第3章 HOW DOROTHY SAVED THE SCARECROW 多萝西救出了稻草人

When Dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. So she went to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter. She gave some to Toto, and taking a pail from the shelf she carried it down to the little brook and filled it with clear, sparkling water.

Toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there.

Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches that she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast.

Then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and Toto to a good drink of the cool, clear water, she set about making ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds.

Dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a peg beside her bed. It was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock. The girl washed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet on her head. She took a little basket and filled it with bread from the cupboard, laying a white cloth over the top. Then she looked down at her feet and noticed how old and worn her shoes were.

“They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto,”she said.

And Toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged his tail to show he knew what she meant.

At that moment Dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes that had belonged to the Witch of the East.

“I wonder if they will fit me,”she said to Toto. “They would be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out.”

She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, which fitted her as well as if they had been made for her.

Finally she picked up her basket.

“Come along, Toto,”she said. “We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again.”

She closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocket of her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her, she started on her journey.

There were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to find the one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time she was walking briskly toward the Emerald City, her silver shoes tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow roadbed. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly, and Dorothy did not feel nearly so bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the midst of a strange land.

She was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the country was about her. There were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a house, and the people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by; for everyone knew she had been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from bondage.

The houses of the Munchkins were odd-looking dwellings, for each was round, with a big dome for a roof. All were painted blue, for in this country of the East blue was the favorite color.

Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired with her long walk and began to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house rather larger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and women were dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible, and the people were laughing and singing, while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many other good things to eat.

The people greeted Dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and to pass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richest Munchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him to celebrate their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.

Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself, whose name was Boq. Then she sat upon a settee and watched the people dance.

When Boq saw her silver shoes he said, “You must be a great sorceress.”

“Why?”asked the girl.

“Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch. Besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches and sorceresses wear white.”

“My dress is blue and white checked,”said Dorothy, smoothing out the wrinkles in it.

“It is kind of you to wear that,”said Boq. “Blue is the color of the Munchkins, and white is the witch color. So we know you are a friendly witch.”

Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to think her a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.

When she had tired watching the dancing, Boq led her into the house, where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were made of blue cloth, and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.

She ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee Munchkin baby, who played with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way that greatly amused Dorothy.Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people, for they had never seen a dog before.

“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.

“Did you speak?”asked the girl, in wonder.

“Certainly,”answered the Scarecrow. “How do you do?”

“I'm pretty well, thank you,”replied Dorothy politely. “How do you do?”

“I'm not feeling well,”said the Scarecrow, with a smile, “for it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows.”

“Can't you get down?”asked Dorothy.

“No, for this pole is stuck up my back. If you will please take away the pole I shall be greatly obliged to you.”

Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole, for, being stuffed with straw, it was quite light.

“Thank you very much,”said the Scarecrow, when he had been set down on the ground. “I feel like a new man.”

Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffed man speak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her.

“Who are you?”asked the Scarecrow when he had stretched himself and yawned.“And where are you going?”

“My name is Dorothy,”said the girl, “and I am going to the Emerald City, to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas.”

“Where is the Emerald City?”he inquired. “And who is Oz?”

“Why, don't you know?”she returned, in surprise.

“No, indeed. I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all,”he answered sadly.

“Oh,”said Dorothy, “I'm awfully sorry for you.”

“Do you think,”he asked, “if I go to the Emerald City with you, that Oz would give me some brains?”

“I cannot tell,”she returned, “but you may come with me, if you like. If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than you are now.”

“That is true,”said the Scarecrow. “You see,”he continued confidentially, “I don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed, because I cannot get hurt. If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn't matter, for I can't feel it. But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything?”

“I understand how you feel,”said the little girl, who was truly sorry for him. “If you will come with me I'll ask Oz to do all he can for you.”

“Thank you,”he answered gratefully.

They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped him over the fence, and they started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City.

Toto did not like this addition to the party at first. He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats in the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at the Scarecrow.

“Don't mind Toto,”said Dorothy to her new friend. “He never bites.”

“Oh, I'm not afraid,”replied the Scarecrow. “He can't hurt the straw. Do let me carry that basket for you. I shall not mind it, for I can't get tired. I'll tell you a secret,”he continued, as he walked along. “There is only one thing in the world I am afraid of.”

“What is that?”asked Dorothy; “the Munchkin farmer who made you?”

“No,”answered the Scarecrow; “it's a lighted match.”

只剩下多萝西一个人时，她开始感到饥饿，所以就走到食橱边，为自己切了一些面包，涂上黄油。她给了透透几片，又从架子上取下一只提桶，到小溪边灌了一桶又清又亮的水。

透透跑到了树林里，开始向那些卧在树上的小鸟吠叫。

多萝西跑过去逮透透，看见树枝上挂满了鲜果，就摘了一些，正好帮自己解决了早饭问题。

然后，她回到屋里，和透透一起痛痛快快地喝了一阵清凉的溪水，随后开始为翡翠城之行做准备。

多萝西只剩下另一件衣服了，就是那件方格花布、白蓝相间的衣服，它刚好被洗干净，挂在她床边的木钉上；尽管洗过好多次，蓝色有点儿褪色，但仍然是一件漂亮的上衣。小女孩小心地洗了洗身体，换上了这件干净的方格花布上衣，并在头上系了一顶粉红色的太阳帽。她提着一只小篮子，放满了从食橱里拿的面包，在上面盖了一块白布，随后低头看了看脚，注意到她的鞋又旧又破。

“旧鞋肯定走不了长路，透透。”她说。

透透抬起头，用又小又黑的眼睛望着她的脸，摇了摇尾巴，表示它知道她说的是什么意思。

这时，多萝西看到了放在桌子上的东方女巫的那双银鞋。

“我不知道它们是不是合脚，”她对透透说，“穿上它们去走长路正合适，因为它们不可能穿破。”

于是，她脱下旧皮鞋，试了试那双银鞋，不大不小正合脚，好像是为她定做的一样。

最后，她提起篮子。

“走吧，透透，”她说，“我们要去翡翠城问一下伟大的奥兹怎样再回到堪萨斯州。”

她关上门，加上锁，小心翼翼地把钥匙放进衣袋里，就动身上路了。透透一路小跑，认真地跟在她后面。

附近有好几条路，但她没用多久就找到了一条黄砖铺的路。她马上脚步轻快地向翡翠城走去，银鞋在坚硬的黄色路面上欢快地叮当作响。阳光灿烂，小鸟唱得悦耳动听，多萝西似乎并不像一般人想的那样，因为突然从故乡被卷走落到一个陌生地方而感到不幸。

她一边向前走，一边吃惊地看到她四周都是非常漂亮的地方。路两边有整洁的围墙，涂着雅致的蓝色，墙两边满是谷地和菜地。显然，芒奇金人都是种地好手，有能力栽种大量庄稼。偶尔，她会经过一座房子，人们会跑出来看她。她走过去时，他们都深鞠一躬，因为人人都知道她就是杀死坏女巫，把他们从奴役中解救出来的那个人。

芒奇金人的房子样式古怪，每一座都是圆的，带着大圆屋顶，全涂着蓝色，因为在这个东方国家，人们都喜欢蓝色。

黄昏时分，多萝西因为走了很长的路，感觉很累，开始想知道她应在哪里过夜，便来到一座比其他房子都大一点的房子前。在这座房子前的绿草地上，好多男女在翩翩起舞。五个小提琴手尽可能地大声演奏，那些人又笑又唱。旁边的一张大桌子上摆满了鲜果、坚果、馅饼、蛋糕，以及其他好多好吃的东西。

主人亲切友好地欢迎多萝西，请她吃晚饭，留她在这里过夜，因为他们是这片土地上的芒奇金人中最富有的一家，而且主人还召集来了朋友们，共同庆祝从坏女巫的奴役下获得自由。

由那个富有的主人亲自招待，多萝西吃了一顿丰盛的晚餐，主人名叫宝魁。随后，她坐在一个有靠背的长椅上，看人们跳舞。

宝魁看到她的银鞋时，说：“你一定是大魔法师。”

“为什么？”小女孩问道。

“因为你穿着银鞋，杀死了坏女巫。而且，你穿的上衣是白色的，只有女巫和魔法师才穿白色的。”

“我的衣服是蓝白格子的，”多萝西压平衣服上的褶皱说。

“你那样穿真是太好了，”宝魁说，“蓝色是芒奇金人的颜色，白色是女巫的颜色。所以，我们知道你是个友好的女巫。”

多萝西对此真不知道该说什么，因为所有人好像都认为她是一个女巫，而她非常清楚自己不过是一个普通小女孩，碰巧一阵龙卷风让她偶尔来到了一个奇异的地方。

当她看跳舞看累时，宝魁就把她领进屋里，来到一个房间。房间里有一张漂亮的床，床单是蓝布做的。多萝西躺在上面，一直酣睡到了第二天早晨，透透蜷卧在她旁边的蓝色小地毯上。

她吃了一顿丰盛的早餐，望着一个小小的芒奇金幼儿正和透透玩耍，一边拽它的尾巴，一边咯咯笑着，这样子使多萝西大为开心。透透对所有人来说都是一个漂亮的宝贝，因为他们以前从来没有见过狗。

“到翡翠城有多远？”小女孩问。

“我不知道，”宝魁声音低沉地回答说，“因为我从来没到过那里。如果人们没有什么事和奥兹来往，还是远离他为好。不过，到翡翠城的路很长，要花费你好多天。那个地方富有、舒适，但是在到达旅程终点前，你必须经过崎岖危险的地方。”

这让多萝西有点儿担心，但她知道，只有伟大的奥兹能帮她再回到堪萨斯州，所以她勇敢决定绝不回头。

她向朋友们告别，然后又沿着黄砖路出发了。走了好几英里后，她想着要停下来休息一下，就爬到路边的围墙顶上坐下来。围墙那边有一大块玉米田。随后，她在不远处看到有一个稻草人高挂在秆子上，不让那些小鸟靠近成熟的玉米。

多萝西手托下巴，若有所思地凝视着稻草人。稻草人的头是一只塞满稻草的小布袋，上面画着眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴代表一张脸。戴在他头上的是芒奇金人都戴的那种蓝色旧尖顶帽，他身上穿的是一套蓝色衣服，已经破旧褪色，里面也塞满了稻草。他脚上是一双蓝布面旧靴。在这个国家，每个人都这样穿。稻草人依靠一根秆子挺起后背，挂在玉米秆上。

多萝西正在认真地望着稻草人奇特的花脸时，吃惊地看到他的一只眼睛向她慢慢地眨着。起初，她还以为自己一定弄错了，因为堪萨斯州的稻草人没有一个能眨眼的。可是，过了一会儿，稻草人又用友好的方式向她点了点头。于是，她从围墙上爬下来，走到稻草人身边，这时透透围着那个秆子又跑又叫。

“你好，”稻草人用有点儿沙哑的声音说。

“你原来会说话？”小女孩吃惊地问道。

“当然会，”稻草人回答说，“你好吗？”

“我很好，谢谢你，”多萝西礼貌地回答说，“你好吗？”

“我感觉不舒服，”稻草人微笑着说，“因为整天整夜被吊在这里吓走乌鸦们，非常单调乏味。”

“你不能下来吗？”多萝西问。

“不能，因为这秆子插在我的背上。你要是行行好取掉那根秆子，我就会非常感谢你。”

多萝西举起两只手臂，把稻草人从秆子上拿了下来，因为里面塞的是稻草，所以稻草人非常轻。

“非常感谢，”稻草人被放在地上后说，“我感觉像一个新人似的。”

多萝西对此迷惑不解，因为听到一个稻草人说话，而且看到他鞠躬，在她身边走动，让人感到奇怪。

“你是谁？”稻草人伸伸腰，打了个哈欠后，问道，“你要到哪里去？”

“我叫多萝西，”小女孩说，“我要到翡翠城去，请伟大的奥兹把我送回堪萨斯州。”

“翡翠城在哪里？”他问，“奥兹又是谁？”

“哎呀，你不知道？”她吃惊地反问道。

“不，确实不知道。我什么也不知道。你是知道的，我是用稻草填的，所以我根本没有脑子。”他伤心地回答说。

“噢，”多萝西说，“非常抱歉。”

“你认为，”他又问道，“如果我和你一块去翡翠城，那个奥兹会给我一些脑子吗？”

“我说不清楚，”她回答说，“不过，如果你愿意，可以和我一起。即使奥兹不给你脑子，你也绝不会比现在糟。”

“那倒没错，”稻草人说，“要知道，”它继续推心置腹地说，“我不在乎自己的腿、手臂和身体塞满稻草，因为我不会受伤。如果谁踩我的脚趾或拿针扎我，那都不要紧，因为我感觉不到。可我不想让人叫我笨蛋，如果我的脑袋里塞满稻草，而不是像你的一样塞满脑子，我怎么会知道什么事儿呢？”

“我明白你是什么感觉，”小女孩说，真为他遗憾，“如果你和我一块儿去，我就请求奥兹为你尽力。”

“谢谢你。”他感激地回答说。

他们走回到路上，多萝西帮他翻过围墙。随后，他们就沿着去翡翠城的黄砖路出发了。

起初，透透不喜欢这个稻草人加进来。它四处嗅着这个稻草人，仿佛怀疑稻草里也许有一窝老鼠，所以常常不友好地对稻草人吼叫。

“别介意透透，”多萝西对她的新朋友说，“它绝不会咬人。”

“噢，我不怕，”稻草人回答说，“它无法伤害稻草。请让我替你提那只篮子。我不会在乎，因为我不会疲倦。我要告诉你一个秘密，”他一边向前走，一边继续说，“在这个世界上，只有一件东西会让我害怕。”

“那是什么东西？”多萝西问，“是制造你的那个芒奇金农民吗？”

“不是，”稻草人回答说，“是一根点燃的火柴。”