I suppose every reader of this
book knows what a scarecrow is; but Jack Pumpkinhead, never having seen
such a creation, was more surprised at meeting the remarkable King of
the Emerald City than by any other one experience of his brief life.
His Majesty the Scarecrow was
dressed in a suit of faded blue clothes, and his head was merely a small
sack stuffed with straw, upon which eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth had
been rudely painted to represent a face. The clothes were also stuffed
with straw, and that so unevenly or carelessly that his Majesty's legs
and arms seemed more bumpy than was necessary. Upon his hands were
gloves with long fingers, and these were padded with cotton. Wisps of
straw stuck out from the monarch's coat and also from his neck and
boot-tops. Upon his head he wore a heavy golden crown set thick with
sparkling jewels, and the weight of this crown caused his brow to sag in
wrinkles, giving a thoughtful expression to the painted face. Indeed,
the crown alone betokened majesty; in all else the, Scarecrow King was
but a simple scarecrow -- flimsy, awkward, and unsubstantial.
But if the strange appearance of
his Majesty the Scarecrow seemed startling to Jack, no less wonderful
was the form of the Pumpkinhead to the Scarecrow. The purple trousers
and pink waistcoat and red shirt hung loosely over the wooden joints Tip
had manufactured, and the carved face on the pumpkin grinned
perpetually, as if its wearer considered life the jolliest thing
imaginable.
At first, indeed, His Majesty
thought his queer visitor was laughing at him, and was inclined to
resent such a liberty; but it was not without reason that the Scarecrow
had attained the reputation of being the wisest personage in the Land of
Oz. He made a more careful examination of his visitor, and soon
discovered that Jack's features were carved into a smile and that he
could not look grave if he wished to.
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The King was the first to
speak. After regarding Jack for some minutes he said, in a tone
of wonder:
"Where on earth did you
come from, and how do you happen to be alive?"
"I beg your Majesty's
pardon," returned the Pumpkinhead; "but I do not understand
you."
"What don't you
understand?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Why, I don't understand
your language. You see, I came from the Country of the
Gillikins, so that I am a foreigner."
"Ah, to be sure!"
exclaimed the Scarecrow. "I myself speak the language of the
Munchkins, which is also the language of the Emerald City. But
you, I suppose, speak the language of the Pumpkinheads?"
"Exactly so, your Majesty"
replied the other, bowing; "so it will be impossible for us to
understand one another."
"That is unfortunate,
certainly," said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "We must have an
interpreter."
"What is an interpreter?"
asked Jack.
"A person who understands
both my language and your own. When I say anything, the
interpreter can tell you what I mean; and when you say anything
the interpreter can tell me what you mean. For the interpreter
can speak both languages as well as understand them."
"That is certainly
clever," said Jack, greatly pleased at finding so simple a way
out of the difficulty.
So the Scarecrow commanded
the Soldier with the Green Whiskers to search among his people
until he found one who understood the language of the Gillikins
as well as the language of the Emerald City, and to bring that
person to him at once. |
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When the Soldier had departed the
Scarecrow said:
"Won't you take a chair while we are
waiting?"
"Your Majesty forgets that I cannot
understand you," replied the Pumpkinhead. "If you wish me to sit down you
must make a sign for me to do so." The Scarecrow came down from his throne
and rolled an armchair to a position behind the Pumpkinhead. Then he gave
Jack a sudden push that sent him sprawling upon the cushions in so awkward a
fashion that he doubled up like a jackknife, and had hard work to untangle
himself.
"Did you understand that sign?" asked
His Majesty, politely.
"Perfectly," declared Jack, reaching
up his arms to turn his head to the front, the pumpkin having twisted around
upon the stick that supported it.
"You seem hastily made," remarked the
Scarecrow, watching Jack's efforts to straighten himself.
"Not more so than your Majesty," was
the frank reply.
"There is this difference between us,"
said the Scarecrow, "that whereas I will bend, but not break, you will
break, but not bend."
At this moment the soldier returned
leading a young girl by the hand. She seemed very sweet and modest, having a
pretty face and beautiful green eyes and hair. A dainty green silk skirt
reached to her knees, showing silk stockings embroidered with pea-pods, and
green satin slippers with bunches of lettuce for decorations instead of bows
or buckles. Upon her silken waist clover leaves were embroidered, and she
wore a jaunty little jacket trimmed with sparkling emeralds of a uniform
size.
"Why, it's little Jellia Jamb!"
exclaimed the Scarecrow, as the green maiden bowed her pretty head before
him. "Do you understand the language of the Gillikins, my dear?"
"Yes, your Majesty, she answered, "for
I was born in the North Country."
"Then you shall be our interpreter,"
said the Scarecrow, "and explain to this Pumpkinhead all that I say, and
also explain to me all that he says. Is this arrangement satisfactory?" he
asked, turning toward his guest.
"Very satisfactory indeed," was the
reply.
"Then ask him, to begin with," resumed
the Scarecrow, turning to Jellia, "what brought him to the Emerald City"
But instead of this the girl, who had
been staring at Jack, said to him:
"You are certainly a wonderful
creature. Who made you?"
"A boy named Tip," answered Jack.
"What does he say?" inquired the
Scarecrow. "My ears must have deceived me. What did he say?"
"He says that your Majesty's brains
seem to have come loose," replied the girl, demurely.
The Scarecrow moved uneasily upon his
throne, and felt of his head with his left hand.
"What a fine thing it is to understand
two different languages," he said, with a perplexed sigh. "Ask him, my dear,
if he has any objection to being put in jail for insulting the ruler of the
Emerald City."
"I didn't insult you!" protested Jack,
indignantly.
"Tut -- tut!" cautioned the Scarecrow
"wait, until Jellia translates my speech. What have we got an interpreter
for, if you break out in this rash way?"
"All right, I'll wait," replied the
Pumpkinhead, in a surly tone -- although his face smiled as genially as
ever. "Translate the speech, young woman."
"His Majesty inquires if you are
hungry, said Jellia.
"Oh, not at all!" answered Jack, more
pleasantly, "for it is impossible for me to eat."
"It's the same way with me," remarked
the Scarecrow. "What did he say, Jellia, my dear?"
"He asked if you were aware that one
of your eyes is painted larger than the other," said the girl,
mischievously.
"Don't you believe her, your Majesty,
cried Jack.
"Oh, I don't," answered the Scarecrow,
calmly. Then, casting a sharp look at the girl, he asked:
"Are you quite certain you understand
the languages of both the Gillikins and the Munchkins?"
"Quite certain, your Majesty," said
Jellia Jamb, trying hard not to laugh in the face of royalty.
"Then how is it that I seem to
understand them myself?" inquired the Scarecrow.
"Because they are one and the same!"
declared the girl, now laughing merrily. "Does not your Majesty know that in
all the land of Oz but one language is spoken?"
"Is it indeed so?" cried the
Scarecrow, much relieved to hear this; "then I might easily have been my own
interpreter!"
"It was all my fault, your Majesty,"
said Jack, looking rather foolish," I thought we must surely speak different
languages, since we came from different countries."
"This should be a warning to you never
to think," returned the Scarecrow, severely. "For unless one can think
wisely it is better to remain a dummy -- which you most certainly are."
"I am! -- I surely am!" agreed the
Pumpkinhead.
"It seems to me," continued the
Scarecrow, more mildly, "that your manufacturer spoiled some good pies to
create an indifferent man."
"I assure your Majesty that I did not
ask to be created," answered Jack.
"Ah! It was the same in my case," said
the King, pleasantly. And so, as we differ from all ordinary people, let us
become friends."
"With all my heart!" exclaimed Jack.
"What! Have you a heart?" asked the
Scarecrow, surprised.
"No; that was only imaginative -- I
might say, a figure of speech," said the other.
"Well, your most prominent figure
seems to be a figure of wood; so I must beg you to restrain an imagination
which, having no brains, you have no right to exercise," suggested the
Scarecrow, warningly.
"To be sure!" said Jack, without in
the least comprehending.
His Majesty then dismissed Jellia Jamb
and the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, and when they were gone he took his
new friend by the arm and led him into the courtyard to play a game of
quoits.
Next chapter...
(
Gen. Jinjur's Army of Revolt )
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