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I do not care to contradict you," said the Yellow Hen, with dignity, "but I

have an idea I know more about chickens than human beings do."

Pshaw!" replied Aunt Em. "I've raised chickens for nearly forty years,

Billina, and I know you've got to starve 'em to make 'em lay lots of eggs,

and stuff 'em if you want good broilers."

Broilers!" exclaimed Billina, in horror. "Broil my chickens!"

Why, that's what they're for, ain't it?" asked Aunt Em, astonished.

No, Aunt, not in Oz," said Dorothy. "People do not eat chickens here.

You see, Billina was the first hen that was ever seen in this country, and

I brought her here myself. Everybody liked her an' respected her, so the

Oz people wouldn't any more eat her chickens than they would eat

Billina."

Well, I declare," gasped Aunt Em. "How about the eggs?"

Oh, if we have more eggs than we want to hatch, we allow people to eat

them," said Billina. "Indeed, I am very glad the Oz folks like our eggs, for

otherwise they would spoil."

This certainly is a queer country," sighed Aunt Em.

Excuse me," called the Sawhorse, "the path has ended and I'd like to

know which way to go."

They looked around and sure enough there was no path to be seen.

Well," said Dorothy, "we're going southwest, and it seems just as easy to

follow that direction without a path as with one."

Certainly," answered the Sawhorse. "It is not hard to draw the wagon

over the meadow. I only want to know where to go."

There's a forest over there across the prairie," said the Wizard, "and it

lies in the direction we are going. Make straight for the forest, Sawhorse,

and you're bound to go right."

So the wooden animal trotted on again and the meadow grass was so soft

under the wheels that it made easy riding. But Dorothy was a little

uneasy at losing the path, because now there was nothing to guide them.

The Emerald City of Oz