How far is it to the Emerald City? the girl asked.
I do not know, answered Boq gravely, for I have never been there. It
is better for people to keep away from Oz, unless they have business
with him. But it is a long way to the Emerald City, and it will take
you many days. The country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass
through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of your
journey.
This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the Great Oz
could help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turn
back.
She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of
yellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought she would
stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the road
and sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far
away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from
the ripe corn.
Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the
Scarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes,
nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face. An old, pointed blue
hat, that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on his head, and
the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded,
which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were some old boots
with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the figure
was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its
back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the
Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her.
She thought she must have been mistaken at first, for none of the
scarecrows in Kansas ever wink; but presently the figure nodded its
head to her in a friendly way. Then she climbed down from the fence and
walked up to it, while Toto ran around the pole and barked.
Good day, said the Scarecrow, in a rather husky voice.
15