[Illustration]
The travelers had taken no provisions with them because they knew that
they would be welcomed wherever they might go in the Land of Oz, and
that the people would feed and lodge them with genuine hospitality. So
about noon they stopped at a farm-house and were given a delicious
luncheon of bread and milk, fruits and wheat cakes with maple syrup.
After resting a while and strolling through the orchards with their
host--a round, jolly farmer--they got into the wagon and again started
the Sawhorse along the pretty, winding road.
There were sign-posts at all the corners, and finally they came to one
which read:
[Illustration: (hand pointing right)] TAKE THIS ROAD TO THE CUTTENCLIPS
There was also a hand pointing in the right direction, so they turned
the Sawhorse that way and found it a very good road, but seemingly
little traveled.
"I've never been to see the Cuttenclips before," remarked Dorothy.
"Nor I," said the Captain General.
"Nor I," said the Wizard.
"Nor I," said Billina.
"I've hardly been out of the Emerald City since I arrived in this
country," added the Shaggy Man.
"Why, none of us has been there, then," exclaimed the little girl. "I
wonder what the Cuttenclips are like."
"We shall soon find out," said the Wizard, with a sly laugh. "I've heard
they are rather flimsy things."
The farm-houses became fewer as they proceeded, and the path was at
times so faint that the Sawhorse had hard work to keep in the road. The
wagon began to jounce, too; so they were obliged to go slowly.
After a somewhat wearisome journey they came in sight of a high wall,
painted blue with pink ornaments. This wall was circular, and seemed to
enclose a large space. It was so high that only the tops of the trees
could be seen above it.
The path led up to a small door in the wall, which was closed and
latched. Upon the door was a sign in gold letters reading as follows:
_VISITORS are requested to MOVE SLOWLY and CAREFULLY, and to avoid
COUGHING or making any BREEZE or DRAUGHT_
"That's strange," said the Shaggy Man, reading the sign aloud. "Who
_are_ the Cuttenclips, anyhow?"
"Why, they're paper dolls," answered Dorothy. "Didn't you know that?"
"Paper dolls! Then let's go somewhere else," said Uncle Henry. "We're
all too old to play with dolls, Dorothy."
"But these are different," declared the girl. "They're alive."
"Alive!" gasped Aunt Em, in amazement.
"Yes. Let's go in," said Dorothy.
So they all got out of the wagon, since the door in the wall was not big
enough for them to drive the Sawhorse and wagon through it.
"You stay here, Toto!" commanded Dorothy, shaking her finger at the
little dog. "You 're so careless that you might make a breeze if I let
you inside."
Toto wagged his tail as if disappointed at being left behind; but he
made no effort to follow them. The Wizard unlatched the door, which
opened outward, and they all looked eagerly inside.
Just before the entrance was drawn up a line of tiny soldiers, with
uniforms brightly painted and paper guns upon their shoulders. They were
exactly alike, from one end of the line to the other, and all were cut
out of paper and joined together in the centers of their bodies.
As the visitors entered the enclosure the Wizard let the door swing back
into place, and at once the line of soldiers tumbled over, fell flat
upon their backs, and lay fluttering upon the ground.
"Hi, there!" called one of them; "what do you mean by slamming the door
and blowing us over?"
"I beg your pardon, I'm sure," said the Wizard, regretfully. "I didn't
know you were so delicate."
"We're not delicate!" retorted another soldier, raising his head from
the ground. "We are strong and healthy; but we can't stand draughts."
"May I help you up?" asked Dorothy.
"If you please," replied the end soldier. "But do it gently, little
girl."
Dorothy carefully stood up the line of soldiers, who first dusted their
painted clothes and then saluted the visitors with their paper muskets.
From the end it was easy to see that the entire line had been cut out of
paper, although from the front the soldiers looked rather solid and
imposing.
"I've a letter of introduction from Princess Ozma to Miss Cuttenclip,"
announced Dorothy.
"Very well," said the end soldier, and blew upon a paper whistle that
hung around his neck. At once a paper soldier in a Captain's uniform
came out of a paper house near by and approached the group at the
entrance. He was not very big, and he walked rather stiffly and
uncertainly on his paper legs; but he had a pleasant face, with very red
cheeks and very blue eyes, and he bowed so low to the strangers that
Dorothy laughed, and the breeze from her mouth nearly blew the Captain
over. He wavered and struggled and finally managed to remain upon his
feet.
"Take care, Miss!" he said, warningly. "You're breaking the rules, you
know, by laughing."
"Oh, I didn't know that," she replied.
"To laugh in this place is nearly as dangerous as to cough," said the
Captain. "You'll have to breathe very quietly, I assure you."
"We'll try to," promised the girl. "May we see Miss Cuttenclip, please?"
"You may," promptly returned the Captain. "This is one of her reception
days. Be good enough to follow me."
He turned and led the way up a path, and as they followed slowly,
because the paper Captain did not move very swiftly, they took the
opportunity to gaze around them at this strange paper country.
Beside the path were paper trees, all cut out very neatly and painted a
brilliant green color. And back of the trees were rows of cardboard
houses, painted in various colors but most of them having green blinds.
Some were large and some small, and in the front yards were beds of
paper flowers quite natural in appearance. Over some of the porches
paper vines were twined, giving them a cosy and shady look.
As the visitors passed along the street a good many paper dolls came to
the doors and windows of their houses to look at them curiously. These
dolls were nearly all the same height, but were cut into various shapes,
some being fat and some lean. The girl dolls wore many beautiful
costumes of tissue paper, making them quite fluffy; but their heads and
hands were no thicker than the paper of which they were made.
Some of the paper people were on the street, walking along or
congregated in groups and talking together; but as soon as they saw the
strangers they all fluttered into the houses as fast as they could go,
so as to be out of danger.
"Excuse me if I go edgewise," remarked the Captain, as they came to a
slight hill. "I can get along faster that way and not flutter so much."
"That's all right," said Dorothy. "We don't mind how you go, I'm sure."
At one side of the street was a paper pump, and a paper boy was pumping
paper water into a paper pail. The Yellow Hen happened to brush against
this boy with her wing, and he flew into the air and fell into a paper
tree, where he stuck until the Wizard gently pulled him out. At the same
time the pail went soaring into the air, spilling the paper water, while
the paper pump bent nearly double.
"Goodness me!" said the Hen. "If I should flop my wings I believe I'd
knock over the whole village!"
"Then don't flop them--please don't!" entreated the Captain. "Miss
Cuttenclip would be very much distressed if her village was spoiled."
"Oh, I'll be careful," promised Billina.
"Are not all these paper girls and women named Miss Cuttenclips?"
inquired Omby Amby.
"No, indeed," answered the Captain, who was walking better since he
began to move edgewise. "There is but one Miss Cuttenclip, who is our
Queen, because she made us all. These girls are Cuttenclips, to be sure,
but their names are Emily and Polly and Sue and Betty and such things.
Only the Queen is called Miss Cuttenclip."
"I must say that this place beats anything I ever heard of," observed
Aunt Em. "I used to play with paper dolls myself, an' cut 'em out; but
I never thought I'd ever see such things alive."
"I don't see as it's any more curious than hearing hens talk," returned
Uncle Henry.
"You're likely to see many queer things in the Land of Oz, sir," said
the Wizard. "But a fairy country is extremely interesting when you get
used to being surprised."
"Here we are!" called the Captain, stopping before a cottage.
This house was made of wood, and was remarkably pretty in design. In the
Emerald City it would have been considered a tiny dwelling, indeed; but
in the midst of this paper village it seemed immense. Real flowers were
in the garden and real trees grew beside it. Upon the front door was a
sign reading: