Who is Aunt Em? inquired the little old woman.
She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from.
The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed
and her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, I do not
know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned
before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?
Oh, yes, replied Dorothy.
Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there
are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But,
you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off
from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and
wizards amongst us.
Who are the wizards? asked Dorothy.
Oz himself is the Great Wizard, answered the Witch, sinking her voice
to a whisper. He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He
lives in the City of Emeralds.
Dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the Munchkins,
who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the
corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.
What is it? asked the little old woman, and looked, and began to
laugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely, and nothing
was left but the silver shoes.
She was so old, explained the Witch of the North, that she dried up
quickly in the sun. That is the end of her. But the silver shoes are
yours, and you shall have them to wear. She reached down and picked up
the shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them handed them to
Dorothy.
The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes, said one of
the Munchkins, and there is some charm connected with them; but what
it is we never knew.
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