Chapter Fifteen
The Man of Tin
Ozma and Dorothy were quite pleased with Woot the Wanderer, whom theyfound modest and intelligent and very well mannered. The boy was trulygrateful for his release from the cruel enchantment, and he promised tolove, revere and defend the girl Ruler of Oz forever afterward, as afaithful subject.
"You may visit me at my palace, if you wish," said Ozma, "where I willbe glad to introduce you to two other nice boys, Ojo the Munchkin andButton-Bright."
"Thank your Majesty," replied Woot, and then he turned to the TinWoodman and inquired: "What are your further plans, Mr. Emperor? Willyou still seek Nimmie Amee and marry her, or will you abandon the questand return to the Emerald City and your own castle?"
The Tin Woodman, now as highly polished and well-oiled as ever,reflected a while on this question and then answered:
"Well, I see no reason why I should not find Nimmie Amee. We are now inthe Munchkin Country, where we are perfectly safe, and if it was rightfor me, before our enchantment, to marry Nimmie Amee and make herEmpress of the Winkies, it must be right now, when the enchantment hasbeen broken and I am once more myself. Am I correct, friend Scarecrow?"
"You are, indeed," answered the Scarecrow. "No one can oppose suchlogic."
"But I'm afraid you don't love Nimmie Amee," suggested Dorothy.
"That is just because I can't love anyone," replied the Tin Woodman."But, if I cannot love my wife, I can at least be kind to her, and allhusbands are not able to do that."
"Do you s'pose Nimmie Amee still loves you, after all these years?"asked Dorothy.
"I'm quite sure of it, and that is why I am going to her to make herhappy. Woot the Wanderer thinks I ought to reward her for beingfaithful to me after my meat body was chopped to pieces and I becametin. What do you think, Ozma?"
Ozma smiled as she said:
"I do not know your Nimmie Amee, and so I cannot tell what she mostneeds to make her happy. But there is no harm in your going to her andasking her if she still wishes to marry you. If she does, we will giveyou a grand wedding at the Emerald City and, afterward, as Empress ofthe Winkies, Nimmie Amee would become one of the most important ladiesin all Oz."
So it was decided that the Tin Woodman would continue his journey, andthat the Scarecrow and Woot the Wanderer should accompany him, asbefore. Polychrome also decided to join their party, somewhat to thesurprise of all.
"I hate to be cooped up in a palace," she said to Ozma, "and of coursethe first time I meet my Rainbow I shall return to my own dear home inthe skies, where my fairy sisters are even now awaiting me and myfather is cross because I get lost so often. But I can find my Rainbowjust as quickly while traveling in the Munchkin Country as I could ifliving in the Emerald City--or any other place in Oz--so I shall gowith the Tin Woodman and help him woo Nimmie Amee."
Dorothy wanted to go, too, but as the Tin Woodman did not invite her tojoin his party, she felt she might be intruding if she asked to betaken. She hinted, but she found he didn't take the hint. It is quite adelicate matter for one to ask a girl to marry him, however much sheloves him, and perhaps the Tin Woodman did not desire to have too manylooking on when he found his old sweetheart, Nimmie Amee. So Dorothycontented herself with the thought that she would help Ozma prepare asplendid wedding feast, to be followed by a round of parties andfestivities when the Emperor of the Winkies reached the Emerald Citywith his bride.
Ozma offered to take them all in the Red Wagon to a place as near tothe great Munchkin forest as a wagon could get. The Red Wagon was bigenough to seat them all, and so, bidding good-bye to Jinjur, who gaveWoot a basket of ripe cream-puffs and caramels to take with him, Ozmacommanded the Wooden Sawhorse to start, and the strange creature movedswiftly over the lanes and presently came to the Road of Yellow Bricks.This road led straight to a dense forest, where the path was too narrowfor the Red Wagon to proceed farther, so here the party separated.
Ozma and Dorothy and Toto returned to the Emerald City, after wishingtheir friends a safe and successful journey, while the Tin Woodman, theScarecrow, Woot the Wanderer and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter,prepared to push their way through the thick forest. However, theseforest paths were well known to the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, who feltquite at home among the trees.
"I was born in this grand forest," said Nick Chopper, the tin Emperor,speaking proudly, "and it was here that the Witch enchanted my axe andI lost different parts of my meat body until I became all tin. Here,also--for it is a big forest--Nimmie Amee lived with the Wicked Witch,and at the other edge of the trees stands the cottage of my friendKu-Klip, the famous tinsmith who made my present beautiful form."
"He must be a clever workman," declared Woot, admiringly.
"He is simply wonderful," declared the Tin Woodman.
"I shall be glad to make his acquaintance," said Woot.
"If you wish to meet with real cleverness," remarked the Scarecrow,"you should visit the Munchkin farmer who first made me. I won't saythat my friend the Emperor isn't all right for a tin man, but any judgeof beauty can understand that a Scarecrow is far more artistic andrefined."
"You are too soft and flimsy," said the Tin Woodman.
"You are too hard and stiff," said the Scarecrow, and this was as nearto quarreling as the two friends ever came. Polychrome laughed at themboth, as well she might, and Woot hastened to change the subject.
At night they all camped underneath the trees. The boy ate cream-puffsfor supper and offered Polychrome some, but she preferred other foodand at daybreak sipped the dew that was clustered thick on the forestflowers. Then they tramped onward again, and presently the Scarecrowpaused and said:
"It was on this very spot that Dorothy and I first met the Tin Woodman,who was rusted so badly that none of his joints would move. But afterwe had oiled him up, he was as good as new and accompanied us to theEmerald City."
"Ah, that was a sad experience," asserted the Tin Woodman soberly. "Iwas caught in a rainstorm while chopping down a tree for exercise, andbefore I realized it, I was firmly rusted in every joint. There Istood, axe in hand, but unable to move, for days and weeks and months!Indeed, I have never known exactly how long the time was; but finallyalong came Dorothy and I was saved. See! This is the very tree I waschopping at the time I rusted."
"You cannot be far from your old home, in that case," said Woot.
"No; my little cabin stands not a great way off, but there is nooccasion for us to visit it. Our errand is with Nimmie Amee, and herhouse is somewhat farther away, to the left of us."
"Didn't you say she lives with a Wicked Witch, who makes her a slave?"asked the boy.
"She did, but she doesn't," was the reply. "I am told the Witch wasdestroyed when Dorothy's house fell on her, so now Nimmie Amee mustlive all alone. I haven't seen her, of course, since the Witch wascrushed, for at that time I was standing rusted in the forest and hadbeen there a long time, but the poor girl must have felt very happy tobe free from her cruel mistress."
"Well," said the Scarecrow, "let's travel on and find Nimmie Amee. Leadon, your Majesty, since you know the way, and we will follow."
So the Tin Woodman took a path that led through the thickest part ofthe forest, and they followed it for some time. The light was dim here,because vines and bushes and leafy foliage were all about them, andoften the Tin Man had to push aside the branches that obstructed theirway, or cut them off with his axe. After they had proceeded somedistance, the Emperor suddenly stopped short and exclaimed: "Goodgracious!"
The Scarecrow, who was next, first bumped into his friend and thenpeered around his tin body, and said in a tone of wonder:
"Well, I declare!"
Woot the Wanderer pushed forward to see what was the matter, and criedout in astonishment: "For goodness' sake!"
Then the three stood motionless, staring hard, until Polychrome's merrylaughter rang out behind them and aroused them from their stupor.
In the path before them stood a tin man who was the exact d
uplicate ofthe Tin Woodman. He was of the same size, he was jointed in the samemanner, and he was made of shining tin from top to toe. But he stoodimmovable, with his tin jaws half parted and his tin eyes turnedupward. In one of his hands was held a long, gleaming sword. Yes, therewas the difference, the only thing that distinguished him from theEmperor of the Winkies. This tin man bore a sword, while the TinWoodman bore an axe.
"It's a dream; it must be a dream!" gasped Woot.
"That's it, of course," said the Scarecrow; "there couldn't be two TinWoodmen."
"No," agreed Polychrome, dancing nearer to the stranger, "this one is aTin Soldier. Don't you see his sword?"
The Tin Woodman cautiously put out one tin hand and felt of hisdouble's arm. Then he said in a voice that trembled with emotion:
"Who are you, friend?"
There was no reply
"Can't you see he's rusted, just as you were once?" asked Polychrome,laughing again. "Here, Nick Chopper, lend me your oil-can a minute!"
The Tin Woodman silently handed her his oil-can, without which he nevertraveled, and Polychrome first oiled the stranger's tin jaws and thenworked them gently to and fro until the Tin Soldier said:
"That's enough. Thank you. I can now talk. But please oil my otherjoints."
Woot seized the oil-can and did this, but all the others helped wigglethe soldier's joints as soon as they were oiled, until they movedfreely.
The Tin Soldier seemed highly pleased at his release. He strutted upand down the path, saying in a high, thin voice:
"The Soldier is a splendid man When marching on parade, And when he meets the enemy He never is afraid.
He rights the wrongs of nations, His country's flag defends, The foe he'll fight with great delight, But seldom fights his friends."
The Tin Woodman of Oz Page 15