Chapter 3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

Dorothy was left alone and started to feel hungry. The girl went to a cupboard. There Dorothy cut some bread and spread butter on it. She gave some bread to her dog, Toto. Dorothy grabbed a bucket and took it to a small stream. The girl filled the bucket with clean, sparkling water.

Toto ran to some trees. He started to bark at the birds sitting there. Dorothy went to get him. She saw some delicious fruit hanging from the tree branches. Dorothy picked some fruit. It was just what she needed to finish her breakfast.

Dorothy then went back to her house. She and Toto drank some of the fresh, cool water. After that, Dorothy started to prepare for her journey to the Emerald City.

She had only one other dress. It was clean and hanging by her bed. The dress was made of checkered blue and white fabric. The blue color had faded from many washes. But the dress was still pretty. The girl washed herself carefully. She put on the clean dress and tied her pink hat on her head. Dorothy filled a small basket with bread. She covered the basket with a white cloth. Then Dorothy looked at her feet and noticed her old and worn-out shoes.

"These shoes won't last for a long journey, Toto," Dorothy said. Toto looked up at her with his small black eyes. He wagged his tail, showing he understood her.

At that moment, Dorothy saw the silver shoes on the table. They used to belong to the Witch of the East.

"I wonder if they will fit me," she told Toto. "They would be perfect for a long walk. They won't wear out."

Dorothy took off her old leather shoes. She tried on the silver ones. They fit her perfectly as if they were made for her.

At last, she picked up her basket.

"Let's go, Toto," Dorothy said. "We will go to the Emerald City. We'll ask the Great Oz how to return to Kansas."

She closed and locked the door and carefully put the key in her dress pocket. Then, with Toto walking calmly behind her, Dorothy started her journey.

There were several roads nearby. But she quickly found the one paved with yellow bricks. Soon, Dorothy was walking fast toward the Emerald City. Her silver shoes tinkled cheerfully on the hard, yellow road. The sun was shining bright. Birds were singing beautifully. Dorothy didn't feel as bad as you might expect. Even though she was suddenly taken away from her own country and placed in a strange land.

As she walked, she saw the beautiful sights around her. There were tidy blue fences on both sides of the road. Beyond the fences, there were fields full of grain and vegetables. The Munchkins were good farmers. They could grow a lot of crops. Sometimes, she would walk past a house. People would come out and bow to her as she walked by. They all knew that she had destroyed the Wicked Witch and freed them.

The Munchkins' houses were strange and round. Each had a large dome roof. They were all painted blue. In this country of the East, blue was everyone's favorite color.

As evening came, Dorothy got tired from her long walk. She wondered where she could spend the night. Then Dorothy reached a house that was bigger than the others. On its green lawn, many men and women were dancing. Five small fiddlers played their music loudly. People were laughing and singing. There was a large table nearby. It was filled with delicious fruits, nuts, pies, cakes, and other tasty foods.

The people warmly greeted Dorothy. They asked her to have dinner with them and stay overnight. The house belonged to one of the wealthiest Munchkins. His friends were there to celebrate their freedom from the Wicked Witch.

Dorothy had a good dinner. The rich Munchkin, named Boq, served her food. After the dinner, she sat on a couch and watched the people dance.

When Boq saw Dorothy's silver shoes, he said, "You must be a powerful sorceress."

"Why?" Dorothy asked.

"Because you're wearing silver shoes, and you've killed the Wicked Witch," he replied. "Also, you have white in your dress. Only witches and sorceresses wear white."

"My dress is blue and white checkered," Dorothy responded, smoothing out her dress.

"That's kind of you to wear that," Boq told her. "Blue is the Munchkins' color, and white is for witches. So we know you are a friendly witch."

Dorothy didn't know what to say. Everyone seemed to think she was a witch. But Dorothy knew she was just a normal little girl. She had ended up in this strange land because of a tornado.

When she got tired of watching the dancing, Boq took her inside the house. He gave her a room with a nice bed. The bed sheets were blue. Dorothy slept well in them until morning. Toto curled up on the blue rug next to her.

Dorothy had a big breakfast the next day and watched a small Munchkin baby play with Toto. The baby pulled Toto's tail and laughed. Dorothy found this very amusing. The people had never seen a dog before. Toto was a curious sight to them.

"How far is the Emerald City?" the girl asked.

"I don't know," Boq answered thoughtfully. "I've never been there. It's best to avoid Oz unless you have business with him. But the Emerald City is far. It will take you many days to get there. This area is nice and rich. But you'll have to go through tough and dangerous places to reach the end of your journey."

Dorothy felt a little worried. But she knew only the Great Oz could help her return to Kansas. So, she decided bravely to continue her journey.

She said goodbye to her friends. Then, she set off again on the yellow brick road. After Dorothy had walked several miles, she thought of taking a rest. The girl climbed to a fence next to the road and sat down. There was a large cornfield beyond the fence. Not far from her, there was a Scarecrow. It was placed high on a pole to keep birds away from the ripe corn.

Dorothy rested her chin on her hand and looked thoughtfully at the Scarecrow. Its head was a small sack filled with straw. Eyes, nose, and mouth were painted on it to make a face. It wore an old, pointed blue hat that once belonged to a Munchkin. The rest of the Scarecrow was a blue suit of clothes, faded and worn. The suit was also filled with straw. On the Scarecrow's feet were old boots with blue tops. These boots were just like what every man wore in this country. The Scarecrow stood above the corn stalks because of a pole stuck up its back.

While Dorothy was staring at the strange, painted face of the Scarecrow, she was surprised. One of the Scarecrow's eyes winked slowly at her. At first, she thought she was mistaken because scarecrows in Kansas never wink. But then, the Scarecrow nodded its head in a friendly manner. Dorothy climbed down from the fence and walked towards the Scarecrow. Toto ran around the pole and barked.

"Good day," said the Scarecrow in a husky voice.

"Did you say that?" Dorothy asked, amazed.

"Certainly," replied the Scarecrow. "How are you?"

"I'm pretty well, thank you," Dorothy responded politely. "How are you?"

"I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, smiling. "It's boring to be stuck up here day and night to scare away crows."

"Can't you get down?" Dorothy asked.

"No, because this pole is stuck up my back. If you could please remove the pole, I would be very grateful," the Scarecrow responded.

Dorothy reached up with both arms and lifted the Scarecrow off the pole. As it was stuffed with straw, it was pretty light.

"Thank you very much," said the Scarecrow after Dorothy set him on
the ground. "I feel like a new man."

This puzzled Dorothy. It was strange to hear a stuffed man speak. It was also strange to see him bow and walk beside her.

"Who are you?" asked the Scarecrow, stretching and yawning. "And where are you going?"

"My name is Dorothy," the girl replied, "and I am going to the Emerald City. I want to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas."

"Where is the Emerald City?" the Scarecrow asked. "And who is Oz?"

"You don't know?" Dorothy responded, surprised.

"No, not at all. I'm stuffed, so I don't have any brains," he answered sadly.

"Oh," said Dorothy, "I feel terrible for you."

"Do you think," the Scarecrow asked, "if I go with you to the Emerald City, Oz might give me some brains?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, "but you can come with me. If Oz doesn't give you any brains, you won't be any worse off than you are now."

"That's true," said the Scarecrow. "You know," he continued in a confidential tone, "I don't mind my legs, arms, and body being stuffed because I can't get hurt. If someone steps on my toes or sticks a pin in me, it doesn't matter; I can't feel it. But I don't want people to think I'm a fool. If my head remains stuffed with straw instead of brains, like yours, how will I ever learn anything?"

"I understand how you feel," said the little girl, who was really sorry
for him. "If you come with me, I'll ask Oz to do everything he can to help you."

"Thank you," he said, grateful.

They returned to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence, and they started walking toward the Emerald City on the yellow brick path.

At first, Toto did not like the new addition to the group. He sniffed around the stuffed man as if he suspected a nest of rats hiding in the straw. He often growled at the Scarecrow in a rather unfriendly manner.

"Don't worry about Toto," Dorothy told her new companion. "He never bites."

"Oh, I'm not afraid," the Scarecrow replied. "He can't harm straw. Please allow me to carry that basket for you. I won't get tired. I'll tell you a secret," he continued as they walked. "There's only one thing in the world that scares me."

"What is it?" asked Dorothy. "The Munchkin farmer who made you?"

"No," replied the Scarecrow, "it's a lit match."