| 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 |
| 1 | 31 | 61 | 92 | 122 |
|
www.freeclassicebooks.com
15. The Emperor's Tin Castle
The grounds around Nick Chopper's new house were laid out in pretty flower-
beds, with fountains of crystal water and statues of tin representing the
Emperor's personal friends. Dorothy was astonished and delighted to find a
tin statue of herself standing on a tin pedestal at a bend in the avenue leading
up to the entrance. It was life-size and showed her in her sunbonnet with her
basket on her arm, just as she had first appeared in the Land of Oz.
"
Oh, Toto--you're there too!" she exclaimed; and sure enough there was the tin
figure of Toto lying at the tin Dorothy's feet.
Also, Dorothy saw figures of the Scarecrow, and the Wizard, and Ozma, and of
many others, including Tik-tok. They reached the grand tin entrance to the
tin castle, and the Tin Woodman himself came running out of the door to
embrace little Dorothy and give her a glad welcome. He welcomed her friends
as well, and the Rainbow's Daughter he declared to be the loveliest vision his
tin eyes had ever beheld. He patted Button-Bright's curly head tenderly, for
he was fond of children, and turned to the shaggy man and shook both his
hands at the same time.
Nick Chopper, the Emperor of the Winkies, who was also known throughout
the Land of Oz as the Tin Woodman, was certainly a remarkable person. He
was neatly made, all of tin, nicely soldered at the joints, and his various limbs
were cleverly hinged to his body so that he could use them nearly as well as if
they had been common flesh. Once, he told the shaggy man, he had been
made all of flesh and bones, as other people are, and then he chopped wood in
the forests to earn his living. But the axe slipped so often and cut off parts of
him--which he had replaced with tin--that finally there was no flesh left,
nothing but tin; so he became a real tin woodman. The wonderful Wizard of
Oz had given him an excellent heart to replace his old one, and he didn't at all
mind being tin. Every one loved him, he loved every one; and he was therefore
as happy as the day was long.
The Emperor was proud of his new tin castle, and showed his visitors through
all the rooms. Every bit of the furniture was made of brightly polished tin--the
tables, chairs, beds, and all--even the floors and walls were of tin.
8
0
Page
Quick Jump
|