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A more curious creature they had seldom seen, even in the Land of Oz,
where curious creatures abound. It had the head of a young man--evidently
a Munchkin--with a pleasant face and hair neatly combed. But the body was
very long, for it had twenty legs--ten legs on each side--and this caused the
body to stretch out and lie in a horizontal position, so that all the legs could
touch the ground and stand firm. From the shoulders extended two small
arms; at least, they seemed small beside so many legs.
This odd creature was dressed in the regulation clothing of the Munchkin
people, a dark blue coat neatly fitting the long body and each pair of legs
having a pair of sky-blue trousers, with blue-tinted stockings and blue
leather shoes turned up at the pointed toes.
"I wonder who you are?" said Polychrome the Canary, fluttering above the
strange creature, who had probably been asleep on the path.
"I sometimes wonder, myself, who I am," replied the many-legged young
man; "but, in reality, I am Tommy Kwikstep, and I live in a hollow tree that
fell to the ground with age. I have polished the inside of it, and made a door
at each end, and that's a very comfortable residence for me because it just
fits my shape."
"How did you happen to have such a shape?" asked the Scarecrow Bear,
sitting on his haunches and regarding Tommy Kwikstep with a serious look.
"Is the shape natural?"
"No; it was wished on me," replied Tommy, with a sigh. "I used to be very
active and loved to run errands for anyone who needed my services. That
was how I got my name of Tommy Kwikstep. I could run an errand more
quickly than any other boy, and so I was very proud of myself. One day,
however, I met an old lady who was a fairy, or a witch, or something of the
sort, and she said if I would run an errand for her--to carry some magic
medicine to another old woman--she would grant me just one Wish,
whatever the Wish happened to be. Of course I consented and, taking the
medicine, I hurried away. It was a long distance, mostly up hill, and my legs
began to grow weary. Without thinking what I was doing I said aloud: 'Dear
me; I wish I had twenty legs!' and in an instant I became the unusual
creature you see beside you. Twenty legs! Twenty on one man! You may
count them, if you doubt my word."
"You've got 'em, all right," said Woot the Monkey, who had already counted
them.
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