1: fallen on the wicked witch of the east. When you
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  Speaker 1: came to me, I was willing to promise you anything
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  Speaker 1: if you would only do away with the other witch.
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  Speaker 1: But now that you have melted her, I'm ashamed to
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  Speaker 1: say that I cannot keep my promises. I think you
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  Speaker 1: are a very bad man, said Dorothy. Oh no, my dear,
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  Speaker 1: I'm really a very good man. But I'm a very
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  Speaker 1: bad wizard, I must admit. Can't you give me brains,
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  Speaker 1: asked the scarecrow. You don't need them. You are learning
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  Speaker 1: something every day. A baby has brains, but it doesn't
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  Speaker 1: know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge.
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  Speaker 1: And the longer you are on earth, the more experience
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  Speaker 1: you are sure to get. That may all be true,
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  Speaker 1: said the scarecrow. But I shall be very unhappy unless
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  Speaker 1: you give me brains. The false wizard looked at him carefully. Well,
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  Speaker 1: he said, with a sigh. I'm not much of a magician,
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  Speaker 1: as I said, but if you will come to me
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  Speaker 1: tomorrow morning, I will stuff your head with brains. I
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  Speaker 1: cannot tell you how to use them, however, you must
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  Speaker 1: find that out for yourself. Oh thank you, thank you,
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  Speaker 1: cried the scarecrow. I'll find a way to use them.
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  Speaker 1: Never fear. But how about my courage, asked the lion anxiously.
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  Speaker 1: You have plenty of courage, I'm sure, answered Oz. All
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  Speaker 1: you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living
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  Speaker 1: thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The
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  Speaker 1: true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.
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  Speaker 1: And that kind of courage you have in plenty, perhaps
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  Speaker 1: I have. But I'm scared just the same, said the lion.
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  Speaker 1: I shall really be very unhappy unless you give me
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  Speaker 1: the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid.
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  Speaker 1: Very well, I will give you that sort of courage tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: replied Oz, how about my heart, asked the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: Why as for that? Answered Oz, I think you are
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  Speaker 1: wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy
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  Speaker 1: if you only knew it. You are in luck not
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  Speaker 1: to have a heart. That must be a matter of opinion,
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  Speaker 1: said the tin Woodman. For my part, I will bear
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  Speaker 1: all the unhappiness without a murmur if you will give
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  Speaker 1: me the heart. Very well, answered Oz. Meekly, come to
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  Speaker 1: me tomorrow and you shall have a heart. I have
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  Speaker 1: played wizard for so many years that I may as
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  Speaker 1: well continue the part a little longer. And now, said Dorothy,
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  Speaker 1: how am I to get back to Kansas. We shall
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  Speaker 1: have to think about that, replied the little man. Give
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  Speaker 1: me two or three days to consider the matter, and
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  Speaker 1: I'll try to find a way to carry you over
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  Speaker 1: the desert. In the meantime, you shall all be treated
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  Speaker 1: as my guests, and while you live in the palace,
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  Speaker 1: my people will wait upon you and obey your slightest wish.
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  Speaker 1: There is only one thing I ask in return for
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  Speaker 1: my help, such that it is you must keep my
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  Speaker 1: secret and tell no one I am a humbug. They
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  Speaker 1: agreed to say nothing of what they had learned, and
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  Speaker 1: went back to their rooms in high spirits. Even Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: had hoped that the Great and terrible Humbug, as she
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  Speaker 1: had called him, would find a way to send her
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  Speaker 1: back to Kansas, and if he did, she was willing
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  Speaker 1: to forgive him everything. End of Chapter fifteen.