"Our best plan," said the Scarecrow Bear, when the Green Monkey had
related the story of his adventure with the Dragons, "is to get out of
this Gillikin Country as soon as we can and try to find our way to the
castle of Glinda, the Good Sorceress. There are too many dangers
lurking here to suit me, and Glinda may be able to restore us to our
proper forms."
"If we turn south now," the Tin Owl replied, "we might go straight into
the Emerald City. That's a place I wish to avoid, for I'd hate to have
my friends see me in this sad plight," and he blinked his eyes and
fluttered his tin wings mournfully.
"But I am certain we have passed beyond Emerald City," the Canary
assured him, sailing lightly around their heads. "So, should we turn
south from here, we would pass into the Munchkin Country, and
continuing south we would reach the Quadling Country where Glinda's
castle is located."
"Well, since you're sure of that, let's start right away," proposed the
Bear. "It's a long journey, at the best, and I'm getting tired of
walking on four legs."
"I thought you never tired, being stuffed with straw," said Woot.
"I mean that it annoys me, to be obliged to go on all fours, when two
legs are my proper walking equipment," replied the Scarecrow. "I
consider it beneath my dignity. In other words, my remarkable brains
can tire, through humiliation, although my body cannot tire."
"That is one of the penalties of having brains," remarked the Tin Owl
with a sigh. "I have had no brains since I was a man of meat, and so I
never worry. Nevertheless, I prefer my former manly form to this owl's
shape and would be glad to break Mrs. Yoop's enchantment as soon as
possible. I am so noisy, just now, that I disturb myself," and he
fluttered his wings with a clatter that echoed throughout the forest.
So, being all of one mind, they turned southward, traveling steadily on
until the woods were left behind and the landscape turned from purple
tints to blue tints, which assured them they had entered the Country of
the Munchkins.
"Now I feel myself more safe," said the Scarecrow Bear. "I know this
country pretty well, having been made here by a Munchkin farmer and
having wandered over these lovely blue lands many times. Seems to me,
indeed, that I even remember that group of three tall trees ahead of
us; and, if I do, we are not far from the home of my friend Jinjur."
"Who is Jinjur?" asked Woot, the Green Monkey.
"Haven't you heard of Jinjur?" exclaimed the Scarecrow, in surprise.
"No," said Woot. "Is Jinjur a man, a woman, a beast or a bird?"
"Jinjur is a girl," explained the Scarecrow Bear. "She's a fine girl,
too, although a bit restless and liable to get excited. Once, a long
time ago, she raised an army of girls and called herself 'General
Jinjur.' With her army she captured the Emerald City, and drove me out
of it, because I insisted that an army in Oz was highly improper. But
Ozma punished the rash girl, and afterward Jinjur and I became fast
friends. Now Jinjur lives peacefully on a farm, near here, and raises
fields of cream-puffs, chocolate-caramels and macaroons. They say she's
a pretty good farmer, and in addition to that she's an artist, and
paints pictures so perfect that one can scarcely tell them from nature.
She often repaints my face for me, when it gets worn or mussy, and the
lovely expression I wore when the Giantess transformed me was painted
by Jinjur only a month or so ago."
"It was certainly a pleasant expression," agreed Woot.
"Jinjur can paint anything," continued the Scarecrow Bear, with
enthusiasm, as they walked along together. "Once, when I came to her
house, my straw was old and crumpled, so that my body sagged
dreadfully. I needed new straw to replace the old, but Jinjur had no
straw on all her ranch and I was really unable to travel farther until
I had been restuffed. When I explained this to Jinjur, the girl at once
painted a straw-stack which was so natural that I went to it and
secured enough straw to fill all my body. It was a good quality of
straw, too, and lasted me a long time."
This seemed very wonderful to Woot, who knew that such a thing could
never happen in any place but a fairy country like Oz.
The Munchkin Country was much nicer than the Gillikin Country, and all
the fields were separated by blue fences, with grassy lanes and paths
of blue ground, and the land seemed well cultivated. They were on a
little hill looking down upon this favored country, but had not quite
reached the settled parts, when on turning a bend in the path they were
halted by a form that barred their way.
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.
"After I had delivered the magic medicine to the old woman, I returned
and tried to find the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, who had
given me the unlucky wish, so she could take it away again. I've been
searching for her ever since, but never can I find her," continued poor
Tommy Kwikstep, sadly.
"I suppose," said the Tin Owl, blinking at him, "you can travel very
fast, with those twenty legs."
"At first I was able to," was the reply; "but I traveled so much,
searching for the fairy, or witch, or whatever she was, that I soon got
corns on my toes. Now, a corn on one toe is not so bad, but when you
have a hundred toes--as I have--and get corns on most of them, it is
far from pleasant. Instead of running, I now painfully crawl, and
although I try not to be discouraged I do hope I shall find that witch
or fairy, or whatever she was, before long."
"I hope so, too," said the Scarecrow. "But, after all, you have the
pleasure of knowing you are unusual, and therefore remarkable among the
people of Oz. To be just like other persons is small credit to one,
while to be unlike others is a mark of distinction."
"That sounds very pretty," returned Tommy Kwikstep, "but if you had to
put on ten pair of trousers every morning, and tie up twenty shoes, you
would prefer not to be so distinguished."
"Was the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, an old person, with
wrinkled skin and half her teeth gone?" inquired the Tin Owl.
"No," said Tommy Kwikstep.
"Then she wasn't Old Mombi," remarked the transformed Emperor.
"I'm not interested in who it wasn't, so much as I am in who it was,"
said the twenty-legged young man. "And, whatever or whomsoever she was,
she has managed to keep out of my way."
"If you found her, do you suppose she'd change you back into a
two-legged boy?" asked Woot.
"Perhaps so, if I could run another errand for her and so earn another
wish."
"Would you really like to be as you were before?" asked Polychrome the
Canary, perching upon the Green Monkey's shoulder to observe Tommy
Kwikstep more attentively.
"I would, indeed," was the earnest reply.
"Then I will see what I can do for you," promised the Rainbow's
Daughter, and flying to the ground she took a small twig in her bill
and with it made several mystic figures on each side of Tommy Kwikstep.
"Are you a witch, or fairy, or something of the sort?" he asked as he
watched her wonderingly.
The Canary made no answer, for she was busy, but the Scarecrow Bear
replied: "Yes; she's something of the sort, and a bird of a magician."
The twenty-legged boy's transformation happened so queerly that they
were all surprised at its method. First, Tommy Kwikstep's last two legs
disappeared; then the next two, and the next, and as each pair of legs
vanished his body shortened. All this while Polychrome was running
around him and chirping mystical words, and when all the young man's
legs had disappeared but two he noticed that the Canary was still busy
and cried out in alarm:
"Stop--stop! Leave me two of my legs, or I shall be worse off than
before."
"I know," said the Canary. "I'm only removing with my magic the corns
from your last ten toes."
"Thank you for being so thoughtful," he said gratefully, and now they
noticed that Tommy Kwikstep was quite a nice looking young fellow.
"What will you do now?" asked Woot the Monkey.
"First," he answered, "I must deliver a note which I've carried in my
pocket ever since the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, granted my
foolish wish. And I am resolved never to speak again without taking
time to think carefully on what I am going to say, for I realize that
speech without thought is dangerous. And after I've delivered the note,
I shall run errands again for anyone who needs my services."
So he thanked Polychrome again and started away in a different
direction from their own, and that was the last they saw of Tommy
Kwikstep.