Chapter Twenty
Over Night
The Land of the Munchkins is full of surprises, as our travelers hadalready learned, and although Mount Munch was constantly growing largeras they advanced toward it, they knew it was still a long way off andwere not certain, by any means, that they had escaped all danger orencountered their last adventure.
The plain was broad, and as far as the eye could see, there seemed tobe a level stretch of country between them and the mountain, but towardevening they came upon a hollow, in which stood a tiny blue Munchkindwelling with a garden around it and fields of grain filling in all therest of the hollow.
They did not discover this place until they came close to the edge ofit, and they were astonished at the sight that greeted them becausethey had imagined that this part of the plain had no inhabitants.
"It's a very small house," Woot declared. "I wonder who lives there?"
"The way to find out is to knock on the door and ask," replied the TinWoodman. "Perhaps it is the home of Nimmie Amee."
"Is she a dwarf?" asked the boy.
"No, indeed; Nimmie Amee is a full sized woman."
"Then I'm sure she couldn't live in that little house," said Woot.
"Let's go down," suggested the Scarecrow. "I'm almost sure I can see astraw-stack in the back yard."
They descended the hollow, which was rather steep at the sides, andsoon came to the house, which was indeed rather small. Woot knockedupon a door that was not much higher than his waist, but got no reply.He knocked again, but not a sound was heard.
"Smoke is coming out of the chimney," announced Polychrome, who wasdancing lightly through the garden, where cabbages and beets andturnips and the like were growing finely.
"Then someone surely lives here," said Woot, and knocked again.
Now a window at the side of the house opened and a queer head appeared.It was white and hairy and had a long snout and little round eyes. Theears were hidden by a blue sunbonnet tied under the chin.
"Oh; it's a pig!" exclaimed Woot.
"Pardon me; I am Mrs. Squealina Swyne, wife of Professor Grunter Swyne,and this is our home," said the one in the window. "What do you want?"
"What sort of a Professor is your husband?" inquired the Tin Woodmancuriously.
"He is Professor of Cabbage Culture and Corn Perfection. He is veryfamous in his own family, and would be the wonder of the world if hewent abroad," said Mrs. Swyne in a voice that was half proud and halfirritable. "I must also inform you intruders that the Professor is adangerous individual, for he files his teeth every morning until theyare sharp as needles. If you are butchers, you'd better run away andavoid trouble."
"We are not butchers," the Tin Woodman assured her.
"Then what are you doing with that axe? And why has the other tin mana sword?"
"They are the only weapons we have to defend our friends from theirenemies," explained the Emperor of the Winkies, and Woot added:
"Do not be afraid of us, Mrs. Swyne, for we are harmless travelers. Thetin men and the Scarecrow never eat anything and Polychrome feasts onlyon dewdrops. As for me, I'm rather hungry, but there is plenty of foodin your garden to satisfy me."
Professor Swyne now joined his wife at the window, looking ratherscared in spite of the boy's assuring speech. He wore a blue Munchkinhat, with pointed crown and broad brim, and big spectacles covered hiseyes. He peeked around from behind his wife and after looking hard atthe strangers, he said:
"My wisdom assures me that you are merely travelers, as you say, andnot butchers. Butchers have reason to be afraid of me, but you aresafe. We cannot invite you in, for you are too big for our house, butthe boy who eats is welcome to all the carrots and turnips he wants.Make yourselves at home in the garden and stay all night, if you like;but in the morning you must go away, for we are quiet people and do notcare for company."
"May I have some of your straw?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Help yourself," replied Professor Swyne.
"For pigs, they're quite respectable," remarked Woot, as they all wenttoward the straw-stack.
"I'm glad they didn't invite us in," said Captain Fyter. "I hope I'mnot too particular about my associates, but I draw the line at pigs."
The Scarecrow was glad to be rid of his hay, for during the long walkit had sagged down and made him fat and squatty and more bumpy than atfirst.
"I'm not specially proud," he said, "but I love a manly figure, such asonly straw stuffing can create. I've not felt like myself since thathungry Hip-po ate my last straw."
Polychrome and Woot set to work removing the hay and then they selectedthe finest straw, crisp and golden, and with it stuffed the Scarecrowanew. He certainly looked better after the operation, and he was sopleased at being reformed that he tried to dance a little jig, andalmost succeeded.
"I shall sleep under the straw-stack tonight," Woot decided, after hehad eaten some of the vegetables from the garden, and in fact he sleptvery well, with the two tin men and the Scarecrow sitting silentlybeside him and Polychrome away somewhere in the moonlight dancing herfairy dances.
At daybreak the Tin Woodman and the Tin Soldier took occasion to polishtheir bodies and oil their joints, for both were exceedingly careful oftheir personal appearance. They had forgotten the quarrel due to theiraccidental bumping of one another in the invisible country, and beingnow good friends the Tin Woodman polished the Tin Soldier's back forhim and then the Tin Soldier polished the Tin Woodman's back.
For breakfast the Wanderer ate crisp lettuce and radishes, and theRainbow's Daughter, who had now returned to her friends, sipped thedewdrops that had formed on the petals of the wild-flowers.
As they passed the little house to renew their journey, Woot called out:
"Good-bye, Mr. and Mrs. Swyne!"
The window opened and the two pigs looked out.
"A pleasant journey," said the Professor.
"Have you any children?" asked the Scarecrow, who was a great friend ofchildren.
"We have nine," answered the Professor; "but they do not live with us,for when they were tiny piglets the Wizard of Oz came here and offeredto care for them and to educate them. So we let him have our nine tinypiglets, for he's a good Wizard and can be relied upon to keep hispromises."
"I know the Nine Tiny Piglets," said the Tin Woodman.
"So do I," said the Scarecrow. "They still live in the Emerald City,and the Wizard takes good care of them and teaches them to do all sortsof tricks."
"Did they ever grow up?" inquired Mrs. Squealina Swyne, in an anxiousvoice.
"No," answered the Scarecrow; "like all other children in the Land ofOz, they will always remain children, and in the case of the tinypiglets that is a good thing, because they would not be nearly so cuteand cunning if they were bigger."
"But are they happy?" asked Mrs. Swyne.
"Everyone in the Emerald City is happy," said the Tin Woodman. "Theycan't help it."
Then the travelers said good-bye, and climbed the side of the basinthat was toward Mount Munch.
The Tin Woodman of Oz Page 20