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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine, The queen of the field mice, We cannot
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  Speaker 1: be far from the road of yellow brick, now, remarked
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow as he stood beside the girl, for we
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  Speaker 1: have come nearly as far as the river carried us away.
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  Speaker 1: The tin woodman was about to reply when he heard
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  Speaker 1: a low growl, and turning his head, which worked beautifully
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  Speaker 1: on hinges, he saw a strange beast bounding over the
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  Speaker 1: grass towards them. It was, indeed a great yellow wild cat,
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  Speaker 1: and the woodman thought it must be chasing something, for
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  Speaker 1: its ears were lying close to its head, and its
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  Speaker 1: mouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth,
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  Speaker 1: while its red eyes glowed like balls of fire. As
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  Speaker 1: it came nearer, the tin woodman saw that running before
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  Speaker 1: the beast was a little gray field mouse, and although
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  Speaker 1: he had no heart, he knew that it was wrong
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  Speaker 1: for the wild cat to try to kill such a
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  Speaker 1: pretty harmless creature. So the woodman raised his axe, and
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  Speaker 1: as the wild cat ran by, he gave it a
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  Speaker 1: quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from
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  Speaker 1: its body, and it rolled over at his feet in
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  Speaker 1: two pieces. The field mouse, now that it was freed
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  Speaker 1: from its enemy stopped short and coming slowly up to
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  Speaker 1: the woodman. It said, in a squeaky little voice, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: thank you, thank you ever so much for saving my life.
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  Speaker 1: Don't speak of it, I beg you, replied the woodman.
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  Speaker 1: I have no heart, you know, so I am careful
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  Speaker 1: to help all those who may need a friend, even
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  Speaker 1: if it happens to be only a mouse. Only a mouse,
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  Speaker 1: cried the little animal, indignantly. Why I am a queen,
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  Speaker 1: the queen of all field mice. Oh indeed, said the woodman,
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  Speaker 1: making a bow. Therefore, you have done a great deed,
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  Speaker 1: as well as a brave one, in saving my life,
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  Speaker 1: added the queen. At that moment, several mice were seen
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  Speaker 1: running up as fast as their little legs could carry them,
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  Speaker 1: And when they saw their queen, they exclaimed, oh, your majesty,
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  Speaker 1: we thought you would be killed. How did you manage
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  Speaker 1: to escape the great wildcat? They all bowed so low
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  Speaker 1: to the little queen that they almost stood upon their heads.
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  Speaker 1: This funny tin man, she answered, killed the wild cat
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  Speaker 1: and saved my life. So hereafter you must all serve
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  Speaker 1: him and obey his slightest wish. We will, cried all
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  Speaker 1: the mice in a shrill chorus, and then they scampered
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  Speaker 1: in all directions. For Toto had awakened from his sleep,
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  Speaker 1: and seeing all these mice around him, gave him one
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  Speaker 1: bark of delight and jumped right into the middle of
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  Speaker 1: the group. Toto had always loved to chase mice when
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  Speaker 1: he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
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  Speaker 1: But the tin woodman caught the dog in his arms
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  Speaker 1: and held him tight while he called to the mice,
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  Speaker 1: come back, come back, Toto shall not hurt you. At this,
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  Speaker 1: the queen of the mice stuck her head out from
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  Speaker 1: underneath a clump of grass and asked, in a timid voice,
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  Speaker 1: are you sure he will not bite us? I will
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  Speaker 1: not let him, said the woodman, So do not be afraid.
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  Speaker 1: One by one the mice came creeping back, and Toto
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  Speaker 1: did not bark again, although he tried to get out
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  Speaker 1: of the woodman's arms and would have bitten him had
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  Speaker 1: he not known very well he was made of ten. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: one of the biggest mice spoke, is there anything we
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  Speaker 1: can do? It, asked to repay you for saving the
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  Speaker 1: life of our queen. Nothing that I know of, answered
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  Speaker 1: the woodman. But the scarecrow, who had been trying to
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  Speaker 1: think but could not because his head was stuffed with straw,
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  Speaker 1: said quickly, Oh, yes, you can save our friend, the
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  Speaker 1: cowardly lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed. A lion,
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  Speaker 1: cried the little queen. Why he would eat us all up?
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  Speaker 1: Oh no, declared the scarecrow. This lion is a coward, really,
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  Speaker 1: asked the mouse. He says so himself, answered the scarecrow,
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  Speaker 1: And he would never hurt anyone who is our friend.
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  Speaker 1: If you will help us to save him, I promise
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  Speaker 1: he shall treat you with all kindness. Very well, said
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  Speaker 1: the queen. We trust you, But what shall we do.
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  Speaker 1: Are there many of these mice which call you queen
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  Speaker 1: and are willing to obey you? Oh? Yes, there are thousand,
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  Speaker 1: she replied. Then send for them all to come here
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  Speaker 1: as soon as possible, and let each one bring a
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  Speaker 1: long piece of string. The queen turned to the mice
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  Speaker 1: that attended her and told them to go at once
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  Speaker 1: and get all her people. As soon as they heard
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  Speaker 1: her orders, they ran away in every direction as fast
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  Speaker 1: as possible. Now, said the scarecrow to the tin woodman,
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  Speaker 1: you must go to those trees by the river side
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  Speaker 1: and make a truck that will carry the lion. So
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  Speaker 1: the woodman went at once to the trees and began
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  Speaker 1: to work, And he soon made a truck out of
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  Speaker 1: the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all
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  Speaker 1: the leaves and branches. He fastened it together with wooden pegs,
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  Speaker 1: and made the four wheels out of short pieces of
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  Speaker 1: a big tree trunk. So fast and so well did
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  Speaker 1: he work that by the time the mice began to arrive,
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  Speaker 1: the truck was all ready for them. They came from
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  Speaker 1: all directions, and there were thousands of them, big mice
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  Speaker 1: and little mice, and middle sized mice, and each one
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  Speaker 1: brought a piece of string in his mouth. It was
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  Speaker 1: about this time that Dorothy woke from her long sleep
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  Speaker 1: and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonished to find
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  Speaker 1: herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing
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  Speaker 1: around and looking at her timidly. But the scarecrow told
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  Speaker 1: her about everything, and turning to the dignified little mouse,
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  Speaker 1: he said, permit me to introduce you to her majesty
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  Speaker 1: the Queen. Dorothy nodded gravely, and the queen made a curtsey,
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  Speaker 1: after which she became quite friendly with the little girl.
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  Speaker 1: The scarecrow and the woodman now began to fasten the
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  Speaker 1: mice to the truck using the strings they had brought.
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  Speaker 1: One end of a string was tied around the neck
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  Speaker 1: of each mouse, and the other end to the truck.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, the truck was a thousand times bigger than
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  Speaker 1: any of the mice who were to draw it, but
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  Speaker 1: when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able
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  Speaker 1: to pull it quite easily. Even the scarecrow and the
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  Speaker 1: tin woodman could sit on it, and were drawn swiftly
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  Speaker 1: by their queer little horses to the place where the
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  Speaker 1: lion lay asleep. After a great deal of hard work,
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  Speaker 1: for the lion was heavy, they managed to get him
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  Speaker 1: up on the truck. Then the queen hurriedly gave her
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  Speaker 1: people the order to start, for she feared if the
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  Speaker 1: mice stayed among the poppies too long, they also would
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  Speaker 1: fall asleep. At first, the little creatures, many though they were,
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  Speaker 1: could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck. But the woodman
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  Speaker 1: and the scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they got
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  Speaker 1: along better. Soon they rolled the lion out of the
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  Speaker 1: poppy bed to the green fields, where they could breathe
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  Speaker 1: the sweet fresh air again instead of the poisonous scent
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  Speaker 1: of the flowers. Dorothy came to meet them and thanked
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  Speaker 1: the little mice warmly for saving her companion from death.
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  Speaker 1: She had grown so fond of the big lion, she
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  Speaker 1: was glad he had been rescued. Then the mice were
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  Speaker 1: unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass
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  Speaker 1: to their homes. The queen of the mice was the
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  Speaker 1: last to leave. If you ever need us again, she said,
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  Speaker 1: come out into the field and call, and we shall
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  Speaker 1: hear you and come to your assistance. Goodbye, goodbye, they
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  Speaker 1: all answered, and away the queen ran, while Dorothy held
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  Speaker 1: Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.
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  Speaker 1: After this, they sat down beside the lion until he
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  Speaker 1: should awaken, and the scarecrow brought Dorothy some fruit from
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  Speaker 1: a tree near by, which she ate for her dinner.
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  Speaker 1: The end of chapter nine