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The Tin Woodman of Oz

 

BY L.  FRANK BAUM

 

Reilly & Lee edition, copyright 1918

 

(44,004 words)

             

CHAPTER 1

WOOT THE WANDERER

              The Tin Woodman sat on his glittering tin throne in the handsome tin hall of his splendid tin castle in the Winkie Country of the Land of Oz.  Beside him in a chair of woven straw sat his best friend, the Scarecrow of Oz.  At times they spoke to one anot

her of curious things they had seen and strange adventures they had known since first they two had met and become comrades.  But at times they were silent, for these things had been talked over many times between them, and they found themselves contented

in merely being together, speaking now and then a brief sentence to prove they were wide awake and attentive. But then, these two quaint persons never slept.  Why should they sleep when they never tired?

              And now, as the brilliant sun sank low over the Winkie Country of Oz, tinting the glistening tin towers and tin minarets of the tin castle with glorious sunset hues, there approached along a winding pathway Woot the Wanderer, who met at the castle entran

ce a Winkie servant.

              The servants of the Tin Woodman all wore tin helmets and tin breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tin discs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so that their bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tin castle and almost as beautifully as did

the Tin Woodman himself.  Woot the Wanderer looked at the manservant, all bright and glittering; and at the magnificent castle, all bright and glittering; and as he looked, his eyes grew big with wonder.  For Woot was not very big and not very old, and w

anderer as he was, this proved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met his boyish gaze.

              "Who lives here?" he asked.

              "The Emperor of the Winkies, who is the famous Tin Woodman of Oz," replied the servant, who had been trained to treat all strangers with courtesy..

              "A Tin Woodman?  How queer!" exclaimed the little wanderer.

              "Well, perhaps our Emperor IS queer," admitted the servant, "but he is a kind master and as honest and true as good tin can make him; so we, who gladly serve him, are apt to forget that he is not like other people."

              "May I see him?" asked Woot the Wanderer after a moment's thought.

              "If it please you to wait a moment, I will go and ask him," said the servant, and then he went into the hall where the Tin Woodman sat with his friend the Scarecrow.  Both were glad to learn that a stranger had arrived at the castle, for this would give

them something new to talk about, so the servant was asked to admit the boy at once.

              By the time Woot the Wanderer had passed through the grand corridors--all lined with ornamental tin--and under stately tin archways and through the many tin rooms all set with beautiful tin furniture, his eyes had grown bigger than ever, and his whole li

ttle body thrilled with amazement.  But astonished though he was, he was able to make a polite bow before the throne and to say in a respectful voice, "I salute your Illustrious Majesty and offer you my humble services."

              "Very good!" answered the Tin Woodman in his accustomed cheerful manner.  "Tell me who you are and whence you come."

              "I am known as Woot the Wanderer," answered the boy, "and I have come, through many travels and by roundabout ways, from my former home in a far corner of the Gillikin Country of Oz."

              "To wander from one's home," remarked the Scarecrow, "is to encounter dangers and hardships, especially if one is made of meat and bone. Had you no friends in that corner of the Gillikin Country?  Was it not homelike and comfortable?"

              To hear a man stuffed with straw speak, and speak so well, quite startled Woot, and perhaps he stared a bit rudely at the Scarecrow. But after a moment he replied, "I had home and friends, your Honorable Strawness, but they were so quiet and happy and co

mfortable that I found them dismally stupid.  Nothing in that corner of Oz interested me, but I believed that in other parts of the country I would find strange people and see new sights, and so I set out upon my wandering journey.  I have been a wanderer

for nearly a full year, and now my wanderings have brought me to this splendid castle."

              "I suppose," said the Tin Woodman, "that in this year you have seen so much that you have become very wise."

              "No," replied Woot thoughtfully, "I am not at all wise, I beg to assure your Majesty.  The more I wander, the less I find that I know, for in the Land of Oz much wisdom and many things may be learned."

              "To learn is simple.  Don't you ask questions?" inquired the Scarecrow.

              "Yes, I ask as many questions as I dare, but some people refuse to answer questions."

              "That is not kind of them," declared the Tin Woodman.  "If one does not ask for information, he seldom receives it; so I, for my part, make it a rule to answer any civil question that is asked me."

              "So do I," added the Scarecrow, nodding.

              "I am glad to hear this," said the Wanderer, "for it makes me bold to ask for something to eat."

              "Bless the boy!" cried the Emperor of the Winkies.  "How careless of me not to remember that wanderers are usually hungry.  I will have food brought you at once."

              Saying this, he blew upon a tin whistle that was suspended from his tin neck, and at the summons a servant appeared and bowed low.  The Tin Woodman ordered food for the stranger, and in a few minutes the servant brought in a tin tray heaped with a choice

array of good things to eat, all neatly displayed on tin dishes that were polished till they shone like mirrors.  The tray was set upon a tin table drawn before the throne, and the servant placed a tin chair before the table for the boy to seat himself.

              "Eat, friend Wanderer," said the Emperor cordially, "and I trust the feast will be to your liking.  I, myself, do not eat, being made in such manner that I require no food to keep me alive.  Neither does my friend the Scarecrow.  But all my Winkie people

eat, being formed of flesh as you are, and so my tin cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always welcome to whatever it contains."

              The boy ate in silence for a time, being really hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied, he said, "How happened your Majesty to be made of tin and still be alive?"

              "That," replied the tin man, "is a long story."

              "The longer the better," said the boy.  "Won't you please tell me the story?"

              "If you desire it," promised the Tin Woodman, leaning back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs.  "I haven't related my history in a long while, because everyone knows it nearly as well as I do.  But you, being a stranger, are no doubt curious to

learn how I became so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recite for your benefit my strange adventures."

              "Thank you," said Woot the Wanderer, still eating.

              "I was not always made of tin," began the Emperor, "for in the beginning I was a man of flesh and bone and blood and lived in the Munchkin Country of Oz.  There I was, by trade, a woodchopper and contributed my share to the comfort of the Oz people by ch

opping up the trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the women would cook their meals while the children warmed themselves about the fires. For my home I had a little hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of much content until I fel

l in love with a beautiful Munchkin girl who lived not far away."

              "What was the Munchkin girl's name?" asked Woot.

              "Nimmie Amee.  This girl, so fair that the sunsets blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made the poor child her slave.  Nimmie Amee was obliged to work from morning till night for the old Wi

tch of the East, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her meals and washing her dishes. She had to cut firewood, too, until I found her one day in the forest and fell in love with her.  After that, I always brought plenty of firewood to Nimmie Amee,

and we became very friendly.  Finally, I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do so, but the Witch happened to overhear our conversation, and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her slave to be taken away from her.  The Witch commanded me ne

ver to come near Nimmie Amee again, but I told her I was my own master and would do as I pleased, not realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a Witch.  The next day, as I was cutting wood in the forest, the cruel Witch enchanted my axe so that

it slipped and cut off my right leg."

              "How dreadful!" cried Woot the Wanderer.

              "Yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the Tin Man, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in his trade.  But I would not allow the Witch to conquer me so easily.  I knew a very skillful mechanic at the other side of the forest, who was my fr

iend, so I hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me.  He soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it cleverly to my meat body.  It had joints at the knee and at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg I had lost."

              "Your friend must have been a wonderful workman!" exclaimed Woot.

              "He was indeed," admitted the Emperor.  "He was a tinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin.  When I returned to Nimmie Amee, the girl was delighted and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, declaring she was proud of me.  The Witch saw

the kiss, and was more angry than before.  When I went to work in the forest next day, my axe, still being enchanted, slipped and cut off my other leg. Again I hopped--on my tin leg--to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly made me another tin leg and faste

ned it to my body.  So I returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was much pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when we were wed she would always keep them oiled and polished.  But the Witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as I raised my

axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms.  The tinsmith made me a tin arm, and I was not much worried, because Nimmie Amee declared she still loved me."

             

CHAPTER 2

THE HEART OF THE TIN WOODMAN

              The Emperor of the Winkies paused in his story to reach for an oil can, with which he carefully oiled the joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to squeak a little.  Woot the Wanderer, having satisfied his hunger, watched this oiling process w

ith much curiosity, but begged the Tin Man to go on with his tale.

              "The Witch with the Silver Shoes hated me for having defied her," resumed the Emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, "and she insisted that Nimmie Amee should never marry me.  Therefore she made the enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the t

insmith also replaced that member that you see me using.  But alas!  After that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel Witch, cut my body in two, so that I fell to the ground.  Then the Witch, who was watching from a nearby bush, rushed up and seized the

axe and chopped my body into several small pieces, after which, thinking that at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee.

              "But Nimmie Amee found me.  She picked up my arms and legs and head and made a bundle of them and carried them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a fine body of pure tin.  When he had joined the arms and legs to the body and set my head in the

tin collar, I was a much better man than ever, for my body could not ache or pain me, and I was so beautiful and bright that I had no need of clothing.  Clothing is always a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be replaced, but my tin body only

needs to be oiled and polished.

              "Nimmie Amee still declared she would marry me, as she still loved me in spite of the Witch's evil deeds.  The girl declared I would make the brightest husband in all the world, which was quite true. However, the Wicked Witch was not yet defeated.  When

I returned to my work, the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was the only meat part of me then remaining.  Moreover, the old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it away with her and hid it.  But Nimmie Amee came into the forest and found me

wandering around helplessly, because I could not see where to go, and she led me to my friend the tinsmith. The faithful fellow at once set to work to make me a tin head, and he had just completed it when Nimmie Amee came running up with my old head, whic

h she had stolen from the Witch.  But on reflection, I considered the tin head far superior to the meat one--I am wearing it yet, so you can see its beauty and grace of outline--and the girl agreed with me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect t

han one formed of different materials.  The tinsmith was as proud of his workmanship as I was, and for three whole days all admired me and praised my beauty.  Being now completely formed of tin, I had no more fear of the Wicked Witch, for she was powerles

s to injure me.  Nimmie Amee said we must be married at once, for then she could come to my cottage and live with me and keep me bright and sparkling.

              "'I am sure, my dear Nick,' said the brave and beautiful girl--my name was then Nick Chopper, you should be told--that you will make the best husband any girl could have.  I shall not be obliged to cook for you, for now you do not eat; I shall not have t

o make your bed, for tin does not tire or require sleep; when we go to a dance, you will not get weary before the music stops and say you want to go home.  All day long, while you are chopping wood in the forest, I shall be able to amuse myself in my own

way, a privilege few wives enjoy.  There is no temper in your new head, so you will not get angry with me.  Finally, I shall take pride in being the wife of the only live Tin Woodman in all the world!'  Which shows that Nimmie Amee was as wise as she was

brave and beautiful."

              "I think she was a very nice girl," said Woot the Wanderer.  "But tell me, please, why were you not killed when you were chopped to pieces?"

              "In the Land of Oz," replied the Emperor, "no one can ever be killed. A man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is still the same man, and as I lost parts of my meat body by degrees, I always remained the same person as in the beginning, even though in the en

d I was all tin and no meat."

              "I see," said the boy thoughtfully.  "And did you marry Nimmie Amee?"

              "No," answered the Tin Woodman, "I did not.  She said she still loved me, but I found that I no longer loved her.  My tin body contained no heart, and without a heart no one can love.  So the Wicked Witch conquered in the end, and when I left the Munchki

n Country of Oz, the poor girl was still the slave of the Witch and had to do her bidding day and night."

              "Where did you go?" asked Woot.

              "Well, I first started out to find a heart, so I could love Nimmie Amee again, but hearts are more scarce than one would think.  One day, in a big forest that was strange to me, my joints suddenly became rusted because I had forgotten to oil them.  There

I stood, unable to move hand or foot.  And there I continued to stand while days came and went until Dorothy and the Scarecrow came along and rescued me.  They oiled my joints and set me free, and I've taken good care never to rust again."

              "Who was this Dorothy?" questioned the Wanderer.

              "A little girl who happened to be in a house when it was carried by a cyclone all the way from Kansas to the Land of Oz.  When the house fell in the Munchkin Country, it fortunately landed on the Wicked Witch and smashed her flat.  It was a big house, an

d I think the Witch is under it yet."

              "No," said the Scarecrow, correcting him.  "Dorothy says the Witch turned to dust, and the wind scattered the dust in every direction."

              "Well," continued the Tin Woodman, "after meeting the Scarecrow and Dorothy, I went with them to the Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz gave me a heart.  But the Wizard's stock of hearts was low, and he gave me a Kind Heart instead of a Loving Heart, s

o that I could not love Nimmie Amee any more than I did when I was heartless."

              "Couldn't the Wizard give you a heart that was both Kind and Loving?" asked the boy.

              "No.  That was what I asked for, but he said he was so short on hearts just then that there was but one in stock, and I could take that or none at all.  So I accepted it, and I must say that for its kind it is a very good heart indeed."

              "It seems to me," said Woot musingly, "that the Wizard fooled you.  It can't be a very Kind Heart, you know."

              "Why not?" demanded the Emperor.

              "Because it was unkind of you to desert the girl who loved you and who had been faithful and true to you when you were in trouble.  Had the heart the Wizard gave you been a Kind Heart, you would have gone back home and made the beautiful Munchkin girl yo

ur wife and then brought her here to be an Empress and live in your splendid tin castle."

              The Tin Woodman was so surprised at this frank speech that for a time he did nothing but stare hard at the boy Wanderer.  But the Scarecrow wagged his stuffed head and said in a positive tone, "This boy is right.  I've often wondered, myself, why you did

n't go back and find that poor Munchkin girl."

              Then the Tin Woodman stared hard at the Scarecrow.  But finally he said in a serious tone of voice, "I must admit that never before have I thought of such a thing as finding Nimmie Amee and making her Empress of the Winkies.  But it is surely not too lat

e, even now, to do this, for the girl must still be living in the Munchkin Country. And since this strange Wanderer has reminded me of Nimmie Amee, I believe it is my duty to set out and find her.  Surely it is not the girl's fault that I no longer love h

er, and so, if I can make her happy, it is proper that I should do so, and in this way reward her for her faithfulness."

              "Quite right, my friend!" agreed the Scarecrow.

              "Will you accompany me on this errand?" asked the Tin Emperor.

              "Of course," said the Scarecrow.

              "And will you take me along?" pleaded Woot the Wanderer in an eager voice.

              "To be sure," said the Tin Woodman, "if you care to join our party. It was you who first told me it was my duty to find and marry Nimmie Amee, and I'd like you to know that Nick Chopper, the Tin Emperor of the Winkies, is a man who never shirks his duty

once it is pointed out to him."

              "It ought to be a pleasure as well as a duty if the girl is so beautiful," said Woot, well pleased with the idea of the adventure.

              "Beautiful things may be admired, if not loved," asserted the Tin Man. "Flowers are beautiful, for instance, but we are not inclined to marry them.  Duty, on the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you are inclined to act or not.  In this case,

I obey the bugle call of duty."

              "When shall we start?" inquired the Scarecrow, who was always glad to embark upon a new adventure.  "I don't hear any bugle, but when do we go?"

              "As soon as we can get ready," answered the Emperor.  "I'll call my servants at once and order them to make preparations for our journey."

CHAPTER 3

ROUNDABOUT

              Woot the Wanderer slept that night in the tin castle of the Emperor of the Winkies and found his tin bed quite comfortable.  Early the next morning, he rose and took a walk through the gardens, where there were tin fountains and beds of curious tin flowe

rs and where tin birds perched upon the branches of tin trees and sang songs that sounded like the notes of tin whistles.  All these wonders had been made by the clever Winkie tinsmiths, who wound the birds up every morning so that they would move about a

nd sing.  After breakfast, the boy went into the throne room, where the Emperor was having his tin joints carefully oiled by a servant, while other servants were stuffing sweet, fresh hay into the body of the Scarecrow.

              Woot watched this operation with much interest, for the Scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes filled with straw.  The coat was buttoned tight to keep the packed straw from sagging down.  The Scarecrow's head was a gunny sack filled with bran, on wh

ich the eyes, nose and mouth had been painted.  His hands were white cotton gloves stuffed with fine straw.  Woot noticed that even when carefully stuffed and patted into shape, the straw man was awkward in his movements and decidedly wobbly on his feet,

so the boy wondered if the Scarecrow would be able to travel with them all the way to the forests of the Munchkin Country of Oz.

              The preparations made for this important journey were very simple.  A knapsack was filled with food and given Woot the Wanderer to carry upon his back, for the food was for his use alone.  The Tin Woodman shouldered an axe which was sharp and brightly po

lished, and the Scarecrow put the Emperor's oil-can in his pocket that he might oil his friend's joints should they need it.

              "Who will govern the Winkie Country during your absence?" asked the boy.

              "Why, the Country will run itself," answered the Emperor.  "As a matter of fact, my people do not need an Emperor, for Ozma of Oz watches over the welfare of all her subjects, including the Winkies. Like a good many kings and emperors, I have a grand tit

le but very little real power, which allows me time to amuse myself in my own way. The people of Oz have but one law to obey, which is: 'Behave Yourself,' so it is easy for them to abide by this Law, and you'll notice they behave very well.  But it is tim

e for us to be off, and I am eager to start because I suppose that that poor Munchkin girl is anxiously awaiting my coming."

              "She's waited a long time already, it seems to me," remarked the Scarecrow as they left the grounds of the castle and followed a path that led eastward.

              "True," replied the Tin Woodman, "but I've noticed that the last end of a wait, however long it has been, is the hardest to endure, so I must try to make Nimmie Amee happy as soon as possible."

              "Ah, that proves you have a Kind Heart," remarked the Scarecrow approvingly.

              "It's too bad he hasn't a Loving Heart," said Woot.  "This Tin Man is going to marry a nice girl through kindness and not because he loves her, and somehow that doesn't seem quite right."

              "Even so, I am not sure it isn't best for the girl," said the Scarecrow, who seemed very intelligent for a straw man.  "For a loving husband is not always kind, while a kind husband is sure to make any girl content."

              "Nimmie Amee will become an Empress!" announced the Tin Woodman proudly.  "I shall have a tin gown made for her, with tin ruffles and tucks on it, and she shall have tin slippers and tin earrings and bracelets and wear a tin crown on her head.  I am sure

that will delight Nimmie Amee, for all girls are fond of finery."

              "Are we going to the Munchkin Country by way of the Emerald City?" inquired the Scarecrow, who looked upon the Tin Woodman as the leader of the party.

              "I think not," was the reply.  "We are engaged upon a rather delicate adventure, for we are seeking a girl who fears her former lover has forgotten her.  It will be rather hard for me, you must admit, when I confess to Nimmie Amee that I have come to mar

ry her because it is my duty to do so, and therefore the fewer witnesses there are to our meeting, the better for both of us.  After I have found Nimmie Amee and she has managed to control her joy at our reunion, I shall take her to the Emerald City and i

ntroduce her to Ozma and Dorothy and to Betsy Bobbin and Tiny Trot, and all our other friends; but if I remember rightly, poor Nimmie Amee has a sharp tongue when angry, and she may be a trifle angry with me at first because I have been so long in coming

to her."

              "I can understand that," said Woot gravely.  "But how can we get to that part of the Munchkin Country where you once lived without passing through the Emerald City?"

              "Why, that is easy," the Tin Man assured him.

              "I have a map of Oz in my pocket," persisted the boy, "and it shows that the Winkie Country, where we are now, is at the west of Oz, and the Munchkin Country at the east, while directly between them lies the Emerald City."

              "True enough.  But we shall go toward the north first of all, into the Gillikin Country, and so pass around the Emerald City," explained the Tin Woodman.

              "That may prove a dangerous journey," replied the boy.  "I used to live in one of the top corners of the Gillikin Country, near to Oogaboo, and I have been told that in this northland country are many people whom it is not pleasant to meet.  I was very c

areful to avoid them during my journey south."

              "A Wanderer should have no fear," observed the Scarecrow, who was wabbling (sic) along in a funny, haphazard manner but keeping pace with his friends.

              "Fear does not make a coward," returned Woot, growing a little red in the face, "but I believe it is more easy to avoid danger than to overcome it.  The safest way is the best way, even for one who is brave and determined."

              "Do not worry, for we shall not go far to the north," said the Emperor.  "My one idea is to avoid the Emerald City without going out of our way more than is necessary.  Once around the Emerald City, we will turn south into the Munchkin Country, where the

Scarecrow and I are well acquainted and have many friends."

              "I have traveled some in the Gillikin Country," remarked the Scarecrow, "and while I must say I have met some strange people there at times, I have never yet been harmed by them."

              "Well, it's all the same to me," said Woot with assumed carelessness. "Dangers, when they cannot be avoided, are often quite interesting, and I am willing to go wherever you two venture to go."

              So they left the path they had been following and began to travel toward the northeast, and all that day they were in the pleasant Winkie Country, and all the people they met saluted the Emperor with great respect and wished him good luck on his journey.

  At night they stopped at a house where they were well entertained and where Woot was given a comfortable bed to sleep in.  "Were the Scarecrow and I alone," said the Tin Woodman, "we would travel by night as well as by day, but with a meat person in our

party, we must halt at night to permit him to rest."

              "Meat tires after a day's travel," added the Scarecrow, "while straw and tin never tire at all.  Which proves," said he, "that we are somewhat superior to people made in the common way."

              ...

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