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Chapter Thirteen - Glinda the Good and the Scarecrow of Oz

That country south of the Emerald City, in the Land of Oz, is known as the

Quadling Country, and in the very southernmost part of it stands a splendid

palace in which lives Glinda the Good.

Glinda is the Royal Sorceress of Oz. She has wonderful magical powers and

uses them only to benefit the subjects of Ozma's kingdom. Even the famous

Wizard of Oz pays tribute to her, for Glinda taught him all the real magic he

knows, and she is his superior in all sorts of sorcery Everyone loves Glinda,

from the dainty and exquisite Ruler, Ozma, down to the humblest inhabitant

of Oz, for she is always kindly and helpful and willing to listen to their

troubles, however busy she may be. No one knows her age, but all can see

how beautiful and stately she is. Her hair is like red gold and finer than the

finest silken strands. Her eyes are blue as the sky and always frank and

smiling. Her cheeks are the envy of peach-blows and her mouth is enticing as

a rosebud. Glinda is tall and wears splendid gowns that trail behind her as

she walks. She wears no jewels, for her beauty would shame them.

For attendants Glinda has half a hundred of the loveliest girls in Oz. They are

gathered from all over Oz, from among the Winkies, the Munchkins, the

Gillikins and the Quadlings, as well as from Ozma's magnificent Emerald City,

and it is considered a great favor to be allowed to serve the Royal Sorceress.

Among the many wonderful things in Glinda's palace is the Great Book of

Records. In this book is inscribed everything that takes place in all the world,

just the instant it happens; so that by referring to its pages Glinda knows

what is taking place far and near, in every country that exists. In this way she

learns when and where she can help any in distress or danger, and although

her duties are confined to assisting those who inhabit the Land of Oz, she is

always interested in what takes place in the unprotected outside world.

So it was that on a certain evening Glinda sat in her library, surrounded by a

bevy of her maids, who were engaged in spinning, weaving and embroidery,

when an attendant announced the arrival at the palace of the Scarecrow.

This personage was one of the most famous and popular in all the Land of Oz.

His body was merely a suit of Munchkin clothes stuffed with straw, but his

head was a round sack filled with bran, with which the Wizard of Oz had

mixed some magic brains of a very superior sort. The eyes, nose and mouth of

the Scarecrow were painted upon the front of the sack, as were his ears, and

The Scarecrow of Oz