10

The Guardian of the Gate





It was some time before the Cowardly Lion awakened, for he had

lain among the poppies a long while, breathing in their deadly

fragrance; but when he did open his eyes and roll off the truck

he was very glad to find himself still alive.



"I ran as fast as I could," he said, sitting down and yawning,

"but the flowers were too strong for me. How did you get me out?"



Then they told him of the field mice, and how they had generously

saved him from death; and the Cowardly Lion laughed, and said:



"I have always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such

little things as flowers came near to killing me, and such small

animals as mice have saved my life. How strange it all is!

But, comrades, what shall we do now?"



"We must journey on until we find the road of yellow brick again,"

said Dorothy, "and then we can keep on to the Emerald City."



So, the Lion being fully refreshed, and feeling quite himself again,

they all started upon the journey, greatly enjoying the walk through the soft,

fresh grass; and it was not long before they reached the road of yellow brick

and turned again toward the Emerald City where the Great Oz dwelt.



The road was smooth and well paved, now, and the country about

was beautiful, so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the

forest far behind, and with it the many dangers they had met in

its gloomy shades. Once more they could see fences built beside

the road; but these were painted green, and when they came to a

small house, in which a farmer evidently lived, that also was

painted green. They passed by several of these houses during the

afternoon, and sometimes people came to the doors and looked at

them as if they would like to ask questions; but no one came near

them nor spoke to them because of the great Lion, of which they

were very much afraid. The people were all dressed in clothing of

a lovely emerald-green color and wore peaked hats like those of

the Munchkins.



"This must be the Land of Oz," said Dorothy, "and we are

surely getting near the Emerald City."



"Yes," answered the Scarecrow. "Everything is green here,

while in the country of the Munchkins blue was the favorite color.

But the people do not seem to be as friendly as the Munchkins, and

I'm afraid we shall be unable to find a place to pass the night."



"I should like something to eat besides fruit," said the girl,

"and I'm sure Toto is nearly starved. Let us stop at the next

house and talk to the people."



So, when they came to a good-sized farmhouse, Dorothy walked

boldly up to the door and knocked.



A woman opened it just far enough to look out, and said,

"What do you want, child, and why is that great Lion with you?"



"We wish to pass the night with you, if you will allow us,"

answered Dorothy; "and the Lion is my friend and comrade, and

would not hurt you for the world."



"Is he tame?" asked the woman, opening the door a little wider.



"Oh, yes," said the girl, "and he is a great coward, too.

He will be more afraid of you than you are of him."



"Well," said the woman, after thinking it over and taking

another peep at the Lion, "if that is the case you may come in,

and I will give you some supper and a place to sleep."



So they all entered the house, where there were, besides the

woman, two children and a man. The man had hurt his leg, and was

lying on the couch in a corner. They seemed greatly surprised to

see so strange a company, and while the woman was busy laying the

table the man asked:



"Where are you all going?"



"To the Emerald City," said Dorothy, "to see the Great Oz."



"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "Are you sure that Oz will see you?"



"Why not?" she replied.



"Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence.

I have been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful and

wonderful place; but I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz,

nor do I know of any living person who has seen him."



"Does he never go out?" asked the Scarecrow.



"Never. He sits day after day in the great Throne Room of his

Palace, and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face."



"What is he like?" asked the girl.



"That is hard to tell," said the man thoughtfully. "You see,

Oz is a Great Wizard, and can take on any form he wishes. So that

some say he looks like a bird; and some say he looks like an

elephant; and some say he looks like a cat. To others he appears

as a beautiful fairy, or a brownie, or in any other form that

pleases him. But who the real Oz is, when he is in his own form,

no living person can tell."



"That is very strange," said Dorothy, "but we must try, in

some way, to see him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing."



"Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" asked the man.



"I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly.



"Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man.

"He has more brains than he needs."



"And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.



"That will not trouble him," continued the man, "for Oz has a

large collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes."



"And I want him to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion.



"Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room," said

the man, "which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it

from running over. He will be glad to give you some."



"And I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.



"Where is Kansas?" asked the man, with surprise.



"I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully, "but it is my home,

and I'm sure it's somewhere."



"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will

find Kansas for you. But first you must get to see him, and that

will be a hard task; for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone,

and he usually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he continued,

speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say,

he could not speak.



The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they

gathered around the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge

and a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and

enjoyed her meal. The Lion ate some of the porridge, but did not

care for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food for

horses, not for lions. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman ate

nothing at all. Toto ate a little of everything, and was glad to

get a good supper again.



The woman now gave Dorothy a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay

down beside her, while the Lion guarded the door of her room so

she might not be disturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman

stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of course

they could not sleep.



The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on

their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just

before them.



"That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.



As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter,

and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels.

Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded

the City. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.



In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick,

was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the

sun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by

their brilliancy.



There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the

button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate

swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found

themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened

with countless emeralds.



Before them stood a little man about the same size as the

Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his

feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a

large green box.



When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked,

"What do you wish in the Emerald City?"



"We came here to see the Great Oz," said Dorothy.



The man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to

think it over.



"It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz,"

he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and

terrible, and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother

the wise reflections of the Great Wizard, he might be angry and

destroy you all in an instant."



"But it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle one," replied the

Scarecrow; "it is important. And we have been told that Oz is a

good Wizard."



"So he is," said the green man, "and he rules the Emerald City

wisely and well. But to those who are not honest, or who approach

him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared

ask to see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since

you demand to see the Great Oz I must take you to his Palace.

But first you must put on the spectacles."



"Why?" asked Dorothy.



"Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and

glory of the Emerald City would blind you. Even those who live in

the City must wear spectacles night and day. They are all locked

on, for Oz so ordered it when the City was first built, and I have

the only key that will unlock them."



He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled with

spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses

in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just

fit Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden

bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head,

where they were locked together by a little key that was at the

end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck.

When they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished,

but of course she did not wish to be blinded by the glare of the

Emerald City, so she said nothing.



Then the green man fitted spectacles for the Scarecrow and the

Tin Woodman and the Lion, and even on little Toto; and all were

locked fast with the key.



Then the Guardian of the Gates put on his own glasses and told

them he was ready to show them to the Palace. Taking a big golden

key from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate, and they all

followed him through the portal into the streets of the Emerald City.

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