THE TIN WOODMAN OBJECTS
CHAP. 27
The Tin Woodman was one of the most important personages in all Oz.Though Emperor of the Winkies, he owed allegiance to Ozma, who ruled allthe land, and the girl and the tin man were warm personal friends. Hewas something of a dandy and kept his tin body brilliantly polished andhis tin joints well oiled. Also he was very courteous in manner and sokind and gentle that everyone loved him. The Emperor greeted Ojo andScraps with cordial hospitality and ushered the entire party into hishandsome tin parlor, where all the furniture and pictures were made oftin. The walls were paneled with tin and from the tin ceiling hung tinchandeliers.
The Tin Woodman wanted to know, first of all, where Dorothy had foundthe Patchwork Girl, so between them the visitors told the story of howScraps was made, as well as the accident to Margolotte and Unc Nunkieand how Ojo had set out upon a journey to procure the things needed forthe Crooked Magician's magic charm. Then Dorothy told of theiradventures in the Quadling Country and how at last they succeeded ingetting the water from a dark well.
While the little girl was relating these adventures the Tin Woodman satin an easy chair listening with intense interest, while the others satgrouped around him. Ojo, however, had kept his eyes fixed upon the bodyof the tin Emperor, and now he noticed that under the joint of his leftknee a tiny drop of oil was forming. He watched this drop of oil with afast-beating heart, and feeling in his pocket brought out a tiny vial ofcrystal, which he held secreted in his hand.
Presently the Tin Woodman changed his position, and at once Ojo, to theastonishment of all, dropped to the floor and held his crystal vialunder the Emperor's knee joint. Just then the drop of oil fell, and theboy caught it in his bottle and immediately corked it tight. Then, witha red face and embarrassed manner, he rose to confront the others.
"What in the world were you doing?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"I caught a drop of oil that fell from your knee-joint," confessed Ojo.
"A drop of oil!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman. "Dear me, how careless myvalet must have been in oiling me this morning. I'm afraid I shall haveto scold the fellow, for I can't be dropping oil wherever I go."
"Never mind," said Dorothy. "Ojo seems glad to have the oil, for somereason."
"Yes," declared the Munchkin boy, "I am glad. For one of the things theCrooked Magician sent me to get was a drop of oil from a live man'sbody. I had no idea, at first, that there was such a thing; but it's nowsafe in the little crystal vial."
"You are very welcome to it, indeed," said the Tin Woodman. "Have younow secured all the things you were in search of?"
"Not quite all," answered Ojo. "There were five things I had to get, andI have found four of them. I have the three hairs in the tip of aWoozy's tail, a six-leaved clover, a gill of water from a dark well anda drop of oil from a live man's body. The last thing is the easiest ofall to get, and I'm sure that my dear Unc Nunkie--and good Margolotte,as well--will soon be restored to life."
The Munchkin boy said this with much pride and pleasure.
"Good!" exclaimed the Tin Woodman; "I congratulate you. But what is thefifth and last thing you need, in order to complete the magic charm?"
"The left wing of a yellow butterfly," said Ojo. "In this yellowcountry, and with your kind assistance, that ought to be very easy tofind."
The Tin Woodman stared at him in amazement.
"Surely you are joking!" he said.
"No," replied Ojo, much surprised; "I am in earnest."
"But do you think for a moment that I would permit you, or anyone else,to pull the left wing from a yellow butterfly?" demanded the Tin Woodmansternly.
"Why not, sir?"
"Why not? You ask me why not? It would be cruel--one of the most crueland heartless deeds I ever heard of," asserted the Tin Woodman. "Thebutterflies are among the prettiest of all created things, and they arevery sensitive to pain. To tear a wing from one would cause it exquisitetorture and it would soon die in great agony. I would not permit such awicked deed under any circumstances!"
Ojo was astounded at hearing this. Dorothy, too, looked grave anddisconcerted, but she knew in her heart that the Tin Woodman was right.The Scarecrow nodded his head in approval of his friend's speech, so itwas evident that he agreed with the Emperor's decision. Scraps lookedfrom one to another in perplexity.
"Who cares for a butterfly?" she asked.
"Don't you?" inquired the Tin Woodman.
"Not the snap of a finger, for I have no heart," said the PatchworkGirl. "But I want to help Ojo, who is my friend, to rescue the unclewhom he loves, and I'd kill a dozen useless butterflies to enable him todo that."
The Tin Woodman sighed regretfully.
"You have kind instincts," he said, "and with a heart you would indeedbe a fine creature. I cannot blame you for your heartless remark, as youcannot understand the feelings of those who possess hearts. I, forinstance, have a very neat and responsive heart which the wonderfulWizard of Oz once gave me, and so I shall never--never--_never_ permit apoor yellow butterfly to be tortured by anyone."
"The yellow country of the Winkies," said Ojo sadly, "is the only placein Oz where a yellow butterfly can be found."
"I'm glad of that," said the Tin Woodman. "As I rule the Winkie Country,I can protect my butterflies."
"Unless I get the wing--just one left wing--" said Ojo miserably, "Ican't save Unc Nunkie."
"Then he must remain a marble statue forever," declared the Tin Emperor,firmly.
Ojo wiped his eyes, for he could not hold back the tears.
"I'll tell you what to do," said Scraps. "We'll take a whole yellowbutterfly, alive and well, to the Crooked Magician, and let him pull theleft wing off."
"No you won't," said the Tin Woodman. "You can't have one of my dearlittle butterflies to treat in that way."
"Then what in the world shall we do?" asked Dorothy.
They all became silent and thoughtful. No one spoke for a long time.Then the Tin Woodman suddenly roused himself and said:
"We must all go back to the Emerald City and ask Ozma's advice. She's awise little girl, our Ruler, and she may find a way to help Ojo save hisUnc Nunkie."
So the following morning the party started on the journey to the EmeraldCity, which they reached in due time without any important adventure. Itwas a sad journey for Ojo, for without the wing of the yellow butterflyhe saw no way to save Unc Nunkie--unless he waited six years for theCrooked Magician to make a new lot of the Powder of Life. The boy wasutterly discouraged, and as he walked along he groaned aloud.
"Is anything hurting you?" inquired the Tin Woodman in a kindly tone,for the Emperor was with the party.
"I'm Ojo the Unlucky," replied the boy. "I might have known I would failin anything I tried to do."
"Why are you Ojo the Unlucky?" asked the tin man.
"Because I was born on a Friday."
"Friday is not unlucky," declared the Emperor. "It's just one of sevendays. Do you suppose all the world becomes unlucky one-seventh of thetime?"
"It was the thirteenth day of the month," said Ojo.
"Thirteen! Ah, that is indeed a lucky number," replied the Tin Woodman."All my good luck seems to happen on the thirteenth. I suppose mostpeople never notice the good luck that comes to them with the number 13,and yet if the least bit of bad luck falls on that day, they blame it tothe number, and not to the proper cause."
"Thirteen's my lucky number, too," remarked the Scarecrow.
"And mine," said Scraps. "I've just thirteen patches on my head."
"But," continued Ojo, "I'm left-handed."
"Many of our greatest men are that way," asserted the Emperor. "To beleft-handed is usually to be two-handed; the right-handed people areusually one-handed."
"And I've a wart under my right arm," said Ojo.
"How lucky!" cried the Tin Woodman. "If it were on the end of your noseit might be unlucky, but under your arm it is luckily out of the way."
"For all those reasons," said the Mun
chkin boy, "I have been called Ojothe Unlucky."
"Then we must turn over a new leaf and call you henceforth Ojo theLucky," declared the tin man. "Every reason you have given is absurd.But I have noticed that those who continually dread ill luck and fear itwill overtake them, have no time to take advantage of any good fortunethat comes their way. Make up your mind to be Ojo the Lucky."
"How can I?" asked the boy, "when all my attempts to save my dear unclehave failed?"
"Never give up, Ojo," advised Dorothy. "No one ever knows what's goingto happen next."
Ojo did not reply, but he was so dejected that even their arrival at theEmerald City failed to interest him.
The people joyfully cheered the appearance of the Tin Woodman, theScarecrow and Dorothy, who were all three general favorites, and onentering the royal palace word came to them from Ozma that she would atonce grant them an audience.
Dorothy told the girl Ruler how successful they had been in their questuntil they came to the item of the yellow butterfly, which the TinWoodman positively refused to sacrifice to the magic potion.
"He is quite right," said Ozma, who did not seem a bit surprised. "HadOjo told me that one of the things he sought was the wing of a yellowbutterfly I would have informed him, before he started out, that hecould never secure it. Then you would have been saved the troubles andannoyances of your long journey."
"I didn't mind the journey at all," said Dorothy; "it was fun."
"As it has turned out," remarked Ojo, "I can never get the things theCrooked Magician sent me for; and so, unless I wait the six years forhim to make the Powder of Life, Unc Nunkie cannot be saved."
Ozma smiled.
"Dr. Pipt will make no more Powder of Life, I promise you," said she. "Ihave sent for him and had him brought to this palace, where he now is,and his four kettles have been destroyed and his book of recipes burnedup. I have also had brought here the marble statues of your uncle and ofMargolotte, which are standing in the next room."
They were all greatly astonished at this announcement.
"Oh, let me see Unc Nunkie! Let me see him at once, please!" cried Ojoeagerly.
"Wait a moment," replied Ozma, "for I have something more to say.Nothing that happens in the Land of Oz escapes the notice of our wiseSorceress, Glinda the Good. She knew all about the magic-making of Dr.Pipt, and how he had brought the Glass Cat and the Patchwork Girl tolife, and the accident to Unc Nunkie and Margolotte, and of Ojo's questand his journey with Dorothy. Glinda also knew that Ojo would fail tofind all the things he sought, so she sent for our Wizard and instructedhim what to do. Something is going to happen in this palace, presently,and that 'something' will, I am sure, please you all. And now,"continued the girl Ruler, rising from her chair, "you may follow me intothe next room."
The Patchwork Girl of Oz Page 28