Chapter XX.
The Dainty China Country.
While the Woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in theforest Dorothy lay down and slept, for she was tired by the long walk.The Lion also curled himself up to sleep and Toto lay beside him.
The Scarecrow watched the Woodman while he worked, and said to him:
"I cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of."
"Rest your brains and do not worry about the wall," replied theWoodman; "when we have climbed over it we shall know what is on theother side."
After a time the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but the TinWoodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. TheScarecrow waked Dorothy and the Lion and Toto, and told them that theladder was ready. The Scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but hewas so awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep himfrom falling off. When he got his head over the top of the wall theScarecrow said,
"Oh, my!"
"Go on," exclaimed Dorothy.
So the Scarecrow climbed further up and sat down on the top of thewall, and Dorothy put her head over and cried,
"Oh, my!" just as the Scarecrow had done.
Then Toto came up, and immediately began to bark, but Dorothy madehim be still.
The Lion climbed the ladder next, and the Tin Woodman came last; butboth of them cried, "Oh, my!" as soon as they looked over the wall.When they were all sitting in a row on the top of the wall theylooked down and saw a strange sight.
"_These people were all made of china._"]
Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smoothand shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scatteredaround were many houses made entirely of china and painted in thebrightest colours. These houses were quite small, the biggest of themreaching only as high as Dorothy's waist. There were also prettylittle barns, with china fences around them, and many cows and sheepand horses and pigs and chickens, all made of china, were standingabout in groups.
But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queercountry. There were milk-maids and shepherdesses, with bright-coloredbodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses withmost gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherdsdressed in knee-breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes downthem, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jewelledcrowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; andfunny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeksand tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were allmade of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that thetallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee.
No one did so much as look at the travellers at first, except onelittle purple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to thewall and barked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again.
"How shall we get down?" asked Dorothy.
They found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so theScarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him sothat the hard floor would not hurt their feet. Of course they tookpains not to light on his head and get the pins in their feet. Whenall were safely down they picked up the Scarecrow, whose body wasquite flattened out, and patted his straw into shape again.
"We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side,"said Dorothy; "for it would be unwise for us to go any other wayexcept due South."
They began walking through the country of the china people, and thefirst thing they came to was a china milk-maid milking a china cow.As they drew near the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over thestool, the pail, and even the milk-maid herself, all falling on thechina ground with a great clatter.
Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg short off,and that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poormilk-maid had a nick in her left elbow.
"There!" cried the milk-maid, angrily; "see what you have done! Mycow has broken her leg, and I must take her to the mender's shopand have it glued on again. What do you mean by coming here andfrightening my cow?"
"I'm very sorry," returned Dorothy; "please forgive us."
But the pretty milk-maid was much too vexed to make any answer. Shepicked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animallimping on three legs. As she left them the milk-maid cast manyreproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers,holding her nicked elbow close to her side.
Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.
"We must be very careful here," said the kind-hearted Woodman, "or wemay hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it."
A little farther on Dorothy met a most beautiful dressed youngprincess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started torun away.
Dorothy wanted to see more of the Princess, so she ran after her; butthe china girl cried out,
"Don't chase me! don't chase me!"
She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped and said,
"Why not?"
"Because," answered the princess, also stopping, a safe distanceaway, "if I run I may fall down and break myself."
"But couldn't you be mended?" asked the girl.
"Oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know,"replied the princess.
"I suppose not," said Dorothy.
"Now there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns," continued the chinalady, "who is always trying to stand upon his head. He has brokenhimself so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesn'tlook at all pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself."
Indeed, a jolly little Clown now came walking toward them, andDorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red andyellow and green he was completely covered with cracks, running everywhich way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places.
The Clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out hischeeks and nodding his head at them saucily he said,
"My lady fair, Why do you stare At poor old Mr. Joker? You're quite as stiff And prim as if You'd eaten up a poker!"
"Be quiet, sir!" said the princess; "can't you see these arestrangers, and should be treated with respect?"
"Well, that's respect, I expect," declared the Clown, and immediatelystood upon his head.
"Don't mind Mr. Joker," said the princess to Dorothy; "he isconsiderably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish."
"Oh, I don't mind him a bit," said Dorothy. "But you are sobeautiful," she continued, "that I am sure I could love you dearly.Won't you let me carry you back to Kansas and stand you on Aunt Em'smantle-shelf? I could carry you in my basket."
"That would make me very unhappy," answered the china princess. "Yousee, here in our own country we live contentedly, and can talk andmove around as we please. But whenever any of us are taken awayour joints at once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and lookpretty. Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are onmantle-shelves and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but our livesare much pleasanter here in our own country."
"I would not make you unhappy for all the world!" exclaimed Dorothy;"so I'll just say good-bye."
"Good-bye," replied the princess.
They walked carefully through the china country. The little animalsand all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangerswould break them, and after an hour or so the travellers reached theother side of the country and came to another china wall.
It was not as high as the first, however, and by standing upon theLion's back they all managed to scramble to the top. Then the Liongathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall; but just as hejumped he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all topieces.
"That was too bad," said Dorothy, "but really I think we were luckyin not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow's l
egand a church. They are all so brittle!"
"They are, indeed," said the Scarecrow, "and I am thankful I am madeof straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in theworld than being a Scarecrow."
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Page 20