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Just then the Sawhorse drew the wagon out of the forest and a beautiful

landscape lay spread before the travelers' eyes. Moreover, right before

them was a good road that wound away through the hills and valleys.

Now," said the Wizard, with evident delight, "we are on the right track

again, and there is nothing more to worry about."

It's a foolish thing to take chances in a strange country," observed the

Shaggy Man. "Had we kept to the roads we never would have been lost.

Roads always lead to some place, else they wouldn't be roads."

This road," added the Wizard, "leads to Rigmarole Town. I'm sure of that

because I enchanted the wagon wheels."

Sure enough, after riding along the road for an hour or two they entered

a pretty valley where a village was nestled among the hills. The houses

were Munchkin shaped, for they were all domes, with windows wider

than they were high, and pretty balconies over the front doors.

Aunt Em was greatly relieved to find this town "neither paper nor patch-

work," and the only surprising thing about it was that it was so far

distant from all other towns.

As the Sawhorse drew the wagon into the main street the travelers

noticed that the place was filled with people, standing in groups and

seeming to be engaged in earnest conversation. So occupied with

themselves were the inhabitants that they scarcely noticed the strangers

at all. So the Wizard stopped a boy and asked:

Is this Rigmarole Town?"

Sir," replied the boy, "if you have traveled very much you will have

noticed that every town differs from every other town in one way or

another and so by observing the methods of the people and the way they

live as well as the style of their dwelling places it ought not to be a

difficult thing to make up your mind without the trouble of asking

questions whether the town bears the appearance of the one you

intended to visit or whether perhaps having taken a different road from

the one you should have taken you have made an error in your way and

arrived at some point where--"

Land sakes!" cried Aunt Em, impatiently; "what's all this rigmarole

about?"

The Emerald City of Oz